1. Introduction:

The Application of Information, Communications and Telecommunications for Educational Development Project values the creativity of the elementary and secondary school teachers. The Project encourages teachers to adopt teaching based on the content of self-made materials to enhance students learning and build-up education media resources for the academic development of Saint Lucia.

2. Qualification:

Primary and Secondary School teachers include qualified teachers and substitute teachers. Individuals and a team of no more than 2 people can be accepted in the competition. No cross-team participant is allowed.

3. Competition Area:

Language (Any), Mathematics, Science, Physical Education, Music, 

4. Deadline for Contest

Applications start from today and end on June 30^th, 2021 

5. Announcement of Contest Awardees:

Before July 30th, 2021

6. Content Specification Description:

1. 1. Fill-out application form online
   2. The lesson plan can be combined with cross-disciplinary subjects and contain multiple digital contents (E-Book, Images, videos, word documents in conjunction with the lesson plan)
   3. The number of words in the works shall be limited to a lesson and no more than 500 words in total.
   4. The content cited in work (such as capturing images, text, pictures, video, and other resources) must be self-made or clearly cited original sources to protect intellectual property rights.

7. Rating areas and proportion:

A committee of experts in the various disciplines, MOE and IT fields shall review the entered items.

Rating areas include:

– Content displays 20%

– Innovation and creative content 20%

– Design and integration of material 20%

– Student Interactive arrangement 20%

– Originality and authentic cross-disciplinary idea 10%

– Engagement 10%

8. Awards:

*Each award-winning team shall appoint a representative to receive the award when registering in the contest.

9. Entering for Contest:

1. 1. Fill-out online submission form.
   2. Upload teaching plan related materials in mp4, docx, jpeg or pdf formatted files or provide link for the web site for the materials. All materials will only be accepted when it is compliant with copyright regulation.
   3. Selected entry materials will be posted on the website and on Facebook under the name of ‘Saint Lucia Application of ICT for Education Development’.

Sponsored by Taiwan ICT in Educational Development Project
Deadline: June 30th, 2021
Contestants: Primary and Secondary School Teachers
Contact us at jojohuangh@gmail.com

Thanks to a partnership with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), Coursera and the Department, training and certification for all teachers can be accessed at no cost. All teachers are encouraged to enrol in and to complete the following training program by February 15, 2021.

Training Program: Google Classroom Teacher Training Certification Program Phase I

Training Platform: Coursera

Application Route: https://forms.gle/7SWbY6ADH91yXYiR7 (Please read details below)

Short Courses:

Course Names and Duration

• Getting Started with Google Classroom – 1 hour
• Create Online Classes with Google Classroom – 2 hours
• Advanced Google Classroom for Education – 1 hour
• Using Google Jamboard for Student Learning – 1 hour
• Create a writing Rubric with Google Docs – 1.5 hours
• Increase Student Buy in with Google Slides – 1 hour
• Create Class Rewards with Google Slides – 1 hour
• Implementing Parent Feedback with Google Forms – 1.5 hours 

Total of 10 hours

Program Access:

1. Teachers who already have a Coursera account via the COL Coursera Workforce Recovery Initiative can simply search for these courses on Coursera by name and enrol in each one immediately. 
2. Teachers who wish to apply for the free training and certification program under the COL Coursera Workforce Recovery Initiative, should submit an application via the following link.  An invitation link should be sent to you within 24 hours. Please note that you must be signed into your email account to access this form. Your email address will be automatically collected by the form : https://forms.gle/7SWbY6ADH91yXYiR7 

Training Deadline:

February 15, 2021 – all courses must be completed by that date.

Program Queries:

If you are having difficulties with accessing the free courses, please see link below:

Google Classroom Training on Coursera Support

Please share these Guidelines for Parents with the parents of students at your school. Their support is very important in assisting your efforts with online learning and helping your students meet their learning goals.

Have you completed your courses and cannot download your certificates? Follow the instructions at the following link to validate your ID on Coursera

Please email germain.anthony@camdu.edu.lc for questions, queries or clarifications needed.

