integrating skill development in teacher education ...

TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMMES AND THE ACQUISITION OF 21ST CENTURY SKILLS: ISSUES AND CHALLENGES Manisha Sharma* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT The teaching is the profession which has lead people on the high way of progress and prosperity. No development had been possible if there had been no teacher. A teacher has strength and wisdom of diverting the attention of student to the desired goal. A teacher can reform any system by his sagacity. But this is an exciting and challenging time for teacher educators. The nature of teaching is changing. In an effort to transform themselves into exemplary educator preparation institutions, many programs are becoming more entrepreneurial, recognizing new opportunities and making changes required to respond to the needs of 21st century learners. Improvement in teacher education is a 3 dimensional task- It’s a challenge for every nation to provide well prepared and effective teachers; it is an area of concern for degrading values and questions about purpose and goals of education for society; and it is a research problem involving educational issues, concerns, questions and conditions. In India, during the quest of this reforming and restructuring and in the light of various policy papers and documents like- Kothari commission report (1964-66), Acharya Rammurti Samiti Report (1990), NCF (2005), National knowledge commission report, NCTE regulations 2009, Right to education act 2009, NCTEF (2010) etc., the Teacher education curriculum and regulations have witnessed a paradigm shift in recent years. However some of the problems have also been there like updated curriculum, duration and quality of internship, in-service teacher education, lack of practical aspects and teacher education through distance mode are debatable issues. Keywords: Teacher Education, 21st century Skills, Challenges, Issues Introduction All professions are equally important for the human development. But the teaching is the profession which has lead people on the high way of progress and prosperity. No development had been possible if there had been no teacher. Teaching as a profession requires a great courage and moral strength, because it is not sound so far as financial side is concerned. Teaching not only trains a person for material benefit but it also arranges moral, spiritual and religious training for man. Let me say that the teaching is the profession which shows man the road which leads him to the God. This is an exciting and challenging time for teacher educators. The nature of teaching is changing. In an effort to transform themselves into exemplary educator preparation institutions, many programs are becoming more entrepreneurial, recognizing new opportunities and making changes required to respond to the needs of 21st century learners. Teacher education programmes in India The Teacher Education Policy in India has evolved over time and is based on recommendations contained in various Reports of Committees/Commissions on Education, the important ones being the Kothari Commission (1966), the Chattopadyay Committee (1985), the National Policy on Education (NPE 1986/92), Acharya Ramamurthi Committee (1990), Yashpal Committee (1993), and the National Curriculum Framework (NCF, 2005). The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, which became operational from 1st April, 2010, has important implications for teacher education in the country. Teacher education is level-specific. It means programmes on teacher education varies according –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Research Scholar, Amity University, Noida, E-mail: [email protected] 1

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Integrating Skill Development in Teacher Education: Issues, Challenges & Strategies.

to the needs of pre-primary, primary secondary, higher education and vocational education. There are specific methods and strategies for classroom transaction at different levels. There is no uniformity in the country in the teacher education programmes. The programmes widely vary in content and process from one state to another state. However, there are mainly five types of teacher-education programmes or institutions: 1. Pre-primary teacher education 2. Primary teacher education 3. Secondary teacher education 4. Higher education programmes 5. Vocational Teachers Training Legal and Institutional Framework Within the federal structure of the country, while broad policy and legal framework on teacher education is provided by the Central Government, implementation of various programmes and schemes are undertaken largely by state governments. Within the broad objective of improving the learning achievements of school children, the twin strategy is to (a) prepare teachers for the school system (pre-service training); and (b) improve capacity of existing school teachers (in-service training). For pre-service training, the National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE), a statutory body of the Central Government, is responsible for planned and coordinated development of teacher education in the country. The NCTE lays down norms and standards for various teacher education courses, minimum qualifications for teacher educators, course and content and duration and minimum qualification for entry of student-teachers for the various courses. It also grants recognition to institutions (government, government-aided and self-financing) interested in undertaking such courses and has in-built mechanism to regulate and monitor their standards and quality. For in-service training, the country has a large network of government-owned teacher training institutions (TTIs), which provide in-service training to the school teachers. The spread of these TTIs is both vertical and horizontal. At the National Level, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), along with its six Regional Institutes of Education (REIs) prepares a host of modules for various teacher training courses and also undertakes specific programmes for training of teachers and teacher educators. Institutional support is also provided by the National University on Education al Planning and Administration (NUEPA). Both NCERT and NUEPA are national level autonomous bodies. At the state level, the State Councils of Educational Research and Training (SCERTs), prepares modules for teacher training and conducts specialized courses for teacher educators and school teachers. The Colleges of Teacher Education (CTEs) and Institutes for Advanced Learning in Education (IASEs) provide in-service training to secondary and senior secondary school teachers and teacher educators. At the district level, in-service training is provided by the District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs). Teacher Education Issues in India Great expansion of teacher education institutions during the last decade reflects the teacher education scenario of today. Increase in the no. of schools and enrolment as a result of countrywide primary education programmes like Operation Blackboard, District Primary Education Programme, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Universalization of Elementary Education, has resulted in increased demands for the teachers. This produced a great demand and increase of teacher education institutions but the quality parameters were ignored in the process. As result, poor quality, lack of responsibility, and lack of desired qualities and dedication is seen among the newly produced pupil teachers. Some of the issues are as follows: 2


Teacher Education Programmes and the Acquisition of 21st Century Skills: Issues and Challenges

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Meager incorporation of skills- Certain skills as life skills, pedagogical skills using technology, info-savvy skills, emotional skills, human developmental skills and spiritual skills need to be integrated in the teacher education programmes. The current teacher education system of country fails to incorporate these skills within learners. Faulty selection process of teacher educators- Selection process for teacher education programmes includes some defects which result in deterioration of the quality of teachers. A better selection processes and use of appropriate method is needed to improve the quality of prospective teachers and in turn their training. Inadequate competency development of teachers- The present training programme does not provide proper opportunities for pupil teachers to develop their competency as these training programmes are not well concerned with the existing problems of schools. Practice teaching in documents only- Although it has been strictly instructed by NCTE to the colleges to conduct proper teaching practice of pupil teachers, most of the colleges are not performing the same in its correct sense. Those who are conducting teaching practice are using traditional methods of teaching and there is very less exposure of technology to the pupil teachers. Insufficient knowledge of teaching subject- The B.Ed. programme does not emphasize the knowledge of the basic subject. It should ensure the development of subject knowledge along with teaching skills. Without it the teaching practice will remain somewhat ineffective with regard to the subject knowledge. Lack of advanced techniques/methods of teaching- Although in B.Ed colleges theoretically we are talking about various advance methods of teaching educators, ourselves don’t try to use the same. We keep on using lecture method most of the time for teaching them that the use of technology is very essential now a days. Incomplete supervision and feedback- The supervision coupled with proper feedback is useful for improving practice teaching and instructional activity of the pupil teachers. Feedback and support help them in developing confidence to face the classroom. Insufficient empirical research- In India, educational research conducted is not of satisfactory quality and not at par with global standards. This is a weaker link in the chain of effectiveness of teacher education. Inadequate professional development and infrastructural facilities- Most of the programmes are facing lack of professional and necessary infrastructure. This results in unsatisfactory professional achievements. In India, several teacher education institutions are operated in rented buildings without proper facilities and without an experimental school, library, computers and other ICT equipments which are necessary for operation a good teacher education department. Poor incentive and academic background of pupil teachers- Most of candidates joining the teaching profession do not come here by choice; instead they come here by chance, when there is no other option. They do not have the requisite level of motivation and an academic background for the noble profession of teaching. A disparity in demand and supply- Teacher education has become supply driven, instead of demand driven. The state education departments have no plans and accurate data for proper management of their institutions. There is a considerable gap between the demand and supply of teachers. B.ed colleges are growing and the supply of teachers is increasing every year geometrically while the no of teachers required for the school education system is very less. It lead to creation of unemployment and frustrations among would be teachers. Poor budget distribution- Less budgetary allocation is a main reason which in turn makes suffer the institutions for equipments, facilities, arrangement of co-curricular activities and sometime contractual appointment of the staff shortage. It directly affects the quality of outcome. Lack of feedback system- a perfect feedback system from institutions, staff, faculty and 3



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stakeholders regarding courses and implementation is required at every stage of change and planning. And the same should also be communicated to policy makers of the country. Less attention towards co-curricular activities- In present courses mostly the focus is on completing the syllabus and no place is there for well planned co curricular activities like NCC, NSS, educational visits etc., particularly in private institutions.

Major Skills to be required in 21st century1. Skill of blending Content knowledge, specific skills & expertise & Literatices. 2. Critical thinking problem solving, creativity. 3. Flexibility, effective communication, self directed learning. 4. Skill to make best us of advance technologies. 5. Life & career skills (To make balance between life & work environment. 6. Learning & Innovation skills are also required especially in the work environment. 7. Skill of transforming above skills regularly as per the need of environment. Now question arises that how to include these skills in the teacher education programmes. Following are some of the suggestions for the inclusion of skills with in the Teacher education programme: 1. Adapt the curriculum and the requirements to teach to the curriculum in imaginative ways. They must also be able to adapt software and hardware designed for a business model into tools to be used by a variety of age groups and abilities. They must also be able to adapt to a dynamic teaching experience. 2. Locate the potential in the emerging tools and Web technologies, grasp these and manipulate them to serve their needs. 3. Make a balance on collaborative tools (Blogger, , MSN, MySpace, Second life, Twitter, RSS) to enhance and captivate learners, and must also collaborate in sharing, contributing, adapting and inventing. 4. Take risks and at times try to acknowledge the students knowledge of technology also. Have a vision of what she/he wants and what the technology can achieve, identify the goals and facilitate the learning. 5. Continue to attract experiences and knowledge, make an effort to stay current, must learn and adapt as the horizons and landscapes change. 6. Must go beyond learning just how to do it; but also know how to facilitate it, stimulate and control it, moderate and manage it. 7. Model the behaviours that s/he expects from her/his students (tolerance, global awareness, and reflective practice). 8. Be a leader and work with clear goals and objectives. 9. Create adequate incentives to aatract and retain capable teachers. 10. Ensure that teacher education institutions are well equipped both in human and material resources. 11. Recommend that teachers have sufficient mastery of content and varied methods of Teaching that are subject-specific including teachers for Special Needs Learners. 12. Ensure structured, effective and supportive supervision of teaching practice and induction as well as certification licensing. 13. Produce sufficiently trained teacher educators capable of imparting and modeling desired skills and knowledge. 14. Motivate teachers and provide opportunities for their continuing professional development retention, advancement and improvement in their chosen career and recommend that teachers need to constantly upgrade their skills in order to remain competent and relevant. 15. Recommend rigorous admission and graduation requirements and apply them consistently. 4


Teacher Education Programmes and the Acquisition of 21st Century Skills: Issues and Challenges

Conclusion In the Information Age, students must be able to purposefully access information from a variety of sources, analyze and evaluate the information, and then integrate it to construct a personal knowledge base from which to make intelligent decisions. To foster these capabilities, educators must re-examine their assignments and teaching strategies. We must recognize and accept the fact that knowledge is changing so fast that no traditional curriculum can sufficiently supply students with the fact-based learning needed for the challenges they will face. Instead, we must teach them the skills to continue learning independently long after they are out of school. Developing a 21st century teacher requires the development of the spirit of creativity and enquiry, and intellectual and professional competencies among in-service and pre-service teachers. It also depends upon certain characteristics of teachers, the teacher educators, the environment as well as methods of instruction. As demand for teachers has increased in recent years and led to an explosion in the number of Teacher Education Institutions and courses at various levels, this has not been coupled with a reform in infrastructure, faculty expertise, learning resources or quality at policy and practical levels. To fill this gap we have to do a lot and the central government, statutory bodied like NCTE, UGC, NCERT, NUEPA, Institutes of Advance Studies in Education (IASEs) of the Universities, Central Universities, premier institutions of education and policy planners with other stakeholders have to play a major role in this process of reform. References  http://home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/cice/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/4-2-91.pdf  http://howtostudynotes.blogspot.in/2013/11/essay-on-teaching-as-noble-profession.html  http://howtostudynotes.blogspot.in/2012/07/role-of-teacher-for-improvement-of.html  http://ijear.org/vol61/TEP2016/17-divya-singh.pdf  http://jespnet.com/journals/Vol_1_No_1_June_2014/13.pdf  http://mhrd.gov.in/teacher-education-overview  https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2889174  http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/aacte_p21_whitepaper2010.pdf

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CONSTRUCTION OF TOOL FOR MEASURING TECHNOLOGICAL, PEDAGOGICAL & CONTENT KNOWLEDGE (TPACK) OF INDIAN PRE-SERVICE TEACHER EDUCATORS Hemant Lata Sharma* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT The turn of 21st century marked the beginning of a much common and whispered use of computer technologies in classroom. In today’s classroom, teaching can no longer sustain the interest of students if the process involves traditional approach. Technology has played an important role in transforming education to more progressive and interactive ways. However the use of technology itself does not produce results in quality of learning and students’ achievement. Teachers must be skilled in subject knowledge, pedagogical skills and technological knowledge. The technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) framework has been regarded as potentially effective in guiding teachers to integrate technology into the classroom. This framework helps the teachers to understand the complex relations between different components of the model. There have been numerous studies about the development of TPACK scale in international contexts which were beyond the cultural and language boundaries. A need has been realized by the researcher to develop the TPACK scale in Indian context also. Therefore, in this paper an attempt has been made to construct a tool for measuring Technological, Pedagogical & Content Knowledge (TPACK) of Indian Pre-service Teacher Educators, where in the reliability and validity of the tool have also been established. Introduction The general failure of teacher development programmes was due to the lack of a systematic framework to guide teachers’ integration of ICT in teaching and learning. They nominated Shulman’s (1986) framework, PCK or Pedagogical Content Knowledge, as a way to tackle this problem. The term Pedagogical Content knowledge (PCK) was put forward by Lee Shulman (1986). Shulman’s PCK model has been examined, expanded, and elaborated by many scholars and practitioners since 1986 but the work of Mishra & Koehler (2006) is most significant. They expanded PCK to include another domain – the use of technology to support teaching and learning. The resulting model – Technological, Pedagogical & Content Knowledge or TPACK – adds further complexity to the way we think about teaching, learning, and technology.

Fig.-1 TPACK Model –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Former Head & Dean, Faculty of Education, M.D.U., Rohtak. E-mail: [email protected] 6


TPACK, as represented above in figure-1, is a blooming form of knowledge that goes afar all three core components (Content, Pedagogy and Technology). TPACK is different from knowledge of its individual component concepts and their intersections. It arises from multiple interactions among content, pedagogical, technological, and contextual knowledge. TPACK is a mastery that matures from the interaction among the Content, Pedagogy and Technology Knowledge. This knowledge makes the learning of the subject easier for the student with appropriate pedagogy and technology. It is aimed to go beyond techno-centrism to help teachers in creative thinking. Need for Construction of TPACK Scale in Indian Context The notion of TPACK defined as understanding the connections and interactions between and among content knowledge, technological knowledge and pedagogical knowledge to improve student learning. It is quickly becoming popular among researchers and practitioners alike. As a result, various researchers have developed different methodologies which are being able to measure TPACK. In several studies, survey instruments have been developed to measure teachers’ TPACK development (Schmidt et al., 2009). Schmidt et al. (2009) developed the most commonly used scale. Koh, Chai, and Tsai (2010) conducted a validity and reliability study for the TPACK scale developed by Schmidt et al. (2009). Similarly, Dikkartýn-Övez and Akyüz (2013) applied the same scale to mathematics teachers and obtained four factors. Sahin (2011) developed a seven dimensional scale, and this scale can be adapted to any subject. Similarly, another seven-dimensional scale was created by Archambault and Crippen (2009). A scale with seven subscales specific to one subject was developed by Akman and Güven (2015). The nature and amount of TPACK is different in India in comparison to other countries and all the existed scale were constructed in foreign perspectives. Therefore, a need to construct a tool for measuring Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) of Indian Pre-service teacher educators was realized. Following steps were taken care of during the construction of TPACK Scale. Major Steps for Construction of TPACK Scale a) Pre-requisites for TPACK Scale Construction The first and foremost step for any test construction involves the permission from the developer. Before starting any work, the permission from Dr. Denise Schmidt via e-mail was taken to develop the Technological, Pedagogical & Content Knowledge (TPACK) scale into Indian version. The second step involves determining the Construct Focused for Measurement. In TPACK Scale development, this phase includes a comprehensive literature review on PCK and TPACK. As noted earlier, Shulman’s (1986) conceptualization of PCK and Mishra and Koehler’s (2006) TPACK model were adapted as a theoretical framework. After the extensive literature review definitions of the construct were developed based on the selected frameworks. The next step involves the selection of a response format, which is another critical step of the scale development. A 5-point Likert Scale was used because it is generally accepted format for evaluating Technological, Pedagogical & Content Knowledge (TPACK) of preservice teacher educators. The last step of this section belongs to the development of the item pool. 61 items were framed based on seven dimensions i.e., Technological Knowledge (TK), Pedagogical Knowledge (PK), Content Knowledge (CK), Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK), Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), Technological Content Knowledge (TCK) and Technological, Pedagogical & Content Knowledge (TPACK). The items in the initial TPACK pool were assessed for content validity by experts. Based on expert’s comments and feedback, revisions were made in the second draft of TPACK Scale. b) Item Analysis and Standardization of TPACK Scale Before the development process of the scale was completed, the scale was administered to 110 7


pre-service teachers. As per Kelley (1939), the upper and lower criterion group contain 30 pre-service teacher educators in each group. So, in order to find out the Discriminatory Power of each item, t-test was used to check the significance of the difference between upper and lower criterion group for each item. All the items (except item no. 4, 7 and 41) have sig. Value less than 0.05. So, these three items (4, 7 and 41) were rejected after Item Analysis. For standardization of test, it was administered on 400 pre-service teacher educators. Participants were chosen from different teacher training institutions. They were chosen randomly. After collecting the data from 400 pre-service teacher educators, Item-Total Correlation was calculated. Item no. 1, 2 and 8 were excluded from the scale at this stage because of low item-total correlation. The data further exposed to Exploratory Factor Analysis to find its factor structure or construct validity. Promax with Kaiser Normalization- Principal Axis Factoring was performed to make an initial estimate. No item was rejected at this stage because all the items were have sufficient factor loadings. A total of 03 items were rejected due to the joint consideration of Corrected-Item Total Correlation and Factor Loading Value. The final draft of TPACK Scale now contained 55 items which were based on the seven dimensions of TPACK as already mentioned. Overall Cronbach’s Alpha for Internal Consistency was found to be .976 for all the items included in the finalized version of the scale. TPACK is so influential today that there may be a tendency to take for granted the core ideas of the model, to assume that we have always know that. The present paper helped in construction of TPACK scale through which we can measure TPACK time to time to see that TPACK core values are changing every time. References  Akman, O., & Guven, C. (2015). TPACK survey development study for social sciences teachers and teacher candidates. International Journal of Research in Education and Science (IJRES), 1(1), 1-10  Archambault, L., & Crippen, K. (2009). Examining TPACK among k-12 online distance educators in the United States. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education , 9 (1), 71–88.  Bornstedt, 1977; Bornstedt, G. W. 1977. “Reliability and validity assessment in attitude measurement” In G. F. Summers (Ed.),.pp 80-99. London, England.  DeVellis, R.F. (2003). “Scale development: Theory and applications” (2nd ed.). Newbury Park: Sage  Dikkartýn-Övez, F.T., & Akyüz, G. (2013). Ýlköðretim Matematik Öðretmeni Adaylarýnýn Teknolojik Pedagojik Alan Bilgisi Yapýlarýnýn Modellenmesi. Eðitim ve Bilim, 38, 170  Chai, C. S., Koh, J. H. L., Tsai, C.-C. (2010). Facilitating preservice teachers’ development of technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK). Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 13(4), 63-73.  Kelly, T. L. (1939). The Selection of Upper and Lower Groups for the Validation of Test Items. Journal of Educational Psychology. Vol. 30, p.p. 17-2  Mishra, P., & Koehler, M.J. (2006). “Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge”. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017–1054. doi:10.1111/j.14679620.2006.00684.x  Rattray, J.C. and Jones, M.C. (2007), “Essential elements of questionnaire design and development”, Journal of Clinical Nursing, 16, pp 234-243  Sahin, I. (2011). Development of survey of technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK). Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 10(1), 97-105.  Shulman, L.S. (1986). “Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching”. Educational Researcher, 15(2), 4–14  Schmidt et al. (2009)

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DIGITAL STORYTELLING; TECHNOLOGY-INTEGRATED PEDAGOGY FOR SOCIAL SCIENCE CURRICULUM Vandana Punia* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT The major thrust of this paper is to make Digital storytelling a technology-supported pedagogy for Social Science Curriculum for school subjects. The paper is of theatrical nature having some conceptual framework of utilization of digital technologies as Technology-integrated Pedagogy for Social Science Curriculum. Being immense importance to societies around the world, social studies are narrower form of social science as a school subject and concerned with glorious past, geographical conditions and civic of surrounding environments. This specific discipline is always a challenge for teachers, policy makers and students for its massive and ever changing curriculum. It is revealed fact that social studies are an easy and logical extension of the digital storytelling technique. As an instructional strategy in social studies, this can make enormous wonders to make social studies interesting, relevant, and valuable and less burden on teachers and students. Keeping in view, the vital importance of social studies subject, an idea has been conceptualized to develop Digital storytelling as Transformative technology-supported pedagogy for Social Science Curriculum for school subjects. This paper provides an overview of digital storytelling in education and how this can be integrated into the curriculum. Some characteristics of Digital story telling have been discussed to help educators understand how digital storytelling can be used in instructional settings. Overall, digital storytelling is a valuable learning tool and plays an important role in education, and thus should not only be considered as a multimedia element separate from the actual teaching and learning processes. Key words: Digital Storytelling, Social science curriculum, Technology-integrated Pedagogy. Problem Statement: Social science is of immense importance to societies around the world; Social studies are narrower form of social science as a school subject and concerned with glorious past, geographical conditions and civic sense of surrounding environments. This specific discipline is always a challenge for teachers, policymakers and students for its massive and ever changing curriculum. Stodolsky, Salk, & Glaessner, 1991; Wolters & Pintrich, 1998; Alazzi and Chiodo 2004; Gehlbach, 2008: Essien, et al 2015; Schug, Todd&Berry, 1994; Shaughnessy&Haladyana, 1995 had also reported that social studies as a subject is given less importance than science subjects. Social studies produce effective and efficient citizens for a democratic society through its societal inputs. And it must be an essential part of curriculum in primary, secondary and higher education. The social studies are as basic for survival because every young citizen of nation must know the glorious past of native land, surrounding geographical conditions and native civic life. To cover this objective, we have to convert this huge, unorganized curriculum having different specializations into single umbrella concept known as social studies. Grants & Plan, N. S. (1998) reported that Knowledge, skills, and attitudes are essential and it requires methodically developed curriculum focused on different concepts related with history, geography and civic life of a particular region. Engle &Ochoa 1998 are of the view that social studies are meant for preparation of the nation’s future citizens. As for as instructional strategy for achieving outcomes in social studies subject, It is quite necessary to look upon pedagogical endeavors that are used in teaching of social studies. When we talk about instructional objectives in social studies, again it is debatable that can it be feasible only –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Associate Professor, Human Resource Development Centre, Guru Jambheshwar University of S&T, Hisar, Haryana. Email: [email protected] 9



through traditional way of teaching and learning; these instructional objectives in form of knowledge domain, affective domain (value) will be successfully attained? The answer is that digital story telling may prove itself successful approach to achieve these objectives. Lesley Farmer (2004) supported digital story telling as effective instructional strategy for social studies as it consists of high-level information, critical thinking and creativity. It is revealed fact that social studies are an easy and logical extension of the digital storytelling technique. Whitley & Hoefler (2012) reported that there is immense thrust for digital literacy skills in today’s students. McLellan (2007) supported digital story telling applications in higher education which includes personal stories, digital story archives, memorial stories, vocational stories, educational stories, and stories in medicine and health. Keeping in view, the vital importance of social studies subject an idea has been conceptualized to develop Digital storytelling as Transformative technology-supported pedagogy for Social Science Curriculum for school subjects. Objective of the paper: The major objective of this paper is: To make Digital storytelling a technology-supported pedagogy for Social Science Curriculum for school subjects. Conceptual Framework: Digital story consists of a series of still images combined with a narrated soundtrack to tell a story in Short, first person narratives of people’s lives that can be shared in a variety of traditional and social media formats. The process of creating, sharing, and discussing digital stories can be utilized for linking abstract concepts to personal experiences that enhances the overall learning experience. As an instructional strategy in social studies, this can make enormous wonders to make social studies interesting, relevant, and valuable and less burden on teachers and students. The creation of a digital story is a complex process in which the creator utilizes different skills and literacy’s in order to produce a meaningful multimedia text. “Digital storytelling is the an instructional strategy of using computer-based tools to tell stories. Digital Storytelling is the modern expression of the ancient art of storytelling. Throughout history, storytelling has been used to share knowledge, wisdom, and values. Stories have taken many different forms. Stories have been adapted to each successive medium that has emerged, from the circle of the campfire to the silver screen, and now the computer screen.” – The Digital Storytelling Association Research Supporting the Use of Digital Storytelling in the Classroom Di Blas & Paolini, 2013; Ohler 2013; Robin, 2008; Sadik, 2008 explored that digital story telling has been widely utilized in social science curriculum.Deborah;2015 supported that the use of digital technology appears to be an effective collaborative pedagogy, which engages students, fosters creativity, and promotes several professional skills including presentation, peer feedback, communication, and behaviour. Caminotti & Gray, (2012), Morabito & Abrams (2015) revealed that digital storytelling enhance students’ knowledge in three dimensions: writing, pedagogy, and reflective practice. Yang & Wu (2012) investigated the impact of Digital storytelling (DST) on the academic achievement, critical thinking, and learning motivation of senior high school students in learning English as a foreign language and reported that through Digital Story Telling, students’ understanding of course content, willingness to explore, and ability to think critically had increased. France & Wakefield (2011) stated that today generation is so called net generation and is capable of grasping interactivity and image-rich environments. It is need of the hour to modify assessment practices in higher education in relation to technology and pedagogy. They are also of the view that use of student-generated digital stories as innovative approach provides students with the opportunity to design and create their own digital story. Sancar & Incikabi, (2013) had done experimental research on the effect of 10


Digital Storytelling; Technology-Integrated Pedagogy for Social Science Curriculum

expertise-based training (XBT) on the quality of digital stories created by early childhood education (ECE) pre-service teachers and in favour of expert training on creating quality digital stories to pre service teachers. Harris (2007) provides an example of a blended narrative and step-by-step instructions for implementing this strategy in the classroom. Blending narratives allows students to combine their personal experiences with specific social studies content to tell a story. Each story created and told by students is uniquely different. Yuksel & McNeil (2011) explored how educators, students and others around the world are using digital storytelling to support the educational process through on line survey and explored some of the benefits and challenges educators face in implementing digital storytelling in their institutions. Smeda & Sharda (2014) suggest that digital storytelling is a powerful tool to integrate instructional messages with learning activities to create more engaging and exciting learning environments for creating a constructivist learning environment based on novel principles of teaching and learning. How cans digital story telling will prove itself as Technology-integrated Pedagogy in Social Studies? Pedagogy is the course of action of presenting content in the context of learning strategies for creation of effective lesson plan for classroom instruction and online education. Usually it is based on Cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains with reference to instructional and behavioural objectives.. In social studies digital story telling could be fully utilized as best Technology-integrated Pedagogy: Digital Storytelling is based on principle of Constructivism. Story telling is traditional way of teaching history and in modern era it is converted into digital story telling knows as modern instructional strategy of teaching social studies. Digital storytelling at its most basic core is the art of telling stories with a variety of multimedia, including graphics, audio, video, and Web publishing. Thus, it’s a short jump from the personal or creative fiction narrative to illustrating a concept in the social world. Digital story telling involves the motivational input which is basic characteristic of good pedagogy. As children become personally involved with the story, they are more likely to learn from it. Ohler, 2005; Prensky, 2001; Atkinson, 2000 supported that with help of digital storytelling, students actively participate and motivated along with respond well in technology-infused activities because of their familiarity with technology.In this particular pedagogy, teachers use digital techniques along with five principles of instructional strategy as Motivation; Exposition; Direction of activity; Criticism; Inviting imitation to help students become independent, strategic learners. Digital Storytelling as best Technology-integrated Pedagogy can have following characteristics:  Digital storytelling smooth the progress of a constructivist approach for teaching and learning.  Organize social studies curriculum for understanding and remembering with value based objective in techno based environment.  It consists of pedagogical skills under physiological foundation of learning.  Step-by-step strategy instruction with digital and multimedia characteristics.  It also includes multiple ranges of instructional approaches and educational resources and gives platform to transfer skills and ideas from one position to another.  It also supports modelling, guided practice and independent practice to enhance effective learning.  Meaningful connections between skills and ideas, and real-life situations  Tools for reflecting on and assessing own learning. Elements of Digital Storytelling Joe Lambert is known as the co-founder of the Centre for Digital Storytelling (CDS), a non-profit, community arts organization in Berkeley, California. The CDS is also known for developing and disseminating the Seven Elements of Digital Storytelling as follows: 11



1. Point of View – This element is related with the main point of the story and viewpoint of the author. It is thumb rule that Stories will be written from the first person perspective. It is concerned with narrator’s message or moral of the story for specific audience. 2. A Dramatic Question – This element is concerned with a question that will be answered by the end of the story. Storyteller will pose a dramatic question in beginning of the story and try to create attention and motivation among audience. A dramatic question is usually not an actual question that the narrator poses but; it is stimulating statement that causes the viewers to ask themselves a question. 3. Emotional Content – This element consists of serious issues that articulate to us in a special and dominant way and highlights the emotions associated with story. Stories that include incidences of loss, gain, liberation, disaster, or transform are central point’s which keep audience engaged and concerned. Story always comes from the heart and set the stage for the emotional feel of the story. Spagat quoted “[Emotional content] is what everybody can relate to and what makes stories so universal.” 4. The Gift of your Voice – It is related with a way to personalize the story to help the audience understand the context with help of voice. A good storyteller can present digital story in leading direction and can make it more powerful and exciting than using text only. Weinshenker suggests that use an informal tone when narrating story, as if narrator is talking with someone over a cup of coffee. 5. The Power of the Soundtrack – It is related with music or other sounds that support the storyline. Through Music, our overall message can set up mood and complement of viewers. We should choose music carefully with reference to tone of the contents. Instrumental music is often the best choice, as lyrics can interfere with your narration or contradict your message,. Yet no matter what music you include, make sure you keep it at an appropriate volume to avoid drowning out the narrator’s voice. The Digital Storytelling Cookbook 6. Economy –,Spagat supported ,” Economy or cutback of words plays an essential role in making digital stories small and sweet and emotionally believable .It suggests the narrator to cut out all the inappropriate stuff and focus only on that part which supports the central message of the story. The story should be without overloading the content with too much information. Script should be kept brief (between 280 and 380 words) which can help in deciding what content to include. “.” 7. Pace – It is related with speed or tempo and deals with how slowly or quickly the story steps forward. Just as a weeping girl can tire audience, a swift story can gobble up them. To hold viewers’ attention, it is necessary to use high standard medium, differentiate the quantity of time that images stay on the screen, and use effects which suit the story. Types of Digital Stories in social science curriculum as school subject:  Political stories - stories that include accounts of major events, happenings and movements.  Historical stories – stories that examine historical events that help us understand the past,  Conceptual stories: Stories designed to put in the picture or instruct the viewer on a particular theory or model concerned with economical, religious, geographical and international surroundings.  Stories concerned with community resources and community engagement with reflection. Benefits: There are huge benefits of using digital story telling in social science curriculum as school subject:  It decreases the burden of heavy syllabus load on teachers as well as students.  It develops motivation al climate among social studies student. 12


Digital Storytelling; Technology-Integrated Pedagogy for Social Science Curriculum

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Digital literacy increase teaching and learning efficiency. It develops critical thinking skill and understating in more deepening way. Child learns more better when watching, seeing through images, and pictures Digital story telling cultivates buds of creativity, and promotes several professional skills including media skills. It enhances research skills, communication skills and life skills. It can develop Interdisciplinary associations among different subjects with social science curriculum. It engages unwilling students to arouse interest in social science.

