Draft ICT Policy by Gayle Greene-Phillip and Clarita
Thomas
Timeframe: 2013 – 2017
ICT Vision
Pares Secondary School’s ICT Vision is, “to nurture
21st century educational environment, in which there is commitment to
excellence and success in all our endeavours.”
Mission
The mission of the Pares Secondary School is to
prepare students emotionally, physically, socially and morally (to participate
actively and constructively in this school, in this locally community and in
the wider society) through the provision of quality academic, technical and
vocational education, regardless of creed, colour or race. The Pares Secondary
endeavours to provide an environment conducive to learning and teaching in
which students and teachers are given the opportunity to develop to their full
potential, thereby building sound character and positive values.
Aim
Pares Secondary School aims to equip its staff and
students with the necessary ICT skills for them to function effectively on
day-to-day basis.
Areas included in the school ICT policy are:-
- Curriculum integration
of ICT: - By 2017 the
school plans to have full ICT integration across the curriculum. This
revised curricula that promote the integration of ICT into the
teaching/learning experience will be acquired from the Ministry of
Education. The learning environment will be changed from teacher-centred
to student-centred. The teacher will act as guide, coach and facilitator
while the learners’ role will be preparatory/proactive.
· The role of ICT in supporting
teaching and learning at the school: - To ensure the mastery critical thinking skills, cater
for the different modes of learning by modifying existing instructional methods
so that they meet the needs, interests and learning styles of each learner through
the use of technology. Make students responsible for their own learning.
·
Who is responsible for ICT integration? The principal as the plant manager. The ICT
Management Team will be responsible for the day-to-day integration of ICT into
the curriculum. The Heads of Department will monitor the progress within their
departments.
·
How will ICT-integrated curriculum
development be fostered? A
phased-in approach system starting with the core curricular subjects
(Mathematics and English) will be adapted. Heads of Departments will be trained
to monitor and offer needed support to educators as it relates to ICT
integration in classrooms. Development will be done based on skill sets as
obtained from teacher survey.
·
How will ICT resources be accessed? A digital curriculum guide for each subject
area will be created and post on the school’s website for accessibility by all
staff members. This guide will contain sample lesson plans, tools and websites
that are useful in the creation of teaching/learning activities.
- ICT facilities
·
What ICT resources there will be and how
they will be used? Desktop
computers, tablets, smartphones, projectors, interactive whiteboards, video
cameras, Wifi, hot spots, server, upgraded internet service, specialized
educational purposes software, timetabling software and Education Management
Information System (EMIS) will be used by the educators and learners in their
classrooms to enhance their teaching/learning experiences. The former will be
used to do online research, collect data, document events, and create brochures
and the like. While, the EMIS software will be used mostly for administrative
purposes such as keeping all stakeholders abreast of happenings at the school.
·
Where ICT resources will be housed? Small portable tools will be housed in our
newly retrofitted classroom which is now our ICT storage facility. Two existing
fully equipped and secured ICT labs will house the larger ICT tools.
·
How they will be maintained and secured? Privately contracted technicians from the
Board of Education will do monthly maintenances of the ICT resources. Remote
technical assistance e.g. TeamViewer. Installation of antivirus software. Introduction of new operating system such as
Ubuntu which does not attract viruses easily.
- Administrative use of
ICT: - To ensure that
students and educators are able to realize the importance of accomplishing
the school’s ICT vision.
·
The role of ICT in administration and
school management: - ICT
fosters ease of data storage, manipulation and distribution in the form of
student admission, reporting, digital timetabling, inventory software and
communication through emails etc. With the use of the EMIS software
collaboration will be established with the Ministry of Education, alumni and
all stakeholders. It also will assist with greater connectivity and
accountability amongst the management team.
- Staff development
strategy in ICT integration: - It will be fruitless to introduce new technology
and not train the staff to use them. Paring educators and training them at
varying levels according to their competencies will help with the
transition from traditional methods to ICT integration.
·
An outline of a staff development strategy,
naming specific areas of focus and programmes / projects in which staff will
participate: - Provide
training and coaching for educators to boost their confidence in the use of
ICT. Provide timely feedback. Using free Intel online courses (Designing
blended learning, Collaboration in the Digital Classroom, Mobile Learning
Courses to name a few), face-to-face interaction once per week, continuous
professional development through the use of Edmodo and certificates of
completion for the staff.
·
Scheduling of staff development time: - meeting every Thursday from 12:00 noon to
1:30pm for face-to-face sessions until the majority of the educators show high
levels competency in the use of ICT.
·
Plans for staff access to ICT resources: - For online resources, time will be according
to the educators’ choosing. Physical resources such as hardware will be
scheduled and must be applied for before the appointed time. IT labs will be
timetabled to suit educators’ availability on the school’s general and the
individual’s timetables.
- Sustainability: - Awareness must be fostered amongst all
stakeholders if ICT Integration is to be sustained.
·
How will ICT integration efforts be
sustained over five-year period: - ICT meetings will be held with the Principal, deputy,
educators, parents, alumni, partners in education and corporate citizens. Consistent
awareness via radio and television programmes. Using printed and visual ads.
Posting it on our school’s website and social network such as Facebook.
Creating an ICT support team. Providing remote access support. Continuous ICT
training and evaluation to facilitate new staff and new software. The
availability of ICT coordinators to assist in staff development. Installation
of security methods for hardware and software
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