The Department of Education is pleased with the efforts of teachers and school administrators in supporting the continuation of learning activities during this COVID-19 pandemic. In spite of the challenging circumstances teachers have been diligent in making sure that students have access to learning materials and activities, so that while they are being forced to remain home, they have the opportunity to continue learning. School administrators across the island have been ensuring that students are given class schedules in a timely manner and that their schools remain a safe place while all of the necessary protocols are put in place and properly implemented. The Department is also pleased that thousands of students have been keeping up with classes online. We continue to encourage all students to take full advantage of the learning activities that their teachers have provided for them online.

The Department of Education recognises that the schools and teachers cannot do it alone. This effort requires the full support of parents. Unfortunately, some students have not been able to take full advantage of the online learning opportunities that have been ongoing for their schools. It is well understood that some parents and students will have particular challenges at their homes and that some will have more difficulty than others with trying to keep up with classes online. The Department of Education continues to work with other government agencies to help reduce the challenges with access to the Internet and access to digital devices for all learners. The Department wants to support parents such that the existing gaps can be narrowed so that each child will be able to access and take advantage of all the learning opportunities that are being made to them by their teachers and their schools. 

Online learning is here to stay. While the Department of Education is making every effort to resume and maintain face to face classes in a safe and secure way, there are some clear advantages of promoting online learning to supplement traditional learning activities and to improve student learning outcomes. The following guidelines and checklist have been provided to help parents monitor and support the children’s learning in the online environment:

Main Points:

1. Know your child’s Learning Management System (LMS)
2. Monitor your child’s LMS
3. Check in with your child’s teacher regularly
4. Know your child’s curriculum
5. Negotiate a sensible and reasonable routine with your child
6. Manage weekly learning expectations with your child
7. There is no need to sit in the online class with your student
8. Encourage physical activity
9. Help provide feedback to your child’s school or teacher

Explanations:

1. Know your child’s Learning Management System. Each parent should know which online platform that the teachers at their school uses to provide learning resources for the children. Ask your child, whether that platform is Moodle, Google Classroom, Edmodo or some other system.
2. Contact your child’s school or teacher and ask about being invited onto the learner management system. This way, the parent will be able to receive notifications for the class as well as monitor the activities and assignments for the classroom.
3. Check in with your child’s school or teacher on a regular basis. It is possible that a memo, assignment or notification to your child may have been missed. Parents should ensure that they are aware of any developments at the school that might affect the child.
4. Know your child’s curriculum. Each parent should know what the program of learning is for their child at their specific grade level. This might be helpful for some parents and some older siblings to help the child remain on track. For primary school and for lower secondary school, the curriculum guides can be found on the CAMDU website at https://camdu.edu.lc/curriculum-guides-i/ 
5. Negotiate a sensible and reasonable routine with your child for engaging in online learning. Parents should be aware of the online classroom schedule and should also monitor the children for the amount of time that they spend on the computer. As much as possible try to identify a quiet and safe space in the home for your child to participate in online classes. This will help your child maintain focus.
6. Manage weekly learning expectations with your child. You may not be able to determine or monitor every single concept that your child is supposed to learn however you should be able to maintain a level of expectation with your child with respect to the types of activities that they should be engaged in for the week. At the minimum engage your child, at least once a week or daily if possible, in a conversation about what they should be learning. 
7. There is no need to sit in the online class with your student. If your child is able to handle the computer and navigate to the resources then they will be able to manage well. Also, helping your child understand the assignment is commendable or encouraged, however, doing all the work for them will not be helpful in the long run. Children must develop a sense of autonomy and self direction.
8. Encourage physical activity. Parents should make sure that the children are getting a healthy dose of physical activity on a daily basis. Children should not be allowed to sit all day in front of a computer screen.
9. Help provide feedback to your child’s school or teacher so that they can understand how your child experiences and interacts with online learning. Such information will be very helpful for the school and the teachers in improving their delivery of learning activities online and in the classroom.