Conclusion: This paper provides an overview of digital storytelling in social science education and suggests the way how this strategy can be integrated into the social studies curriculum. Some characteristics of Digital story telling have been discussed to help educators understand how digital storytelling can be used as Technology-integrated Pedagogy in school settings. Overall, digital storytelling is a valuable instructional strategy and plays an important role in education, and thus should not only be considered separate from the actual teaching and learning processes. Digital storytelling can prove itself a valuable educational tool for students when taught in an effective manner (Royer & Richards, 2007). References  Alazzi, K., & Chiodo, J. J. (2004). Students’ perceptions of social studies: A study of middle school and high school students in Jordan. International Journal of Scholarly Academic Intellectual Diversity 8 (1) 3- 12.  Atkinson, E.S. (2000). An investigation into the relationship between teacher motivation and pupil motivation. Educational Psychology,20(1). 45-57.  Caminotti, E., & Gray, J. (2012). The effectiveness of storytelling on adult learning. Journal of Workplace Learning, 24(6), 430-438.  Di Blas, N., & Paolini, P. (2013). Beyond the School’s Boundaries: PoliCultura, a Large-Scale Digital Storytelling Initiative. Educational Technology & Society, 16(1), 15-27.  Engle, S. H., & Ochoa, A. (1988). Education for democratic citizenship: Decision making in the social studies. Teachers College Press, Teachers College, Columbia University.  Essien, E. E., Akpan, O. E., & Obot, I. M. (2015). Students’interest in Social Studies and Academic Achievement in Tertiary Institutions in Cross River State,Nigeria. European Journal of Training and Development Studies, 2(2), 35-40.  Farmer, L. (2004). Using technology for storytelling: Tools for children. New review of children’s literature and librarianship, 10(2), 155-168.  France, D., & Wakefield, K. (2011). How to produce a digital story. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 35(4), 617-623.  Gehlbach, H., Brown, S. W., Ioannou, A., Boyer, M. A., Hudson, N., Niv-Solomon, A., ... & Janik, L. (2008). Increasing interest in social studies: Social perspective taking and self-efficacy in stimulating simulations. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 33(4), 894-914.  Grants, F. A. S. S. E., & Plan, N. S. (1998) Social Studies for Early Childhood and Elementary School Children: Preparing for the 21st Century.  McLellan, H. (2007). Digital storytelling in higher education. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 19(1), 65-79.  Morabito, N. P., & Abrams, S. S. (2015). Digital Storytelling: A Tool to Develop Preservice Teachers’

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Cross-Literate Reflections. In Video Research in Disciplinary Literacies (pp. 59-77). Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Ohler, J. (2005). The world of digital storytelling. Educational leadership, 63(4), 44-47. Ohler, J. B. (2013). Digital storytelling in the classroom: New media pathways to literacy, learning, and creativity. Corwin Press. Prensky, M. (2001, October). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5). Price, D. M., Strodtman, L., Brough, E., Lonn, S., & Luo, A. (2015). Digital storytelling: An innovative technological approach to nursing education. Nurse educator, 40(2), 66-70. Robin, B. R., & McNeil, S. G. (2012). What educators should know about teaching digital storytelling. Digital Education Review, (22), 37-51. Robin, B., McNeil, S., & Yuksel, P. (2011). Educational uses of digital storytelling around the world. Proceedings of SITE 2011. Royer, R., & Richards, P. (2007). Increasing reading comprehension with digital storytelling. In C. Montgomerie & J. Seale (Eds.), Proceedings of World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications 2007(pp. 2301-2306). Sadik, A. (2008). Digital storytelling: A meaningful technology-integrated approach for engaged student learning. Educational technology research and development, 56(4), 487-506. Sancar-Tokmak, H., & Incikabi, L. (2013). The effect of expertise-based training on the quality of digital stories created to teach mathematics to young children. Educational Media International, 50(4), 325-340. Schug,M.C.,Todd,R.J..,&Berry ,R.(1994) .Why kids don’t like social studies. Social Education,48(3), 82-87. Shaughnessy, J. M., & Haladyna, T. M. (1985). Research on student attitude toward social studies. Social Education, 49(8), 692-95. Smeda, N., Dakich, E., & Sharda, N. (2014). The effectiveness of digital storytelling in the classrooms: a comprehensive study. Smart Learning Environments, 1(1), 1-6. Stodolsky, S. S., Salk, S., & Glaessner, B. (1991). Student views about learning math and social studies. American Educational Research Journal, 28(1), 89-116. Tamim, R. M., Lowerison, G., Schmid, R. F., Bernard, R. M., & Abrami, P. C. (2011). A multi-year investigation of the relationship between pedagogy, computer use and course effectiveness in postsecondary education. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 23(1), 1-14. Wakefield, K., & France, D. (2010). Bringing digital stories into assessment. Planet, 23(1), 63-67. Whitley-Grassi, N. E., & Hoefler, P. (2012). Technology approaches to final papers and projects. In Increasing Student Engagement and Retention Using Social Technologies (pp. 211-234). Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Wolters, C. A., & Pintrich, P. R. (1998). Contextual differences in student motivation and selfregulated learning in mathematics, English, and social studies classrooms. Instructional Science, 26(1-2), 27-47. Yang, Y. T. C., & Wu, W. C. I. (2012). Digital storytelling for enhancing student academic achievement, critical thinking, and learning motivation: A year-long experimental study. Computers & Education, 59(2), 339-352.

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TPACK: PROMETHEAN PATH FOR AMALGAMATION OF SKILLS AMONG TEACHER EDUCATORS Sarita Dahiya* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT This chapter attempts to identify the nature of knowledge required by teachers for technological integration in their teaching, while addressing the complex, multifaceted and traditional nature of teacher knowledge. However, teachers have been receiving teacher training with computer skills, yet many are unable to adopt the tool in instructional processes. To ensure that teacher-training programmes effectively assist them in integrating technology in instructional processes, to determine additional set of skills that they need to adopt the tool in their classrooms. The heart of the TPACK framework is the complex interplay of three primary forms of knowledge: Content Knowledge(CK), PedagogyKnowledge (PK), and Technology Knowledge(TK). The TPACK approach goes beyond seeing these three knowledge bases in isolation and intersections between these three primary forms: Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), Technological Content Knowledge (TCK), and Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK). The fusion is what enabled expert 20th century teachers to transform subject content and represent it in ways that made it accessible to individual learners in their specific contexts. This chapter describes teaching with technology, the TPACK framework for teacher knowledge. To provide a sustainable teacher professional development programme on technology implementation, it is therefore, recommended that stakeholders involved in design the teacher-training course should be focus on the TPACK constructs as a part of it. It will encourage teachers taken up the technological tool for instructional purposes. Keywords: TPACK, Teacher Education, Technology implementation, Skill development. Introduction The new technologies incorporate hardware and software such as computers, educational games, the Internet and the myriad applications.These technologies have changed the nature of the classroom or have the potential to do so. Ranging from drawings on a blackboard or interactive multimedia simulations to engraving on a clay tablet or Web-based hypertexts to the pump metaphor of the heart or the computer metaphor of the brain. These technologies have constrained and afforded a range of representations, analogies, examples, explanations, and demonstrations that can help to make subject matter more accessible to the learner. Though not all teachers have embraced these new technologies for a range of reasons—including a fear of change and lack of time and support—the fact that these technologies are here to stay cannot be doubted. Moreover, the rapid rate of evolution of these new digital technologies prevents them from becoming ‘‘transparent’’ any time soon. Teachers will have to do more than simply learn to use currently available tools; they also will have to learn new techniques and skills as current technologies become obsolete. This is a very different context from earlier conceptualizations of teacher knowledge, in which technologies were standardized and relatively stable. Technology Integration in a Teacher Education Teachers have difficulty in integrating technology intheir instructional processes. Even when the information and communicationstechnology (ICT) applications have proven to be effective in isolation, thisdoes not always imply that the same effects are also realized in natural educationalsettings. As teachers lack the knowledge, skills, and experiences to integrate technology –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Assistant Professor-II, Department of Education, M.D.U. Rohtak-124001, Haryana, India E-mail: [email protected] 15



intoclassrooms to help them teach and to help their students learn, even though they fully recognizethe importance of doing so.With the integration of technology into the daily life of educators and students, it is vital thatteacher preparation programs across the nation respond. In fact, the stakeholders recognize this need to addresstechnology integration in both content and instructional pedagogy courses. Teacher preparation programs need embrace the shift from skillfocused technology courses to technology infused pedagogy curriculum. Today’s teachereducation programs should provide pre-service teachers with ample preparation in shiftinginstructional approaches enriched with innovative educational technologies. To integrate technology in educational practice and empowering teachers to appropriately use technology is of paramount importance. The 21st century demands creative, critical thinking that leads to problem solving within a community. The 21st Century Skills framework recommends higher order thinking through the “4 C’s” including critical and creative thinking; collaborative processes and problem solving. Likewise, the new Common Core Standards focus on complex thinking that will prepare students for successful entry into college classrooms and careers. An analysis of pre-service teachers’ lesson plans may reveal the potential for TPACK as a foundational framework for using higher order thinking skills recommended for 21stcentury learners.Pre-service teacher educators themselves consider their own level of knowledge and skills to be weak, and have limited opportunities for developing their integrated TPACK. To ultimately help prepare new teachers for using technology in the service of developing early literacy, investment in developing the TPACK of teacher educators is urgently needed. TPACK - A New Approach The use of technology for pedagogy of specific subject matter related to Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge is expected to remain relatively static over time. Thus, teachers could focus on the variables related to content and pedagogy and be assured that technological contexts would not change too dramatically over their career as a teacher. This new context has therefore grounded technology in ways that could not have been imagined a few years ago. Recently, considerable interest has surfaced in using the notion of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) (Mishra & Koehler, 2006; Koehler & Mishra, 2014) as a framework for the teacher knowledge required for effective technology integration, because TPACK reconnects technology to curriculum content and specific pedagogical approaches. The TPACK framework describes how teachers’ understandings of technology, pedagogy, and content can interact with one another to produce effective discipline-based teaching with educational technologies. In this framework, there are three interdependent components of teachers’ knowledge: Content Knowledge (CK), Pedagogical Knowledge (PK), and Technological Knowledge (TK). TPACK is based on the work of Shulman (1986) which suggested the combination of pedagogy, content and knowledge (PCK) as the key to effective teaching practices. Rather than providing information on content and knowledge separately, Shulman illustrated strength in the overlap between the two constructs. To address a growing need for guidance in technology integration,Koehler and Mishra (2009) expanded Shulman’s PCK model by adding an additional dimension, technology. The diagram 1 illustrates the concept of Technology, Pedagogy and Content Knowledge also known as T-PACK ( Punya Mishra & Matthew Koehler, 2008). This framework for instructional design relies upon the understanding of not only the technology itself, the core content and the teachingmethodology; but also the unique intersection of all three of those which determines the best choice for any particular lesson.According to Koehler and Mishra (2008), TPACK is the basis for effective use of technology in teaching, and a condition for efficiently inserting ICT in the learning activities. Deep understanding and mastery of teaching techniques are needed so that technology is used to build knowledge by the student and not as support for the teacher to teach. This way, according to the same authors, teacher training must be steered to development of TPACK in a gradually and spiraling way, starting with the simpler 16


TPAC: Promethean Path for Amalgamation of Skills among Teacher Educators

technologies that teachers already know (and for which they may already have skills in the TPACK level), in the way to ever more complex and sophisticated applications. The main objective is that the teacher is enabled to make informeddecisions in the planning of his teaching with technologies activities, which implies:  Choosing teaching objectives;  Decision making in the pedagogical level, taking into account the learning experience;  Selecting and sequencing the teaching activities;  Selecting the formative and summative evaluation strategies adequate to the adopted pedagogicalstrategy;  Selecting the best resources and tools to help students benefit from the planned learning activities

Diagram 1: T-PACK image by Dr. Matthew Koehler and Punya Mishra, Web source http://tpack.org Synthesizing from the literature we reviewed (Cox & Graham, 2009; Koehler & Mishra, 2009; Mishra & Koehler,2006), Table 1 below attempts to provide the succinct definition of each construct accompany with some examples.

TPACK Constructs TK

PK

Table 1: Definition and Examples of TPACK dimensions Definition Exa mple Knowledge about how to use ICT hardware and software and associated peripherals

Knowledge about how to use Web 2.0 tools (e.g., Wiki, Blogs, Facebook)

Knowledge about the students’ learning, instructional methods, different educational theories, and learning a ssessment to teach a subject matter without references towards content

Knowledge about how to use problem based learning (PBL) in teaching

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TPACK Constructs CK

Definition

Example

Knowledge of the subject matter without consideration about teaching the subject matter Knowledge of representing content knowledge and adopting pedagogical strategies to make the specific content/topic more understandable for the learners. Knowledge of the existence and specifications of various technologies to enable teaching approaches without reference towards subject matter.

Knowledge about subjects

TCK

Knowledge about how to use technology to represent/research and create the content in different ways without consideration about teaching

Knowledge about online dictionary, SPSS, subject specific ICT tools e.g. Geometer’s Sketchpad, topic specific simulation.

TPACK

Knowledge of using various technologies to teach and/represent and/ facilitate knowledge creation of specific subject content.

Knowledge about how to use Wiki as an communication tool to enhance collaborative learning in social science.

PCK

TPK

Knowledge of using analogies to teach electricity (Physics)

The notion of Web quest, KBC, using ICT as cognitive tools, computer supported collaborative learning.

Recommendation for Success of TPAC Through the TPACK lens, researchers examine strategies for successful technology integration.After review of recent professional journal articles on TPACK, several reoccurring themesemerged: Student technology confidence, Leadership and modeling of technology integration,and assessment/evaluation of technology integration. This paper will examine and synthesizethese suggestions for successful technology integration in teacher preparation in an effort toarticulate key supported considerations for implementation. Student Confidence Much of the research and literature published on the topic of TPACK is based on the building andassessment of student confidence in technology integration (Gao,Choy, Wong, & Wu, 2009; Hersh, 2013). One might hypothesize that this theme is soprominent due to the difficulty of quantifying technology integration and the relative ease ofobtaining student perception via survey responses. On the other hand, it is important to note thatstudent confidence in technology integration does play a significant role in continued use oftechnological tools and strategies (Mayo et al., 2005). In fact, a recent publication Gao et al. (2009) stated “failure to raise the teachers’ competence during pre-service education may result in the pre-service teachers quickly forsaking the use ofinstructional computer technology in practice”. Similar research by Hersh (2013)suggests that for successful implementation, the use of technology should be embedded incontent-specific and methods coursework to increase teacher confidence. Mayo et al.(2005) also concluded that increased use of educational technologies resulted in increased selfefficacyof technology integration. All above 18


TPAC: Promethean Path for Amalgamation of Skills among Teacher Educators

researches suggest that the first step to buildingTPACK in teacher preparation is through building confidence after exposure. Leadership and TechnologyModeling While exposure to technology learning opportunities was often cited in TPACK literature,exposure to technology modeling was equally emphasized as an integral factor of successfultechnology integration. In fact, TPACK literature frequently cited education instructors as vitalcomponents in technology learning as they play an important part of technology role models forpre-service teachers (Koch,Heo, & Kush, 2012; Kopcha, 2010; Thomas, Herrring, Redmond &Smaldino, 2013). In another recent publication, Goktas, Yildirim, andYildirim, (2009) articulate how important it isfor teacher educators to act as role models for prospective teachers by using technologies in theirown teaching. The paper also illustrates how specifically instructor competency and willingness touse technologies in teaching will enrich their courses in the technology-integration process whilemodeling best practices for pre-service teachers. However, building confidence through exposure and modeling are just two of the many ways thatTPACK can be established in teacher preparation programs. As Gao et al. (2009) suggest, building TPACK in teacher preparation programs takes a multifaceted effort. Teachereducation programs need to adopt various strategies to nurture a sophisticated, constructivist viewof technology integration.The teacher education programs need to challenge preserviceteachers by involving them in critical reflection upon their own practice, providing ongoingguidance, modelling and collaboration. Assessment/Evaluation of Technology Integration Over the past ten years, the field of technology in education has really struggled with ways toquantify progress toward technology standards. The goal of this effort is to better understand which areas of strengths andweaknesses as well as which professional development approaches do increase teachers’technology knowledge.It’s clear that researchers andeducators are beginning to see the need for systematic design, evaluation, reflection and redesignis essential in building a strong TPACK foundation (Goktas et al., 2009).The design of pre-service methods courses as well as technology skills-based courses should be followed by assignments for lesson planning. Evaluation of the lesson plans could focus on specific elements using a validated rubric to evaluate thinking skills and goodness of fit across content, pedagogy, and technology. Goodness of fit includes appropriate selection of tools to support pedagogicaldecisions already established in the lesson planning process. Conclusion The TPACK model, it is evident that many teacher preparation programs are relying on out-ofdate technology models and are in need of redesign. Suggested improvements have focused on building confidence through exposure, instructor and administrative modeling, effective evaluations and technology embedded curriculum. All of these strategies have potential to strengthen teacher education programs and prepare pre-service teachers for 21st century instruction. Gaoetal. (2009) illustrated the complexity of improving technology integration in teacher preparation best when they stated “The development of technology based pedagogy is an active, on-going process situated in multiple contexts. It is therefore imperative for teacher education programs to adopt various strategies to guide, model and support preservice teachers’ development of technology based pedagogy, until it becomes an integral part oftheir professional growth”.

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References  Gao, P., Choy, D., Wong, A. F. L., & Wu, J. (2009). Developing a better understanding oftechnologybased pedagogy.AustralasianJournal of Educational Technology, 25(5), 714-730.  Goktas, Y., Yildirim, S. &Yildirim, Z. (2009).Main barriers and possible enablers of ICT integrationinto preservice teacher education programs.Educational Technology & Society, 12(1), 193-204.  Hersh, E. C. (2013). Change and challenge: The influence of technology integration in teacherpreparation programs.  Kleiner, B., Thomas, N., Lewis, L., & Greene, B. (2007, December).Educational technology inteacher education programs for initial licensure (NCES 2008-040). National Centerfor EducationStatistics, Institute of EducationSciences, U.S. Department of Education.Washington, DC.  Koch, A., Heo, M., & Kush, J. (2012).Technology integration into pre-service teacher training.International journal of information & communication technology education, 8(1), 1-14.  Koehler, M. J. & Rosenberg, J. (2014)Graphic image of TPACK framework.Retrieved fromhttp:// www.TPACK.org.  Koehler, M., & Mishra, P. (2009). What is technological pedagogical content knowledge(TPACK)?Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(1), 60-70.  Kopcha, T. J. (2010). A systems-based approach to technology integration using mentoring andcommunities of practice. Educational Technology and Research Development, 58, 1042–1629.  Lambert, J., & Gong, Y. (2010).21st Century paradigms for pre-service teacher technologypreparation.Computers in the Schools, 27(1), 54-70.  Mayo, N. B., Kajs, L.T., &Tanguma, J. (2005).Longitudinal study of technology training to preparefuture teachers.Educational Research Quarterly, 29(1), 3-15.  Schmidt, D. S. (2009). Technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK): The developmentand validation of an assessment instrument for preservice teachers. Journal of research on technologyin education. International Society for Technology In Education, 42(2), 123.  Sutton, S. R. (2011). The preservice technology training experiences of novice teachers. Journal ofdigital learning in teacher education International Society for Technology in Education, 28(1), 39.

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UNFOLDING THE WAYS ICT CAN DO IN TEACHER EDUCATION Neeru Rathee* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT This chapter is about Teacher education and usage of ICT. ICT stands for Information and Communication Technology. Today is the age of information and communication technology and teachers must have the knowledge of ICT with different technology for using them in the classroom for making teaching learning effective and interesting. The quality of professional development of teacher education depends on the extent of ICT integration in teacher education programme. Without proper knowledge of ICT teacher cannot perform in his/her class room and it could not be said to be a complete one. ICT has enabled better and swifter communication; presentation of ideas more effective and relevant way. It is an effective tool for information acquiring-thus students are encouraged to look for information from multiple sources and they are now more informed then before. This chapter tells that how ICT is necessary for Teacher Education. Keywords: ICT, Teacher education, Usage of ICT. Introduction It is evident by the results of research that competency of teachers is a potent factor to determine the learning outcomes of students. The National Council for Teacher Education has defined teacher education as – A programme of education, research and training of persons to teach from pre-primary to higher education level. Teacher education is a programme that is related to the development of teacher proficiency and competence that would enable and empower the teacher to meet the requirements of the profession and face the challenges therein. The Ministry of Education document “Challenge of Education: A Policy Perspective” (1985) has mentioned, “Teacher performance is the most crucial input in the field of education. Whatever policies may be laid down, in the ultimate analysis these have to be implemented by teachers as much through their personal example as through teaching learning process.” Today education is not teacher centered, but it is student centered, student can better learn with the help of variety of sources and this is the reason that use of ICT and multimedia are very much essential in the field of education. But to meet the requirements of the students the teachers should have the knowledge of ICT and Multimedia. ICT has enabled the teachers to present the content in an effective and relevant way. ICT is a scientific, technological and engineering discipline and management technique used in handling information, its application and association with social, economic and cultural matters (UNESCO, 20002). With the help of ICT teachers can improve their skills, different and interesting ways of presenting the content. We can say that, on the basis of the evidence of research which are conducted for this study, there are three main types of ICT which are useful for teachers in their teaching learning process. They are: 1) Integrated Approach: This approach includes the use of ICT in a planned manner in order to improve the student’s ability in a particular skill and concept. 2) Enhancement Approach: This approach includes the use of ICT as a resource which will enhance the quality of content by making more interactive. 3) Complementary Approach: This approach includes the use of ICT as a resource to increase the ability of the student learning. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Assistant Professor, Department of Education, M.D.U. Rohtak, E-mail: [email protected] 21



The way of ICT affects classrooms is really great. It affects various aspects of classrooms such as: 1) Enchances learning because it changes curriculum by providing tools, techniques and projects based on technology. 2) It changes curriculum based on real world problems. 3) It facilitate teachers and also helps in devising the feed back schedules . 4) It facilitates the interaction between parents, teachers and the learners. In a respect by NKC in 2007 ( National Knowledge Commission) it was the strongly recommended that teachers are the pivot arong which whole education system revolves. But the situation is pathetic that our country is facing problems of in scarcity of motivated, qualified and trained teachers. Teacher training is a major concern both at the pre service and inservice level. There is a dearth of proper training as it is not adequate, poorly managed and hopelessly evaluated. Moreover the technology integrated teacher training is missing. Teacher Education and ICT ICT provides a new path to teacher education. Through ICT, software and teacher both can challenge the student thinking and understanding. This can be successfully done by either paired or individual work on computer or by using interactive whiteboards for whole class discussions. The individual work & the whole class can be equally effective, if the teacher has the ability to stimulate & organize ICT based activity.

Teacher Education Programme Teaching with the integration of ICT specially in the field of teachers training like making pupil teachers aware about the knowledge of technology , different software’s and the application of these in their teaching. The preservice teachers are made aware about the application of all the ICT based teaching learning aids and the knowledge of method courses in teaching and other related experiences in teaching. 22


Unfolding the Ways ICT can do in Teacher Education

Incorporate New Learning Techniques instead of conventional ones :Classroom Environment Centre of instruction is teacher Stimulus is based on less stimulus Linear-path Media- One Secluded Only delivery of information Learning is Passive & learner is Passive Learning based on Imparting of Information Responses are based on Stimulus Classrooms are artificial

ICT based learning Environment Centre of instruction is learner Stimulus is based on maximum number of senses Multiple succession Media is multiple Cooperation & collaboration Exchange of knowledge Learner & Proactive Learning based on critical thinking Responses are based on Stimulus as well as Proactive Classroom are designed in real world context

The vision of ICT in Teacher Education Performance of all teachers can be improved through appropriate use of ICT. Training in ICT in teacher education institution will ensure that access to ICT is impartial and cost effective. Expert educators and the community members will appreciate and support the ways in which ICT is used in teacher training institutions to boost learning and training. Main ways and means for ICT enabled Teacher Education There are a variety of issues prevailing in the field of teacher education. ICT and its implementation is important catalyst for successful teaching. The centres of teacher education have a great prospect and responsibility to design their educational training system leading to the society. The following strategies can provide a basic approach towards enhancing ICT enabled teacher education: 1. 2. 3.

4.

5. 6.

7.

Teachers must have the understanding and skills to use the new digital tools, techniques and resources to help all students to achieve high academic levels. The teacher educators who incorporate ICT in their teaching should be supported and workload of course on teacher educators should be decreased. There is a wide range of approaches to professional development of teachers in the relation to use of ICT in education. Professional development to integrate ICT into teaching and learning is a successive process and should be considered important part of training. Computer, satellite communication techniques and internet and a variety of Electronic Medias are the actual new methods of learning. Teacher educators and future teachers should be aware of advantages of ICT. A new ICT-related course should include both ICT and a field of study (e.g. Mathematics, language, science), should be incorporated in the curriculum after the method courses. Most ICT-related courses for future teachers should be provided and every ICT-related course should be based on practical knowledge. The curriculum content of teacher education should be the outstanding and globalized, pooling up the excellent materials and designs for learning and teaching and maximizing global significance and exposure in different development areas. Teachers should be well educated by providing qualified in-service training opportunities, and learning environments should be donated with the least necessary technological tools and techniques.

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ICT practices in Teacher Education  Access ideas and information from varied sources through searching, selecting and authenticating material in a broad range of multimedia forms.  Broaden ideas and information through handing out, manipulating, analyses and publishing material in various multimedia forms.  Share ideas, information and knowledge across national and international networks by interacting by electronic means with other in actual or delayed time.  Content-based resources help learners to deal with a vast source of educational resources that efficiently can be incorporated with the curriculum objectives. Interactive instructional courses are basically self-paced learning materials. These programs can help the learners to manage their learning at their own place and with convenience. Important Conditions for Implementation of ICT in Teacher Education Collective Vision Approaches Capable Teachers Professional Growth Technical Assistance Content Principles and Curriculum Resources Student-Centered Teaching Evaluation Society Support

There is proactive management and organizational help from the entire system. Teachers have approaches to latest technologies and software and networking. Teachers are capable in the use of technology in learning. Teachers have dependable access to professional growth in support of technology and its use in teaching learning situations Teachers have technical support to maintain and use the technology. Teachers are well-informed in their subject matter and current content standards and teaching strategies in their discipline or areas. Student-centered techniques of teaching and learning are used in all settings There is continuous evaluation of the effectiveness of technology for learning. The society and school associates provide proficiency, expertise, and support

Major barriers in ICT and Teacher Education For modern development ICT plays one of the most important forces. With the progression of ICT, one can live in the global village irrespective of distance, national and international boundaries. In this situation, teacher training institutions need to develop methods and plans to improve the teachinglearning procedure within teacher training programs and to assure that all pre service teachers are well prepared to use the new technologies for learning. 1. Lack of in-service training institutes and fundamental knowledge of ICT integration. 2. Shortage of suitable hardware and software materials. 3. Lack of suitable organizational and technological support. 4. Inadequate number of ICT-related courses. 5. Lack of motivated teacher educators and future teachers concerning the use of ICTs in classes Innovations that ICT brought in teaching-learning process in higher institutions of learning 1. ICT has introduced new methods of learning called E- learning which is one of the new methods introduced by ICT to study while they are at work or home place without going to school. 2. With the help of internet, communication is very accessible and easy i.e. video conferencing, teleconferencing etc.

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Unfolding the Ways ICT can do in Teacher Education

3. 4.

The information which is stored in the server or remote computers become quick and easy to access. Teachers and administrators are exposed to modern world through reading, connecting & searching with resourceful persons throughout the world with the help of ICT.

Conclusion The rapid growth of ICT has brought a lot of changes in today’s world and has affected its adoption and integration by teachers in teaching learning process. Use of ICT in teaching is possible only when the teachers are well trained. So the teacher training institutions should take initiatives to trained the teacher in using ICT which gives rise to sound pedagogies so that they can incorporate their ICT skills in their teaching to meet the needs of the students. For this the teachers training institutes should be well equipped. ICT is able to enhance capacities of teacher educators, which is basic need of teacher education to fulfill its objectives at all levels of teaching. Moreover it can be effectively used for in-service teachers training and evaluation in meeting various objectives such as reorientation of subject knowledge, revision of curriculum, improvement in methods of teaching etc. References  Brummelhuis, A.C.A. (1995). “Models of Educational change: The Introduction of Computers in Dutch Secondary Education.” Ph.D. Thesis University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.  Jonassen, D.H., and Reeves, T.C. (1996). “Learning with Technology: Using Computers as Cognitive Tools.”  Jonassen, D.H. (1996). Handbook of Research for Educational Communication and Technology. New York: Simon and Schuster. Pp 693-719.  Lim C.P., and Chai C.S. (2008). “Teachers pedagogical Beliefs and their planning and conduct of computer-mediated classroom lessons.” British Journal of Educational Technology, 39(5), 807-828.  Parthiban, G. (2016). ICT Enabled Teacher Education. ICT Enabled Education. 138-145.  Resta, P. (2002). “Information and Communication Technologies in Teacher Education: APlanning Guide.” UNESCO, Paris.  SreedeviP.S (2016). ICT Enabled Education. New Delhi: A.P.H. Publishing Corporation.

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POTENTIAL TOOL FOR EFFECTIVE TEACHING: TECHNOLOGICAL, PEDAGOGICAL AND CONTENT KNOWLEDGE (TPACK) Madhuri Hooda* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT Under the slogan “Education for all” the Right to Education Act has been implemented. This act has laid policy framework for teachers and teacher Education. Teacher Education need to be reformed totally in the light of expectations met on them. This age of information consisting of Internet and globalization has transformed the social and economic aspects and consequently the education and teacher education. Technology equipped teaching makes teaching a easy, systematic teaching makes teaching a easy systematic and result oriented task. The points of focus in integrating technology in teaching are looking into the educational value of the program, ability to engage students in learning, usability, interaction between students and the program, ability of software to monitor the learning process. Apart from strengthening a teacher with technological skills he need to have deep understanding of the process and practices of teaching a content. This combination of content and teaching practices is called pedagogical content knowledge. It includes understanding of the content, nature of students and of course pedagogy. Teaching is a comprehensive act demand the technological skills and pedagogical content knowledge on the part of teachers. Globalization is today a trend, not just in economies, commercial and technological field but is seen in education primarily. Globalization is creating a competitive world through technology, communication and information sharing, which education system must be in accordance. Educational expansion, Right to Education, vocationalization and employability of programmes of higher education along with the quality related issue, at each stage of education are some major challenges before Indian education system. In view of these challenges success at each level can be hoped around a pivot which is teacher education. RTE Act, 2009 gives a policy framework for teachers and time bound mandatory changes in teacher education. In last decade the demand for more teaches has led to sudden explosion in the number of pre-service teachers produced. It needs a reflection and mulling over the way the teachers are produced in the light of expectations and challenges before teacher education. There arises a need to improve the quality of education and development of educational standards that can prove leading results at global and international level. Evidently the quality of education is directly associated with quality of teachers and quality of teacher education. The need to prepare quality teachers, seems a simple statement of discussion but has aspects and intricacies of deep understanding. Technology Assists Teaching In last twenty years there are sudden, sweeping and significant changes in the use of technology in our society. There has been a sharp increase in the number of people who have access to computers, internet, emails and social networking sites. The learners are becoming technology friendly and in order to cope up with the demands of these changing learners, education and consequently teacher education is facing reforms. Teachers need to be will equipped with technology. Educational technology is a organized and systematic process of applying technological aspects in improving the quality and efficiency of education teacher education institutions and programmes can help in modifying pre-service and in service teacher education to meet the demands of society. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Assistant Professor-II, Dept. of Education, M.D.U. Rohtak, E-mail: [email protected] 26


“Teacher Education Institutions may either assume a leadership role in the transformation of education or be left behind in the swirl of rapid technological change.” (UNESCO, 2002) In India, the wheels of the education providers and authorities in the field of teacher education has been geared up to equip the pre-service and in- service teachers to meet the challenges and demands which are put on them. Technology aided teaching is not practiced specifically in rural area schools and teaching is largely based on traditional methods. For a good number of years, researchers have been trying to find answers to questions of relative merits and demerits of traditional methods and methods of teaching based on technology. With the application of educational technology in teaching, students can individually master the instructional material at their own pace, they may repeat the instructional process. Multimedia content generates interest among learners/student. Clark, R. 1983 compared the traditional and modern methods of teaching based on technology and found that computers are better in terms of using as a assistance in teaching instead of lecture method. Becker, 2000; Hermans et al 2008, also stated that the number of teachers willing to integrate educational technology in teaching is less. Old age teachers are not trained to use technology and young teachers also not willing to use it in the classrooms. The use of Educational technology by the teachers rest upon a number of factors firstly the teacher training institutes do not properly equip the pre-service teachers with the necessary skills of using educational technology in their teaching. Professional training to use educational technology in classroom teaching is not planned and carried out. The another reason for the under use of educational technology is due to poor school equipment and necessary required resources, lack of interest and motivation among teachers. Teachers need to be motivated to use educational technology as it helps in better interaction with students in a systematic manner, the reception and retention of the content is also better because the technology based teaching involves visual, auditory and kinesthetic senses as the base of teaching. Moreover it is assumed that technology basic teaching gives opportunity to the learners to study independently and individually at their own speed. It provides motivation and more interaction. Technology based teaching can be in three domains: 1. As a Tutor – Where computer programmes give instruction and evaluate the learning outcome. 2. As a teaching tool – where teacher uses the technology for his/her assistance 3. As a tool of learning – where technology and computer programmes monitors students progress According to Cements and Sharma, 2003, a Glaubke 2007; Dynarski et al. 2007, there are some areas of software programs that affects the learning among students and are a matter of concern for teachers.  Software programs must have educational value.  Ability of software programs to involve students.  Usability  Interaction level of software program  Ability of software program to monitor and evaluate students learning. Technology makes the task of teaching effective, Interactive. Teachers must be equipped with all the skills of using technology in classes. Pedagogical Content Knowledge, How Important is this? From the time immemorial teachers are improving their content knowledge. According to Shulman, 1987 “Content knowledge (CK) is the teachers knowledge about the subject matter students will learn. It includes knowledge of concepts, theories, ideas organizational framework as well as the practices and approaches that lead for developing such knowledge.

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The knowledge about the content which they are to impart to their students keep on growing from their graduation to post-graduation to post graduation and in the number of successive years. Every teacher experience their own education from the school age of professional world. It really seems obvious that if someone is a teacher, he/she must know in depth about the content. But the research finding of Joh Hattie showed that content knowledge was only a minor consideration in student achievement. What sense this statement is making. It is inspired by the major break through in the meaning of concept of content knowledge of teacher. In 1986, Lee Shulman discovered a special domain of teachers knowledge about content and termed as pedagogical content knowledge. He believed that content knowledge is studied in isolation in disciplinary settings while pedagogical content knowledge is a alloy of pedagogy and the content. Categories of pedagogical content knowledge given by Shulman are as :  General Pedagogical knowledge, with special reference to those broad principles and strategies of classroom management and organization that appear to transcend subject matter.  Knowledge of learners and their characteristics.  Knowledge of educational contexts, ranging from working of the group or classroom, the governance and financing of school districts to the characters and communities of cultures.  Knowledge of educational ends, purposes and values, and their philosophical and historical grounds.  Content knowledge.  Curriculum knowledge, with particular grasp of the materials and programmers that serve as “tools of the trade” for teachers.  Pedagogical content knowledge, that special amalgam of content and pedagogy that is uniquely the province of teachers, their own special form of professional understanding. (Shulman, 1987, p. 8) The categories (first to fourth) denote general dimensions of knowledge of teachers. The rest there are the content specific dimensions. “Mere content knowledge is likely to be as useless pedagogically as content full skill.” (Shulman, 1986b, p.8) This concept has bridged the gap between content knowledge and practice of teaching. Teachers change themselves as they become more experienced. Their pedagogical content knowledge keep on increasing. There may be some general teaching skills and approaches and there may be some specific approaches to teach particular subject and even particular topic. Pedagogical content knowledge also requires the understanding about the students and their background in context of the subject to be taught.

