Page 206 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Training Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 206
tem levels, also considering the limited financial resources and reducing
conflicts with the schedule. But, like with other methods, the online forms
of professional development must be used with careful consideration.
It is interesting to examine how educators will accept the online or
other ICT-based programmes for their professional development. A large-
scale professional development programme “Intel Teach – Advanced on-
line” in Germany offers a blended-learning course with face-to-face meet-
ings of teachers with a tutor and other teachers and e-learning training
phases in which teachers use the online platform for individual and col-
laborative learning. The evaluation of this programme indicates that teach-
ers have accepted the platform very well and use it as resource for theoreti-
cal and practical contents. The teachers’ attitudes, with positive attitudes to
technology, were also positive regarding the platform. On the other hand,
the evaluation showed that a major limitation of implementing the plat-
form was that teachers with low interest and negative attitudes to technol-
ogy were clearly underrepresented or did not join the platform (Todorova
& Osburg, 2009).
This is a very realistic consideration for all initiatives for implement-
ing ICT involving professional development programmes such as online
professional development programmes and a reminder that this might not
be the only option and that it should focus on diverse and attractive pro-
grammes and methods. Yet, on the other hand, it is very likely that the
share of teachers who would join such a platform is larger than those with
low interest and negative attitudes to new technologies and that it will grow
in the future. TALIS (OECD, 2014) already indicated that teachers are ex-
pressing less of a need to learn about ICT than they did in 2008 (OECD,
2009), most probably because more teachers are becoming competent in
ICT due to its use in everyday life. Nevertheless, these and other potential
limitations of the online or other ICT-based programmes should be con-
sidered when planning such solutions in terms of preparing user-friendly
solutions that are attractive and in-depth regarding the content. Further,
the lack of face-to-face communication could also be considered as a ma-
jor potential limitation.
Online training courses and traditional professional development
courses can address similar issues and, when used as complementary
methods, they can offer great potential. Some online programmes are sup-
ported with the possibility to watch and/or analyse video resources that
can be used as tools for self-confronting one’s own activity, for crossed
206
conflicts with the schedule. But, like with other methods, the online forms
of professional development must be used with careful consideration.
It is interesting to examine how educators will accept the online or
other ICT-based programmes for their professional development. A large-
scale professional development programme “Intel Teach – Advanced on-
line” in Germany offers a blended-learning course with face-to-face meet-
ings of teachers with a tutor and other teachers and e-learning training
phases in which teachers use the online platform for individual and col-
laborative learning. The evaluation of this programme indicates that teach-
ers have accepted the platform very well and use it as resource for theoreti-
cal and practical contents. The teachers’ attitudes, with positive attitudes to
technology, were also positive regarding the platform. On the other hand,
the evaluation showed that a major limitation of implementing the plat-
form was that teachers with low interest and negative attitudes to technol-
ogy were clearly underrepresented or did not join the platform (Todorova
& Osburg, 2009).
This is a very realistic consideration for all initiatives for implement-
ing ICT involving professional development programmes such as online
professional development programmes and a reminder that this might not
be the only option and that it should focus on diverse and attractive pro-
grammes and methods. Yet, on the other hand, it is very likely that the
share of teachers who would join such a platform is larger than those with
low interest and negative attitudes to new technologies and that it will grow
in the future. TALIS (OECD, 2014) already indicated that teachers are ex-
pressing less of a need to learn about ICT than they did in 2008 (OECD,
2009), most probably because more teachers are becoming competent in
ICT due to its use in everyday life. Nevertheless, these and other potential
limitations of the online or other ICT-based programmes should be con-
sidered when planning such solutions in terms of preparing user-friendly
solutions that are attractive and in-depth regarding the content. Further,
the lack of face-to-face communication could also be considered as a ma-
jor potential limitation.
Online training courses and traditional professional development
courses can address similar issues and, when used as complementary
methods, they can offer great potential. Some online programmes are sup-
ported with the possibility to watch and/or analyse video resources that
can be used as tools for self-confronting one’s own activity, for crossed
206