Definition of Terms

• Curriculum – is generally an outline of the concepts, content, values and skills to be taught to students so that they can meet a particular education standard. A curriculum will usually be divided into subjects, themes, topics, modules or units and is typically organised by grade level.
• Feedback – information about reactions to or results of the performance of something or a person. This information can be used to help improve performance.
• Learner Management System (LMS) – an LMS is a system that allows the teacher to manage classrooms online. The teacher is able to post learning content in the form of text, documents, audio and video for students to learn from. In addition, the teacher is able to post assignments, communicate with students, correct students’ work and assign grades to students on an LMS. Sometimes an LMS is referred to as a Virtual Classroom.
• Program of Learning – a sequenced set of learning objectives and outcomes that is designed for a learner or set of learners. This includes the specific content and skills that should be learnt; the learning activities that are designed to help the learner to understand the content and develop the skills; and the evaluation activities that help measure how well the learner understands the content and can perform the skills.
• Learning Expectations – are established goals for how much the student is expected to learn in a specified period. This can refer to content such as pages or chapters in a book; or performance of a number of steps in a routine; or mastery of a particular skill.

The above guidelines have been compiled by: 

The Curriculum and Materials Development Unit (CAMDU) in the Department of Education, Innovation and Gender Relations.

While these guidelines are not an exhaustive list, they are some of the key elements that parents need to be aware of, if they are to provide meaningful assistance to their child. More information can be found on how to support your child in this regard online on sites like the following:

http://www.lamarschool.com/editoruploads/files/10_Tips_for_Distance_Learning_for_Parents.pdf 

While the Coursera platform offers several high quality and in-demand courses at no charge, participants in these courses would generally be required to pay a substantial fee to obtain the certificate when completed. However, applicants under this specific offer will not be required to pay a fee to receive their certificate upon successful completion of the course. Potential applicants should be guided by the following to determine their eligibility.

The Applicant should:

• Be between 16 and 60 years of age
• Be proficient in English language
• Be in possession of computer device with access to the Internet
• Be familiar with using a computer and a web browser

Please apply now as spaces are limited. Applications are invited online at: https://forms.gle/Z1YDQkiAbwX5RFtu6

Please note that this program does not provide equipment or financial assistance to applicants. Please also note that applications close at 11:59 PM on Thursday, 30 July, 2020.

Introduction

The Application of Information, Communication Technology for Educational Development Project values the creativity of the elementary and secondary school teachers. The Project encourages teachers to adopt teaching based on the content of self-made materials to enhance students learning and build-up education media resources for the academic development of Saint Lucia.

Qualification

Primary and Secondary School teachers include qualified teachers and substitute teachers. Individuals and a team of fewer than 4 people can be accepted in the competition. No cross-team participant is allowed.

Competition Subject Areas

Language (Any), Mathematics, Science, Physical Education, Music,

Timeline for Contest

Applications start from today and end on September 30^th, 2020

Announcement of Contest Awardee

Before November 30th, 2020

Content Specification Description

• Fill-out application form
• The lesson plan can be combined with cross-disciplinary subjects and contain multiple digital contents (E-Book, Images, videos, word documents in conjunction with the lesson plan)
• The number of words in the works shall be limited to a lesson and no more than 5000 words in total.
• The content cited in work (such as capturing images, text, pictures, video, and other resources) must be self-make or clearly cited original sources to protect intellectual property rights.

Rating areas and proportion

A committee of experts in disciplines, MOE and IT fields shall be reviewed the entered items.

Scoring Criteria

– Content displays 20%

– Innovation and creative content 20%

– Design and integration of material 20%

– Student Interactive arrangement 20%

– Original and authentic cross-disciplinary idea 10%

– Others 10%

Award Prizes

*Each award-winning team shall appoint a representative to receive the award when registering the contest.