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Potential Tool for Effective Teaching: Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK)

Conclusion Teaching and preparing teachers can not be in isolation with technology. Technology will not work on its own. Teacher training institutes need to produce ICT enabled teachers which requires a number of factors in operation, these may be proper implementation of ICT based curriculum reforms, development of skills of using technology among teachers, producing teacher educators who possess necessary skills for imparting them in the pre-service teachers. ICT enabled teaching must be carried out by a teacher who has adequate knowledge of the content to be delivered. Teaching must incorporate a very essential component pedagogical content knowledge in its planning and execution, which is the heart of teaching. Even the technology and its use can not be content free and irrespective of the content. Content specific pedagogy need to be a point of focus. Basis of teacher education programme should be preparation of teachers who are technologically equipped and trained with pedagogy with consideration of the content. REFERENCES  Becker, H.J. (2000). Access to Classroom Computers. Communications of the ACM, 43(6), 24-25.  Clarke,R.E.(1983). Reconsidering the research on learning from media. Review of Educational Research, 53(4), 445-459.  Clements, D.H., & J. Sharma (2003). Strip Mining for Gold : Research and Policy in Educational Technology: A Response to ‘Fool’s Gold. AACE Journal, 11(1), 7-69.  Dynarski, M. (2007). Effectiveness of reading and mathematics software products findings from the first student cohort. Washington, DC: Institute of Education Sciences.  Glaubke, C.R. (2007). The effect of Interactive media on preschooler’s learning : A Review of the Research and Recommendations for the future. Oakland, CA: Children Now.  Shulman, L.S. (1987). Knowledge and Teaching : Foundations of the New Reform. Harvard Educational Review, 57, 1-22.  UNESCO, (2002). Information and communication technologies in teacher education : A Planning guide. http://www.unesco.org.

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INCORPORATION OF INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES: EFFECTIVE INTEGRATION OF ICT IN TEACHER EDUCATION Menka Choudhary* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT Education plays a vital role in any one life. A person without education is like an animal. Now a day education is not only bookish knowledge but also a work area to do something in different way. All this is possible due to the use of computer in education. Now ICT (information and communications technology) become an integrated part of education as well as teacher education. The modern technologies particularly the Internet, made education no longer limited to the four walls of the classroom .Incorporation of innovative technologies in education has been a significant concern in various countries. Technological tools have become an essential part of our day to life. Through ICT everyone can go deeper and deeper in any concept. ICT makes teacher education more decorative, interactive and interesting. Introduction of technology in the area of education has entirely changed the traditional ways of teaching and learning process. In order to make the best use of our latest technologies, it is necessary that all people engaged in the educational field and especially the teachers, teacher educator should understand sufficiently the mechanism of educational technology and should do best efforts in educating their students. In the given paper author discuss about the different types of media used in teacher education, advantages of ICT in teacher education, Disadvantages of ICT in teacher education and current trends of ICT in teacher education etc. Keywords: ICT, Education, teacher education. Introduction: ICT (information and communications technology - or technologies) is an umbrella term that includes any communication device or application, encompassing: radio, television, cellular phones, computer and network, hardware and software, satellite systems and so on, as well as the various services and applications associated with them, such as videoconferencing and distance learning etc. It is an extended term for information technology (IT) which stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals), computers as well as necessary enterprise software, middleware, storage, and audio-visual systems, which enable users to access, store, transmit, and manipulate information. Education is the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university. It is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits. It frequently takes place under the guidance of educators, but learners may also educate themselves. It can take place in formal or informal settings and any experience that has a formative effect on the way of one thinking, feeling, or acting may be considered as educational. Teacher education refers to the policies, procedures and provision designed to equip (prospective) teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and skills they require performing their tasks effectively in the classroom, school and wider community. Those professionals who engage in this activity are called Teacher educators (or, in some contexts, teacher trainers). Now talk about the effective integration of ICT in teacher education. There are many fields of education which are touched by ICT. The era of bookish knowledge is passed away now education based on activity is starts. In the passed era teacher is the main source of knowledge, as according to the old saying “guru bina gyan nahi”. But as the time passed and evolution of technology this –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Assistant Professor, Dept. of Education, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak E-mail: [email protected] 30


concept faint. Now many other terms try to replace it. One of them is ICT. It is combination of information, communication and technology. In this mode the information is given by other sources like radio, television, telephone, internet, smart board, computer etc. . Technology offers wonderful opportunities for growing the efficiency and competence of education in the future. Students, faculty, staff and administrators now use technology expansively in their daily activities and have develop into reasonably technologically literate. The inclination of using e-learning as learning and teaching tool is currently speedily expanding into teacher education. Many educators and researchers had sky-scraping hopes for e -learning, believing that it would offer more access to information and communication, and would eventually lead to a new uprising in education. Therefore, there is a rising demand on educational institutions to use ICT to teach the skills and understanding students need for the 21st century. Realizing the effect of ICT on the workplace and each day life, today’s educational institutions attempt to reorganize their educational curricula and classroom amenities, in order to bridge the existing technology gap in teaching and learning. This restructuring process requires effective adoption of technologies into existing environment in order to provide learners with knowledge of specific subject areas, to promote meaningful learning and to enhance professional productivity (Tomei, 2005). Types of ICT technology used in Teacher Education There are mainly two types of technology used in teacher education as given below 1. Synchronous Media Synchronous communication occurs in real time and can take place face-to-face, and as technology has evolved, can take place irrespective of distance. Some of them given below:  Audio-graphics : Audio conferencing, as in a telephone conference  Broadcast radio and television  Teleconferencing  Computer conferencing such as chat and Internet telephony 2.

Asynchronous Media Asynchronous communication is not immediately received or responded to by those involved. Example of this media given below:  Audio and video tapes and CDs  E mail  Computer file transfers  Virtual conferences  Multimedia products, off line  Web based learning formats Advantages of ICT in Teacher education ICT is very useful and interesting way of presenting anything. By using ICT things or topic become more interesting. There are some advantages of ICT given below  The one of the advantage of ICT is Individualization of learning means each and every one can learn according to own potential.  Another one is Interactivity which means learning through ICT is interacting with other people at the given place, without leaving own comfort zone.  It motivate learner to learn more by giving immediate feedback and engage them all the time.  It costs very low per unit for example a teacher at one place can teach students on different places so the cost become low.  It developed Cooperative Learning means any one can learn through the cooperation of others. 31





   

It is distance and climate insensitive learning means there is no effect of any climate change as well as no matter what ever will be the distance between the places of learner and teacher, learning will be carry on. We can serve multiple teaching functions and handle diverse audiences at same time by using ICT. Information can deliver at High speed in wide area at low cost. The quality of information is Uniform means every one can get same type of knowledge form the same source of information. We can get a bulk of information from internet so it is called the Information Highway.

Disadvantages of ICT in Teacher Education As we know everything which has advantages also having some disadvantages, some of them are given below  Its infrastructure and start up cost is very high means if we want to start a computer lab then the cost of computer, maintenances of it etc costs very high  Are not ideally location and problem sensitive  We face some difficulties like problems of reach, access, remain etc.]  Relevancy of information is also doubtful. There is lot of information on internet which is not relevant for given subject.  It is very hard for Low Income Groups to access because ICT equipments are very costly to purchase as well as maintain. So books and other study material are vary cheaper then ICT equipments.  Officers, trainers whose are using these equipments are need to do time to time reorientation and retraining because as the time changes the development in ICT field is going on. So to understand new technology there is need of reorientation and retraining.  ICT is artificial intelligence so there is gap of understanding of teaching and learning. ICT don’t have any type of emotional attachment between teacher and students, no any type of thinking ability. So no true understanding of teaching and learning. It just follows the commands given by someone.  Plagiarisms is also one of the most dangerous problem because the work done by any one is open to access on internet so any one can copy and paste it foe their personal use. Trends of ICT in Teacher Education At the current point of time some trends are used in the area of education. Some of them are listed below:  Artificial Intelligence: From kindergarten school to graduate school, one of the key ways artificial intelligence will impact education is through the application of greater levels of individualized learning.  Virtual Reality: Education is another sector that chose virtual reality for learning purposes. The advantage it brings in is that it enables large groups of students to interact with each other as well as within a three dimensional environment. The atmosphere around the students seems real but actually it’s virtual, so it is called virtual reality.  The (M-Learning): In the past years, companies have recognized that the learning of education through mobile is increasing at an alarming rate. For now the trend of using computers is changing to mobile phones. Mostly people use mobile phones for internet rather than computers because it is portable and cheap to use. Many mobile companies provide all the facilities like computer.  Tablet and Laptops: Institutions are changing their teaching tools into more of tech ones rather than the conventional teaching methods, like laptops and tablets rather than books. Using 32


Incorporation of Innovative Technologies: Effective Integration of ICT in Teacher Education

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blackboards for teaching purposes has been the part of the past now. Conventional ways of teaching had higher costs than the methods used in the current era. New technological methods have reduced the high cost that once occurred. Social Media at Institutions: Social Media is playing a vital role in the educational sector as well, in different universities, colleges and international school students are using their social media platforms to connect with their friends for group meeting, social get-together and the Meet up’s. Any types of advertisement as well as notices can be spread on social media. Educational institutions can connect through social media with their students. Learning through Smart Board: The smart board provides the facility for learners to participate in the instructional process. It gives the platform for students to understand the subject through writing, teaching and drawing. Every student has a facility to participate in the discussion via tablets and notebooks. Makes it easier and fun to learn more stuff smartly. It makes teaching learning more interactive and interesting. Cloud Based Technology in Education: There are spots that arise in which a student cannot go into a classroom or attend normal classes. In these situations, cloud-based classrooms can be ideal. These can include basic text lessons, or can be as advanced as to include video lessons or even live chat sessions with the teacher via instant messenger or video messaging programs like Skype. The storage capacity of any cloud is vary high. Student can interact with teacher at any distance. Teacher can deliver their lectures without bothering about weather and place. MOOCs (Massive Open Online Course): MOOCs is a platform where every student can discover a free online course through internet for years, although the quality and quantity of courses changed day by day. It has changed the face of education. MOOCs can be considered as a term or word related to the scalability of open and online education. Use of Videos in Teacher Education: Video is another instrument which is used for the recent year. A study revels that 46 percent teachers are using video in the classroom. One-third of pupils are accessing online video through their own initiate to help with their homework. It is vary helpful for student to learn a thing by using video. videos are very useful in concept formation. It is vary interactive and fun loving way to make them understand any topic.

Conclusion At last we can say that ICT and teacher education works as side by side. Most of things are possible by ICT. Like “Access to information” is considered to be one of the most important benefits of the uses of ICTs in teacher education.ICT is very effective for teacher education. It represents things more decorative way which makes teaching and learning more interesting and effective. Different teaching methods based on ICT make teacher education more interesting. Learning materials in electronic format are most useful when they are directly linked to the curriculum. But still current point of time some areas in India also untouchable by ICT as well as education. Due to the higher cost of installation and maintenance it is still a dream for many of people. Some step should be taken to improve this level. Government should provide some grant and provide proper training for using different ICT equipments. The merging of ICT with education as well as teacher education will become great achievement for human being. References:  Asynchronous. (n. d.) . In Wikipedia. Retrieved June 9, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Asynchronous_communication  Dawes L. (2001) What stops teachers using new technology? In£ M. Leask (ed.), Issues in Teaching using ICT (pp.67-79). London: Routledge.

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Education. (n. d.) . In Wikipedia. Retrieved June 5, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Education Information and communication technology. (n. d.) . In Wikipedia. Retrieved June 4, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_and_communications_technology Murahari B., Kumar V.V. (2008), “New Technologies for Teaching and Learning in the Information Age”, University News, 46(40), 1-8. Synchronous. (n. d.) . In Wikipedia. Retrieved June 7, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Synchronous_serial_communication Teacher education. (n. d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved June 14, 2017,from https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Teacher_education Tomei, L. A. (2005). Taxonomy for the technology domain. USA: Information Science Publishing.

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PSYCHOLOGICAL PINNING OF ICT IN PEDAGOGY OF EDUCATION Sanjay Kumar* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT ICT is a tool and not everything in an educational program. Pedagogy of education must treat ICT as a slave and not as a master. It’s not the key to unlock every problem of pedagogy of education. Certainly ICT has created its significant space in educational procedures. But its pinning is essential of how, where and why it is essential and beneficial to use in the pedagogy of education. Using ICT in pedagogy of education requires special skills of need assessment, collaborations, curation and creation of ICT based procedures and contents. This paper tries to conceptualize the psychological point of view while doing need based assessment of using ICT, curating and creating ICT resources and procedures and collaborations of ICT resources and procedures with non ICT pedagogical approaches. All this psychological pinning carters the levels of intelligence of learners needs of adding emotional feelings to a particular information resources and procedures, enhancement of positive personality inclinations, lowering the anxiety levels of learners. Qualitative analysis of interviews of five teacher educators were done and presented in this paper. Key words: Psychological pinning, ICT, pedagogy. Introduction: Education change depends on what teachers do and think–it as simple and complex as that. . . . If educational change is to happen, it will require that teachers understand themselves and be understood by others. –Michael Fullan, 1982, p. 107 World is obsessed of using ICT in solving each and every task. It seems without ICT we are handicapped. We are now in such a psychological mindset that ICT has a solution for every problem. It seems like that so we are expecting so much from ICT.the field of education is always seeks such helping hand for quality improvement in its processes. Teaching learning process had witnessed innovation from educational T.V., OHP, to computers and now ICT integration and collaborations in teaching and learning processes. From government to school teachers are trying to harness the power of communication of ICT so that we could achieve the targets of universal quality education. How much we the teacher community successes in this over welcoming task depends upon how efficiently and rationally we are able to use these technologies in our pedagogy of education. ICT and pedagogy of education: ICT can be a great tool which can win the hearts of teachers and students if used with sense of rationality. Where it must be used must be used and where it may not be used may not be used. Every pedagogical procedure must be planned in such a way that ICT integration and collaborations must be justified and need based. In the concepts where ICT can transact it exceptionally well with a essential human touch may prove to be beneficial and motivational for students. So use of ICT in pedagogy of education must never reflect a sense that it is used because it has to be used. Psychological pinning: Pedagogy of education is process which binds the flavors’ of philosophy, sociology and psychology.Enery classroom process filtered through the principals of philosophy, sociology and psychology of education. The cycle of learning always demands that it comes through the domains of cognitive, cognitive and affective. Learning with motivation, excitement, awareness, belongingness, –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Lecturer, SCERT, Delhi, e-mail- [email protected] 35



attachments, owners are the essential psychological ingredients without which learning is impossible. Psychological rationalization of use of any ICT techniques becomes very essential so that validity of ICT for effective teaching learning process could be established. Psychological pinning of ICT in pedagogy of education: Pedagogy of education must treat ICT as a slave and not as a master. It’s not the key to unlock every problem of pedagogy of education. Certainly ICT has created its significant space in educational procedures. But its pinning is essential of how, where and why it is essential and beneficial to use in the pedagogy of education. Using ICT in pedagogy of education requires special skills of need assessment, integrations, collaborations, curation and creation of ICT based procedures and contents. Objectives: This paper tries to conceptualize the psychological point of view while doing need based assessment of using ICT, curating and creating ICT resources and procedures and collaborations of ICT resources and procedures with non ICT pedagogical approaches. All this psychological pinning carters the levels of intelligence of learners needs of adding emotional feelings to a particular information resources and procedures, enhancement of positive personality inclinations, lowering the anxiety levels of learners. Research procedures: ICT experts and pedagogues are poles apart. But if a pedagogue understands where, why, when ICT integrations and interventions are needed it could be successfully collaborated by ICT experts. So ICT integration and collaboration are all depends upon the need as seen and justified by the pedagogue who has decided to use ICT for quality improvement of teaching learning procedures. With this understanding the semi structured interviews of five pedagogues were done to understand the importance of psychological pinning of ICT in the pedagogy of education. Qualitative analysis of interviews of five teacher educators/educationists were done and presented in this paper. Tool: A semi structures interview schedule which had the following leading questions: 1. How you appraise the use of ICT in your teaching learning procedures and what is the rationale behind it? 2. Is there any psychological effect of using ICT in the delivery of content? 3. What is your experience in finding the answers of why, when, how I am using ICT in my classroom delivery? 4. Is there any need arises of any standardize procedures of psychological pinning of ICT while we are using it in teaching learning processes? Findings: Qualitative Analysis of interviews leads to the following major conclusions: 1. All the five educationists affirms the need of psychological pinning of use of ICT in pedagogy of education; however they were of the opinion that we usually keep in mind the psychological impact of our pedagogical procedures but with the emergence of ICT interventions in pedagogy of education psychological pinning of use of ICT in pedagogy of education becomes essential. 2. All the five educationists affirms the need of some standardize procedures of psychological pinning of ICT while we are using it in teaching learning processes, and requires major research in this area.

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Psychological Pinning of ICT in Pedagogy of Education

3.

Based on the discussions while interviewing the educationists the following Taxonomy of psychological pinning of ICT in pedagogy of education emerges:

Process Need assessment

Psychological pinning Rationalizing psychological need and affect of using ICT in classroom transaction of a concept (Understanding) Justifying the originality and reality based happenings and things ( Analyzing and justifying) Relevance and easy accessibility along with relation of time, space and culture (sharing)

Key verbs Why, where, when, which, how

Example How ICT integration enhance the curiosity of students in learning the concept

What, Why,

Reason of using ICT in particular topic ( Alertness and attentiveness) Proper arrangement and readiness of using ICT ( Activeness and belongingness) Importance in assessment ( Caring and diagnostic)

Why, how much

What concepts are vague and abstract but central theme can be shown through ICT Is the available ICT content relevant for students of my class or it is too tough to understand Is the ICT beneficial of the particular topic and how much Are teachers ready to use and handle ICT effectively with pedagogy

Why, how

How can we assess better through ICT

Consolidation assignments

Learning and remembering for concept in better way ( Futuristic)

At what extent

Teacher as guide and facilitator and ICT

Facilitation given by teacher while using IC T in class ( Self motivator)

How

Can Students learn the particular concept and retrieve it easily even after a week Is teacher using ICT for more clarity of concept or for making ICT a teacher

Creation of ICT content

Curation of ICT content

Integration of ICT Collaboration of ICT

Assessment using ICT

For whom, In what manner

Conclusion: ICT experts and pedagogues are complementary to each other. A pedagogue must understands where, why, when ICT integrations and interventions are needed so that these could be successfully collaborated by ICT experts. So ICT integration and collaboration are all depends upon the need as seen and justified by the pedagogue who has decided to use ICT for quality improvement of teaching learning procedures. Psychological rationalization and pinning of use of any ICT techniques becomes very essential so that validity of ICT for effective teaching learning process could be established.

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References:  Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India (2012). National Policy on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) In School Education. Department of School Education and Literacy  ICT scheme @ school  NCERT (2006). Position Papers of the National Focus Group  NCF-2005, NCERT,Delhi  NCFTE-2009, NCERT,Delhi

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ICT: AN IMPORTANT TOOL FOR CHANGING ‘BOOK-CENTERED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT’ INTO A ‘STUDENT-CENTERED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT’ Jaita Mukherjee Mondal* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT Information and communication technologies (ICT) have become commonplace entities in all aspects of life. Education is a very socially oriented activity and quality education has traditionally been associated with strong teachers having high degrees of personal contact with learners. The use of ICT in education lends itself to more student-centered learning settings. But with the world moving rapidly into digital media and information, the role of ICT in education is becoming more and more important and this importance will continue to grow and develop in the 21st century. ICT helps in improving the quality of education stating that information and communication technology is an important instrument that can transfer the present isolated, teacher centered and book-centered learning environment into a student –centered environment. ICT can change the traditional concept of learning process and the components of ICT should be integrated in the education program me in such a way that teaching should be enabled to face the new demands and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of education at all levels in both formal and non-formal settings.ICT not only enhances the learning experience of student but also helps them develop the skill essential to participate effectively in the world of affairs. ICT aims at transferring the old traditional paradigm of learning to the new paradigm of learning. Thus, we must accept the new paradigm and technology in teaching learning process. Educational institutions need to develop strategies, plan to improve teaching-learning process and ensure that all teachers are well prepared to use the new tools for learning. Key Words: communication, ICT, interactive learning, pedagogy, technology. Introduction According to Daniels (2002) ICTs have become within a very short time, one of the basic building blocks of modern society. Many countries now regard understanding ICT and mastering the basic skills and concepts of ICT as part of the core of education, alongside reading, writing and numeracy. However, there appears to be a misconception that ICTs generally refers to ‘computers and computing related activities’. This is fortunately not the case, although computers and their application play a significant role in modern information management, other technologies and/or systems also comprise of the phenomenon that is commonly regarded as ICTs. Pelgrum and Law (2003) state that near the end of the 1980s, the term ‘computers’ was replaced by ‘IT’ (information technology) signifying a shift of focus from computing technology to the capacity to store and retrieve information. This was followed by the introduction of the term ‘ICT’ (information and communication technology) around 1992, when e-mail started to become available to the general public (Pelgrum, W.J., Law, N., 2003). According to a United Nations report (1999) ICTs cover Internet service provision, telecommunications equipment and services, information technology equipment and services, media and broadcasting, libraries and documentation centers, commercial information providers, networkbased information services, 2 and other related information and communication activities. According to UNESCO (2002) information and communication technology (ICT) may be regarded as the combination of ‘Informatics technology’ with other related technology, specifically communication technology. The various kinds of ICT products available and having relevance to education, such as teleconferencing, email, audio conferencing, television lessons, radio broadcasts, interactive radio –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Assistant Prof. in Sai Mohan College of Education, Faridabad, E-mail: [email protected] 39



counseling, interactive voice response system, audiocassettes and CD ROMs etc have been used in education for different purposes (Sharma, 2003; Sanyal, 2001; Bhattacharya and Sharma, 2007).. The field of education has been affected by ICTs, which have undoubtedly affected teaching, learning, and research (Yusuf, 2005). A great deal of research has proven the benefits to the quality of education (Al-Ansari, 2006). ICTs have the potential to innovate, accelerate, enrich, and deepen skills, to motivate and engage students, to help relate school experience to work practices, create economic viability for tomorrow’s workers, as well as strengthening teaching and helping schools change (Davis and Tearle, 1999; Lemke and Coughlin, 1998; cited by Yusuf, 2005).As Jhurree (2005) states, much has been said and reported about the impact of technology, especially computers, in education. Initially computers were used to teach computer programming but the development of the microprocessor in the early 1970s saw the introduction of affordable microcomputers into schools at a rapid rate. Computers and applications of technology became more pervasive in society which led to a concern about the need for computing skills in everyday life. Hepp, Hinostroza, Laval and Rehbein (2004) claim in their paper “Technology in Schools: Education, ICT and the Knowledge Society” that ICTs have been utilized in education ever since their inception, but they have not always been massively present. Although at that time computers have not been fully integrated in the learning of traditional subject matter, the commonly accepted rhetoric that education systems would need to prepare citizens for lifelong learning in an information society boosted interest in ICTs (Pelgrum, W.J., Law, N., 2003). The 1990s was the decade of computer communications and information access, particularly with the popularity and accessibility of internet-based services such as electronic mail and the World Wide Web (WWW). At the same time the CD-ROM became the standard for distributing packaged software (replacing the floppy disk). As a result educators became more focused on the use of the technology to improve student learning as a rationale for investment. Any discussion about the use of computer systems in schools is built upon an understanding of the link between schools, learning and computer technology. When the potential use of computers in schools was first mooted, the predominant conception was that students would be ‘taught’ by computers (Mevarech & Light, 1992).In a sense it was considered that the computer would ‘take over’ the teacher’s job in much the same way as a robot computer may take over a welder’s job. Collis (1989) refers to this as “a rather grim image” where “a small child sits alone with a computer”. However, the use of information and communication technologies in the educative process has been divided into two broad categories: ICTs for Education and ICTs in Education. ICTs for education refers to the development of information and communications technology specifically for teaching/learning purposes, while the ICTs in education involves the adoption of general components of information and communication technologies in the teaching learning process. It is important to note that there are two very different and distinct aspects of ICT in education: 1. One is teaching ICT itself, and 2. The second is using ICT as an augmented tool to the existing teaching methods which is more important; it will be very useful if the people study from MCSE, CCNA, CompTIA, IBM, and Ctirix. This second aspect can be extended further by making computers available to children at home for work and play both, so that the digital divided can be bridged and natural disadvantage of underprivileged children can be neutralized. This philosophy behind projects such as One Laptop Per Child (OLPC). Education sector can be the most effective sector to anticipate and eliminate the negative impact of ICT. Technology (internet) in another side can be the most effective way to increase the student‘s knowledge. Being aware of the significant role of ICT (internet) in our life, especially in the educational activities, education authorities should be wise enough in implementing the strategies to empower ICT in supporting the teaching and learning process in the classroom. ICT is not just the bloom of the educational activities, but also it will be the secondary option to improve the effective and meaningful educational process.

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ICT: An Important Tool for Changing ‘Book-Centered Learning Environment’ into a ‘Student-Centered Learning Environment

Importance Of Ict In Education The main purpose of the Strategy for Information and Communication Technology Implementation in Education is to provide the prospects and trends of integrating information and communication technology (ICT) into the general educational activities. There are some unavoidable facts in the modern education; First, the ICT has been developing very rapidly nowadays. Therefore, in order to balance it, the whole educational system should be reformed and ICT should be integrated into educational activities. Second, the influence of ICT, especially internet (open source tool) cannot be ignored in our student‘s lives. So, the learning activities should be reoriented and reformulated, from the manual source centered to the open source ones. In this case the widely use of internet access has been an unavoidable policy that should be anticipated by schools authorities. Third, the presence of multimedia games and online games by internet has been another serious problem that should be wisely handled by the educational institutions. The students cannot be exterminated from this case. They can have and do with it wherever and whenever they want. Schools, as a matter of fact, do not have enough power and time to prevent or stop it after school times. Meanwhile, most parents do not have enough times to accompany and control their children. So, the students have large opportunities to do with multimedia games or online games or browsing the negative and porn sites. Having been addicted, the students will have too little time to study, and even do not want to attend classes. In such situation, education institutions play an important role to eradicate these problems. One o f which is by facilitating the students to do edutainment or educational games. Schools can let their students be familiar with educational games adjusted by their teachers. Besides, they can also support and facilitate their students to have their own blogs in the internet. A lot of Weblog providers are free to the users, such as WordPress. In their blogs, the students can create and write something, like an article, poem, news, short stories, features, or they can also express their opinion by an online forum provided in the internet. They are able to share experiences throughout their blogs to others from all over the world. I think it will be an interesting activity for them, and it will lessen their time to visit the negative or porn sites existed. By doing so, I think our young generation will get more and more information and knowledge by browsing in the internet. They can also create innovation in web design that it may be out of the formal curriculum content, but it will be useful for their future. Fourth, the implementation of ICT in education has not been a priority trend of educational reform and the state paid little attention to it. Therefore, there should be an active participation, initiative and good will of the schools and the government institutions to enhance ICT implementation at school. Fifth, the teachers should be the main motivator and initiator of the ICT implementation at schools. The teachers should be aware of the social change in their teaching activities. They should be the agent of change from the classical method into the modern one. They must also be the part of the global change in learning and teaching modification. The followings are the aim and objectives of ICT implementation in education: 1. To implement the principle of life-long learning / education. 2. To increase a variety of educational services and medium / method. 3. To promote equal opportunities to obtain education and information. 4. To develop a system of collecting and disseminating educational information. 5. To promote technology literacy of all citizens, especially for students. 6. To develop distance education with national contents. 7. To promote the culture of learning at school (development of learning skills, expansion of optional education, open source of education, etc.) 8. To promote the culture of learning at school (development of learning skills, expansion of optional education, open source of education, etc.)

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Do ICTs help children to learn better? Evaluating technology projects is notoriously difficult. Even more so is the evaluation of educational interventions. School influence on pupils‘ academic or social outcomes explains only about 12 to 15 per cent of the variance, leaving 85 per cent or more to be explained by the influence of factors such as the child‘s family background, lifetime experience, natural ability and so forth. Many early experiments with ICTs in classrooms were based on nothing more than enthusiasm or hunch. However, the growing emphasis on the need to show concrete benefits has led to more attempts to evaluate the impact of computers in classrooms. But evaluating ICTs in education is particularly hard, for a number of reasons. Even in schools that make extensive use of ICTs, the amount of time spent using them in class is still generally tiny in relation to the time spent using more traditional teaching tools, from blackboard and chalk to photocopied handouts. One of the most thorough attempts to set out the measurement issues in the evaluation of ICTs in schools, published in April 2002, picked out three problems: 1. Terms such as technology‘ and technology integration‘ mean different things to different people. 2. Most of the measures used in evaluation are home grown‘…measures that directly measure the effects of each grant. 3. There is a tendency to focus more on short-term outcomes and effects, rather than seeing the interventions as part of a total package designed to change how schools function. Can the use of ICTs help improve the quality of education? Improving the quality of education and training is a critical issue, particularly at a time of educational expansion. ICTs can enhance the quality of education in several ways:  by increasing learner motivation and engagement,  by facilitating the acquisition of basic skills, and  by enhancing teacher training. ICTs are also transformational tools which when used appropriately, can promote the shift to a learner-centered environment. ICTs such as videos, television and multimedia computer software that combine text, sound, and colorful, moving images can be used to provide challenging and authentic content that will engage the student in the learning process. The teachers strongly felt that the visual aural combination if integrated judiciously with the textbook and syllabus, can work wonders in getting across abstract concepts and logics to the children in a short span of time. The potential of each technology varies according to how it is used. Haddad and Draxler identify at least five levels of technology use in education: a) Presentation b) Demonstration c) Drill & Practice d) Interaction e) Collaboration Issues of ICT in Education:Effectiveness, cost, equity, and sustainability are four broad intertwined issues which must be addressed when considering the overall impact of the use of ICTs in education.  Effectiveness - The educational effectiveness of ICTs depends on how they are used and for what purpose. And like any other educational tool or mode of educational delivery, ICTs do not work for everyone, everywhere in the same way.  Cost - educational television broadcasts and computer-based and online learning are more expensive than radio broadcasts. In order to determine cost efficiencies, fixed costs must be distinguished from variable costs, and the balance between the two understood. 42







Equity - Given the wide disparities in access to ICTs between rich and poor countries and between different groups within countries, there are serious concerns that the use of ICTs in education will widen existing divisions drawn along economic, social, cultural, geographic, and gender lines. Boys are more likely than girls to have access to computers in school and at home. Not surprisingly, boys tend to enjoy working with computers more than girls. Sustainability - One aspect of development programs that is often neglected is sustainability. The long history of development aid has shown that too many projects and programs start with a bang but all too soon fade out with a whimper, to be quickly forgotten. This is true for many ICTbased educational projects as well. The sustainability of ICT-enabled programs has four components: social, political, technological, and economic.

