The first Caribbean Technology & Education Conference (C-TEC) was held at Milton Peters College in Sint Maarten on November 12 and 13. The goal of the two-day conference was to bring together hundreds of educators working for school boards, educational foundations and ministries of education in the region to focus on the use of ICT, technology and 21st century learning.
The conference was organized by The Foresee Foundation (4C-Foundation) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. Since its start in 2013, the foundation has launched DigiKidz@St. Maarten, a project that has since financed the construction of the DigiKidz Media Lab at the public library and rocketed the Hillside Christian and Seventh Day Adventist schools into the 21st century. The foundation and its numerous partners have provided the schools with wide wired and wireless network supported by an IT management software program, laptops, charging carts and several hardware items like photo, video and document cameras; headphones, LCD projectors and printers.
Noticing that just like students benefitted from 21st century technology in classrooms, many teachers also wanted to keep up and receive more support in keeping up with educational technology in the classroom. The foundation’s next mission became to create a platform to make it possible to bring together educators region-wide to talk, learn and create ideas on bringing 21st century learning into more classrooms. After many meetings, the first C-TEC was born.
A few months later, 900 educators from the island’s primary and high schools signed up, choosing between 105 workshops from 55 various national and international presenters. The two-day conference also featured keynote speakers, panel discussions on “hot items” like “Should students bring their own devices to school;” hands-on tech learning sessions that feature particular apps or devices and networking sessions to connect educators locally and regionally, an Innovation Lab that showcases all the newest technology and software for education facilities and lastly a Technology Expo that created the opportunity for various businesses to showcase their products and help consumers find the right products to incorporate 21st century learning in their lifestyle and classroom.
Why is it so important to hold a conference like this to incorporate technology
into our classrooms, school and education system as a whole?
Technology is ubiquitous, touching almost every part of our lives, our communities and our homes. Yet most schools lag far behind when it comes to integrating technology into classroom learning. Many are just beginning to explore the true potential tech offers for teaching and learning. Properly used, technology will help students acquire the skills they need to survive nowadays in a complex, highly technological knowledge-based economy.
Integrating technology into classroom instruction means more than teaching basic computer skills and software programs in a separate computer class. Effective tech integration must happen across the curriculum in ways that research shows deepen and enhance the learning process. In particular, it must support four key components of learning: active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback, and connection to real-world experts. The 4C-Foundation, organizer of the C-TEC, uses the 4C’s: Communication, Collaboration, Creativity and Critical thinking.
Effective technology integration is achieved when the use of technology is routine and transparent and when technology supports curricular goals and these key components.
Many people believe that technology-enabled project learning is the way to go nowadays for effective classroom instruction. Learning through projects while equipped with technology tools allows students to be intellectually challenged while providing them with a realistic snapshot of what the modern office looks like. Through projects, students acquire and refine their analysis and problem-solving skills as they work individually and in teams to find, process, and synthesize information they’ve found online.
The large number of resources of the online world also provides each classroom with more interesting, diverse and current learning materials. The Web connects students to experts in the real world and provides numerous opportunities for expressing understanding through images, sound and text.
New tech tools for visualizing and modelling, especially in the sciences, offer students ways to experiment and observe phenomenon and to view results in graphic ways that aid in understanding. And, as an added benefit, with technology tools and a project-learning approach, students are more likely to stay engaged and on task, reducing behavioural problems in the classroom.
Teachers talk technology
With help of the DigiKidz project by the 4C-Foundation and partners, Asha Stevens Christian Hillside School became fully digitalized in 2013! Fifth grade teacher Leandra Honore held a workshop about creating digital portfolios at the conference.
Interview with Teacher Leandra Honore
What type of technology did the classroom have when you started teaching?
I started teaching in 2010, and we had the traditional projector, a CD and a DVD player and one large, old desktop computer. One computer for 20 plus kids meant they had to take turns and would not get to use the computer every week.
How did you experience the change when your school became digitalized in 2013?
The students are more eager for lessons, especially when they see the Promethium Board, Docu-camera or schoolmates (laptops) come out. When they work together on a project without technology, they can run into issues, especially sharing the tasks, but when technology is involved, they collaborate better. The technology makes the students more engaged and interactive.
Do you see a difference in your students’ performance?
I would say there is a difference in some areas, especially with abstract subject. In the past, you used to tell them what it looked like or what it was because you didn’t have the recourses to show them. But now with technology, you can also easily show them so that the understanding and application are better. For example, when you talk about how long a mile is, you can show a video of walking or driving a mile.
How do the parents feel about technology in the classroom?
Technology has also helped me to collaborate more with parents through a class website that I set up. Through this website, parents can see what’s happening in the classroom. I post pictures of what children are doing as opposed to sending a letter that might never reach; I make announcements on this website as well. There is more communication with the parents this way and it is easier for them to get involved. Parents can also post and ask questions. I also keep them updated on how they can help their children with their homework. Parents are really making use of this!
Why do you think it is important for other schools to incorporate 21st century learning in the classroom?
Technology is what is now. It affects how students socialize, play and learn. Using technology, they can go places we could never go. Last week, I took them on a virtual fieldtrip to the Smithsonian museum! By expanding the horizons in our classroom, we can expand their horizons beyond the classroom and St. Maarten and to the world!
In conclusion: Technology also changes the way teachers teach!
As you see, Technology also changes the way teachers teach, offering educators effective ways to reach different types of learners and assess student understanding through multiple means. It also enhances the relationship between teacher and student. When technology is effectively integrated into subject areas, teachers grow into roles of adviser, content expert and coach. Technology helps make teaching and learning more meaningful and fun.
That is one of the main reasons why the 4C-Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Education organized this conference.
Jose Verschueren-Sommers, John de Vroom, Peter Mazereeuw, John Schaminee, Kevin “Suppa” Petrona, Grace Brissett, Marcus Nicolaas, Georgiane Ariana-Henriquez, Alston Lourens, Patricia Lourens, Arjen Alberts, Laura Bijnsdorp, and Marcellia Henry are part of the motivated C-TEC team. The 4C-Foundation members hope that all conference participants feel like they have made one step towards bringing 21st Century technology into their classrooms!
For more information about C-TEC, visit http://www.ctec-conference.com, facebook.com/C-TEC or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Sponsoring & support by St. Maarten Development Fund, UNESCO, Windsong Foundation, Ministry of Education and many other amazing partners has made this conference possible.
Reported for WEEKender by Laura Binjsdorp