Entering for Contest

• Fill-out application form;
• Upload teaching plan related materials in mp4, docx, jpeg, pdf format files or indicate the web site for the materials. All materials will only be accepted when it is subject to copyright regulation.
• Relevant entering materials will be posted on the website at Facebook under the name of ‘Saint Lucia Application of ICT for Education Development’.

Please share the IIEC Flyer.

ONLINE – SELF PACED – SHORT COURSES AVAILABLE FROM FEBRUARY TO DECEMBER 2021 IN INNOVATION AND ICT

THESE COURSES ARE FUNDED BY PROFUTURO AND OFFERED FREE THROUGH THE OAS AND THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, SAINT LUCIA

Registration Link: https://survey.telefonicaed.com/index.php/813523?newtest=Y&lang=en

ABOUT PROFUTURO

ProFuturo is one of the largest digital education initiatives from Telefonica Foundation and la Caixa Foundation in Spain; its overall objective is to provide quality and sustainable access to education in vulnerable areas throughout the world, through a digital and integrated educational solution.  The Organization of American States (OAS), The Ministry of Education, Saint Lucia and ProFuturo signed a Memorandum of Understanding in October 2019 to provide to the Government of Saint Lucia digital education tools to improve the acquisition of skills of primary school students and to introduce innovation in education through the provision of technology driven teaching and learning practices designed to empower teachers to provide students with innovative skills and competencies.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE 2021 EDITION

ProFuturo will close the 2020 online courses announcement on the 31 of January 2021 and open the 2021 course offer for the rest of this year (2021).

The implications are as follows:

For new users:

• All new users will be registered in the 2021 cohort. The 2021 cohort will have access to the same 8 courses currently available (Innovation Route and ICT Route).
• Teachers may use, the self-registration link. This link is only for teachers who are participating in the open and completely self-paced modality (no virtual tutor will be assigned to teachers who self-registered).
• Principals can request that teachers at their school are registered in batch by the MOE. The new link will be shared by the end of this month. 

For existing users (teachers who registered from last year):

• Existing users from the 2020 cohort with pending courses will be automatically registered to the 2021 edition of those missing courses. This means, for example, that if you completed the Innovation Route and the Basic Level of the ICT Route, you will be registered only to the remaining courses (intermediate, advanced and professional) of the 2021 ICT Route.
• The 2021 cohorts will remain identical to the 2020 cohort. This means that your groups and virtual tutors assignment to these groups will remain the same as they were in 2020.
• All users will still be able to download the certificates of completion from all the courses they finalized in 2020. At the bottom of the page of the “my courses” tab, you will find those finalised courses with the option to download your certificates.
• Users will not have to reactivate their accounts or take any further action. Starting on February 1^st, when you login to the platform, you will automatically see the 2021 online courses they didn’t complete in 2020.
• If you started, but didn’t complete a course by January 31, 2021, you will be registered again in to the 2021 version of that course. While it is possible the course progress will be saved and migrated to the 2021 version of the course, there is still a chance that you may have to restart the course.

PROGRAM AND COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

There are 8 courses being offered to Public Primary School teachers and Principals from February to December 2021:

• Innovation – Basic Level
• ICT – Basic Level
• Innovation – Intermediate Level
• ICT – Intermediate Level
• Innovation – Professional Level
• ICT – Professional Level
• Innovation – Advanced Level
• ICT – Professional Level

ABOUT THE COURSES

The disruption to the education sector due to COVID-19 has been unprecedented; The Government of Saint Lucia was forced to close schools in mid March, just before the start of the Easter break and with no idea at that time whether normal schooling would resume in the near future.  It meant that strategies would have had to be put in place immediately, planning therefore for the worst-case scenario, that is, schools not reopening under normal conditions.