Challenges of ICT in Education: Teachers’ subject knowledge - The way ICT is used in lessons is influenced by the teachers’ knowledge about their subject and how ICT is related to it. Some teachers choose ICT resources that relate to a particular topic, while others use ICT to present the pupils’ work in an innovative way, without any direct application to the topic. The evidence shows that when teachers use their knowledge of both the subject and the way pupils understood the subject; their use of ICT has a more direct effect on pupils’ attainment. The effect on attainment is greatest when pupils are challenged to think and to question their own understanding, either through pupils using topic-focused software on their own or in pairs, or through a whole-class presentation. The effects of using ICT to present and discuss pupils’ work are less well researched, and therefore the effects on pupils’ attainment are not so clear.  Teachers’ pedagogical knowledge - The teacher’s own pedagogical beliefs and values play an important part in shaping technology-mediated learning opportunities. Teachers need extensive knowledge of ICT to be able to select the most appropriate resources. They also need to understand how to incorporate the use of ICT into their lessons; they may need to develop new pedagogies to achieve this.  Pedagogical practices of the teacher using ICT - The pedagogical practices of teachers using ICT can range from only small enhancements of practices using what are essentially traditional methods, to more fundamental changes in their approach to teaching. For example, some teachers using an interactive whiteboard have displayed content and ideas for class discussions in a traditional way, while other teachers have allowed pupils to use the whiteboard to present dramas to the whole class that they had planned and filmed themselves. Studies show that the most effective uses of ICT are those in which the teacher and the software can challenge pupils’ understanding and thinking, either through whole-class discussions using an interactive whiteboard or through individual or paired work on a computer. If the teacher has the skills to organize and stimulate the ICT-based activity, then both whole-class and individual work can be equally effective.  Access to ICT resources - An important influence on the use made of ICT in subjects and classes is the amount and range of ICT resources available to the teachers. Where there are limited numbers of computers in a class, mostly in primary schools, this limits their impact, because each individual pupil is only able to use the computer for a few minutes. Whole-class use of an electronic whiteboard has both positive and negative effects. It promotes pupils’ debates and helps them visualize difficult concepts and processes. However, some teachers focus only on the presentation aspects, disregarding the use of simulations and modeling which might be more challenging for the pupils. Only a few teachers report using subject-specific software which links directly to the content and purpose of the curriculum.  Teachers’ knowledge of the potential of ICT in education - Very few teachers have a 43



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





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comprehensive knowledge of the wide range of ICT resources now available in education. This means that their pupils are not given all the learning opportunities which ICT could provide. Teachers’ confidence in using ICT - Teachers are confident in their chosen uses of ICT. Few teachers are confident in using a wide range of ICT resources, and limited confidence affects the way the lesson is conducted. Many teachers still fear some forms of technology, which prevents them making much use of them in their teaching. Organization - The use of ICT has a limited impact on teaching and learning where teachers fail to appreciate that interactivity requires a new approach to pedagogy, lesson planning and the curriculum. Some teachers reorganize the delivery of the curriculum, but the majority use ICT to add to or enhance their existing practices. Teachers need to employ proactive and responsive strategies in order to guide, facilitate and support appropriate learning activities. Collaborative work and insights into pupils’ learning - Using ICT with pupils in pairs, groups or with a whole class, through, for example, the use of an interactive whiteboard, enables teachers to gather extensive feedback from pupils by listening to their explanations. From this, teachers are able to gain deeper insights into pupils’ understanding and progress. Pupils collaborating in pairs or teams using subject-specific ICT resources are able to challenge each other’s understanding and learn from such collaborations. Pedagogy beyond the classroom - Despite the need for a new pedagogy with ICT, including at times moving to a facilitator role, teachers still need to adopt a leadership role in the planning, preparation and follow-up of lessons. Where little planning has occurred, the evidence shows that the pupils’ class work is unfocused and leads to less than satisfactory outcomes. Effects of pedagogical practices on pupils’ attainment - There is extensive evidence of ICT contributing to pupils’ attainment. However, the evidence shows that these benefits depend on the way in which the teacher selects and organizes ICT resources, and how this use is integrated into other activities in the classroom and beyond. At present, the types of ICT resources available mean that ICT use is nearly always focused on specific aspects of the curriculum effective

Conclusion: Quality in education through ICT and its awareness among stakeholders will have positive impact on the society. ICT can be helpful in quality and standards of education by implementing it in various phases of education. ICT can be employed in formal and Non-formal types of education and would eventually make the learners employable and socially useful part of the society. By employing ICT in teacher training can save a lot of money of the Government. Moreover a lot of qualitative improvement can be seen as resource persons for the training can be best of the world. By employing ICT in administration can help in solving the problem of Absenteeism of students and teachers. Good quality content is one of the major issue and directly affects the standards of education and quality. By overcoming the certain challenges involved in the process of education can help a lot in this side. Conclusively a lot of quality improvement is possible after careful and planned implementation of ICT in education by various stakeholders. References:  Ramana Murthy B.V, Moiz Salman A., Sharfuddin M. (2010).Designing a Web Education Model for effective teaching learning process. Proceedings of the 4th national Conference-INDIACom, Computing For Nation Development, BVICAM  Tusubira F. F., Kyeyune A(2001).What is Information and Communication Technology? Tutorial paper,Library workshop Makerere university, ICT awareness workshop  Sharmila A. (2012). ICT in Education and Society. Proceedings of the 6th national Conference INDIACom, Computing For nation Development, BVICAM. 44



   

Hattangdi ,A. & Ghosh, A. Enhancing the quality and accessibility of higher education through the use of Information and Communication Technology Gyongyver M. New ICT Tools in Education – Classroom of the Future Project Available at www.infodev.org Mukhopadhyay M. Universal Quality School Education and Role of ICT available at www.ciet.nic.in http:// www.iste.org

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MOOC OR SWAYAM: FUTURE TOOLS FOR EFFECTIVE INCORPORATION OF ICT IN TEACHING & LEARNING Rusha Mudgal* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT With the emergence of technologies in the field of education and the increase in the awareness of the students, the whole teaching and learning process is demanding to be more open, flexible and modified according the students’ expectations. Massively Open Online Courses or recent initiative of SWAYAM (online courses) has been widely accepted as an effective way to contribute to the technological advancement in this field. Usage of ICT in education would bring remarkable impacts to teaching and learning by giving students and teachers more ease of access, convenience and more prospects of participation. Now the question arises, ‘How to make use of ICT completely to create better education for future?’ For the learners to take full advantage of the new learning resources, the teachers would have to play the most important role in facilitating, guiding and developing strategies for their better learning. Therefore, it is important that focus should not only be on the enhancement of pedagogical skills but also on technology based learning. With the use of ICT, teaching and learning is becoming an open platform providing dynamic exchange of information, accessibility of education and overall a quality learning environment. This paper aims to demonstrate effective use of ICT in recent years and to find out ways to develop teaching and learning with ICT in the future. Keywords: MOOC,SWAYAM, ICT Tool, Teaching & Learning Introduction Education system is Indiahas grown at a very fast pace in the recent years. The growth pace has been further advanced with Information and Communication Technology. There is constant need felt for the educational support in more diverse ways. Against this background, the excellence in teaching and learning process in higher education is a key factor which also enhances development in different sections of the society.Involvement of ICT in teaching and learning process is not only providing learning opportunities for lifetime but it is being offered at affordable expenses. In academic context ICT developments have accelerated massive generation and access to educational content available online with higher education becoming virtual. The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is an umbrella term that includes any communication means or application, including: radio, television, mobile phones, computer, and network hardware and software, satellite systems and so on, as well as the various services and applications associated with them, such as videoconferencing and distance learning. When such technologies are used for educational purposes, namely to support and improve the learning of students and to develop learning environments, ICT can be considered as a subfield of Educational Technology. ICTs in higher education are being used for developing course material; delivering content and sharing content; communication between learners, teachers and the outside world; creation and delivery of presentation and lectures; academic research; administrative support, student enrolment etc.India is making use of influentialblend of ICTs such as open source software, satellite technology, local language interfaces, easy to use human-computer interfaces, digital libraries etc. with a long-term plan to reach the remotest of the villages andto promote e-learning throughout the country. Open Educational Resources (OERs) and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have taken the whole educational scenario to new a level. It provides an open teaching and learning stage for –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Asstt. Prof., Media and Communication Studies, Ph.D. Scholar at Amity University, E-mail: [email protected] 46


anyone, anytime and anywhere having internet access. This is pointing to the need for the teachers to be enabled with skills to explore this new sphere so that learners are guided adequately to make suitable use of the technology. Consortium for Educational Communication (CEC) set up by UGC has been successfully using ICT to promote effective educational communication. Open access to educational content through lectures on youtube and textual content freely available on the web strengthens the educational system.MOOCs have the dynamic power to revolutionize the teaching learning scenario with e-learning, blended learning and flipped classrooms being few of the recent techniques. The advantages of online learning are not related only to ease of access but also to the demonstration of the content of a lecture, which gives a clear understanding of the topic. Teaching process also evolves in this scenario in the sense that the content is delivered in a way that involves and attracts the attention from learners. Examples include describing theories to finding and relating it to public figures or taking a photograph or making and copyrighting original work. All such activities create a sense of community among learners where they can also peer review each other’s work. MOOCs in India MOOCs are the potential tools of receiving quality education, exchange of new ideas and creating communities on topics of common interests. India is constantly progressing in the field of education but besides that some constraints like low rates of digital literacy and lack of digital infrastructure slower the pace of growth. Scenario in teaching learning is witnessing changes with learners’ demands in terms of knowledge, skills and use of technology. There are increasing opportunities to access digital resources. According to All India Survey on Higher Education, 2015-16 by MHRD, there are 799 Universities, 39071 colleges and 11923 Stand Alone Institutions.Total enrolment in higher education has been estimated to be 34.6 million with 18.6 million boys and 16 million girls.Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Higher Education in India is 24.5%, which is calculated for 18-23 years of age group. The Government proposes to increase it to 30% by 2020, but this is huge challenge. With ICT problems like distance and time can be overcome. There were various developments powered by ICT in terms of different online courses. Under NMEITC, different IITs developed e-content in various areas like science, engineering and humanities through web and video based courses. Initiatives like e-pathshala and ePGPathshala create content that is not only of high quality but also curriculum based. Available as Open Educational Resources (OER) this content was put up under license by Creative Commons to benefit learners and teachers and build a community.IIT-Kanpur had developed ‘Brihaspati’, an open source e-learning platform (Virtual Class Room).Jadavpur University used a mobile-learning centre. IIT-Bombay has started the program of CDEEP (Centre for Distance Engineering Education Program) as emulated classroom interaction through the use of real time interactive satellite technology.The UGC initiated scheme called “ICT for teaching and learning process” for achieving quality and excellence in higher education. E-learning is emerging as an important approach to offerextensive and easy access to quality higher education. E-learning is a generic term referring to different uses and strengths of uses of ICTs, from wholly online education to campus-based education and through other forms of distance education improved with ICTs in some way. MOOCs are coming up as apt solutions to hindrances like faculty crunch and resources for infrastructure to be reachable to large numbers of learners. Having considered this, it is also important to come up with solutions that cater to the present needs of the country; to give quality education to remotely located learners and which could help in securing jobs. 47



Strategic Planning of SWAYAM With quality education being the need the time, National Mission on Education through ICT (NMEICT) was launched in 2009 as a sponsored scheme of MHRD to widen the horizon of ICT in teaching and learning process. NMEICT is a significant ingenuity to furnish the needs of teachers and learners. This initiative gives opening to all the teachers and experts to collectively utilize their in-depth knowledge and skills. It connects all colleges and universities and gives good quality content at absolutely no cost. It extends a setup that is accessible to all sections of the society and thereby reduces the digital divide. Over and development of different courses MHRD realized the need to create a common platform to uniformly cater these courses. MHRD advised IIT Bombay to work on this and it came up with a proposed name SWAYAM. The integration of several MOOCs on one platform is easier to access for the deprived sections of the society. AICTE collaborated with Microsoft and WizIQ to develop SWAYAM. Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM) an impressive initiative by Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) provides a cohesive stand for online courses covering all higher education schools and skill segment courses. Under the initiative of ‘Digital India’ by Government of India, SWAYAM creates a remarkable plethora of resources to take teaching and learning to a level where India can overcome the obstacles like lack of infrastructure. It is designed to achieve the three cardinal principles of Education Policy viz., access, equity and quality. Course in SWAYAM are hosted in four quadrants – 1) video lecture, 2) specially prepared reading material that can be downloaded or printed, 3) self-assessment tests, 4) online discussion forum to clear any doubts. It also offers courses on different levels of education i.e. , school education, out-of-school education, Under Graduate Education, Post- graduate education through National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), National Council of Educational Research And Training (NCERT), Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL), Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore, University Grants Commission (UGC). In spite of massive work on this Government initiated unified platform, there are certain areas that need to be taken care of. These challenges could be: 1. Limited access to internet in some areas of the country. 2. A mobile phone app has also been designed but the data charges for the same are not very easy to afford for some sections. 3. Policies to authenticate online examinations and validation of courses to be uniform. 4. Credits of the online courses. 5. Teachers to be technology savvy to deliver content for MOOCs ICT in Teaching and Learning Themodifications taking place due to globalization and internationalization attributefinest to awareness. Therefore, the integration of ICTs in teaching and learning would not only play a key role in promoting individual growth but also in developing “knowledge societies”. The need of the time is to provide education for everyone, anywhere, and anytime. Life-long learning has become the driving force to withstand the present-day competitive environment. Consequently to fortify and to advance this technology-driven growth,knowledge of new skills and capabilities are needed. Emphasis now must be laid on education drivers/activities that promote competency and performance. Such syllabi incline to necessitate access to diversity of information sources, forms and types. Student centric learning; based on information access and inquiry; learning environments and review-based activities, reliable settings and examples; and teachers as trainers and mentors rather

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MOOC or SWAYAM: Future Tools for Effective Incorporation of ICT in Teaching & Learning

than content experts are needed in the future. The teachers must progress from a phase of just knowing how to use a computer to a phase where they become swift in their use of technology and integrate it effectively in their learning strategies, powered with the knowledge of the many techniques that technology offers. The change towards development of learning programs is well reinforced by and stimulated by the developing instructional technologies. Apart from enhancing student’s learning experience, role of ICTs in capacity building/training of educational personnel has very large potential. National level institutes can provide leadership role in enhancing technical and managerial manpower in different disciplines through ICT networks and collaborations. Technology facilitated learning would result in preparation of teamconcerning innovative pedagogic methods, new ways of learning and interacting, easy sharing of new practices among teaching community and result in widening the opportunities for participation. The capabilities of competent and trained academic experts can be made available to larger audiences/students through flexible and virtual surroundings. The four most common mistakes in introducing ICTs into teaching are i) installing learning technology without reviewing student needs and content availability; ii) imposing technological systems from the top down without involving faculty and students; iii) using inappropriate content from other regions of the world without customizing it appropriately; and iv) producing low quality content that has poor instructional design and is not adapted to the technology in use (UNESCO, 2009). Conclusion India has realized the potential of ICT for the development of education system and steps are being taken towards the direction of utilizing the power of ICTs. For a holistic approach in this area it necessary to understand that being a developing nation India still has to overcome the major challenges of lack technology access in the remote areas. The traditional pedagogical methods have to be blended with contemporary techniques to make trainers technology friendly for the learners to swiftly move through learning process. Current century is not the time for hard workers but it is the time for smart workers. Existence of MOOCs has already taken teaching and learning process to a new dimension now the teachers and learners are in a phase where both the sides are yet to fully explore the new horizons. Advancements in internet have made it easy for people to access information but to be able to carefully scrutinize the desired information while browsing through infinite available data is still a difficult task for learners. Creation of a learning environment is required, where competencies are enhanced. This will create further motivated teachers and learners who will generate fresh ideas and reinforced deliberations giving rise to new theories and inventions. Other issues in bringing about effective use of ICT in teaching and learning process are the existing curriculum which needs to be redesigned with use of technology; with change in curriculum changes in evaluation process are also required. This will provide leverage in use of ICTs so that there is scope of better usage. In present scenario where everything is becoming easier and quicker with the use of technology, the expectations of the learners are also changing for the evaluation process. It is therefore required to give some leverage so that creative use of technology can experienced. These changes or decisions to bring such changes have to be planned with utmost care; keeping in mind the creative dimension of ICTs and improvisation of internet access so that everyone can utilize the opportunities equally. For this Government has to judiciously setup a legal framework or plan policies that may cover all these aspects for the best use of ICTs will truly bring equality. The passionate involvement of teachers in usage of ICTs is required not only to enhance their level of knowledge and skills but also because they will train the learners who are the future of ICT.

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References  UNESCO (2002).Open and Distance Learning Trends, Policy and Strategy Considerations. UNESCO.  UNESCO (2009).ICTs for Higher Education – Background Paper Commonwealth of Learning, Paris. UNESCO.  Guhlin, M. (1996). Stage a well-designed Saturday session and they will come! Technology Connection, 13-14  Cross, M. & Adam, F. (2007). ICT Policies and Strategies in Higher Education in South Africa: National and Institutional Pathways. Higher Education Policy 20(1), 73–95.  Mishra, S. & Sharma , R. C. (2005). Development of e -Learning in India. University News, 43(11), March 14 – 20, 2005.  https://swayam.gov.in  http://mhrd.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/statistics/AISHE2015-16.pdf

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ENHANCING QUALITY OF TEACHING–LEARNING THROUGH ICT BASED APPROACHES Rajesh Makol* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT ICT has become a part and parcel of life. The discoveries and inventions in science and technology have led to improvement in the speed of communication. With the help of existing tools, ICT helps common man in fulfilling his needs. It has become integral part of new era. Be it the primary education where children are taught through the utilization of highest possible number of senses to embark a deep impression on their minds through smart classes, or the arena of evaluation and record keeping which simplified the tasks of assessment to the touch of a single key, ICT has made a revolutionary progress in all the fields. Having been placed as an essential component of the curriculum at all level so education, ICT not only provides global connectivity where we can share the knowledge with the whole world, but also opens our minds to the great endeavors in the field of education. One cannot think about learning only through the traditional method of reading and cramming of textbooks today. The students have a hunger for in-depth knowledge which compels the teachers to regularly update themselves through the latest knowledge available at the click of a finger on GOOGLE. In the present paper, Authors have enumerated various aspects of ICT which enhance the quality learning at all ends of education. Keywords: ICT (Information and Communication Technology), IT (Information Technology), Curriculum, Assessment, Competencies Concept of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) Information and Communication technology refers to the technology which is employed in the shape of tools equipments and application supports. It involves collection, use, storage, retrieval, transmission, manipulation and dissemination of information. ICT includes the use of hardware and software for efficient management of information. ICT makes use of certain tools to represent our knowledge and express our ideas. Besides it leads to enhanced learning. The term Information Technology (IT) has commonly been used synonymously with “computer technology”, which include the use of hardware and software for efficient management of information. ICT refers to the forms of technology that are used to transmit, store, create, share or exchange particular task. They are of immense value in a world of “information explosion”, where knowledge is complex, ever-changing and cross-disciplinary in nature. According to Reeves (1998) : “Computers in particular, have positive effects on learning and are motivating for learners. They are accepted by more teachers than other technologies and are widely supported by administrators, parents, politicians, and the public in general. Computers increase equity of access, and reduce the time needed to accomplish a given set of objectives.” According to Reeves computer-based cognitive tools like databases, spreadsheets, communication software, etc. have been intellectually developed to function as intellectual partners to enable and facilitate critical thinking and higher order learning. When using these tools learners are able to represent and express what they know. They function as designers using the tools for analyzing the world, accessing and interpreting information, organizing their personal knowledge, and representing what they know to others. According to Education Review Office, 2000: “The phrase Information and communication Technology is now being used, to include telecommunications equipment through which –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Asstt. Prof., Deptt. of Education, DIRD Campus, Nangli Poona, Delhi-110036, E-mail: [email protected] 51



information can be sought and accessed through the Internet, television, phones, faxes, modems and computers.” According to the QCA scheme of work for ICT : “ICTs are the computing and communication facilities and features that variously support teaching, learning and range of activities in education.” Importance of ICT in Education ICT can lead to improvement in teaching and learning. It assists different teaching methodologies. ICT curriculum integration has a significant and positive impact on student achievement. Some of the prominent areas of student learning affected by ICT are “Knowledge comprehension”, “Practical Skills” and “Presentation skills”. These are of vital significant in the areas of Mathematics, Science and Social Science etc. 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Development of Skills among learners- Integration of ICT with education leads to enhancement of skills among learners. Some of the prominent skills like collaborative and independent learning are significantly improved by ICT. Besides, it provides sufficient knowledge that helps in developing the communication skills of the learners. Economical and Effective Learning- ICT provides virtual learning environment which reduces the cost of materials besides travelling and accommodation costs. In addition, it enables mass learning which makes it cost effective. Flexible Learning- ICT provides the ease of learning to students as students can learn at their own pace. Contents available through ICT can be repeated and revised as per the speed and convenience of the learner. It helps learners in assessing the information as per their convenience and provides ease of learning of students. Learners can easily download/review important information and assignments and complete their projects in time. Reduction in Administrative workload- ICT enables the easy access and multiple use of same information through various softwares. The attendance, evaluation and assessment of students has been made easier and effective with the help of certain ICT based tools and softwares. Transparency- ICT brings transparency in the whole system of education. ICT provides proper information to all the concerned people through the click of a finger. Important circulars, notices, and other relevant information about policies and regulations can be uploaded and downloaded from various Educational Sites and Links. This makes the whole educational system transparent.

ICT in 21st Century Hunt (2004) argues that because of the phenomenal rate at which the volume of available information is increasing, and access to an increasing range of sources, it is becoming clearer than ever that the ability to find appropriate information and use it effectively is of greater value than being able to remember facts. The skills of locating, evaluating and using information effectively from a range of sources constitute the Information Skills which are needed for people to become Information Literate, enabling them to engage in effective decision making, problem-solving and research. Effective use of ICT for Curriculum Transaction ICT as a medium of Curriculum transaction refers to the integration of teaching of school subjects with ICT. This includes integration of technologies of digital learning platforms, conversation media and tools, Pedagogies for a new generation, Open Access to Educational Resources (OER, MOOCS etc.) international standards, cloud computing nurturing teacher’s competence, and open networking, policy making to meet societal changes etc. (a) Integrating Curriculum in the classroom- Curriculum developers are led to consider the 52


Enhancing Quality of Teaching-Learning through ICT based Approaches

possibilities from alternative perspectives. Subjects are not necessarily kept as discrete. ICT facilitates a cross curricular, multi-disciplinary approach. (b) Training of teachers to use ICT effectively- Updating teachers about the various new softwares and applications appended in the field of ICT is urgently required. Teachers need to be trained about the various procedures of applying the different ICT technologies in their teaching methods. (c) Fostering Creativity, Collaboration, Communication and Cultural diversity for personal development of learners- Through the use of ICT, learners can get an interface to the vast possibilities of constructing new avenues of knowledge. This helps in enhances their communication skills. Besides, ICT integration in education enables dissemination of information to different learners irrespective of cultural diversity. This adds to the personal development of learners. (d) Assessment of student learning and increasing learner activeness- ICT based assessment tends to be more accurate, precise and objective. There can be no bias in the learning strategies when ICT is used. Besides, as ICT enables utilization of multiple senses of the learner, it increases learner activeness and make learning more fruitful. ICT in Assessment and Evaluation Assessment refers to the practice of collecting students learning evidence, with the aim of recognizing student achievements and to improve learning and teaching. It is an important and integral part of classroom instruction, and serves several objectives and audiences. Most importantly, it provides feedback to students, teachers, school and parents on the effectiveness of teaching and highlights students’ strengths and weaknesses in learning. Besides, it provides relevant information for decision making and planning to schools, school systems, government, educational boards and employers. The assessment and recording of ICT capability are reliable and consistent. They are informed by the use of ICT in other curriculum areas and by moderation within the school. Statutory requirements of reporting to parents are met. Pupils regularly assess their own and other pupil’s ICT capabilities based on criteria they have identified and developed. This contributes to their understanding of what constitutes good quality and helps them to improve. Effective role of ICT based Teaching Learning Approaches Schools have been using e-learning or ICT in learning for a long time now. Learning technology includes the use of computers, multimedia materials and networks and communications systems to support learning. Learning technology covers all aspects of the use of computers or ICT in teaching and learning. According to Cox et al., (2003) : “Teachers require more knowledge of, and confidence with ICT, and better understanding of its potential to help pupils’ learn. This suggests that further substantial support for continuing professional development is necessary in order that teachers integrate these technologies and infuse ICT issues in the teaching to improve pupils attainment.” According to Cox et al the most effective uses of ICT are those in which the teacher and the software can challenge pupils’ understanding and thinking, either through whole-class discussions using an interactive whiteboard or through individual or paired work on computer. If the teacher has the skills to organize and stimulate the ICT-based activity, then both whole-class and individual work can be equally effective. Effective use of ICT for Quality Learning The rationale and guiding principles for effective use of ICT in learning and teaching can be summed up as follows: 53



1.

USING A VARIETY OF PEDAGOGIES - A variety of learning and teaching approaches and activities should be planned through various computerized softwares and programs to suit different purposes and individual styles of learners. This will help in achievement of effective learning. 2. OPTIMUM UTILISATION OF RESOURCES - The curricula shall promote the full utilization of infrastructure and resources, integrating it with the ICT based program. Universal access and fostering of a sense of ownership shall be encouraged to ensure maximum impact. Innovative ways of reaching the unreached shall be promoted. 3. INTEGRATION WITH LEARNING OBJECTIVES - For the whole-person development, a range of assessment practices should be used for assessing the achievement of different learning objectives. These cover practical tasks, written tests, projects as well as oral questioning. Weightage allocated to different areas in assessment should be agreed among teachers. Project work can be assigned to students to assess their practical skill in use of ICT. E.g. Project for integration of the use of office automation software that processes and presents different types of information appropriately. Teachers’ observation or Oral questioning can be used to assess the development of values and attitudes among students. For instance Oral questioning can help in identifying students’ appreciation about advances in ICT to foster the emergence and development of the information age and its impact on society. 4. DIVERSE ASSESSMENT MODES - The assessment practices should cater for the range of student ability and aptitudes. It helps in ensuring that more able students are motivated to develop their full potential and weak students are encouraged to sustain their interest in learning ICT. 5. TRACKING PACE OF LEARNING - Assessment is a continuous exercise aimed at tracking learning progress over time. ICT allow students in establishing their own incremental targets and control their own pace of learning, which positively impacts their commitment to learning. 6. TIMELY AND ENCOURAGING FEEDBACK - ICT can be used for keeping timely feedback through various objective type computerized tests. A variety of encouraging feedback means can be utilized by a teacher like, constructive verbal comments during classroom activities and written remarks on assignments, along with an indication of areas for improvement. This helps in sustained momentum of learning through identification of students’ strengths and weaknesses. Besides should be a provision for peer assessment and self-assessment in student learning. It enables students to learn among themselves and promotes reflective thinking. 7. KNOWLEDGE - Knowledge is available in different forms and contexts. While some knowledge is established, some is undergoing dynamic changes with time. To be useful, construction of knowledge by the learner should take place. ICT provides infinite opportunities and resources for the construction of new knowledge and reconstruction of existing concepts. 8. TEACHING FOR UNDERSTANDING - The pedagogic methods that encompass the use of ICT should be chosen to enhance student’s understanding rather than rote memorization. 9. PROMOTING INTERACTION - Interaction with students to explore their existing knowledge and notions should be used. Open-ended questions that make students think and offer views will assist students in learning from each other. 10. PROMOTING INDEPENDENT LEARNING - Learning activities should be planned to nurture generic skills and reflection in appropriate contexts of the curriculum. Students should be encouraged for taking self responsibility of their learning. ICT enables these learning activities where students can learn at their own pace without any confined limits. 11. CONSIDERING DIVERSITY OF LEARNERS - Students have different characteristics and strengths. A variety of strategies are employed under ICT that provide ease of learning for catering to learner diversity. 12. CREATIVE LEARNING - The focus of the curricula shall be on learning to compute, which 54


Enhancing Quality of Teaching-Learning through ICT based Approaches

includes learning to create using a variety of hardware and software tools. ICT literacy, defined as the knowledge and ability to wield tools and devices, shall be an incidental outcome of this learning. 13. SHARED LERNING - The curricula shall provide adequate opportunity for hands on learning and open ended exploration of ICT applications. Sharing of learning and critical evaluation of the learning shall be integral to the strategy. 14. INCREASED AWARENESS - A healthy ICT environment requires heightened awareness of the social, ethical and legal aspects of its use. Software piracy and plagiarism shall be explicitly denounced and discouraged. Creation of original content, taking pride in the creation and duly recognizing others’ contributions shall be promoted. Conclusion Development of a high level of competence in the use of ICT has been the need of the hour. The recent movement of Demonetization in India makes us think of the immense possibilities of Information Technology that can help in making our life much easier. The vast differences in the CCE results of various school who have created an ICT conducive teaching learning environment is an indicator that the time has come when we move on to the next step where education is not limited to the four walls of the classroom, nor can it be contained in few books. Lets provide our students with the vast universe of knowledge, to boost up their innate capabilities, to utilize and provoke their hidden potentials by providing them with the revolution called INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY. References  Ayers W (2002). To teach : The journey of a teacher. Teachers College Press, New York.  Davenport, T.H. (1997), Information Ecology, Oxford University Press, New York, NY  Hemmings P. (1998), Initial Teacher Training National Curriculum for ICT  Kuhn, T.S. (1962), The Structure of Scientific Revolution, University of Chicago Press, Chicago  NAAC (2003) FOR Quality Excellence in Higher Education, Orientation Programme for Member co-cordinators and handbook for Assessment and Accredit ion. Nov. 29. Banglore  National Council for Teacher Education (1995), Norms and Standards for teacher Education Institutions Elementary  Thomson G.H. (1929), A Modern Philosophy of Education, Allen & Unwin, London  Vygotsky, L.S. (1986), Thought and Language Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press  Wegner, E. (1998), Communities of Practice :Learning, Meaning and Identity, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK  Wheeler S. (2000), The Role of the Teacher in the use of ICT

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PARADIGM SHIFT IN EFFECTIVE INTEGRATION OF ICT IN EDUCATION Suman Lata* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT Education is a very socially oriented activity and quality education has traditionally been associated with strong teachers having high degrees of personal contact with learners. The use of ICT in education lends itself to more student-centred learning settings. But with the world moving rapidly into digital media and information, the role of ICT in education is becoming more and more important and this importance will continue to grow and develop in the 21st century. Education policymakers and planners must first of all be clear about what educational outcomes are being targeted. These broad goals should guide the choice of technologies to be used and their modalities of use. Each of the different ICTs—print, audio/video cassettes, radio and TV broadcasts, computers or the Internet—may be used for presentation and demonstration, the most basic of the five levels. Except for video technologies, drill and practice may likewise be performed using the whole range of technologies. On the other hand, networked computers and the Internet are the ICTs that enable interactive and collaborative learning best; their full potential as educational tools will remain unrealized if they are used merely for presentation or demonstration. Keywords: Education, Technology, Teleconferencing, Tele-collaboration, Internet. Introduction:ICTs stand for information and communication technologies and are defined, for the purposes of this primer, as a “diverse set of technological tools and resources used to communicate, and to create, disseminate, store, and manage information.” These technologies include computers, the Internet, broadcasting technologies (radio and television), and telephony. According to Daniels (2002) ICTs have become within a very short time, one of the basic building blocks of modern society. Many countries now regard understanding ICT and mastering the basic skills and concepts of ICT as part of the core of education, alongside reading, writing and numeracy. However, there appears to be a misconception that ICTs generally refers to ‘computers and computing related activities’. This is fortunately not the case, although computers and their application play a significant role in modern information management, other technologies and/or systems also comprise of the phenomenon that is commonly regarded as ICTs. Pelgrum and Law (2003) state that near the end of the 1980s, the term ‘computers’ was replaced by ‘IT’ (information technology) signifying a shift of focus from computing technology to the capacity to store and retrieve information. This was followed by the introduction of the term ‘ICT’ (information and communication technology) around 1992, when e-mail started to become available to the general public (Pelgrum, W.J., Law, N., 2003). According to a United Nations report (1999) ICTs cover Internet service provision, telecommunications equipment and services, information technology equipment and services, media and broadcasting, libraries and documentation centres, commercial information providers, networkbased information services, and other related information and communication activities. According to UNESCO (2002) information and communication technology (ICT) may be regarded as the combination of ‘Informatics technology’ with other related technology, specifically communication technology. The various kinds of ICT products available and having relevance to education, such as teleconferencing, email, audio conferencing, television lessons, radio broadcasts, interactive radio –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Principal, Department of Education, DIRD, Nangli Poona, Delhi-110036, E-mail: [email protected] 56


counselling, interactive voice response system, audiocassettes and CD ROMs etc have been used in education for different purposes (Sharma, 2003; Sanyal, 2001; Bhattacharya and Sharma, 2007).. The field of education has been affected by ICTs, which have undoubtedly affected teaching, learning, and research (Yusuf, 2005). A great deal of research has proven the benefits to the quality of education (Al-Ansari, 2006). ICTs have the potential to innovate, accelerate, enrich, and deepen skills, to motivate and engage students, to help relate school experience to work practices, create economic viability for tomorrow’s workers, as well as strengthening teaching and helping schools change (Davis and Tearle, 1999; Lemke and Coughlin, 1998; cited by Yusuf, 2005). As Jhurree (2005) states, much has been said and reported about the impact of technology, especially computers, in education. Use of Radio and Television Broadcasting in Education. Radio and television have been used widely as educational tools since the 1920s and the 1950s, respectively. There are three general approaches to the use of radio and TV broadcasting in education:  direct class teaching, where broadcast programming substitutes for teachers on a temporary basis;  school broadcasting, where broadcast programming provides complementary teaching and learning resources not otherwise available; and  general educational programming over community, national and international stations which provide general and informal educational opportunities. The notable and best documented example of the direct class teaching approach is Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI).This consists of “ready-made 20-30 minute direct teaching and learning exercises to the classroom on a daily basis. The radio lessons, developed around specific learning objectives at particular levels of mathematics, science, health and languages in national curricula, are intended to improve the quality of classroom teaching and to act as a regular, structured aid to poorly trained classroom teachers in under-resourced schools.” IRI projects have been implemented in Latin America and Africa. In Asia, IRI was first implemented in Thailand in 1980; Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal rolled out their own IRI projects in the 1990s. What differentiates IRI from most other distance education programs is that its primary objective is to raise the quality of learning—and not merely to expand educational access—and it has had much success in both formal and non-formal settings. Extensive research around the world has shown that many IRI projects have had a positive impact on learning outcomes and on educational equity. And with its economies of scale, it has proven to be a cost-effective strategy relative to other interventions. Teleconferencing and Education Teleconferencing refers to “interactive electronic communication among people located at two or more different places.” There are four types of teleconferencing based on the nature and extent of interactivity and the sophistication of the technology: 1) audioconferencing; 2) audio-graphic conferencing, 3) videoconferencing; and 4) Web-based conferencing. Audioconferencing involves the live (real-time) exchange of voice messages over a telephone network. When low-bandwidth text and still images such as graphs, diagrams or pictures can also be exchanged along with voice messages, then this type of conferencing is called audiographic. Nonmoving visuals are added using a computer keyboard or by drawing/writing on a graphics tablet or whiteboard. Videoconferencing allows the exchange not just of voice and graphics but also of moving images. 57



Videoconferencing technology does not use telephone lines but either a satellite link or television network (broadcast/cable). Web-based conferencing, as the name implies, involves the transmission of text, and graphic, audio and visual media via the Internet; it requires the use of a computer with a browser and communication can be both synchronous and asynchronous. Teleconferencing is used in both formal and non-formal learning contexts to facilitate teacherlearner and learner-learner discussions, as well as to access experts and other resource persons remotely. In open and distance learning, teleconferencing is a useful tool for providing direct instruction and learner support, minimizing learner isolation. For instance, an audiographic teleconferencing network between Tianjin Medical University in China and four outlying Tianjin municipalities was piloted in 1999 as part of a multi-year collaboration between Tianjin Medical University and the University of Ottawa School of Nursing funded by the Canadian International Development Agency. The audio-graphic teleconferencing network aims to provide continuing education and academic upgrading to nurses in parts of Tianjin municipality where access to nursing education has been extremely limited. Other higher education institutions using teleconferencing in their online learning programs include the Open University of the United Kingdom, Unitar (Universiti Tun Abdul Ruzak) in Malaysia, Open University of Hong Kong, and Indira Gandhi National Open University. Instructional Use of Computers in Teaching and Learning There are three general approaches to the instructional use of computers and the Internet, namely:  Learning about computers and the Internet, in which technological literacy is the end goal;  Learning with computers and the Internet, in which the technology facilitates learning across the curriculum; and  Learning through computers and the Internet, integrating technological skills development with curriculum applications.  use for doing different kind of research Learning about Computers and Internet Learning about computers and the Internet focuses on developing technological literacy. It typically includes:  Fundamentals: basic terms, concepts and operations  Use of the keyboard and mouse  Use of productivity tools such as word processing, spreadsheets, data base and graphics programs  Use of research and collaboration tools such as search engines and email  Basic skills in using programming and authoring applications such as Logo or HyperStudio  Developing an awareness of the social impact of technological change. Learning with Computers and Internet Learning with the technology means focusing on how the technology can be the means to learning ends across the curriculum. It includes:  Presentation, demonstration, and the manipulation of data using productivity tools  Use of curriculum-specific applications types such as educational games, drill and practice, simulations, tutorials, virtual laboratories, visualizations and graphical representations of abstract concepts, musical composition, and expert systems  Use of information and resources on CD-ROM or online such as encyclopedia, interactive maps and atlases, electronic journals and other references. Technological literacy is required for learning with technologies to be possible, implying a two-

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step process in which students learn about the technologies before they can actually use them to learn. However, there have been attempts to integrate the two approaches. Learning through Computers and Internet Learning through computers and the Internet combines learning about them with learning with them. It involves learning the technological skills “just-in-time” or when the learner needs to learn them as he or she engages in a curriculum-related activity. For example, secondary school students who must present a report on the impact on their community of an increase in the price of oil for an Economics class may start doing research online, using spreadsheet and database programs to help organize and analyze the data they have collected, as well using a word processing application to prepare their written report. Computers and Distance Education Many higher educational institutions offering distance education courses have started to leverage the Internet to improve their programme’s reach and quality. The Virtual University of the Monterrey Institute of Technology in Mexico uses a combination of print, live and recorded broadcasts, and the Internet to deliver courses to students throughout Mexico and in several Latin American countries. Similarly, the African Virtual University, initiated in 1997 with funding support from the World Bank, uses satellite and Internet technologies to provide distance learning opportunities to individuals in various English-speaking and French-speaking countries throughout Africa. At the University of the Philippines Open University, course materials are still predominantly print-based but online tutorials are becoming a convenient alternative to face-to-face tutorials especially for students unwilling or unable to go to UPOU’s various physical learning centres. About 70-90% of UPOU’s degree courses offer online tutorials as an option, while in several of its nondegree courses tutorials are conducted only online. But even in Korea, where infrastructure is among the best in the world, and government has put considerable financial and other resources behind an ambitious ICT-based re-tooling of its educational system, challenges to online education persist. Internet and Web-based initiatives have also been developed at the secondary education level. The Virtual High School is a result of efforts of a nationwide consortium of school districts in the United States to promote the development and sharing of Web-based courses. In Canada, Open School offers a wide range of courses and resources to grades K-12 teachers and students that meet the requirements of the British Columbia curriculum. Course delivery is done through a mix of broadcast and video, while some courses are delivered totally online. Telecollaboration Online learning involving students logging in to formal courses online is perhaps the most commonly thought of application of the Internet in education. However, it is by no means the only application. Web-based collaboration tools, such as email, listservs, message boards, real-time chat, and Web-based conferencing, connect learners to other learners, teachers, educators, scholars and researchers, scientists and artists, industry leaders and politicians—in short, to any individual with access to the Internet who can enrich the learning process. The organized use of Web resources and collaboration tools for curriculum appropriate purposes is called telecollaboration. Judi Harris defines telecollaboration as “an educational endeavor that involves people in different locations using Internet tools and resources to work together. Much educational telecollaboration is curriculum-based, teacherdesigned, and teacher-coordinated. Most use e-mail to help participants communicate with each other. Many telecollaborative activities and projects have Web sites to support them.” The best telecollaborative projects are those that are fully integrated into the curriculum and not just extra59



curricular activities, those in which technology use enables activities that would not have been possible without it, and those that empower students to become active, collaborative, creative, integrative, and evaluative learners (see Table 1).There are currently hundreds of telecollaborative projects being implemented worldwide and many more that have either been completed or are in development. One example is the Voices of Youth project developed by UNICEF. It encourages students to share their views on global issues, such as HIV/AIDS and child labour, with other youth and adults around the world through an electronic discussion forum. The Voices of Youth website also provides background information on the different discussion topics as well as resource materials to help teachers integrate the Voice of Youth discussions in their other classroom activities. The International Telementor Program (ITP) links students with mentor-experts through email and discussion forums. Founded in 1995 with support from Hewlett Packard, ITP provides projectbased online mentoring support to 5th to 12th grade and university students, especially from at-risk communities. The ITP telementor typically meets online with the student at least once every two weeks to answer questions, discuss key issues, recommend useful resources, and comment on student output. The teacher’s role, on the other hand, is to provide support to both student and telementor, monitor the telementoring process, and track the student’s progress. Perhaps the most widely cited telecollaborative project is the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program. GLOBE is a U.S. Government-sponsored programme launched in 1994 that links primary and secondary students and teachers from over 10,000 schools in more than 95 countries to the scientific research community. GLOBE gives students the opportunity to collaborate with scientists in conducting earth science research. Participating students periodically take measurements of the atmosphere, water, soils, and land cover at or near their schools, following strict protocols designed by GLOBE scientists. They then enter this data to a central Web-based database. The database may be accessed by scientists, researchers and the general public. GLOBE also provides teachers with guidelines and materials for structured learning activities that take off from the students’ hands-on experience. Students can also go to the GLOBE website for visualizations of the data they and other students have collected. Paradigm Shift in Use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Education in 21st Century 1. Modern developments in information and communication technologies (ICT) provide exciting possibilities to enhance the quality of education. Interactive education software, open access digital libraries, and cheaper and more intuitive technology may facilitate new forms of interaction between students, teachers, education employees and the community and enhance the quality of education by making it more accessible. 2. Education may be enriched by integrating such technologies into traditional educational activities. However, it must be recognised that ITC may never displace the relationship between teacher and learner which is crucial to the learning and development process. 3. ICT has the capacity to enhance the learning process and facilitate communications within education institutions and between educators and learners but it must be used in education institutions under the supervision of qualified well-trained professionals with the expertise in pedagogy and in education to ensure that its impact does not damage or undermine the learning process or the development of learners. 4. Education unions should (i) support the use of ICT as an integral part of the provision of quality education for all. They should advocate for the use of ICT in education as a key modern aid to teaching and learning; (ii) advocate for free access for all teachers and learners, support professionals and administrators in education, to high quality dedicated ICT; (iii) insist that ICT 60


Paradigm Shift in Effective Integration of ICT in Education

5.

6.

in education is appropriate to the learning requirements in the curriculum in each subject, is supportive of the work of teachers and learners, and of administrative and professional staff in education; (iv) insist that educators are consulted about the introduction of ICT into education institutions and involved in the design and development of appropriate ICT for education purposes; (v) monitor the implementation of any agreements entered into by governments, national education or school authorities for the provision of ICT by commercial companies. Governments and national education authorities should (i) develop national plans for the use and promotion of ICT in education in consultation with education unions and education community interests and others with relevant expertise; (ii) allocate the necessary funds to develop appropriate ICT for schools and education institutions and ensure that the outcome of such development work is available freely to all; (iii) allocate the necessary funds to ensure that every education institution has access to high quality ITC, both hardware and software, irrespective of where it is situated; (iv) allocate the necessary funds to provide continuous professional development in the use of ICT for teachers and other education professionals; (v) ensure that high quality internet access is available to all schools and education institutions. Where commercial ICT companies are engaged by Governments or national education or school authorities to contribute to the provision of ICT in education or become voluntarily involved in such provision, that engagement should be subject to agreements which (i) recognise the professional integrity and independence of the education institutions and personnel who are affected: (ii) ensure that the primary purpose of the engagement is to provide support for teaching and learning; (iii) ensure that consultative processes with professional education staff are an essential element in the development of the software and hardware provided; (iv) include provision for monitoring mechanisms for the implementation of any such agreements which include professional education staff.

References  Ayers W (2002). To teach : The journey of a teacher. Teachers College Press, New York.  Davenport, T.H. (1997), Information Ecology, Oxford University Press, New York, NY  Hemmings P. (1998), Initial Teacher Training National Curriculum for ICT  Kuhn, T.S. (1962), The Structure of Scientific Revolution, University of Chicago Press, Chicago  NAAC (2003) FOR Quality Excellence in Higher Education, Orientation Programme for Member co-cordinators and handbook for Assessment and Accredit ion. Nov. 29. Banglore  National Council for Teacher Education (1995), Norms and Standards for teacher Education Institutions Elementary  Thomson G.H. (1929), A Modern Philosophy of Education, Allen & Unwin, London  Vygotsky, L.S. (1986), Thought and Language Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press  Wegner, E. (1998), Communities of Practice :Learning, Meaning and Identity, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK  Wheeler S. (2000), The Role of the Teacher in the use of ICT

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SKILL DEVELOPMENT IN TEACHER EDUCATION Poonam Dhull* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT In the modern era whereas on one hand, a teacher has to come upto the expectations of all the stakeholders on the other hand, update his/her knowledge and acquire skills both soft and technical to justify his/her role as a mentor, facilitator, co-learner, negotiator, friend, guide and philosopher in view of the shifting paradigm. A teacher has to provide conducive classroom environment and facilitate the process of students’ construction of knowledge and unfoldment of their innate abilities and capabilities which may remain inchoate in the absence of a meaningful exposure. To accomplish his/her multidimensional responsibilities the teacher needs to be equipped with life skills, soft skills and technical skills which are essential to be an effective teacher. A nation thrives due to its potential human capital and outcome of such human capital depends on quality education. The onus lies more on Teacher Education Institutions as these institutions can play an important role in preparing good teachers who in turn can ‘educate’ citizens of tomorrow. The programme for development of life skills, soft skills and technical skills should be intertwined with Teacher Education curriculum and should be implemented meticulously by every institution. Moreover development of life skills and soft skills must be taken care of in every interaction with the students so that would be teachers imbibe all essential skills which help them to become good teachers. This will have a rippling effect on our Education System particularly on School Education where subtle minds can be educated in the real As per International Commission on the Development of Education, “The teacher’s duty is less and less to impart knowledge and more to encourage thinking; his formal functions apart, he will have to become more and more an advisor, a partner to talk to; someone who helps seek out conflicting agreements rather than providing readymade solutions. He will have to devote more time and energy to productive and creative activities, interaction, discussion, stimulation, understanding and encouragement”. According to NCF 2005, “Teacher Education must prepare the teacher for the role of being an encouraging, supportive and humane facilitator in teaching learning situation to enable learners to discover their talents, realize their physical and intellectual potentialities and to develop character and desirable social & human values to function as responsible citizens.” The paradigm shift in Teacher Education has redefined the role of the teacher and the students. Learning is no longer considered as transmission and reception of knowledge by the students. They cannot be considered as ‘empty vessels’ (as termed by empiricists) into which knowledge must be poured or ‘clean slates’ on which knowledge may be imprinted rather they construct their own knowledge through interaction with the physical and social environment. They are not passive listeners but active participants in the teaching-learning process. Now the teacher’s role has been shifted from ‘Sage on the Stage’ to a ‘Guide by the Side’. He is supposed to be a facilitator in the process of students’ construction of knowledge and unfolding of their innate abilities & capabilities which may not blossom in the absence of a meaningful exposure. When the teacher has to shoulder the responsibilities of a facilitator (In the process of child’s construction of knowledge), model, negotiator, co-learner, a friend, guide and philosopher, it is pertinent that he is equipped with skills essential to be a good teacher. Now the onus lies on Higher Education Institutions or to be more specific on Institutions of Teacher Education to inculcate soft skills, life skills and technical skills among the students to enable them to develop as intellectual and skillful citizens who can prove to be an asset to the nation. A –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Assistant Professor, R L S College of Education, Sidhrawali, Gurgaon, E-mail: [email protected] 62


nation thrives due to its potential human capital and the outcome of such human capital depends on quality education. A meticulously designed and systematically planned education system can contribute in developing such human capital. Teacher Education Institutions can play all the more important role in the development of human capital that is well-conversant and skillful to come upto the expectations of the stakeholders. The development of life skills and soft skills ought to be made an indispensable component of teaching-learning process in Teacher Education Institutions so that would be teachers may foster the skills which they have imbibed in the future generations. Soft skills are personal characteristics that may be valuable in day to day interactions, performance at work place and career opportunities whereas hard skills are specific for accomplishment of a task or activity. Soft skills may include personality traits, social gracefulness, fluency in language, personal habits, friendliness and optimism etc. Well developed soft skills complement hard skills or the technical requirement of a profession especially in professions which involve public dealing. Based on research studies, a number of soft skills like effective communication, team work, professional ethics, problem solving, language proficiency, leadership skills etc. need to be inculcated by the teacher educators among would be teachers in all Teacher Education Institutions. Development of Soft Skills For development of soft skills among the students through teaching-learning activities, two models can be taken into consideration: 1. Stand Alone Subject Model – As the name indicates this model intends to develop soft skills through specific courses particularly planned for the purpose. Such courses are offered by the institutions in the name of personality grooming programmes, English speaking course, public speaking etc. These courses can be part of overall requirement of a progamme or they can be introduced as additional courses. Students of Teacher Education Programmes can pursue short term courses like language proficiency, leadership skills, Personality Development and Effective Communication Skills. Stand Alone Model helps students acquire soft skills because the course/ subject is specially designed for that. However this model will require extra time and resources. 2. Embedded Model – As per this approach, soft skills can be developed through all teachinglearning activities across the curriculum. There is no need to introduce specific course or programme for the purpose. These skills can be mastered by the students through various teachinglearning activities that are planned and organised using specific strategies. Such integrated approach can be followed in Institutions of Teacher Education where soft skills can be developed through activities like questioning, project work, discussions, brain storming, presentations, team work, role play, cooperative learning and experiential learning. Though Embedded Model does not require separate courses for soft skill development apart from the prescribed curriculum, yet it requires expert teachers who can make use of student centered active teaching-learning strategies. Life Skills stand for abilities of an individual that often reflect through his/her behavior and can make the world a better place to live in. To be more specific Life Skills are abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life (World Health Organisation). Life skills represent psychosocial competencies of an individual. UNICEF defined life skills as “A behaviour change or behaviour development approach designed to address a balance of three areas: knowledge, attitude and skills.” It further adds “Life Skills are those abilities of an individual that help to promote physical, mental and emotional wellbeing and competence to face realities of life.” WHO suggested that following life skills must be developed in would be teachers by the Teacher Education Institutions:

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Self-awareness Empathy Inter-personal relations Effective communication Decision making Problem solving Creative thinking Critical thinking Coping with emotions Coping with stress

Self Awareness stands for recognition of self, our strengths and weakness, likes and dislikes. By developing self awareness among would be teachers we can help them to identify the situations which make them stressed or under pressure. After understanding the self, one can learn to strengthen the weaker areas and project the best one. Empathy – We can be good teachers only when we understand and care students’/parents’ needs, desires and feelings. Empathy is like stepping into others shoes and imagine what life is like for other persons. If a teacher does not have empathy, his communication with students will be like one way traffic. He/ She will be behaving according to his/her own interest. No one can live in isolation. We grow up in society interacting with other people. A teacher can never communicate effectively unless he/she understands himself/herself as well as others’ viewpoint, needs and desires. Empathy helps a teacher to accept students as they are with their strengths and weakness. This can result in better social interactions especially when students are from diverse backgrounds. Interpersonal relationship – These skills help us to be associated in positive ways to people with whom we interact. This helps us to keep friendly relations with others which is essential for one’s social well being and mental health. This skill also helps us to have good relations with family members and extended family which may prove to be important source of social support. It is important to give opportunities to would be teachers to have good interpersonal relations with their counterparts by engaging them in group assignments, projects, co-curricular activities, outdoor visits and educational tours. Effective Communication stands for expressing one’s feelings, opinions, desires verbally or nonverbally in such a way that is in tune with our culture and the situation. Effective communication is the most important tool a teacher can use to teach effectively. Apart from teaching, effective communication is of vital importance in maintaining good interpersonal relationships with family, friends, colleagues, Head of the Department, students and their parents. With the help of communicating effectively a number of problems related to discipline can also be resolved. Teachers can help the students to learn the skill of effective communication. Decision Making – Democratic parents and teachers allow students to take their own decisions. Education means to make the child independent, provide him reasonable autonomy and enabling him/ her to have the ability to use that autonomy in a logical manner. A teacher should help the students in learning to take their own decisions. Problem Solving – The ability to solve problems helps us to face and deal with various problems in our lives. Unresolved problems can cause stress in the long run. A teacher can educate the subtle minds how to deal with the problems instead of avoiding them. Creative Thinking – Creativity is the ability to make or otherwise bring into existence something new, whether a new solution to a problem, a new method or a device or a new artistic object or form (New Encyclopedia Britannica). Creativity comprises of four components-

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   

Fluency – Generating new ideas/responses in a given time Flexibility – Shifting perspective easily Originality – Thinking/Creating something new, unique and original Elaboration – Building on other ideas

A teacher can foster creativity among students by providing permissible classroom environment where students are given reasonable freedom to express their ideas and exhibit their talents. Critical Thinking – It is the ability to analyse information in an unbiased and objective manner. Critical thinking enables us to identify and evaluate the factors that have influence on attitudes and behaviour such as values, peer pressure and the media. Critical thinking can help a teacher to examine the situation critically and take appropriate steps accordingly. Coping with Emotions – To cope with emotions means to learn to manage the emotions of oneself and others. We all are aware about the fact that emotions influence behaviour, so we must learn to respond to emotions in a stable manner. Positive emotions make us feel happy while negative emotions like anger and fear can have detrimental effect on our health if we do not manage them in a proper and desirable way. Empathy plays a significant role in being emotionally intelligent. Teacher education must have components on emotional intelligence and the strategies to develop it among would be teachers which in turn will foster the same among their students in schools. Coping with Stress – First of all we have to identify the sources of stress in our life, recognize how they affect us and to take proper measures by means of which we can check the stress by changing the environment or life style and learning to relax. Teacher Education with its value added courses like Value Education and Yoga can help to foster coping strategies among would be teachers who would carry it forward to school students. Development of Life Skills: Life skills can be developed through three approaches:  Content approach  Thematic approach  Activity approach In content approach new information in the form of content can be provided to add knowledge of a specific subject area. Thematic approach focuses on dealing with appropriate themes in the sessions which can be beneficial for the target group. The activity approach is based on integration of activities in the curriculum for the development of Life skills. It involves experiential and participatory learning which may include role play, quiz, cooperative learning, group activities etc. The purpose should be to embed these activities in our day to day teaching-learning process in order to foster life skills among the students. Educationists, psychologists and policy planners will have to join hands to develop a formal Life Skills Training Programme as well. It should be according to various developmental stages of students with in-built monitoring and evaluation system. In development of life skills, teachers have to be considerate about abilities and capabilities of students and plan the programme accordingly. Teachers can walk an extra mile and bring borderline students into the mainstream. They need to provide conducive environment to students for practice and reinforcement of skills. Further teachers must adopt child-friendly practices for promotion of life skills among students. Hence Life Skills Education must be an integral component of Teacher Education curricula so that would be teachers must have an orientation and knowledge of the Skill Development Programme. Subsequently when they join schools they can facilitate development of life skills among students by use of participatory learning methods and social learning process which may include 65


-

Knowing the skill in question Observation of the skill Practice of the skill Feedback Application of the skill

It should be kept in mind that the practice of skills is carried out in selected situations in a supportive learning environment. In life skills education, students’ learning should be made progressive like initially they start learning in friendly, non-threatening, low risk situations and subsequently move to difficult situations. For effective implementation of Life Skill Development Programme, apart from integration of skill development modules in curriculum of Teacher Education courses, Capacity Building and Faculty Development Programmes must be organized by the institutions from time to time. Motivational talks can also be arranged in such programmes. Moreover, in-service programmes can be organised for those who are already in job so that each teacher can be equipped with strategies to develop and augment life skills among students to make them successful in this highly competitive global scenario. Likewise, the development of Technical Skills such as use of Information Technology and Information and Communication Technology are like life line in the Modern age of Science and Technology. One cannot imagine his/her life without having technical skills which enable a student to explore the world of knowledge just by a click. Some component of ICT has been integrated in Teacher Education Curriculum but due to lack of proper resources and techno savvy teacher educators, students cannot come upto the expectations. ICT Resource Centres should be set up in all Teacher Education Institutions with latest equipments and software. ICT expert teacher educators may also be appointed in these institutions so that would be teachers can be equipped with technical skills which may prove to be stepping stone for success in their future endeavours. The purpose of education should be to enable a child to deal effectively with the vicissitudes of life, identify and make productive use of available opportunities and deal with the challenges of the society and the environment. Such behavioural metamorphosis of the child can be possible when the system enriches the curriculum of School and Teacher Education with effective Skills Development Programmes and foster global competencies among would be teachers who subsequently can shape the future of the nation. References  International Commission on the Development of Education. (1972). Learning to be, UNESCO, Paris.  Lovat, T., Davies, M. & Plotnikoff, R. (1995). Integrating Research Skills Development in Teacher Education. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, Vol. 20 (1), Pg 30-34.  National Council of Educational Research and Training. (2005). National Curriculum Framework 2005, New Delhi: NCERT.  OECD. (2005). Developing Teachers’ Knowledge and skills. Teachers matter: Attracting, Developing and Retaining Effective Teachers, pg 95-110.  Pachauri, D. & Yadav, A. (2013). Importance of Soft Skills in Teacher Education Programme. International Journal of Educational Research and Training, Vol 5 (1), Pg 22-25.  Singh, H. & Gera, M. (2015). Strategies for Development of Life Skills and Global Competencies. International Journal of Scientific Research, Vol. 4 (6), Pg 760-763.  www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/142249/creativity.  https://www.oecd.org/edu/school/45399491.pdf  www.who.int/mental_health/media/en/30.pdf 66


QUALITY IMPROVEMENT AND MANAGEMENT IN EDUCATION: ROLE OF TEACHERS Sarvjeet Kaur Brar* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT Quality assurance is vital to ensure the continuous improvement of the content, delivery and professional development of teachers. Education has always been facing the challenge in ensuring that the quality of teaching and learning takes place effectively.Student learning is the focus of teaching learning process. Educationists have always been made concerted efforts to facilitate students learning by enhancing the quality of learning experiences. This paper adopts and uses the principles from one of the Quality Management methods, Total Quality Management as the pedagogical methodology and improved framework in managing, scrutinizing and enhancing the quality of teaching and learning practices in higher education. The paper focuses on the limited application areas of specific key components of a Total Quality Management tool on managing the needs, expectations and problems of the students, and by collecting feedback information for constant improvement in teaching and learning process. Employing these Quality Management attributes into the education equation create values for educational institutions, employers, and students. Keywords: Quality Improvement, Teaching and Learning, Education, Teachers. Introduction Education and the challenges of preparing quality teachers are important priorities in many countries. India is no different. The success of what India hopes to achieve in education depends on the quality of its teachers. The process of teaching and learning and creation of knowledge is carried on from the very first day of human history. As the expansion of knowledge with diverse dimensions the process of teaching and learning became formal and systematic. Need for methods and strategies to enhance the quality of learning originated. Over centuries educators have been concerned with the issue of increasing the efficiency of learning experience.Assuring high quality processes in the design and delivery of teacher education is crucial to meet the demand for high quality teachers.For sustainable long-term success in impacting teaching and learning, it is thus necessary that staff and faculty fully understand the QA processes and be responsive to changes and improvements, both individually and collectively. Educational Quality: The Role of Teachers, Schools, and Communities Educational quality in developing countries has become a topic of intense interest, primarily because of countries’ efforts to maintain quality (or reverse the decline of quality) in the context of quantitative expansion of educational provision. Many countries are simultaneously implementing reforms based on more active approaches to teaching and learning, further challenging education systems and, especially, teachers. Within this context, three issues frame much of the present discussion of education quality: (i) exploring the meaning of educational quality in particular country contexts; (ii) locating the engines of quality in complex processes at the school, classroom, and community levels; and (iii) recognizing and strengthening the key role of teachers in promoting quality. Exploring the Meaning of Quality of Education Despite the prominence of “quality” as the motivating factor for educational planning, approaches –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Asst. Professor G.H.G. Harprakash College of Education, Sidhwan Khurd, LDH. Panjab Email id- [email protected] 67



to quality can vary widely. In much of the literature, “quality” is used in a detached way, assuming consensus both on what the term means and on the desirability of the various educational aims and approaches promoted under the banner of quality. Whether explicit or implicit, a vision of educational quality is always embedded within countries’ policies and programs. Harvey (1995) illustrates a useful framework for quality by outlining five goals for education that define the vision of quality within individual systems. Education systems vary in emphasizing a single vision or, more commonly, a mixture of the five goals:  Education quality as exceptionality: excellence is the vision that drives education, quality education is education that is exemplary, schools should maximize the pursuit of the highest potential in individual students.  Education quality as consistency: equality is the vision that regulate education, quality requires essentialexperiences, schools and classrooms should provide students with consistent experiences across the system.  Education quality as fitness-for-purpose: refinement and perfection in specific subject areas is the vision that shapes the system, quality is seen as preparing students for specific roles, instructional specialization is emphasized.  Education quality as value for money: education reflects reasonable correspondence to individual and societal investments, quality is interpreted as the extent to which the system delivers value for money.  Education quality as transformative potential: social or personal change is the vision that drives education, quality education is a catalyst for positive changes in individuals and society, education promotes social change (Kubow and Fossum 2003, pp. 125–126). Much of the findings includes equity as an essential factor of quality, taking the stance that no system of education can claim to be of good quality if it serves different groups in a society in significantly different ways (UNESCO 2004). This perspective on quality corresponds to “consistency,”. Active Learning and Quality An important issue to include in this literature review is the increasing number of references in the literature on education quality to difficulties experienced in the implementation of constructivist ideas and active-learning approaches. This issue is especially pertinent in countries that have adopted constructivist-based reforms in curriculum and instruction at the same time that they are undergoing very rapid expansion to meet the future goals of Education for All. One thing that we know is that, with expansion and reform taking place at the same time, a severe burden falls on teachers to be flexible and reject traditional models and to internalize and practice new approaches - often within the context of conceptual confusion about the reforms and minimal understanding of them, especially at the community level (Alexander 2000; UNESCO 2004). THE KEY ROLE OF TEACHERS IN PROMOTING QUALITY Good basic education is the result of the interaction of multiple factors, the most important of which is increasingly recognized to be quality teachers and teaching (ADEA 2004; ADEA 2005; Anderson 2002; UNESCO 2004; UNICEF 2000; Verspoor 2006). The 2005 EFA report captures this trend in the following: Teacher quality management andimprovement, therefore, are becoming the foci of researchers, policy makers, program designers, implementers, and evaluators. This segment traces the rising emphasis on teachers in education quality, while the following section reviews the literature on teacher learning – how teachers learn, change, and improve practice. 68


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EDUCATIONAL QUALITY: THE ROLE OF TEACHER In the developing world, donor-funded projects are frequently aimed at school-level reforms. Such projects may focus on decentralizing administrative structures and increasing the involvement of local community members in school governance and support, with the aim being to empower principals, teachers, and the community to work together to improve the quality of education provided to the children. Teachers as Active Subjects of Reform Today problems of practice in the classroom are complex, and cannot be satisfied by codified knowledge, prescriptive practice, and inflexible rules of conduct. Instead, new norms for teaching should be accompanied by teachers’ embracing a professional standard that incorporates continual learning, reflection, and concern with the multiple effects of one’s actions on others as fundamental aspects of their professional role. Teachers must demonstrate active ownership of their practice, and of the reforms that influence changes in that practice: Unless teachers are actively involved in policy formulation, and feel a sense of ‘ownership’ of reform, it is unlikely that substantial changes will be successfully implemented…One of the main challenges for policy makers facing the demands of a knowledge society is how to sustain teacher quality and ensure all teachers continue to engage in effective modes of ongoing professional learning. (Santiago and McKenzie 2006) Teachers as Adaptive Experts in the Reform Process We have established that helping teachers learn and teach more effectively requires that they develop the ability to think like teachers, that they translate what they have learned in both preservice and in-service teacher development programs into practice, and that they best do this within the context of a collaborative, collegial school community. However, teachers’ daily routines in all countries and contexts are full. Teachers deal with large groups of students, juggle multiple tasks, and have little time to reflect and implement innovations (Hatch 2006). In the developing world, teachers with minimal preparation and 70 to 100 or more students may find that active learning methods are difficult, if not impossible, to apply (Alexander 2000, UNESCO 2004). Introducing reform into such classroom contexts often involves teachers re-thinking existing routines, ideas, practices, and theories. TQM MODEL FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING Realizing the importance of the TQM concept in improving quality and productivity in industries, an attempt has been made in this study to discuss the key features of TQM principles in achieving the teaching and learning (T&L) goals for students. It is expected that by applying particular TQM techniques on education would result not only generate savings but also greater learning satisfaction and achievement from students. The authors have developed a simplified TQM model for improving T&L processes, based on and similar to industrial TQM application. The aim is to fulfill or exceed the expectations of all affected parties involved in the T&L transformation process. The objective is to use TQM principles to drive T&L towards excellence by working towards a continuous improvement effort or performance breakthrough of such practices. By following this model teachersrequires to be more open to change in the methods of teaching and delivering content materials to students through the use of innovative teaching strategies and technologies. TQM APPLICATION IN CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT The T&L model focuses on building quality relationships among lecturers (as managers), students 69



(as doers of work), and content (as learning materials). Knowing how this relationship work will allow one to organize and choose appropriate T&L tools and methods to make effective learning happens. Lecturers as managers must effectively manage and organize the efforts of students so that they in turn can style their learning with passion and participative mood. Therefore, we need to ensure on quality in everything, by focusing on improving the quality of every action and interaction in the T&L processes such as total quality improvement in teaching, subject design and objectives, course notes & books, resources, staff-student interactions, assessment, subject evaluation, etc. School Accountability An alternative approach to school reform centers on the notion of accountability and systems to support accountability. Elmore (2002) views school improvement as something that goes together with strong internal accountability. This implies that the individual teacher’s sense of responsibility, the organization’s expectations about what constitutes quality of teaching and learning, and good student performance must be turned into systematic means or processes by which teachers account for what they do. This brings to the fore questions such as: How do we think about teachers’ performance? How frequently do we observe teachers, how do we judge what we observe, and who observes and judges? How do we analyze performance data? The schools in which these issues are aligned have very powerful approaches to the improvement of teaching and learning. Diversity can enhance quality learning The quality of the teaching is considerably affected by services offered by many universities. With adequate support to staff and students, teachers teach better and students learn better (Chalmers, 2007). These services include (Chalmers, 2007):  Student financial support  Financial scholarships for underrepresented / disadvantaged groups of students  Student educational/academic support  Student social support, transition programs  Support specifically for minority students  Guidance/ counseling services  Staff development programs  The provision of advice and support for the interpretation of feedback/evaluation data How the institution deals with diversity has an indirect – but substantial- impact on the quality of teaching and learning (Chalmers, 2007). Diversity can encourage teachers to self-question their practices. Interaction of teachers with students from different backgrounds, and the University’s positive approach to diversity have positive effects on the quality of student learning. For example, interacting with international students provides opportunities for all students to learn and question their beliefs. Promoting student engagement and studying in groups Promoting student involvement and learning societies is also likely to enhance the quality of student learning. Universities or teachers that give the students encouragements to study in groups will improve learning outcomes (Thomas 2002). Indeed, these teaching techniques enables the students to see the topic from multiple perspectives, this results in gaining deep and better understanding of the subject. Institutions can also uplift the quality of the learning of their students by underlining the importance students should give to their education. Lastly, they should benchmark other higher education institutions to explore best learning enhancement practices.

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Conclusion Quality assurance in teacher education plays the significant role in the total quality management of the education system. Quality assurance can be ensured by its application in all parts of customers. The main focus is on primary customers i.e. learners. Similarly, equal attentions need to be paid on the total education system and slight deviation in any part of sub-system will disturb the way of quality assurance References  ADEA ( 2005). The Challenge of Learning: Improving the Quality of Basic Education in Sub-Saharan Africa. Paris: ADEA (Association for the Development of Education in Africa).  Alexander, R. (2000). Culture and Pedagogy. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.  Anderson, S. E. (2002). Improving Schools through Teacher Development: Case Studies of the Aga Khan Foundation Projects in East Africa. Lisse, The Netherlands: Swets and Zeitlinger.  Elmore, R. F.(2002). The Limits of ‘Change.” Harvard Education Letter. January/February 2002.  Harvey, L. (1995). Editorial. Quality in Higher Education. 1 (1): 5–12.  Kubow, P. K. and Paul R. F. (2003). Comparative Education: Exploring Issues in International Context. Upper Saddle River NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.  Santiago, P. and Phillip M. (2006). “OECD Teacher Policy Review: Attracting, Developing and Retaining Effective Teachers.Paper presented to the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco.  Thomas. (2006). Into the Classroom: Developing the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. San Francisco: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.  UNESCO( 2004). EFA Global Monitoring Report 2005: Education for All - The Quality Imperative. Paris: UNESCO.  UNICEF. (2000). Defining Quality in Education. Working Paper Series. New York: UNICEF.  Verspoor, Adriaan(2006). Schools at the Center of Quality. ADEA Newsletter, Special Issue – Biennale 2006: 3-6.