The Ministry of Education, Saint Lucia envisions a new pedagogy transitioning from the blackboard to blended learning.  It is recognized that early learners are being disadvantaged and not receiving the level of instruction they need under the “new normal”.  Online teaching and learning is therefore being recommended by all education providers throughout the globe and to tackle these concerns the Ministry of Education Saint Lucia has collaborated with ProFuturo and OAS to offer these eight short, online, self paced courses for primary school teachers throughout the island.  The Courses introduce participants to the advantages of digital education starting from the basic level of understanding of the use of automation in innovative teaching to the professional understanding of the diverse options that virtual tools offer to support the teaching and learning process.

Each course is particularly tailored for teachers and principals of primary schools.  It is flexible learning over a three week period for each Course. Participants will have free access to the learning platforms with readings and videos.  Participants will complete a self-assessment activity at the end of each Course. Successful participants who complete the course requirements will receive a Certificate of Achievement for each course.

Primary school Principals are also encouraged to take these courses.  Pre-requisites may be required for each Course level.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

In achieving all 8 Courses, participants will learn:

• Digital literacy and basic automation to achieve innovative teaching practices
• Achieving ICT competence in the classroom
• ICT integration in teaching and learning
• Transforming learning and classroom management using online innovative educational experiences to basic mobile learning
• The changes in didactic programmes to satisfy the new needs of the students
• How Apps and Blogs can change the way students learn

INNOVATION BASIC LEVEL:

• The System of Innovation
• Mobile Learning
• The Finnish Model versus the Japanese Model and practices in teaching and learning

INNOVATION INTERMEDIATE LEVEL:

• Current trends in Educational Technology that can be applied in the classroom
• How to develop a teaching outline based on creative and innovative educational tools
• The role of the teacher in the 21st Century school
• Creativity in teaching method

INNOVATION ADVANCED LEVEL:

• Transforming the classroom through innovation
• The Finnish teaching model versus other teaching models
• The key agents of change and innovation in the classroom
• The characteristics of the 21st Century teacher
• The use of technology and applications for creativity, problem solving and improving social well being

INNOVATION PROFESSIONAL LEVEL:

• Analyzing various pedagogical methodologies
• The traditional school vs the 21st Century school
• How to design a pedagogical methodology that works for each teacher
• Applying innovative experiences in collective construction of a school project
• Stimulating change in teaching practices

ICT BASIC LEVEL:

• Understanding the concept of ICT and integrating ICT in everyday life
• The psychological effects of the information age
• Promoting good practices through collaborative work
• The relevance of educational models in the classroom

ICT INTERMEDIATE LEVEL:

• Practical applications for the use of ICT
• Integrating ICT into the classroom
• Networking for continuous training and professional development
• Lesson planning and project based learning

ICT ADVANCED LEVEL:

• The didactic uses of Google Drive and online applications to carry out educational experiences in the classroom
• To understand competency based evaluation and designing evaluation rubrics for an activity
• Adapting educational experiences to collaborative learning

ICT PROFESSIONAL LEVEL:

• Learning new concepts in a fun way
• Using gaming and collaboration in teaching

DATES:

These courses will be available for the next ten months

To register please go to: https://survey.telefonicaed.com/index.php/813523?newtest=Y&lang=en

email for more information: camdueducation@gmail.com

The Curriculum and Materials Development Unit is now located in the ground floor of the FDL Consult Hasache Building at Good Lands. We are two buildings from the District Four Education Office on the right, down from the Morne to Culdesac.

Find us on Google Maps here.

The Department of Education, Innovation and Gender Relations has partnered with USAID and Creative Associates under the Community, Family and Youth Resiliency (CFYR) Program to implement this unique pilot program that will explore how students’ outlook can improve when engaged with Computer Coding and Robotics.

The Saint Lucia CFYR Youth Robotics pilot program aims to develop resiliency, improved performance and positive behavior modification among participating students through the engagement in basic computer coding and robotics activities. Teachers will over the period of a year teach students how to program in the Lego Mindstorms Robotics environment.

Teachers will apply robotics to help teach some concepts from the regular curriculum. Participating students will be engaged during regular class hours as well as through an after-school robotics program. These students will be given the opportunity to participate in a grand robotics challenge at the end of the year for many exciting prizes.