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ROLE OF IN-SERVICE TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAMS IN FULFILLING EMERGENT NEEDS OF ADVANCED SKILLS IN TEACHERS Vandana* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT In-service teacher training programs are deemed to be instrumental in fulfilling the need of advanced skilled teachers who can achieve the very high standards of class room practices and who can become the mentors to share his /her skills and experiences with fellow teachers. The education system needs to recognize and sustain motivation of best teachers. The advanced skilled teachers profile will offers teachers to visualize a highly creative, modern and satisfying career path. The in-service teacher education program must thrust on developing those advance skills (academic as well as motivational) in teachers who benefit the profession by helping to raise the standards more widely both within and beyond the school in community. In mentoring of these advanced skilled teachers colleagues will have an opportunity to learn from best practices, build on strengths and look at the areas for development. The in-service teacher education program must produce excellent classroom practioners to fulfill the needs of our society, school and education. So a strong effective futuristic prosperous advanced skilled teachers program are required to be visualize and offered. This paper tries to conceptualize the role of in-service teacher education program in order to fulfill the emergent need of advanced skilled teachers. Unobtrusive qualitative analysis of literature available in the related field and interviews of some of the highly motivated teachers are done and leading conclusions are presented. Key words: In-service teacher education program, advanced skilled teachers. Introduction: In-service teacher training programs are deemed to be instrumental in fulfilling the need of advanced skilled teachers who can achieve the very high standards of class room practices and who can become the mentors to share his /her skills and experiences with fellow teachers. The education system needs to recognize and sustain motivation of best teachers. The advanced skilled teachers profile will offers teachers to visualize a highly creative, modern and satisfying career path. The inservice teacher education program must thrust on developing those advance skills (academic as well as motivational) in teachers who benefit the profession by helping to raise the standards more widely both within and beyond the school in community. In mentoring of these advanced skilled teachers colleagues will have an opportunity to learn from best practices, build on strengths and look at the areas for development. The in-service teacher education program must produce excellent classroom practioners to fulfill the needs of our society, school and education. So a strong effective futuristic prosperous advanced skilled teachers program are required to be visualize and offered. Emergent needs of advance skills in teacher: Teacher teachability will remains the central force of bringing required changes in the society through educating their students. Effective teaching is always dynamic and requires incremental development through in service training in due course of their service. Teacher community requires to remain constructive and contemporary in their approaches of teaching. They have to respond to the ever changing learning requirements of their learner. In service teacher training programmes are visualized to meet the requirement of updation of teacher in respect to enhance their efficiency to influence and motivate their students to learn qualitatively. These in-service programmes needs to visualize what are the emergent and essential advance skills in which the teacher must be groomed –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Lecturer, DIET, Keshavpuram, Delhi, E-mail: [email protected] 72


so that the required goal of quality education must be achieved. These in service programme needs to sustain the motivation level of teachers in their service towards students. These programmes must inculcate and develop the following essential advanced skills in teacher: Essential advance skills in teacher: 1. Communication/connection: Teacher ability to connect and communicate with his/her students as per the requirement of pedagogy of the concept is the most important skill to be groomed in teachers and in-service programme must be designed in keeping in mind the development of this advance skill in the in-service teachers’. 2. Creations and curation: In this technological age of ICT creations and curation of teaching plans can be revolutionary in bringing the learning outcomes. The in-service programmes must create a programme which leads to form teacher communities which provide a sharing platform for creating and curation of learning content and concepts and help in replicating the innovative practices through teachers in schools. 3. Collaborations: All your plans of effective teaching must collaborate the technological and human resources so that execution and implementation of strategies could be done successfully. The ability to collaborate the available resources is a skill to be learned in the in-service programmes. The success stories of successful collaborations must be discussed and critically analyzed so that they can be successfully adapted in particular classroom situations. 4. Command: Curricular command is central and essential skill of a successful teacher. With the grooming in skills like communication, creations and collaboration the transaction of concept required command in it to achieve the stipulated results. In-service programmes must provide the expert human experiences so that this skill of curricular command must be polished. 5. Awared consciousness: Teacher must always remains in a state of awared consciousness about the need of his/her students, his/her role in the society, his/her professional commitments, nobility of teaching profession, carrier of knowledge, an inspirational force to fellows, a coordinators of learning environments, progressive and an agent of ethical change in the prospective future citizens of society. Objective: This paper tries to conceptualize the role of in-service teacher education program in order to fulfill the emergent need of advanced skilled teachers. Unobtrusive qualitative analysis of literature available in the related field and interviews of some of the highly motivated teachers are done and conclusive stories are presented. Research procedure: Unobtrusive qualitative analysis of literature available in the related field and interviews of some of the highly motivated teachers who attended at least two in-service teacher training programmes in their career were done and leading conclusions are presented.

Tool: A semi structures interview schedule which had the following leading questions: 1. How you appraise the In-service teacher training programs are deemed to be instrumental in fulfilling the need of advanced skilled teachers? 2. What are the emergent advance teaching skills in contemporary time? 3. What is your experience of today’s In-service teacher training programs?

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Findings: Unobtrusive qualitative analysis of literature available in the related field and interviews of 10 highly motivated teachers who attended at least two in-service teacher training programmes in their career were done and leading conclusions are as following: Role of in-service teacher training programmes in fulfilling these emergent needs of advance skills in teachers: 1. Programmes for Guidance and facilitations of teachers: After the interview with teachers, it was clear that the level and standard of in-service program should be considered and improved in terms of quality of lecture i.e. it should be in workshop mode only. 2. Programmes for creating teachers who act as Promoters of learning: It also came to light that the main aim of in-service programs should be to create teachers who can further act as promoters of that learning and for that proper follow ups should be taken and even there should be some award for most successful teacher after the follow ups. 3. Programmes for developing a sense of Association with professions: In these in service program there should be some provision to associate some good profile professors for their (teachers) personal and professional growth. 4. Programmes for teachers as Transformers: The in service programs should have some ingredients of fun with motivation so that they can understand their role as a transformer who can make thousands and thousands of faces smile and happy every year. 5. Programmes for teachers as Visualizers: There is a need that the vision of each and every teacher should be clear and specific and the in service programs are reminding them the same. 6. Programmes for teachers as Assessors and evaluators of teaching and learning: Such programs are still required with full force in which they can be very well familiar of their roles of being assessors and evaluators. 7. Progressive: These programmes should be progressive and dynamic i.e. according to the need of time, teachers, students and society. 8. Programmes for teachers as Technology integrator: Even now all teachers are not aware of using technology so the main aim should be to make them active technology integrator. 9. Programmes for teachers as Inheritors: The program has so many things to learn and take home and carry on with the students may be not in the same manner but some alterations and modifications depending on the situations and conditions of the class. 10. Programmes for teachers as Pedagogues: The program should be capable of giving new pedagogies of teaching to the teachers that is too according to ground realities which they can appreciate and use them in their classes happily. 11. Programmes for advanced career paths for teachers: There should be provision for teachers to arrange advance programs of learning for them for their advance career paths. Conclusion: The role of in service teacher training programmers in developing the advance teaching skill is significant and of custodian nature. These programmes provide the platform for teachers to work for their pedagogical developmental issues. The planning of these programmes remains crucial at par with the emergent need of development of advance teachings skills. References:  Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (2009). The Gazette of India, August 27,2009, New Delhi. 9.  Batra, P. (2005), Voice and Agency of Teachers: The Missing Link in the National. 74


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Curriculum Framework, 2005 National Knowledge Commission Report, 2007, Government of India, New Delhi. Position Papers of the National Focus Group, NCERT 2006 National Council for Teacher Education(2008-2009) Annual Report (2008-2009). (NCTE), New Delhi. NCTE (2006) Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education, draft 2006, National Council for Teacher, Education (NCTE), New Delhi. http://www.ncert.nic.in http://www.scertdelhi.nic.in http://www.education.nic.in http://s3.amazonaws.com/ineeassets/resources/Teacher_Professional_Development_ in_Crisis_Edited_Series_1.docx

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EFFECTIVE ASSIMILATION OF ICT FOR ACHIVING EXCELLENCE IN TEACHER EDUCATION Indu Sharma* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT Effective integration of ICT in education are very important. These integrations are electronic tools, systems, devices and resources that generate store or process data. These include: Computers/Laptops and tablets, Social media, Online games and applications, Multimedia, Cloud computing, Mobile devices,. Integration of digital technologies into education for improving students’ learning opportunities and outcomes. ICT played a key role in the transforming the educational system. Effective integration of ICT in education has transformed education by way of improved teaching learning process ,Increased Availability of study material ,Improved quality of education, Improved Distance education. Learning is no longer restricted to the school day or the school year. The Internet and Internet access devices give students the ability to learn anytime. This paper discusses how Effective integration of ICT in education at present is influencing every aspect of human life. In this era where rapid changes and uncertainty is there, One thing is certain that teachers will need to adapt to change if they are to survive and keep pace with new methods and technologies. Education is the powerful weapon to change the world. Technology plays a vital role because the revolution in information technology has opened up new horizons for education. The ‘significant role’ ICT can play in school education was also highlighted in the national curriculum framework 2005 (NCF). The essential component related to establishment of ‘smart schools ‘designed to become technology demonstrators. Till 2015, 85,127 ICT enabled schools were established in the country under RMSA. The thrust had been essentially on familiarizing the student with the use of computers, and teaching basic operations at secondary levels –the deployment of IT as an aid to education, or as a management tool had not been conceived of or focused on. This paper also discussed Ongoing programmes using effective integration of ICT for achieving excellence in education.  National Digital Library  Campus Connect  Know your college  SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active-Learning of Young Aspiring Minds)  SWAYAM PRABHA Key Words: Effective Integration, ICT, Education. INTRODUCTION Traditional methods of imparting knowledge such as lectures, books and now the era of effective integration of ICT in education. If you compared our world today with the world one hundred years ago, you would encounter amaging advances in science , commerce ,and countless other areas . But if you were to compare the classroom of a hundred years ago with an average classroom today, you would recognize it immediately : students lined up in rows, paper ,and pencil in hands: a teacher at the blackboard jotting down important facts: students furiously copying all that is written and said, expecting to memorize the facts and spilt them out of an exam. Harvard University Report, 2002 According to Daniels (2002) ICTs have become within a very short time, one of the basic building blocks of modern society. Many countries now regard understanding ICT and mastering the basic skills and concepts of ICT as part of the core of education, alongside reading, writing and numeracy. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Lecturer, Tulsi College of Education for Women, Ambala Email- id: [email protected] 76


This was followed by the introduction of the term ‘ICT’ (information and communication technology) around 1992, when e-mail started to become available to the general public (Pelgrum, W.J., Law, N., 2003). According to UNESCO (2002) information and communication technology (ICT) may be regarded as the combination of ‘Informatics technology’ with other related technology, specifically communication technology. The various kinds of ICT products available and having relevance to education, such as teleconferencing, email, audio conferencing, television lessons, radio broadcasts, interactive radio counseling, interactive voice response system, audiocassettes and CD ROMs etc have been used in education for different purposes (Sharma, 2003; Sanyal, 2001; Bhattacharya and Sharma, 2007)..The field of education has been affected by ICTs, which have undoubtedly affected teaching, learning, and research . A great deal of research has proven the benefits to the quality of education (Al-Ansari, 2006). ICTs have the potential to innovate, accelerate, enrich, and deepen skills, to motivate and engage students, to help relate school experience to work practices, create economic viability for tomorrow’s workers, as well as strengthening teaching and helping schools change (Davis and Tearle, 1999; Lemke and Coughlin, 1998; cited by Yusuf, 2005). Initially computers were used to teach computer programming but the development of the microprocessor in the early 1970s saw the introduction of affordable microcomputers into schools at a rapid rate. Computers and applications of technology became more pervasive in society which led to a concern about the need for computing skills in everyday life. Hepp, Hinostroza, Laval and Rehbein (2004) claim in their paper “Technology in Schools: Education, ICT and the Knowledge Society” that ICTs have been utilized in education ever since their inception, but they have not always been massively present. Although at that time computers have not been fully integrated in the learning of traditional subject matter, the commonly accepted rhetoric that education systems would need to prepare citizens for lifelong learning in an information society boosted interest in ICTs (Pelgrum, W.J., Law, N., 2003). ICT enhancing teaching and learning process .ICTs have the potential to accelerate, enrich, and deepen skills, to motivate and engage students, to help relate school experience to work practices, create economic viability for tomorrow’s workers, as well as strengthening teaching and helping schools change ( Lemke and Coughlin, 1998; In a rapidly changing world, basic education is essential for an individual be able to access and apply information. Such ability must find include ICTs in the global village. The demand for education in developing countries like India has skyrocketed as education is still regarded as an important bridge of social, economic and political mobility (Amutabi and Oketch, 2003). There exist infrastructure, socioeconomic, linguistic and 5physical barriers in India for people who wish to access education Bhattacharya and Sharma, 2007).This includes infrastructure, teacher and the processes quality. Innovative use of Information and Communication Technology can potentially solve this problem. Internet usage in home and work place has grown exponentially (McGorry, 2002). ICT, as a part of this, schools and other educational institutions which are prepare students live in a knowledge, need to consider ICT integration in their curriculum (Ghabifekr ,Afshari & Amla Salleh,( 2012 ) SWAYAM (The MOOCs platform for All) Indigenous MOOCS platform (High quality multimedia instruction; Access to reading materials; self testing and assignments; online discussion forum)  Covers all secondary school/degree/postgraduate/engineering subjects; Progress achieved  High quality IT platform built;  500 e-learning courses prepared;  Regulatory framework for credit transfer  Improve educational access 77



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Provide access to courses at the Convenience of the learner; Uniform delivery of content on Any Device Any place; Delivery of content in regional languages; Creating learning opportunities for the school/college drop outs. Provide quality education - Best quality teaching assured by best teachers using state-of-the art pedagogy; Make available state of the art courses to the students; Ensure deep penetration of world class education across the country; Reduce cost of education – both for the learner and for the education provider.

SWAYAM Prabha – 32 DTH channels  To take the best teachers to remote areas – virtually;  DTH combined with interactive mode;  32 channels - 10 engineering channels; - 10 non-engineering channels; 4 IIT PAL; - 8 for out-of-school/college students. Needs wide participation by teachers Integration of digital technology into education in India: Policy/programmatic thrusts Integration of digital technology into education in India: Policy/programmatic thrusts  Create an environment to develop digital technology knowledgeable community;  Generate demand for an optimum utilisation of the potential of digital technologies in education;  Promote universal, equitable, open and free access to state-of-the-art digital technology tools and resources to all students and teachers regardless of location, background, abilities or socioeconomic status.  Build digital learning capability across the education system.  Create digital technology literate community who can deploy, utilise and benefit from digital technology -enabled education;  Design vibrant, technology-rich, cyber-safe learning environments.  Make these environments flexible enough to serve multiple learning contexts, including one-toone, small groups, collaborative and community learning. Invest in high-quality digital content and systems to make content easily accessible  Design systems and policies that make it easy for students and educators to access online content, create and share knowledge, and collaborate across local and global networks of educators and learners.  Promote the development of quality content and use of shared digital resources; Build regional capability through collaboration  Create Integrate the core elements of digital learning with curriculum, teaching and leadership practices, technologies, and system infrastructure.  Promote the development of quality digital content and use of shared digital resources;  Professional network of teachers to promote digital technology-enabled education .  Implement a comprehensive plan  Work with educators and education authorities on an implementation plan for learning with digital technologies, with agreed goals and expected learning outcomes. 78


Effective Assimilation of ICT for Achiving Excellence in Teacher Education

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Use the expertise that exists locally and nationally to assist with implementation of plans and evaluation. Motivate stakeholders, students, teachers and educational administrators etc. for effective use of digital technologies for educational purposes.

Effective integration of ICT in 21st Century’s Teacher Education:  ICT helps teachers in both pre –service and in-Service teachers training.  ICT helps teachers to interact with students. It helps the mind preparation of their teaching, provide feedback.  ICT also helps teachers to access within situations and Universities, NCERT, NAAC NCTE and UGC etc. It also helps in effective use Of ICT software and hardware for teaching–learning process.  It is now replacing the ancient technology. As we know now-a day’s students are always have competitive mind. So teacher must have the knowledge of the subject Effective integration in schools through ICT. The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in schools have been subsumed in the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA). Now ICT in Schools is a component of the RMSA. The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Schools was launched in December, 2004 and revised in 2010 to provide opportunities to secondary stage students to mainly build their capacity on ICT skills and make them learn through computer aided learning process. The Scheme is a major catalyst to bridge the digital divide amongst students of various socio economic and other geographical barriers. The Scheme provides support to States/UTs to establish computer labs on sustainable basis.ICT integration in schools especially in remote areas may result in further gap between students in urban and rural areas. This will create a deep social and economic inequality for the whole nation. Components The scheme has essentially four components: The first one is the partnership with State Government and Union Territories Administrations for providing computer aided education to Secondary and Higher Secondary Government and Government aided schools.  The second is the establishment of smart schools, which shall be technology demonstrators.  The third component is teacher related interventions, such as provision for engagement of an exclusive teacher, capacity enhancement of all teachers in ICT and a scheme for national ICT award as a means of motivation.  Fourth one relates to the development of a e-content, mainly through Central Institute of Education Technologies (CIET), six State Institutes of Education Technologies (SIETs) and 5 Regional Institutes of Education (RIEs), as also through outsourcing. The highlights of the revised scheme are: The non-recurring expenditure for school has been revised from Rs. 6.7 lakh to Rs. 6.4 lakh whereas annual recurring expenditure has been revised from 1.34 lakh to Rs. 2.70 lakh. The recurring cost will be provided for a period of 5 years from the year of sanction.  The objective of the Scheme is to cover all Government and government aided secondary and higher secondary schools by giving priority for early coverage of schools in educationally backward blocks and in areas having concentration of SC/ST/minority/weaker section.  Under the revised scheme, there is a provision of a suitably qualified full time computer teacher 79



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in each secondary and higher secondary school. In case of higher secondary school having computer related subjects as elective, there would be need for a post graduate in computers teacher. There are provisions for in-service (induction and refresher) training for all teachers in secondary and higher secondary schools to enable them to impart ICT enabled teaching. 150 smart schools would be sent up by State Government and UTs at the district level using a grant of Rs. 25 lakh for a schools and a recurring grant of Rs. 2.5 lakh per year. This would enable provision of at least 40 computers in each such school. There is a provision to strengthen SIETs to contribute to e-content development. Management, monitoring and evaluation will be strengthened. Convergence with the existing programme would be essential especially in teacher training and ensuring reliable power supply and internet connectivity. The scheme includes National Award for teachers using ICT in schools in the teaching learning process. The sharing pattern will be 75.25 between the Centre and the State except for the north eastern States including Sikkim where the ration would on 90.10.

Coverage The scheme currently covers both Government and Government aided Secondary and Higher Secondary Schools. Financial assistance is provided for procurement of computers and peripherals, educational software, training of teachers, development of e-contents, Internet connectivity & set up of smart schools. So far, 87033 government and government aided secondary and higher secondary schools have been approved for coverage under ICT in Schools Scheme. Financial Assistance and Cost Norms Financial assistance is given to States, CIET and SIETs on the basis of the approvals accorded by Project Approval Board (PAB) chaired by Secretary (School Education and Literacy). The project cost is shared between Centre and States in ration of 75:25 except for the NER states including Sikkim where it is 90:10. Smart School Under the existing Information Communication Technology in School Scheme as against the target of setting up of 150 more such schools, this Ministry has approved for coverage of 63 Smart School so far. The Smart Schools are being established in the Districts by conversion of one of the existing State Government schools to serve as a role model and Technology Demonstrator among the neighborhoods schools. National Award For Teachers Using ICT For Innovation In Education Under the ICT in Schools, to promote computer enabled learning and usage of ICT in teaching in Government and Government aided Secondary and Higher Secondary Schools has provision for instituting the National Award for innovative use of ICT to motivate the Teachers and Teacher Educators for innovative use of ICT in teaching-learning. The National Award for Teachers using ICT for innovation in education for the year 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 was given away to the 9 awardees along with the National Teacher Award on Teachers Day. Integration of ICT In the classrooms  Offer the oppturnity for more student centered teaching. 80


Effective Assimilation of ICT for Achiving Excellence in Teacher Education

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Providing greater oppturnity for teacher to teacher and student communication and collaboration. Give greater exposer to vocational and workforce skills for students Provide oppturnities for multiple technologies delivered by teachers. Create great enthusiasm for learning amongst students. Provide learners for the real world

Conclusion Teaching occupies an honorable position in the society . ICT helps the teacher to update the new knowledge , skills to use the new digital tools and resources . By using and acquire the knowledge of ICT , and effective integration of ICT student Teacher will become effective teachers . ICT is one Of the major factors for producing the rapid changes in our society. It can change the nature of education And roles of students and teacher in teaching learning Process. So we should use information & communication Technology In Teacher Education in 21st Century by integration of ICT. References:  Al-Ansari, H. (2006). Internet use by the faculty members of Kuwait University. The Electronic Library Vol.24, No. (6), Pp; 791-803.  Amutabi, M. N. &Oketch, M. O. (2003), ‘Experimenting in distance education: the African Virtual University (AVU) and the paradox of the World Bank in Kenya’, International Journal of Educational Development Vol. 23No.(1),Pp; 57-73.  Bhattacharya, I. & Sharma, K. (2007), ‘India in the knowledge economy – an electronic paradigm’, International Journal of Educational Management Vol. 21 No. 6, Pp. 543-568.  Daniels J.S. (2002) “Foreword” in Information and Communication Technology in Education–A Curriculum for Schools and Programme for Teacher Development. Paris:UNESCO.  Ghavifekr, S., Afshari, M., and Amla Salleh. (2012). Management strategies for E-Learning system as he core component of systematic change: A qualitative analyst. Life science journal, 9(3), 21902196.  Hatlevik, O.E.,and Arnseth , H.C.(2012)ICT, teaching and leadership : how do experience the importance of ICT supportive school leaders point Nordic journal of digital literacy , 7(1),55-69.  Hepp, K. P., Hinostroza, S.E., Laval, M.E., Rehbein, L. F. (2004) “Technology in Schools: Education, ICT and the Knowledge Society “OECD. Available: www1.worldbank.org/education/pdf/ ICT_report_oct04a.pdf.11  McGorry, S. Y. (2002), ‘Online, but on target? Internet-based MBA courses: A case study’, The Internet and Higher Education Vol.5, No. (2), Pp; 167-175.  Pelgrum, W. J., Law, N. (2003) “ICT in Education around the World: Trends, Problems and Prospects”UNESCO-International Institute for Educational Planning  Available:www.worldcatlibraries.org/wcpa/ow/02d077080fcf3210a19afeb4da09e526.html.  Sharma, R. (2003), ‘Barriers in Using Technology for Education in Developing Countries’, IEEE07803-7724-9103.Singapore schools’, Computers& Education Vol .41, No.(1),Pp; 49—63.  UNESCO,(2002),’Open And Distance Learning Trends, Policy And Strategy Considerations’,14 UNESCO.

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QUALITY ASSURANCE AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT IN TEACHER EDUCATION THROUGH INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES Poonam* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT The progress of a nation depends upon the quality of its teachers and for this reason teaching is being considered as the noblest of all professions. The teacher, therefore, occupies a pivotal position in the educational system as well as in the society. But teaching is not a mechanical process. It is an intricate, exacting and a very challenging one.There have been a great number of changes in education systems worldwide recently. The teachers in the 21st century will have to deal with a world different from that of 20th century in respect of pedagogical and technological advancement.As a result, the imperatives of new times, new demands and new visions assign more challenging role and responsibility to the teacher. In present era, traditional method of teaching and learning are replaced by new innovative strategies such as constructivist approach, interdisciplinary approach, cooperative learning, smart classroom, flipped classroom, Think pair share and blended learning which are very helpful in enhancing the quality and skills of Teacher. In the past, teachers used to be the major source of knowledge. In today’s classroom, students play an active role in their learning and demand to introduce new ideas and practices in classroom transaction and other curricular and co-curricular activities. Hence, teachers need to respect innovations as well and promote innovative method in teaching. The main purpose of this research paper is to bring qualitative improvement and skill development in Teacher Education through innovative strategies. Keywords: Teacher Education and Innovative Strategies: Constructivism, Cooperative learning, Brainstorming. Introduction Education is a light that shows the mankind the right direction to surge. The purpose of education is not just making a student literate but adds rationale thinking,knowledgeability and selfsufficiency.The progress of a nation depends upon the quality of its teachers andfor this reason teaching is being considered as the noblest of all professions. The teacher, therefore, occupies a pivotal position in the educational system as well as in the society. But teaching is not a mechanical process. It is an intricate, exacting and a very challenging one. Though teaching is being considered as a science and skill, basically it is a sublime art. Like an artist the teacher is also responsible for shaping or reshaping the behaviour of the students in a socially desirable way. But, today’s world is passing through rapid changes and great advancements.In the 21st century the world is changing as well as education is also changing. As part of the changes the role of schools and education will also be different both in the educational system and in the society. As a result, the imperatives of new times, newdemands and new visions assign more challenging role and responsibility to the teacher (Das. 2015). Traditional method of teaching and learning are replaced by new innovative strategies such as; constructivist approach, activity based method, smart classroom, flipped classroom, foreign visits and think pair share which are very useful in addressing the rapid technological advances and developing various soft skills of teacher. This article which is important in the broader transformation debate in higher Education focuses on skills that can strengthen language acquisition and content knowledge for students. So, teachers themselves will have to make the final choices from among many alternatives. Therefore, it is imperative for teachers to constantly reevaluate their choices. This –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Research Scholar, Deptt. of Education, M.D.U. Rohtak, Haryana, India, E-mail: [email protected] 82


can be achieved through introducing or promotion of innovative ideas and practices in teacher education (Das. 2015). Teacher education Teacher Education is a discipline which educates the progres-sive generations on what has gone by, where we are, where we want to go, and what we like to create, observing healthy, mean-ingful and long life (Bhatt, 201). According to NCTE (1998), teacher is the most important elementin any educationalprograms. Thelevel of achievement of learner is determined by teacher competence. So the quality of education basically depends on the quality of teachers. Kothari commission has very rightly said, “The destiny of India is being shaped in its classrooms.” As the population in India is growing very rapidly day by day, the need of well qualified and professionally trained teachers will also increase in the coming years. So lots of efforts should be made to assurance quality of teacher education.Teacher-education programs are organized to prepare effective teachers by providing theoretical awareness of teaching and developing teaching competency and teaching ability. The aim of teacher education is to develop such competencies in the prospective teachers which will be useful for them in becoming a successful teacher.Teachers of tomorrow should be one who can design a teaching-learning situation which is conductive for pupils’ growth, mental health and develops in a commitment to a set of values that is creativity and enquiry skill. His education should be according to the necessities of the time and needs of the society. Skill Development of Teachers Skills development of teachers refer to development of various soft skills like communicative skill, critical thinking, decision – making,problem solving, negotiation skill and leadership skills which are shown in the figure:

Figure: Skills Development of Teacher Pachigalla and Dharmarajan(2013) identified that soft skills are necessary for the technology teachers. Negotiation skills are needed for managing the stress. It was stated that technology teachers has to develop and train in soft skills for effective subject delivery and better performance in the classroom.Anand (2013a) referred that effective teacher need effective and good leadership skills. In order tomake the teaching more effective and efficient a teacher has to improve the leadership skills. It was noticed that leadership training program is needed for teachers to enhance their 83



competency.Reddy and Krishnaiah(2014) conducted a research to study about the role of teacher in laboratoryof English language communication skills. It is a difficult job for the English teachers to build her or his students or learners communication skills. English teachers must have more patience and hard work with adedication and commitment for procuring the expected result from their students. It was noticed that fordeveloping the communication skills of their students, teachers have to attend lots of training programsand practice sessions. The teacher of English language has to play multi roles such as motivator, counselor, facilitator, mentor, diagnostician and friendly trainer. Concept of Innovative Practices in Teacher Education The word “Innovation”, is derived from the Latin word “Innovare” which means to change something into something new. It is a promotion of new ideas and practices in education and training. In other words, Innovativeness means the ability to think beyond the boundaries and create something which is different from that which already exists. Without innovations, no progress is possible. Teachers have to be innovative and their grooming has to start from their training. Innovations in teacher education include IT literacy, use of innovative strategies like constructivism, think pair share, flipped classroom, sense of humoretc. There has been seen a tremendous shift in the ways and means of education services over the years.For example, Today’s children have grown up with remote controls and they spend more time in computers, internet, playing video games etc. than reading books; even toys are now filled with buttons and blinking lights. They demand to introduce new ideas and practices in classroom transaction and other curricular and co-curricular activities.In such a condition, it is very important to focus on “How can we educate this New Generation?”.To answer this, to provide a supportive environment in which they can create their own ideas; both individually and collaboratively. The teacher’s effectiveness can be enhanced with good leadership and appropriate teaching methodologies. The purpose of teacher education is to prepare teachers who have professional competencies to lead the nation forward through their manifold roles. Innovative Strategies for Enhancing Teacher Education There are so many innovative strategies available in education such as Constructivism, collaborative learning, Think Pair Share, Multimedia, Sense of humor and Tpack which are very helpful in skill development of teacher. These strategies are paradigm shift from conventional teaching method to interactive teaching methods of classroom interaction. These strategies are shown in the figure:

Constructivism

Brain Storming

Cooperative Learning Mind Mapping

Think Pair Share Innovative Strategies

Flipped Classroom

Sense of Humor

TPack

Reciprocal Teaching Interdisciplinary Approach

KWL Chart

Blended Learning

Figure: Innovative Strategies of Teacher Education 84


Quality Assurance and Skill Development in Teacher Education through Innovative Strategies

Following are the most important innovative strategies: Constructivist Approach Constructivism is an innovative strategy based on scientific observation and research and explains how people learn. Key element of constructivist theory is that learners are not Tabula Rasa but they construct their new knowledge and understanding by testing ideas and approaches based on their prior knowledge and experience, applying them to new situations and integrating new knowledge gained with pre-existing intellectual constructs. It is based on student’s active participation in problem-solving and critical thinking regarding a learning activity. The concept of Constructivism has derived from cognitive psychology. Constructivist teaching is based on the contributions of Piaget, Vygotsky, Gardner, Dewey, Tolman and many others. In this strategy, the teacher is a facilitator or a coach who guides the student’s critical thinking, analysis and synthesis abilities throughout the learning process. In constructivist classroom, main activity is “Problem solving” for which learners use inquiry method to investigate on the given topic. So, in the classroom, entire time is devoted to thinking, exercise, debate and interaction under the guidance of the teacher. According to Zhan (2008), Bawa & Suleiman (2015) collaborative learning activities can engage students in interaction to each other and working together toward a common academic goal and increasing the level of satisfaction and feelings of connection and community. These activities can be seen clearly in constructivist classroom. In his study, he found that constructivist approach is an innovative strategy for enhancing classroom interaction. Cooperative learning Cooperative learning is one of the most remarkable and fertile areas of theory, research, and practice in education. Cooperative learning exists when students work together to accomplish shared learning goals. It is the instructional use of small groups so that students work together to maximize their own and each other’s learning. So cooperative learning is an innovative strategy through which teacher can make teaching-learning very effective. Cooperative learning is a successful teaching strategy in which small teams, each with students of different levels of ability, use a variety of learning activities to improve their understanding of a subject. Each member of a team is responsible not only for learning what is taught but also for helping teammates learn, thus creating an atmosphere of achievement.Slavin (1991) reviewed 67 studies and found that 61% of the cooperative learning classes achieved significantly higher test scores than the traditional classes. Slavin (1996) further found that cooperative learning has its greatest effects on classroom interaction and student learning when groups are recognised or rewarded based on the individual learning of their members. Barkley, et. al. (2005) found Cooperative settings superior to either competitive or individualistic structures on the basis of outcomes which generally showed higher achievement, higher-level thinking and reasoning and moreover greater transfer of learning.

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Sense of Humor Every student loves a teacher who has an infectious sense of humor. Using humor in teaching is an effective instructional tool for both teachers as well as students. Sense of humor can be a successful teaching tool for overcoming dullness in the classroom interaction which kill student intellectual interest in the subject and destroy all student desire to pursue educational study in the subject matter areas. In order to produce positive effect of this strategy in the classroom interaction, teacher should smile now and then; create jokes and tell students funny stories your own or others to make a point. Sometime to act something out, poops can be used. Fun demonstrations and experiments can also give better results. Quotes of famous people, yourself, students etc. often provide one of the simplest ways to introduce humor into a lecture. Putting the quote on a visual and trying to say something funny about it usually adds to its impact. Cartoon is another way of expressing the humor. (Ron Deiter; 2000) also found in his study that students agreed that they remember material if it is presented with humor. The use of humor may give students a reason to attend class (Berk, 1998). Recent research (Berk, 1996) reports that students consistently evaluated humor strategies as effective as reducing their anxiety, improving their ability to learn and helping them to do their best (Sharma, 2016). Think Pair Share The think, pair, share strategy is a cooperative learning technique in which students think through questions using three distinct steps, encouraging individual participation. In this approach, students think independently about the question, then students are grouped in pairs and then Students share their ideas with a larger group, such as the whole class. In this strategy, each student takes his chance to speak, discuss and participate which has many positive effects on the whole group where students feel more self-confident and more active in the class. . In this way, this is an excellent method for promoting classroom interaction, critical thinking and articulate communication in the classroom. Raba, 2017studies on The Influence of Think-Pair-Share (TPS) on Improving Students’ Oral Communication Skills in EFL Classrooms He concluded that think-pair-share strategy plays a positive role in improving students’ oral communicative skills, creating a cooperative learning environment, enhancing students’ motivation to learn better and promotes interaction among students. In fact, it creates an enjoyable learning environment and increases motivation among learners.

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Quality Assurance and Skill Development in Teacher Education through Innovative Strategies

Blended Learning Blended learning is also an innovative strategy which is combination of traditional face-toface and on-line method of teaching. In other words it combines online digital media with traditional classroom methods and reduced classroom hours. It requires the physical presence of both teacher and student, with some element of student control over time, place, path, or pace. While students still attend “brick-and-mortar” schools with a teacher present, face-to-face classroom practices are combined with computer-mediated activities regarding content and delivery. Conclusions Thus, it can be concluded that Innovativeness by virtue of its nature is essential feature of Teacher Education. Teacher Education prepares the teachers to help learners meet the challenges of life, fully & confidently. There should be open investment in Teacher Education for ca-pacity building and development of creative faculties. There have been a great number of changes in education systems worldwide recently. In the 21st century the world is changing as well as education is also changing.As a result, the imperatives of new times, newdemands and new visions assign more challenging role and responsibility to the teacher (Das. 2015). Traditional method of teaching and learning are replaced by new strategies such as; constructivist approach, activity based method, smart classroom, foreign visits and CCE.Hence, Teachers need to respect such innovations as well and promote innovative methods and new ideas and practices of teaching in our schools, college, universities and other institutions. References  Action Research Handbook for Primary Teacher. NCERT 2003, New, Delhi.  Anand.K(2013), Soft Skills Competency Tool for Secondary Teachers in Strengthening EffectiveCommunication and Interpersonal Competence- A Case Study, Science Technology and Management  Bhatt, J.M. (2013). Innovation in Teacher Education. International Journal of Scientific Research.Vol (2) Issue (11) ISSN No-2277-8179  Doyran, F. (2012). An Introduction: Research on Teacher Education and Training. Athens Institute for Education and research.  Das, M. (2015). Innovative Practices in Teacher Education: An overview. International Research Journal Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Studies. Vol (1) Issue (4) ISSN-2394-7969.  Joshi, D.C. (1972). A study of Innovation and change in Teachers’colleges, Ph.d Thesis, Udaipur University. Journal by AISECT University, pp:1-5.  Laboratory, International Journal of Scientific Research, pp:145-146.  Rajput, J.S. (1999). Vision 2020-Education National Council of Education Research and Training, New Delhi.  Rani, Kiran. (2014). Research and Innovation in Teacher Education: Moving Towards a Holistic Future. M. D. U Research Journal, Vol-13.  Reddy.B and Krishnaiah.S(2014), Role of Teacher in English Language Communication SkillsRetrieved from blog. Maps of india.com/education/current-trends-in-india-are-you-readyto-acclimatize-andsucceed on 16 Dec. 2010.  Sharma, H. L. (2014). Innovative Inputs in ICT. Publication: Jalandhar city.  Sharma, H. L., & Pooja (2016). Enhancing Students interest in English language via Multimedia Presentation. International Journal of Applied Research. 2(1): 275-281.  Sharma, H. L., & Rani, Kiran (2016). Tracing the Conceptual Framework of Multimedia-based Instructional Package for Enhancing English Language Skills. International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), vol 5,Issue 2. 87


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Singh, G. (2014). Emerging Trends and Innovations in Teacher Education. Indian Journal of Applied Research, Vol ( 4)Issue(5) ISSN-2249-555X. ThrouViney Kirpal & Shridhar B. Gokhale (2011). Unlock Their Future: A Skills based approach to teaching and learning English, Sterling Paperbacks, page 13. Vygotsky, L. (1978). Interaction between learning and development.Readings on the development of children, 23(3), 34-41. Vitthal, V. P, (2015). Innovative Techniques, Methods & Trends in English Language Teaching. IOSR Journal Of Humanities & Social Science (IOSR-JHSS), Volume 20, Issue 6, Ver. I, PP 40-44. Walia, J. S. (2011). Learner, Learning and Cognition. Jalandhar: Ahom paul Publishers. Zehr, M.A. (2006). Team-teaching helps close language gap. Education Week, 26-29.

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APPROACHES & CHALLENGES OF INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGICAL PEDAGOGICAL AND CONTENT KNOWLEDGE (TPACK) IN TEACHER EDUCATION Kavita* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT Today’s digital age demands for creating 21st century-ready students and instructors starts with a solid professional development program and then transfers into classroom practice.The 21st century skills training begins by amalgamate different skills in teacher preparation programs. The proposed framework that brings together content, pedagogy, and technology skills into feasible solutions for classroom instruction is called TPACK or Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge. The TPACK concept has its base in the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) presented by Shulman in 1986 and TPACK term described here has developed over time and through series of publications, with the most complete description of framework found in Mishra and Koehler (2006) and Koehler and Mishra in 2008. It is the basis for effective use of technology in teaching and a condition for efficiently inserting ICT in the learning activities. The pre-service teachers’ ICT curriculum does not lay emphasis on blending technology, pedagogy and content knowledge. Its focus is on teaching some basic computer skills using Microsoft Office applications as a standalone programme. Several researchers have warned that although basic computing skills constitute the cornerstone of ICT knowledge, skill-based courses are not enough to prepare teachers to integrate ICT in classroom instruction as they are usually taught in isolation from a pedagogical context. This chapter attempts to identify weaknesses in the teacher’s professional development on technology, the TPACK theoretical framework for teacher knowledge, to determine additional set of skills that they need to adopt for TPACK tool in their classrooms, how we can integrate the TPACK to our teacher-training program, Challenges faces in TPACK framework implementation. Key words: TPACK, Teacher Education, Challenges. Introduction Teaching is an intricate, ill-planned realm. As pre-service teachers, they are lack of the knowledge, skills, and experiences to integrate technology into classrooms to help them teach and to help their students learn, even though they fully recognize the importance of doing so. Underlying this complexity, however, are three key components of teacher knowledge: understanding of content, understanding of teaching, and understanding of technology. The complexity of technology integration comes from an appreciation of the rich connections of knowledge among these three components and the complex ways in which these are applied in multifaceted and dynamic classroom contexts. An approach is required that treats teaching as an interaction between what teachers know and how they apply what they know in the unique circumstances or contexts within their classrooms. There is no “one best way” to integrate technology into curriculum. Rather, integration efforts should be creatively designed or structured for particular subject matter or ideas in specific classroom contexts. The proposed framework that brings together content, pedagogy, and technology into feasible solutions for classroom instruction is called TPACK or Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge. Teacher educators are aware of the need to prepare new teachers to be successful in the use of technology for 21st century classrooms. Since the late 1960’s a strand of educational research has aimed at understanding and explaining “how and why the observable activities of teachers’ professional lives take on the forms and functions –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *University Research Scholar (URS), Department of Education, M.D.U. Rohtak, Haryana, India E-mail: [email protected] 89



they do” (Clark & Petersen, 1986, p. 255; Jackson, 1968). A primary goal of this theoretical research is to understand the relationships between two key domains: (a) teacher thought processes and knowledge; and (b) teachers’ actions and their observable effects. The current work on the TPACK framework seeks to extend this tradition of research by bringing technology integration into the kinds of knowledge that teachers need to consider when teaching. The TPACK framework seeks to assist the development of better techniques for discovering and describing how technology-related professional knowledge is implemented and instantiated in practice? By better describing the types of knowledge teachers need (in the form of content, pedagogy, technology, contexts and their interactions), educators are in a better position to understand the variance in levels of technology integration occurring. In addition, the TPACK framework offers several possibilities for promoting research in teacher education, teacher professional development, and teachers’ use of technology. It offers options for looking at a complex phenomenon like technology integration in ways that are now amenable to analysis and development. Moreover, it allows teachers, researchers, and teacher educators to move beyond over simplified approaches that treat technology as an “add-on” instead to focus again, and in a more ecological way, upon the connections among technology, content, and pedagogy as they play out in classroom contexts. In theoretical terms and according to Koehler and Mishra (2006, 2008), TPACK results of the intersection of three different types of knowledge: PCK, TCK, TPK as shown in fig.1

Fig1. Three different types of knowledge intersect to form TPACK The TPACK Theoretical Framework for Teacher Knowledge According to Koehler and Mishra (2008), TPACK is the basis for effective use of technology in teaching, and a condition for efficiently inserting ICT in the learning activities. Deep understanding and mastery of teaching techniques are needed so that technology is used to build knowledge by the student and not as support for the teacher to teach. This way, according to the same authors, teacher training must be steered to development of TPACK in a gradually and spiraling way, starting with 90


Approaches & Challenges of Integrating Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPAC) in Teacher Education

the simpler technologies that teachers already know (and for which they may already have skills in the TPACK level), in the way to ever more complex and sophisticated applications. The main objective is that the teacher is enabled to make informed decisions in the planning of his teaching with technologies activities, which implies: • Choosing teaching objectives; • Decision making in the pedagogical level, taking into account the learning experience; • Selecting and sequencing the teaching activities; • Selecting the formative and summative evaluation strategies adequate to the adopted pedagogical strategy; & • Selecting the best resources and tools to help students benefit from the planned learning activities. Theoretical framework of TPACK is shown in Fig 2.

Fig 2: Theoretical Framework of TPACK The teacher educators are not yet experts in pedagogy, and likely have rather limited experiences of using different ICT applications for learning purposes. In order to study and describe (pre-service) teachers’ knowledge of the skilled use of ICT in education, the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework was designed (Koehler et al., 2013). TPACK consists of three knowledge areas: Content (CK), Pedagogy (PK) and Technology (TK) and their combinations. Doering, Veletsianos, Scharber, and Miller (2009) consider that reflective thinking skills can serve as a powerful means of developing (pre-service) teachers’ TPACK. TPACK framework should take into account four important aspects: 1. 1. An overarching conception of what it means to teach a particular subject, integrating technology in the learning process; 2. 2. Knowledge of instructional strategies and representations for teaching particular topics with technology; 3. Knowledge of students’ understandings, thinking, and learning with technology; 4. Knowledge of curriculum and curriculum materials that integrate technology with learning. 91



Approaches to Developing TPACK Researchers and practitioners have also begun investigating the question of “where to start” when formulating approaches to developing TPACK in pre- and in-service teachers. Several approaches have been proposed for teachers’ development of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK). Two of these approaches (“PCK to TPACK” and “TPK to TPACK”) build on teachers’ prior knowledge and experience with one or more of the core knowledge bases. The third, “Developing PCK and TPACK simultaneously,” is a holistic approach to professional TPACK development that centres on teachers’ experiences with defining, designing, and refining educational artifacts to solve particular learning challenges. Table 1 presents descriptions of three approaches for developing TPACK, including representative articles for each approach. Table 1: Approaches for Developing TPACK Approaches for Developing TPACK From PCK to TPACK

From TPK to TPACK

Developing PCK and TPACK simultan eously

Description Teachers draw upon their existing pedagogicalcontent knowledge (PCK) to form insights into which technologies might work well for specificlearning goals (see Harris & Hofer, 2009; Doering,Scharber, Miller, &Veletsianos, 2009). Teachers build on their knowledge of technologyin general to develop expertise in using technology in learning contexts; they then use thatknowledge to identify and develop specific content that benefits from teaching with technologystrategies (see Angeli&Valanides, 2009). Teachers gain experience and knowledge thr oughprojects that require them to define, design, andrefine solutions for learning problems and scenarios. The design process serves as the locus for activities that produce insights into the ways technology, pedagogy, and content interact to createspecialized forms of knowledge ( Mishra& Koehler, 2006; Brush & Saye, 2009).

Challenges in TPACK Framework Implementation Various types of challenges was posed in the process of integrating technology in classrooms that were found in four layers of analysis. Sometimes there were problems with the technology, sometimes the curriculum did not afford much support for learning by using software, and sometimes students or teachers themselves were challenged. Still, the teachers felt that the technology offers opportunities for supporting students’ learning and technology is helpful for teaching and assessments. This evidence was demonstrated in multiple forms: teaching activities, class assignments, interactions between teachers and students, and interviews and discussions about using technology in classroom. The teachers mentioned that, despite these challenges, the role of technology was still engaging for their students and that computer technology is requested in their classrooms. Teacher Instructional Difficulties These challenges are located at the intersection between pedagogy, content, and context. Some of the teachers’ challenges were caused by the change of software and hardware. When the software or hardware used by teachers is change, then teachers need time to update their skills. Some curriculum 

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Approaches & Challenges of Integrating Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPAC) in Teacher Education

areas were not covered with current software products. These made teachers feel uneasy. This approach could not be followed by many teachers as becoming familiar with the content of this course was not covered by any workshop or seminar and was an individual effort. Social and contextual factors also complicate the relationships between teaching and technology. Social and institutional contexts are often unsupportive of teachers’ efforts to integrate technology use into their work. Teachers often have inadequate (or inappropriate) experience with using digital technologies for teaching and learning. Many teachers earned degrees at a time when educational technology was at a very different stage of development than it is today. Thus, it is not surprising that they do not consider themselves sufficiently prepared to use technology in the classroom and often do not appreciate its value or relevance to teaching and learning. Acquiring a new knowledge base and skill set can be challenging, particularly if it is a time-intensive activity that must fit into a busy schedule. Student Difficulties Students had specific challenges in the process of integrating technology. Studies from Koehler (2008) acknowledged a specific role for students. Although students were familiar, in general, with computer technology, the adaptation to specific tools should not be taken for granted. For instance, in the Data Management Grade 12 course, the use of Excel, PowerPoint, and Word presented some challenges when students started to use them for the project. Sometimes, they had difficulties inserting formulae; sometimes they had difficulty integrating data in their project with previous texts, presentations, and game scenarios. When they were brought into the computer lab, they attempted to use technology for things unrelated to learning mathematics. For instance, some of them preferred to look for games, videos, or music and the teacher had a hard time trying to convince them to keep their focus on working on the software. Some students were using the graphic calculators and computers carelessly. This triggered the teachers to ask them to be more responsible, when they use technology. These experiences are different for different courses, students and teachers, and they represent important aspects that need to be considered when teachers attempt to integrate technology in the classroom. 

Technical and Curricular Issues These challenges intersect between technology and context. Some limitations were due to challenges posed by the technology, either hardware or software problems. For instance, although the prices have dropped significantly for equipment and software, purchasing technology remains challenging for colleges. In addition, the technology becomes outdated quickly. So other financial efforts are required to purchase new equipment. Teachers commented that financial aspects were seriously considered in purchasing computer technology as the price for some products were prohibitive. In addition, there were some issues with the manipulation of the technological devices. A considerable problem was the lack of computer technology. If all of the teachers were determined to integrate technology in their classrooms, the college could not afford to have all of these technologies and use them simultaneously. The software generated an important number of challenges. The software was not always able to help students. Each course had some areas where no actual computer technology could have any impact on student learning. 

Conclusion Teacher preparation programs are relying on out-of-date technology models and are in need of redesign. Today’s teacher education programs should be providing pre-service teachers with ample preparation in shifting instructional approaches enriched with innovative educational technologies. The TPACK model as shown to be one of the most relevant theoretical frameworks for the design of effective training programs for teachers in ICT, because it faces an holistic development of teacher 93


knowledge – content, pedagogy and technology – that is crucial for the integration of the technologies into the curriculum. To ultimately help prepare new teachers for using technology in the service of developing early literacy, investment in developing the TPACK of teacher educators is urgently needed. References  Angeli, C. & Valanides, N. (2009). Epistemological and methodological issues for the conceptualization, development, and assessment of ICT-TPCK: Advances in technological pedagogical content knowledge(TPCK). Computers and Education, 52(1), 154–168.  Brush, T., & Saye, J. (2009). Strategies for preparing pre-service social studies teachers to effectively integrate technology: Models and practices. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(1), 46–59.  Clark, C. M., & Peterson, P. (1986). Teachers’ thought processes. In M.C. Wittrock (Ed.), Handbook ofresearch on teaching(3rd ed., pp.255–296). New York, NY: Macmillan.  Doering, A., Scharber, C., Miller, C. &Veletsianos, G. (2009). Geo-Thematic: Designing and assessing with technological pedagogical content knowledge. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(3),316–336.  Harris, J. & Hofer, M. (2009). Instructional planning activity types asvehicles for curriculum-based TPACK development. In I. Gibson etal. (Eds.), Proceedings of society for information technology & teacher education international conference 2009(pp. 4087–4095). Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education  Jackson, P. W. (1968). Life in the classroom. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.  Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2009). What is technological pedagogicalcontent knowledge? Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(1).  Retrieved from http://www.citejournal.org/vol9/iss1/general/article1.cfm.  Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2008). Introducing TPCK. AACTE Committee on Innovation and Technology. The handbook of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) for educators (3–29). Mahwah,NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.  Koehler, M. J., Shin, T. S., & Mishra, P. (2011). How do we measure TPACK? Let me count the ways. In R. N. Ronau, C. R. Rakes, & M.L. Niess (Eds.), Educational technology, teacher knowledge, and classroomimpact: A research handbook on frameworks and approaches (pp.16–31).  Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for integrating technology in teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017–1054.  https://www.researchgate.net/publication 260281100_What_is_technological_pedagogical _content_ TPACK [accessed Jun 5, 2017].

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHERS IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS – A STEP TOWARDS IMPROVING EMPLOYABILITY OF THE STUDENTS Meenakshi Dhingra* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT The success and prosperity of any country and its economic development is inherently linked to the quality of its human resource and their intellectual capabilities. The need of employability skills among the recent graduates passing out from the various colleges and institutions offering professional courses, has dominated the educational research in the recent years. In India it has exerted pressure on the higher education institutions especially on teachers/lecturers to improve students’ employability. The employability of students can only be improved if the teachers are skilled enough to inculcate such knowledge and skills in them. For this very reason it is extremely important to train the educators of teachers. The present study is an attempt to explore various issues related to teacher education and their professional development. It also tried to incorporate the challenges, emerging technologies and government initiative in this regard. Keywords: Teacher education, educators, employability, professional development, higher education institutions (HEIs). Introduction India is in the phase of demographic dividend where the maximum proportion of population is in the working age and having a very low dependency ratio. In order to reap the benefit of this demographic dividend, the quality of human capital has to be improved so thatthe human resource of India can effectively respond towards the globalisation as well as towards growth in employment opportunities.In a competitive world education plays a significant role in developing and shaping the economic and social development of nation (Ramsden, 2003).The government of knowledgebased economies consider universities as a platform for change in the society and expanding prosperity. Thus, there is always a need for highly skilled and trained graduates in the developing countries to plan and execute thoughtful policies for improving the teaching quality in the education system(Little et. al, 2007). The foundation of the human capital is laid down during the period of their education and the teachers play a very pivotal role in shaping the careers of the youth by making them ready for employment. Now days for grabbing the employment opportunity in the professional world, one needs to be employable or needs to possess necessary employability skills. It means that the youth should not only focus on getting the job but should be able to sustain the job effectively and be able to make transitions to better work opportunities. The employability of the students can only be improved if the skill development of their mentors developed professionally because if the foundation is weak the building will not stand for long. According to Romain Rolland,a noble prize winner in literature, “If a man is to shed the light of the sun upon other men, he must first of all have it within himself.” Similarly, a teacher needs to be skilled and equipped enough in itself in order to prepare the quality and skilled youth for the country. The quality of education is directly proportionalto the quality of teachers and teacher education system, which subsequently depends upon the professional development opportunities available to the teachers. However, the professional development that is generally offered in educational setup does not have a well-defined module dedicated to the learners (Szpara& Ahmad, 2007). Eun (2006) stated that educators and researchers generally believe and uphold the concept of improving the teaching and learning process by providing –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Research Scholar, Haryana School of Business, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology, Hisar. email: [email protected] 95



quality professional development to teachers. The knowledge base of language teaching is constantly changing and it does not mean that the workshops provided at pre-service or in-service level to the language teachers was inadequate, however continuous improvement of professional skills and knowledge is required due to the continuously changing environment all around (Guerra, 2008; Richards & Farrell, 2005).The changes and developments in the recent past inspire the policy makers and authorities to rethink and reconsider the professional development of teachers.Bringing qualitative change in institutional efficacy of the teacher education system however, is in itself a huge and challenging task. Objectives To review the available literature on various issues and dimensions regarding the professional skill development of the teachers of higher education in India. Methodology This study is analytical and comprises secondary data which is collected from books and periodicals, journals, literature review and content analysis, websites of Central and State Government and newspapers. Review of available literature was done in order to understand the concept of employability and need for integrating skill development in teacher education. Literature Review To explore the various dimensions of teacher education and development, the study scanned the following literature. Teacher education Teacher education refers to the policies, provision, procedures and programmes designed to equip (prospective) teachers with the knowledge, skills, behaviours and attitudes which would enable them to perform their tasks effectively in the classroom, school and wider community. The professionals engaged in suchtype of activities are known as Teacher educators (or, in some contexts, teacher trainers). As defined by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) - “Teacher education is a programme of education, research and training of persons to teach from pre-primary to higher education level.” According to Goods Dictionary of Education, Teacher education means “all the formal and non-formal activities and experiences that help to qualify a person to assume responsibilities of a member of the educational profession or to discharge his responsibilities more effectively.” Teacher’s education includes teaching skills,pedagogical theory, and professional skills. Teaching skills encompasses effective skills for managing the class, use and preparation of instruction materials. Pedagogical theory explains that the teachers require a strong basis for practising the skills needed to teach in the classroom including psychological, sociological, and philosophical aspect. Professional skills includesoft skills,computer skills, counselling skills, information retrieving & management skills, interpersonal skills and life-long learning skills(Krnetaet. al, 2007). The combination of these three skills would help to develop the correct attitude, skills and knowledge in teachers to promote overall development as stated by Gibbs and Coffey, 2004.The foremostobjective of teacher’s education or any training programme is to develop teachers who could initiate desired results in learning among students to optimize the material and human (Ameetaet. al, 2005). Need for professional development In the present era of dynamism and knowledge explosion at an exceptional speed, even those who had acquired the most sophisticated education and training will become out-dated in a very short period of time. Thus, in order to keep the educators remain efficient and relevant within the 96


Professional Development of Teachers in Higher Education Institutions A Step Towards Improving Employability of the Students

education system it is very essential to focus on their professional development and training apart from pedagogical teacher education. The major challenge of contemporary education is the professional development of teachers because they play a very important role in moulding and shaping the personalities of younger generation. In the modern Indian education, teachers are not sufficiently equipped and sincerely prepared with required knowledge, skills and behaviour profiles to bring out desirable changes in the learner’s behaviour.The desire to improve world rankings in educational league tables, it is compelled to add teacher training and education to a list of reforms that attempt to secure greater value for money, to make education systems more responsive to the needs of industry and commerce and to raise pupil achievement (Czerniawski,2011; Livingston &Robertson, 2001). Higher education in India The higher education sector has witnessed a remarkable increase in the number of Universities/ University level Institutions & colleges since independence (MHRD, 2015). The number of Universities has increased 40 times from 20 in 1950-51 to 799 in 2015-16. The number of colleges has also registered manifold increase of 78 times with just 500 in 1950 growing to 39071, as on 31st March, 2015 (AISHE report, 2015-16). Moreover, the total enrolment in higher education has increased from 0.21 million in 1950-51 to about 34.6 million in 2015-16, while the higher education gross enrolment ratio (GER) has increased from 0.40 per cent in 1950-51 to 24.5 per cent in 2015-16 (AISHE 2015-16) and government of India has planned to increase GER in higher education to 30 per cent by 2020 (FYP, GOI, PC, 2012) as the current GER is below the global average of 27 per cent. Thus, with rising numbers of higher education institutions and students enrolment it is very essential to prepare and improve the quality of teachers of HEIs accordingly so that they can efficiently handle diverse groups of students possessing different traits and physic levels. Types of skills needed The skill setneeded inmodern teachers have been defined in various educational initiatives taken in the US, Australia, Japan, England, and Northern Ireland, as well as by the European Union and the OECD (Binkley et al., 2012). Theskills essential for professional developmental of higher education-based teacher educators include time and workload management skills, research skills, use of ICT/online learning/social media, publish research/academic writing skills, learning how to improve teaching and learning without compromising with their responsibility for delivering all areas of the curriculum (Czerniawskiaet. al, 2017). The four important strategies followed by most effective and award-winning teachersare - strategy to implementRACCE (i.e., they respect, act immediately, communicate, celebrate, and encourage students); co-create a familial-style classroom culture of success; establish student-first learning; and utilize critical multicultural content delivery(Farinde-Wu et. al, 2017).Technology-based teaching strategies are required to be popularized and to be taught to the teachers at higher education level(Jesa, 2017).Eight areas of key competences for lifelong learning has been identified by European Union and the scopeof each is specifically defined under the broad themes such as: mathematica, communication,learning to learn, digital competence, scientific and technological competence, cultural, social, and civic competences, and initiativityand entrepreneurship (Gordon et al., 2009). As per the website of, ‘Partnership for 21st Century Skills’, a joint government–corporate organization in the US, the essential skills required in today’s dynamic era include critical thinking, life and career, collaboration, communication, creativity, media,information, and technology skills (P21Skills, 2013). However, creativity,critical thinking, and even information literacy are not specific to this century; they have been important human skills for many years (Rotherham& Willingham, 2009). Only the extent of changes in the global and national economies has increased and in order to succeed one needs to possess skills of modern era. (Rotherham & Willingham, 2009). Moreover, it is well known that these skills are not separate from content but 97



are always connected with subject matter (Silva, 2009). The processes and strategies for collaborative problem-solving skills and strategic learning skills have been elaborated and it was found that thecurrent approach towards teacher education does not match sufficiently with the needs of 21stcentury learning environments, such as inquiry-based learning approaches that focus upon collaboration and social forms of learning, as well as on the use of ICT (wikis, blogs, social media, mobile technology, and/orcomputer supported collaborative learning-CSCL) in teaching and learning (Hakkinenet. al, 2017). Various other factors are cited as essential for effective professional learning such as risk-taking, a determination to improve, mutual respect, and professional, progressive discourse (schuck, Aubusson, and Buchanan 2008). Thus, as per the available literature and various studies reviewed the skills which needs to be developed among the teachers of higher education include public speaking,time management, self-motivation, managing and organising skills,adaptability towards change, creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem solving skills and most importantlyeffective use of ICT in teaching and learning practice. Challenges Sinko, 2002, highlighted certain barriers to effective integration of ICT into the teaching/learning process, such as lack of support for the educational personnel and learners, lack of teacher competencies to use certain software, Insufficient financing, lack of cooperation among academic personnel. In addition, lack of competencies, limited accessibility, lack of support, shortage of time and change process obstructs the integration of ICT in teacher education (Lai, 2001). Murray and Campbell (2000) conducted a study and identified that lack of qualification development, insufficient financing and excessive work load are the main obstructers. There are certain other factors which include access time, leadership, attitude, professional development, and probably evaluation, that have a great impact on the effectiveness of ICT integration (Wang & Woo, 2007). Nagel, 2013, stated that lack of adequate and on-going professional development, resistance to change, MOOCs and other new models for schooling. delivering informal learning, failures of personalized learning, failure to use technology to deliver effective formative assessments are the six main technological challenges facing teacher education. Emerging Trends and Opportunities Various emerging trends and technologies having a significant impact on education sector in the near future as well as in long term have been discussed. Recent trends impacting education include:increasing shift towards online-learning, blended learning, and technology-driven collaborative learning; growth in the potential of social networks to allow teachers to engage students online; openness of technology and educational resources is “becoming a value”; Bring your own device (BYOD) is becoming more popular as the cost of technology drops for students; and role of the educator is being challenged as resources are easily accessible on the Internet (NMC, 2013).The emerging technologies having palpable effect on education includes cloud computing, mobile learning, learning analytics (using data and analytics to provide customized education to individual student), open content (or open educational resources), 3D printing and virtual and remote laboratories. Government initiatives for skill development of teachers The Teacher Education Bureau is concentrating on the improvement of the quality of teacher education and for this certain schemes and programmes have been developed. The National Curriculum Framework of Teacher Education (NCFTE 2009) has been prepared by National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE). This framework has been prepared on the basis of the principles laid down in the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 and the NCF, 2005.Another

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capacity building programme, namely In-STEP (India Support to Teacher Education Program) has been formulated by MHRD and USAID under which 110 teacher educators from the Eastern and North Eastern part of the country have undergone three months fellowship training at Arizona State University for the purpose of understanding issues related to teacher education. In addition, the TESS-India is another programme for Teacher Educators with collaboration between MHRD and Department for International Development (DFID) with UK’s Open University as the implementing agency. A comprehensive monitoring mechanism namely,Centrally Sponsored Scheme on Teacher Education (CSSTE) has been developed for keeping a check on the process and outcome parameters in respect of each level of institution. The Joint Review Mission is a part of this mechanism consisting of experts in Teacher Education who ensure effective implementation of CSSTE. Under CSSTE Scheme, for better regulation of the teacher education enhanced use of E-Governance, accreditation for Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs), Mapping of TEIs to identify the gap areas for effective future planning in teacher education has been initiated by NCTE. Conclusion It can be concluded from the available literature and other secondary data on teacher education that professional development of teachers is very much essential for improving the employability of the students they deliver to the industry which can ultimately result in effective contribution in the development and growth of the nation. Theintegration of ICT in teacher education is indispensable in today’s knowledge driven globalised economy. In order to develop professionally, teachers of higher education need to possess certain skills such as risk-taking, a determination to improve, mutual respect, professional and progressive discourse, critical thinking and problem solving, worklife balancing, collaboration, communication,etc. However, there are certain barriers which make it difficult such as Insufficient financing, lack of cooperation, lack of competencies, limited accessibility, lack of support, shortage of time, etc. Various trends and techniques are evolving in teacher education including cloud computing, mobile learning, learning analytics, etc. which are contributing towards improvement in teacher education. Government is also taking thoughtful initiatives to improve the quality of teachers and their professional development in India, such as NCFTE 2009, In-STEP, TESSIndia and CSSTE. We can conclude that there is a strong need to focus not only on the curriculum change and skill development of the students, but also on the education of teachers preparing the students for the professional work place. Reference  AISHE report 2015-16. (http://aishe.gov.in)  Ameeta, P., Purohit, Deepti (2005).Soft skills Training:Requirement for a New age teacher, pp:56.  Binkley, M., Erstad, O., Herman, J., Raizen, S., Ripley, M., Miller-Ricci, M., & Rumble, M. (2012). Defining twenty-first century skills. Assessment and teaching of 21st century skills,(pp.17–66). Springer Netherlands.  Czerniawski, G. (2011). Emerging teachers and globalisation. Routledge.  Czerniawskia, G., Gubermanb, A., &MacPhailc, A. (2017). The professional developmental needs of higher education-based teacher educators: an international comparative needs analysis.European Journal of Teacher Education, 40(1), 127–140.  Eun, B. (2006). The impact of an English as a second language professional development program: A social cognitive approach.  Farinde-Wu, A., Glover, C.P., & Williams, N.N. (2017). It’s Not Hard Work; It’s Heart Work: Strategies of Effective, Award-Winning Culturally Responsive Teachers. The Urban Review, 49(2), 279 – 299.  Gibbs, G., & Coffey, M. (2004).The impact of training of university teachers on their teaching 99



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skills, their approach to teaching and learning of their students. Active Learning in Higher Education, 5(1), 87-100. Gordon, J., Halasz, G., Krawczyk, M., Leney, T., Michel, A., Pepper, D., & Wisniewski, J. (2009). Key competences in Europe: Opening doors for lifelong learners across the school curriculum and teacher education.CASE Network Reports No. 87). Warsaw: CASE – Center for Social and Economic Research. Guerra, A. P. (2008). The impact of professional staff development on instruction for English language learners. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Aurora University, Illinois. Government of India (2013). The 12th Five Year Plan document, New Delhi: Ministry of Human Resource Development Hakkinen, P., Jarvela, S., Makitalo-Siegl, K., Ahonen, A., Naykki, P., &Valtonen, T. (2017). Preparing teacher-students for twenty-first-century learning practices (PREP 21): a framework for enhancing collaborative problem-solving and strategic learning skills. Teachers and Teaching, 23(1), 25-41. Krneta, R., Bjekic, D., & Milosevic, D. (2007). Competencies of e-Teaching in the System of Teachers’ Competence, ETAI 2007, September, Ohrid-Macedonia, Book of Abstract, 29. http://archive.mu.ac.in – Accessed on 05/06/2017 http://mhrd.gov.in https://thejournal.com/articles/2013/06/04/6-technology-challenges-facing-education.aspx – Accessed on 06/06/2017 https://www.oecd.org – Accessed on 04/06/2017 Lai, K. W. (2001). Professional development: Too little, too generic? e-Learning: Teaching and professional development with the Internet, 7-19. Little, B., Locke, W., Parker J., & Richardson, J. (2007). Excellence in teaching and learning: a review of the literature for Higher Education Academy. Livingston, K., &Robertson, J. (2001). The Coherent and the Empowered Individual: Continuing Professional Development for Teachers in Scotland.European Journal of Teacher Education. 24(2), 183–194. Jesa, M. (2017). Teaching Strategies Adopted by Teachers at Higher Education Level in Kerala: A Research Report. Higher Education for the Future, 4(1), 4-11. Murray, D.,& Campbell, N. (2000). Barriers to implement it in some New Zealand schools. Computers in New Zealand Schools. 12(1), 3-6. National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) (1998) NCTE Document New Delhi, Published by Member Secretary, NCTE. Nagel, D. 2013. Ed Tech Trends News, article published on 06/04/2013. NMC Horizon Report: 2013 K-12 Edition, nmc.org/publications/2013-horizon-report-k12. P21Skills (2013). Framework for 21st century learning. Partnership for 21st century skills. Retrieved June 05, 2017, from http://www.p21.org/about-us/p21-framework Ramsden, P. (2003). Learning to Teach in Higher Education, 2nd Edition London and New York: Taylor & Francis Group, pp:89. Richards, J. C., & Farrell, T. S. C. (2005). Professional development for language teachers. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Rotherham, A. J., & Willingham, D. (2009). 21st century skills: The challenges ahead. Educational Leadership, 67, 16–21. Schuck, S., Aubusson, P., & Buchanan, J. (2008). Enhancing teacher education practice through professional learning conversations. European journal of teacher education, 31(2), 215-227. Silva, E. (2009). Measuring skills for 21st-century learning. Phi Delta Kappan, 90(9), 630-634. Sinko, M. (2002). Factors Influencing Implementation of ICT in Higher Education. Networking the Learner (pp. 887-894). Springer US. 100



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Szpara, M. Y., & Ahmad, I. (2007). Supporting English-language learners in social studies class: Results from a study of high school teachers. The Social Studies, 98(5), 189-196. Wang, Q., & Woo, H. L. (2007). Systematic planning for ICT integration in topic learning. Educational technology & society, 10(1), 148-156.

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DEVELOPING SOFT SKILLS AMONG TEACHER EDUCATORS FOR HOLISITIC DEVELOPMENT Sheetal* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT For most of this century, and increasingly in modern times, teacher education have been obliged to consider ways in which a greater level of reflectively, especially through upgrading research skills, might be integrated in to the teacher education program. Soft Skills are increasingly becoming the hard skills for today’s youth. Along this your technical skills may get your foot in the door of opportunities, your people skills are what open most of the doors to come .Your work ethic, your view, your communication skills, your emotional intelligence and a whole host of other personal attributes are the soft skills that ensure you holistic development. The paper reviews the recent history of such attempts pointing to the relative paucity of experimentation designed to implement such components in teacher education. Keywords: Research Skills, Teacher Education. Introduction Research Skills Research skills can be anything from looking at participant and seeing what they do well to producing a written report on how your department could work better. Doing research in the world of work is all about stepping back from your daily work and looking at ways you can improve. Research skills means that you are gaining in an environment where you develop and use research skills as you progress. The most successful students are proved to develop research skills early and use them in their work.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Research Scholar, Department of Education, M.D.U. Rohtak E-mail: [email protected] 102


Research Skills This step –by –step guide shows how to break down research tasks in to manageable parts and find reliable information. Define the task Understand exactly what the question is asking, so you know how to answer it really well. Locate information Find great recourses quickly and easily with some simple search techniques. Select recourses Learn how to choose the best, most reliable information to use in your assignment. Organize notes Turn your information in to a good set of notes that will make the writing process quicker and easier. Present the ideas Plan the points you want to make, and decide how you want to make, and decide how you want to make them. Evaluate your work Check over everything before you hand in, to make sure your work is the best it can be. Why is research skill important? Research skills are important because they entitled us to get information than can help us with better decision making in a career and day –today life .Research skills also help us to examine the difficulties involved in making decisions and also help us to find the way to reduce those risks. Important Research Skills are: 1. Problem solving skills 2. Engineering skills 3. Self –directed and motivated 4. Innovation skills 5. Communication skills 6. Learning skills Teacher Education Teacher education is an integral and dynamic part of the educational system. Meaning of teacher education is broad and comprehensive .It is a process of development of teaching skills and understanding pedagogical concepts in prospective teachers and in –service teachers. It involves use of science and technological tools, teaching methods, teaching strategies and approaches, teaching techniques and tactics, teaching skills, managerial and administrative knowledge, philosophical, psychological and social understanding for transmission of knowledge effectively to prospective teachers/in-service teachers. Teacher education is combinations of two words-teachers and education .Teacher is the one who teaches or instructs and education means the all –round development of learner. This means that teacher education is a process of all-round development of prospective or in –service teacher’s .In 103



broad sense teacher education is a programmer for preparation of prospective teachers and in-service teachers in such a way that can their students intellectual, personal and social recourses that will enable them to participate as active citizens and workers, and to flourish as individuals in a diverse and changing society. Some definitions are given below for understanding comprehensive meaning of teacher education. Good’s Dictionary of Education: Teacher education means “…..all the formal and non-formal activities and experiences that help to qualify a person to assume responsibilities of a member of the educational profession or to discharge his responsibilities more effectively.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia: “Teacher education refers to the policies and procedures designed to equip prospective teachers with knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and skills they require to perform their tasks effectively in the classroom, school and wider community.” On the basis of above definition one can draw conclusion that teacher education is a formal and non-formal process of preparation of potential teachers with necessary skills and pedagogical knowledge in such a way that they teach effectively in a classroom environment ,meet the requirement of the teaching profession and face the challenges of teaching in changing society. Teacher education is not only a process of preparation of quality teachers to teach from pre-primary to secondary education level but it is also a process of preparation of quality teachers educators ,research and training for development of both-prospective/in –service teachers and teacher educators. In short teacher education is a formal and in-formal process of professional development of prospective /inservice teachers and teacher educators.

Nature of Teacher Education 1) Teacher education is a continuous process and its pre-service and in-service components are complimentary to each other. According to the International Encyclopedia of Teaching and Teacher education (1987), ¯Teacher education can be considered in three phases. Pre-service, 104


Developing Soft Skills Among Teacher Educators for Holistic Development

Induction and In-service. The three Phases are considered as parts of a continuous process. 2) Teacher education is based on the theorythat ¯Teachers are made, not born in contrary to the assumption, ¯Teachers are born, not made. Since teaching is considered an art and a science, the teacher has to acquire not only knowledge, but also skills that are called ¯tricks of the trade . 3) Teacher education is broad and comprehensive. Besides pre-service and in-service programmes for teachers, it is meant to be involved in various community programmers and extension activities, viz adult education and non-formal education programmes, literacy and development activities of the society. 4) It is ever-evolving and dynamic. In order to prepare teachers who are competent to face the challenges of the dynamic society, Teacher education has to keep abreast of recent developments and trends. Teacher Education: Need and Importance Teacher Education is a continuous process. Its preservice and inservice components are complementary to each other. Itsprogramme has to be overhauled and geared to the emerging needs of the society .The NPE,1986 has said, “The New programmes of teacher education and the need for teachers to meet the thrusts are envisaged in this policy” (p.26).District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) would be established with the capability to organize preservice and inservice training for elementary school teachers and for the personnel working in non-formal and adult education .Some selected secondary Teacher Training Colleges would be upgraded to the status of Institutes of Advanced Study in Education (IASE) and Colleges of Teacher Education (CTE) complement to the work of SCERT .Besides ,the National Council of Teacher Education would be entrusted with according accreditation to teacher education institutions and providing guidance on methods and curricula. Teacher Education is based on the thesis, “Teachers are made not born” in contraryto “Teachers are born, not made.” Teaching is considered an art as well as a science and the teacher has to acquire some skills which are “tricks of the trade.” All this calls for mastery of the craft and education of the teacher who is to make himself familiar with the technicalities of the teaching –learning processes. The teacher is required to acquire adequate knowledge ,skills ,interests and attitudes towards the teaching profession .The teacher’s work has become more complicated and technical in view of the new theories of psychology ,philosophy ,sociology, modern media and materials .The teacher can be made proficient with well-planned ,and imaginative preservice and inservice training programmes Research Enhanced Learning and Teaching There are two major aspects to RELT that we can look to for understanding .First is the way that you as a teacher use research to inform your own teaching practice; that is ,in the content of your Lectures and other materials ,how you regularly use ideas and examples from your own research or that of the department or faculty. In this view of RELT the research is not made explicit, but rather it is embedded within the recourses that are presented to the students. However, this concept and practice of RELT does not go far enough. What is required is a student-focused perspective where links between what is being taught and research are made explicit. The task of bringing research and teaching together potentially affects all the ways in which we think about the university as a site of scholarly practice. This expanded and children –cent red concept can foster student engagement and learning by making the research base explicit; and lead to collaborative projects involving academics, colleagues from other disciplines and students. The second important factor is the way in which you enhance their learning experiences through research and inquiry –based practice, that is, the goal is to directly involve the students in the practice. Of course, sometimes there is no distinction as the two aspects can complement one another; that is, 105



you can use your own research to inform and embed research and inquiry –based principles and practices in your unit of study. They can also be used in tandem, by sharing your research with your students while at the same time developing research activities for them on topics and methodologies related to your own research. The following principles can be thought of as underlying both your own practice as a researcher and a teacher. 1. As pedagogy: combines teaching and research in to one integrated practice, a shared process of teaching and scholarship which is collaborative. 2. Collaborative: not just collaborative between students, as opposed to competitive, but also fostering collaboration on between staff and students, and including creating networks to support undergraduate research efforts. 3. Knowledge –Producing: not necessarily original to disciple, but it can be original to the student as they engage in the process as participants in research and inquiry. 4. Children –centered: engagement and inclusiveness are central concepts; students as participants in the process of research, inquiry and scholarship. 5. Learning outcomes :although RELT practices vary in the types of tasks and assessment that students complete across various unit of study, the learning outcomes share commonality in regards to enhancing students ‘graduate attributes-research ,analytical ,critical thinking and communication skills. 6. Discipline –based and/or interdisciplinary: the processes and content of your approach to RELT will be largely defined by the standards of practice of your discipline .At the same time; taking on interdisciplinary approach can extend the boundaries of your own and your student’s research. Defining Research Goals for Teacher Education Rudduck (1985) asserted that the main aim of promoting research in teaching was to sharpen the professional interest and insight of teacher’s .With the help of research skill the student and teacher would go on to become skillful in ongoing evaluation of their work, and would be benefited on analyzing the situation otherwise forgotten. Brent and Hodges (1988) advocated the adoption of the scientist –practitioner model used in the training of clinical psychologists. This model aims to develop research skills with the application of these skills to practice. Tom (1985) saw the processes of producing models of inquiry in the student teacher as ranging from low guidance, common sense approaches, to high guidance, discipline based models on research .Most common among the former was the “action research “model, where each teacher is observed as needing to study his or her own condition in order to understand better the teaching process. A study by wedman ,Mahlos and Whitfield (1989) ,in which 375 students were involved in final year at university ,incorporated hands on research in an action research framework ,and provided an example of Tom’s low guidance approach. In spite of this which offer instances of more high guidance approaches include those of Black bourn (1988) and peseau(1988) .A study where two approaches is seen in the work Tamir (1992) who suggests introducing ‘minisearch’ projects but with the ultimate goal of producing reputable research papers for publication with collaboration between student teachers and their educators. Integrating Research in the Teacher Education Program Although research is recognized as necessary educational component, there remain problems in its application .For Desforges and McNamara (1977) ,the skill of library research alone are in adequate in the quest to establish reflective thinking skills for making ‘student as researcher’ paradigm a reality ,research methodology must be integrated into student program. Only in this way is the ‘teacher –as researcher’ paradigm likely to ensure .Fortifying the notion of an integrated component, 106


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a study cited by O’Hanlon (1988) indicated that discrete curricula employed to teach research skills to students proved to be dry and boring ,leading to low and unenthusiastic student participation. A possible counter measure to this may be to incorporate research components within coursework, thereby creating an environment wherein research skills are needed for task completion. In the answer to the needs of schools and the teaching profession, combination of critical thinking, the ability to reflect and research skills need more attention in the study process of the prospective foreign language teacher? The student should development these skills during the learning process. Students are the main actor who continuously works on developing his/her knowledge, skills, abilities and values. The integration of research skills needs to have a step by step approach. The basic principle of beginning from the simpler aspects and gradually adding the more complicated aspects. These research skills demonstrate their interdisciplinary character in the teaching practice when students need to see their pupil’s needs, understand their own teaching and pupil’s learning. Conclusion: As a result we can say that research skills must be integrated in teacher education for making the teaching –learning process effective .In summary, it would seem that these students have entered teacher education lacking basic skills deemed necessary for eventual research competence. More significantly, at least according to student self-perception, these skills have been developed to a reasonable extent by the time they are required to engage in their Independent study. References  Rudduck, J. (1985).Teacher research and research –based teacher education .Journal of education for teaching 11,281-289.  Tom, A.R. (1985) Inquiring into inquiry –oriented teacher education, Journal of teacher education 36, 35-44.  Brent, L.B.and Hodges, R.M. (1988).The scientist –practitioner model: framework for the future. Action in teacher education .10, 55-60.  Peseau, B.A. (1988) .NCATE influence on modeling preparation programs. Paper presented to the Annual conference of the Mid –South Educational Research Association, Louisville, November 8-11, 1988.  Tamir, P. (1992) Incorporating research in to preservice teacher education .South Pacific journal of teacher education, 20, 105-112.  Desforger C.W. and McNamara,D.R.(1977) One man’s heuristic is another man’s blindfold .British journal of education .3,179-183.  O, Hanlon,N.(1988).The role of research instruction in developing teachers problems solving skills. Journal of teacher education. 39, 44-49.  Mohanty J. (2003) Teacher Education, New Delhi Deep & Deep Publication Pvt.Ltd  Kumar R. & Kumar N. (2014) Teacher Education in India, NewDelhi, Sarup Book Publishers Pvt.Ltd.  Trigwell, K. (2010) Research enhanced learning and teaching Website.Avalableat:http:/ www:itl.usyd.edu.au/projects/RLT/issues/starting.htm  Ergo.slv.vic.gov.au/learn –skills /research -skills.

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EXPLORING WAYS FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHERS: TEACHING THROUGH ICT Sonia* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT The purpose of teacher education is to produce teachers who have competencies in various fields. The role of teachers is no longer confined in teaching by imparting knowledge only; they need to be thorough professionals, fully equipped with high academic standard, pedagogical skills, ethical and Technology.Now a day’s teaching is becoming one of the most challenging professions in our society where knowledge is expanding rapidly and modern technologies are demanding teachers to learn how to use these technologies in their teaching. In fact, they have to playa multi-tasking role in the context of various challenges emerging in the field of contemporary society.While information and communication technology (ICT) is not a panacea for all educational problems, today’stechnologies are essential tools for teaching and learning. To use these tools effectively and efficiently, teachersneed visions of the technologies’ potential, opportunities to apply them, training and just-in-time support, andtime to experiment. Only then can teachers be informed and confident in their use of new technologies (Bowes,2003). Information and communication technology (ICT) can provide more flexible and effective waysfor professional development for teachers, improve pre- and in-service teacher training, and connectteachers to the global teacher community. Keywords: Teacher Education, ICT, Technology Introduction Technology is the nonlinear tool for accelerated economic growth, and the foundation for the sustained development of the nation. - APJ Abdul Kalam The term ICT (Information & Communication Technology) refers to forms of technology that are used to transmit, store, create, display, share or exchange information by electronic means. Information and Communication Technology has become one of the basic building blocks of modern society. Many countries now regard understanding ICT and mastering the basic skills and concepts of ICT as part of the core of education, alongside reading, writing and numeracy. There is a widespread belief that ICT have an important role to play in changing and modernizing educational systems and ways of learning. Inventive use of ICT is defined as the use of ICT applications that hold up the learning objectives based on the requirement of the modern information society. Hence, there is a need to bring out the facts on the impact of ICT on educational trainers. Here, in order to introduce and understand the need of ICT in educational institutions, teachers or students undergoing teacher education must first comprehend and be at case with ICT. They must be given opportunities for requisition of new knowledge. This can be made possible by promoting ICT based training programmes introduced in the curriculum. Teaching is becoming one of the most challenging professions in our society where knowledge is expandingrapidly and much of it is available to students as well as teachers at the same time. As new concepts of learning have evolved, teachers are expected to facilitate learning and make itmeaningful to individual learners rather than just to provide knowledge and skills. Modern developments ofinnovative technologies have provided new possibilities to teaching professions, but at the same time have placed more demands on teachers to learn how to use these new technologies in their –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Research Scholar, Department of Education, M.D. University, Rohtak E-mail: [email protected] 108


teaching. These challenges ask teachers to continuously retrain themselves and acquire new knowledge and skills while maintaining their jobs. Then what can be done to help teachers meet these challenges? Today, a variety of ICT can facilitate not only delivery of instruction, but also learning process itself. Moreover,ICT can promote international collaboration and networking in education and professional development. There’sa range of ICT options – from videoconferencing through multimedia delivery to web sites - which can be usedto meet the challenges teachers face today. In fact, there has been increasing evidence that ICT may be able toprovide more flexible and effective ways for lifelong professional development for today’s teachers. Recent Developments in ICT In recent times, especially in the last few years, the education scenario all over the world has seen a revolutionary transformation due to some mind-boggling developments and advances in ICT. The pace of transformation is expected to accelerate further due to even more exciting developments round the corner. Some of the paths breaking developments seen in recent years are: a whole new generation of sophisticated computer hardware and software, broadband internet access with live streaming video capability, display and projection technologies like LCD,DLP & OLED, new ultra-portable storage technologies, Wi-Fi connectivity, distance learning programs that strongly supplement more conventional teaching-learning processes. These developments have not only enhanced the versatility and sophistication of the ICT tools and techniques, but have also increased their durability and at the same time, achieved considerable reduction in costs. ICT and Education ICT is emerging as a big stimulating force which not only influences the human cognition and its thought process but also help human to construct knowledge. There is urgent need to integrate ICT with education because of several opportunities it provides. It enhances teaching learning process by making it more effective and interesting. It improves availability of study materials and support distance education and e-learning. It improves enrolment by convenient admission and examination process. It assists in research activities. In view of ICT, education can be classified into four main categories:

Fig: Types of Education on the basis of ICT 109



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E-Learning: Electronic Learning is commonly associated with the field of Advanced Learning Technology (ALT) dealing with both the technologies and associated methodologies. U-Learning:Ubiquitous learning fulfils e-learning’s promise of “anytime,anywhere and any context” by core “knowledge pots”(Work related content, personal knowledge, Internet). Blended Learning: Blended Learning combines face-to-face classroom instructions with online learning. Distance Learning: Modern distance learning programmes include a Computer Based Training (CBT) system and communication tools to produce a “virtual classroom”.

Present scenario of ICT in education in the country With the onset and proliferation of ICT, there is a growing demand for it is included in Educational Institutions. CBSE has also started e-learning basket for providing deep knowledge of economics in simple way for the students and put that on its website. It has become more of a fashion statement to have computers in educational institutions, the result being that in spite of its potential to make learning liberative, its implementation is often not more than cosmetic. It is often also touted as a panacea for shortage of teachers. These are detrimental to be learning of the learner. In our country most of the population lives on villages. The facilities of ICT in rural elementary schools is made available through Computer Aided Learning (CAL) Centers, Block Resource Centers (BRCs), Cluster Resource Centers (BRCs) etc. but it could reach only to about 35 percent schools in the villages. The number of computers provided is less than the needs of the student population. Digital multi-media material and course material in various subjects is either not available or the teachers are not aware to use it. Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) of the computers is either not made or it is not renewed so the technical support for up-keep of the systems is not reaching adequately. Proper rooms for keeping computers and other accessories are also not available. The computer systems are stored under normal electrification without proper earthing, etc. and sometimes in classrooms where there water soaking and seepage. In villages there are also power cuts or which puts hurdles in the use of computers. In urban areas the real use of ICT is limited to only some reputed Institutions. Recent systematic Issues with Teacher Education  Changed teacher-student relationship  Teacher’s role as facilitator to construct the knowledge  Wider use of ICT in Academics As per the context of the paper the discussion has to be limited to the ICT only. Information technology should be infused into the entire teacher education programmes- pre-service and inservice. Student –teachers should experience innovative ICT supported learning environment. Restricting ICT experiences to a single era will not help student-teachers to be technology using teachers. It has to be an area mandatory in all courses for all levels of teacher education. Pre-service teacher education students should learn the application of a wider range of ICT product across their professional inputs from foundation courses of pedagogy, from method course to internship in teaching. Why do we use ICT in teacher Education? The classroom is now changing its look from the traditional one i.e. from one way to two way communication. Now teachers as well as students participate in classroom discussion. Now Education is based on child centric education. So the teacher should prepare to cope up with different technology for using them in the classroom for making teaching learning interested. For effective implementation of certain student-centric methodologies such as project-based learning which puts the students in 110


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the role of active researches and technology becomes the appropriate tool. ICT has enabled better and swifter communication; presentation of ideas more effective and relevant way. It is an effective tool for information acquiring-thus students are encouraged to look for information from multiple sources and they are now more informed then before. So for this reason ICT is very much necessary for Teacher Education. Role of ICT in Teacher Education The 21st century society is an entrepreneurial society- A century of knowledge and century of mind. Knowledge explosion, communication revolution, technology advancement, application of science to all aspects of life and above all rising aspirations of the society are the hallmarks of the century. Mind is reflective, analytical visionary, global, integrative and synergic all at the same time. The education and training, therefore, has to be at premium and teachers role being very important at in child’s education, they will have to be continuously trained and their mind updated and kept pragmatic and realistic. The need for teacher training is widely acknowledged. Professional development to incorporate ICTs into teaching and learning is an ongoing process. Teacher education curriculum needs to learn to teach with digital technologies, even though many of them have not been taught to do so. The aim of teacher education in this regard can be either teacher education in ICTs or teacher education through ICTs. A teacher’s professional development is central to the overall change process in education. They are unsure of how to make most effective use of ICT as a powerful and diverse resource and one which can potentially alter traditional teacher- student relationship. If they are to invest time and energy in embracing the technology, teachers need to understand and experience the potential benefits of using ICT. Moreover, they need to have access to the evidence that supports the improvements in teaching and learning including case studies and examples of effective practice. If the necessary changes in education are to be realized, they need strong, leadership and support along with a school development programme for the integration of technology. They also need technical support so that they feel comfortable in using the technology and more willing to experiment. It is widely known that the integration of ICTs with their teaching is a necessary for the teachers of the present times. Never the less, the challenge of incorporating technologies into the teaching and learning process might not be as easy as it seems. It is not just a matter of finding new resources and trying using them as part of traditional courses, but it involves encouraging learners to interact with ICT equipments to enable them to co-construct their own learning. In 21st century educators and administrators need to embrace the multimedia culture around them and accept that it is not a print-centric world any longer; they need to recognize benefits of being multi literate. Educators must replace existing practices, not just use computers as typewriters and call it innovation. The teacher’s role is increasingly to assist students to become good learners. At the same time, teacher must help to create stronger relationship between the subject matter and the concerned reality, putting them in a more relevant content for students. In many cases, this implies integration of disciplines and co-operation among teachers of different subject areas. Importance of ICT in Teacher Education  ICT facilitates the educational transactions between the providers and users by keeping teacher– learner in contact through email, chat sessions etc., encouraging active learning, sharing ideas, providing immediate feedback, encouraging paced learning and allowing for effective mapping of learning pathways.  ICT is very much important for both pre-service and in-service teachers. Major changes can be accelerated both in pre-service Teacher Training as well as in-service professional development through ICT.  ICT based teaching-leaning programmes can overcame a teacher’s isolation by breaking down 111


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their classroom wall and connecting them to colleagues, mentors, curriculum experts and the global teacher economy. The information through internet and online database helps teachers to improve lesson plans, exchange ideas, obtain information and find free animation and simulation to enliven their lesson. ICT help in changing roles of students, teachers and community in learning centered education. Their roles are changed now. In traditional teaching learning situation, the relation between the teacher and learner is frontal the role of teachers is to deliver knowledge to the pupil. There is some cooperation among pupils. Teachers do not possess adequate knowledge and skills for effective exploitation of ICTs. ICT is beneficial in increasing teacher self assurance and aptitude in the use of IT resources by providing them fully equipped multimedia portable computers or by supporting online teacher communities.

Conclusion Education and learning create necessary and beneficial conditions for people to make a common effort to meet the challenges that face the world, today. They are critical for promoting sustainable development and improving the capacity of the people to address environment and development issues. Educational systems around the world are under immense pressure to use ICT to teach students the knowledge and skills they need in 21st century. One of the most powerful reasons for considering integrating ICT in Teacher Education is that they put learning in the hands of users. The emphasis also been shifted from teacher-centered lecture based instructions to the student-centered interactive learning environment with ICT. Teacher education must also become sensible to the emerging demands from the school system. For the betterment of teacher education, all teachers have to the made ICT literate. All pre-service & in-service teacher education programmes should include intensive training in the use of modern tools of ICT, including offline and online electronic resources such as multi-media and internet. References  Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations ofthought and action: A Social-CognitiveView.Englewood cliffs,NJ: Prentice-Hall  Bhattacharjee, B. and Deb, K. (2016)Role of ICT in 21st Century’s Teacher Education. International Journal of Education and Information Studies, 6( 1) (2016), 1-6  Brosnan, T. (2001). Teaching Using ICT.University of London: Institute ofEducation  Chauhan, S. S. (1992). Innovations in Teaching and Learning process. New Delhi: Vikas Publication House Pvt. Ltd.  Dahiya, S. S. (2005). ICT-Enabled Teacher Educator, University News, 43 ,109-114  Dash, K. M. (2009). ICT in Teacher Development, New Delhi :Neelkamal Publication Pvt. Ltd. Educational Publishers.  Goel, D. R. (2003), ICT in Education, Changes and Challenges in ICT in Education. M. S. University, Baroda  Passi,B.K., Khandai, H. &Mathur,A. (2011). Professional development and ICT in Education. New Delhi: A.P.H.Publishing Corporation  Pelgrun, W. J. and Law, N. (2003). ICT in education around the world: trends, problems andprospects. Paris: International Institute for Educational Planning.  Rajput, J.S. (1997). Role of Teachers in 21st century. The Hindustan Times, New Delhi  Rathee,I &Neetu(2016). Teacher Education. New Delhi: A.P.H. Publishing Corporation.  UNESCO (2002). Information and Communication Technologies in Teacher Education, A Planning Guide. Paris: UNESCO. 112


SUSTAINABLE CHANGE IN TEACHING- LEARNING PROCESS THROUGH ICT Komal Dhiman* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT Today we are living in a very competitive and highly scientific era, where enormous changes has take place daily in our day to day life. Education has its roots all over the time as long as human being has its existence. Teacher education is that continue process of teacher training starting with the very beginning phase of initial training i.e. pre-service training and continue throughout theteachers life in their regular sustained period of in-service teaching. Teacher education refers to various policies, provisions, procedures designed to quip teachers with knowledge, attitude, behaviour and skills that require to beperformed in the classroom to teach the students. The integration of ICT in teacher education is the need of present educational scenario. Effective use of ICT helps in motivating the students and makes the classroom more dynamic and interesting. Use of technology in teacher education helps in developing the new skills and techniques that needs to tackle the students with present needs. Teacher educators must develop the skills to easy access the technology in classroom; it helps in making the teacher student’s relationship cordial. ICT provides a powerful support for educational innovation. The use of ICT in teacher education provides a sustainable change in the teaching learning process. This paper is an attempt to discuss various merits and demerits of usage of ICT in teacher education. Key Words: Teacher Education, ICT, Teacher Training Introduction ICT is a part of our lives and it greatly affects our society and individual life. ICT is widely use in education. Teacher, student, administration and every one related to education popularly use ICT more effectively. Teacher use ICT for making the teaching-learning process. Present scenario demands a wide knowledge of technology and learns the various skills to use the knowledge of technology in teaching learning process. The Knowledge of ICT is also necessary for pre-service teaching during their training programme because this knowledge helps the prospective teacher to know the world of technology by which it can be used for future betterment of the students. In present times, ICT transform the education system by bringing in the flexible curriculum based on real life problems, projects, provides various tools that helps in enhancing the teaching learning process, also provides the wide range of opportunities to enhance the knowledge of the students and teachers. Teacher must know the use of ICT in their subject areas so that it will be easy for the teachers to integrate the learning with technology. The use of ICT makes the teaching learning process more effective. The knowledge of ICT is necessary for both pre-service and in-service teachers. According to UNESCO (2002),”ICT is a scientific, technology and engineering discipline and management technique used in handling information, its application and association with social, economic and cultural matters.” Teachers are the most important part of any living society. In present competitive world education is student centred but somehow in classroom ancient lecture method is used which is quite boring for the students. Jonassen also said in 1996 “Learners are creators of knowledge rather than receivers of presentations”. Therefore there is need to integrate the ICT in education to make the teaching learning process more interesting and interactive. Classroom education is now taken as two way process of communication. For making the curriculum student-centred various technological techniques like –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Research Scholar, Department of Education, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra E-mail: [email protected] 113



project method, group discussion etc must be there. Students have multiple sources such as TV, digital media, internet, social media etc to gather the knowledge related to any topic or any subjectmatter. Teachers are said to be the conservative professional group (Lanier & Little, 1986). The rapid use of technical tools, mostly computers, is felt to be a threat to their knowledge, discipline and procedure control. To demonstrate this, in views of, Papert (1993) tells a story we would like to share with you. He invites us to imagine two characters, a teacher and a surgeon from the nineteenth century who come back to Earth to see what has changed in their professions. The surgeon observes an operation of some sort in a modern operating theatre but he would be unable to understand the various strange instruments and wouldn’t be able to take the surgeon’s place. On the other hand, the teacher introduced into a modern classroom would see the point of almost everything that was being done and could quite easily take over the class. He might disagree with some of the innovations, like group work or student’s behavior and he would wonder about benefits in children’s education. It is mandatory that teacher education must include knowledge of technology. New emerged trends used in teacher education are inter-disciplinary approach, correspondence courses, orientation courses etc. simulated teaching, micro teaching, programmed instruction, team-teaching and action research also used in teacher education. ICT helps the teachers to be updated, as it creates awareness regarding all the new instructional methodologies and evaluation system. Objectives of the Study  To discuss the role of ICT in teacher education  To discuss various merits/opportunities ofICT being used in teacher education.  To disc various demerits ofICT used in teacher education Research Methodology The study is exploratory in nature and is an attempt to look into various aspects of ICT being used in teacher education. Opportunities of ICT being used ICT in teacher education and limitation of ICT being used in teacher education and then for possible participative and collaboration measures that are needed for a positive impact. Role of ICT in Teacher Education Near about fifteen years ago, making use of computers in education makes many teachers feel uncomfortable; they thought that computers or technology will replace them. But in present scenario situation is somewhat different, teachers are more enthusiastic than before. ICT has a very significant role in teacher education. It helps teachers in both pre-service and in-service teacher training, helps teachers to interact with students, in preparation of their teaching, and provide feedback. It also helps in effective use of ICT software and hardware for teaching-learning process, helps in improving teaching skill, helps in innovative teaching. It also helps in improving Professional Development and Educational Management as well as enhances Active Learning of Teacher Trainees. Education through ICT replace the ancient techniques of teaching, as in present competitive world students have their competitive mind and teachers must have adequate knowledge of subject matter. ICT helps in making the teaching learning process more interesting, interactive and increase the pace of learning. Teachers mustuse different technology to support learning such as motion picture, animation, simulation training which helped student teachers to give model presentation. ICT in pre-service teaching training can be used by different tools such as word processing, database, spreadsheet etc.ICT helps the teachers to communicate perfectly with the students, therefore ICT helps in bridging the gap between teachers and students. ICThelps teachers to pass information to

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students within a very little time. ICT Helps Teacher To design educational environment according to the needs of the students and make the curriculum student-centered. ICT also helps the teacher to identify creative child in educational institute. Therefore use of ICT has its significant role in teacher education. Merits of ICT being used in Teacher Education ICT proves helpful in achieving the desired goals of higher education. It helps in working at their own pace, makes the teaching learning more participative as all the students give their maximum participation in teaching learning. Some of the merits of ICT being used in teacher education are as follows: It’s a Part of mainstream of modern era ICT benefits each and every aspects of individual life. Technology is being used in every aspect whether it is technical, mechanical, medical, social or education. ICT in teacher education helps the teacher trainers to deal with the present needs of the students. Teacher educators learn various new skills and techniques to teach the students with fulfill their modern needs.  It replaces the traditional method of education Time is bound to be change. The use of ICT in education system replaces the traditional lecture method of teaching. The ancient and orthodox system of teaching has been changed as technology being used in classroom.  Simple way of learning and teaching It is a quick way of learning. There are a number of sources that a student can use to enhance his knowledge. It’s like a world library as internet has a huge range of books, periodicals, and journals etc. that are useful for the students to increase their cognition and develop the habit of self-study.  Modern education is incomplete without ICT It is computer age. ICT is an important weapon to tackle the present competitive scenario. Computer is the basic need of present life. In student life computer is helpful for every subject matter as is provides a wide range of study matter. Modern education is even unimaginable without ICT in it.  It is helpful to understand every subject matter ICT is extremely useful to understand and analysis vast fare of every subject matter. It makes to understand the subject matter easily and effectively. It is helpful for every subject like physics, chemistry, mathematics, education etc. World and education both are rotating around the ICT.  Acceleration of growth and development of education system It is undisputed fact of modern era that with the introduction of ICT, growth and development education system is increases apparently day by day. Traditional method of education was slow and sluggish but use of ICT in education makes the teaching-learning process rapid and interesting.  Need of the hour Technology is the very basic element of modern time. As the present competitive world education system must be develop to a level that helps in facing the challenges of life.ICT helps in developing the education system in a very effective way that it proves helpful in every aspect or every subject matter. Innovative techniques  Time saving Use of technology in education decreases the manual efforts. Different projects, models, research paper made with the help of technology in a very effective way.  Provide new techniques of learning ICT proves beneficial in every subject matter of the education system. Different experimental 115



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projects, educational videos and games and AV aids etc. are used to train the teacher educators to improvise the teaching-learning situation. Increase the pace of learning Technology makes the content easy and interesting. ICT in teacher education makes the teacher training easy, interesting and more practical. Teacher educators use their sufficient knowledge to gain data of subject matter.

Demerits of ICT being used in Teacher Education Using ICT in teacher education has its benefits, it also bring some demerits along with merits. There are many challenges faced by the practitioners, management, administration etc. theses may be related to cost of acquiring ICT instruments, their installation, operation, maintenance and also their replacement. Some of the demerits of ICT used in teacher education are as follows: Not practical for modern phase It is generally said about certain equipments to be involved in teacher education, to make different improvements. It is not practical to that extent that providesfruitful results as desired.  Economical Hardship for most of the developing countries other problems deal first Instruments of ICT for education system are quite expensive that nor ever school can afford that and not every state government provide financial assistance to such school. Many developing countries like India, they have their priorities related to basic needs, there for it is hardship for the developing countries to make arrangements for such instruments.  Experts not available Experts who have sufficient knowledge regarding the use of ICT instruments and its various parts effectively, they have all kind of knowledge regarding technology whether it is minor or major, so there is need of experts to deal with such ICT instruments.  Most of the teachers Unfamiliar with ICT Most of the teachers are unfamiliar with the new advancements in teaching profession; they are completely stuck to their old methods. They have no knowledge regarding the benefits of ICT in education system.  Misconception regarding ICT Teachers in previous time taught through lecture method which is quite boring. The use of ICT in education makes the teaching interesting but teachers thought that ICT can replace their position. They take it as a competitor not as a supporter.  Dependence on ICT Excess of everything is bad. Too much dependence on ICTdecreases human memory output system; it diminishes theimagination power of the students and also decreases their ability of creativity  Not suitable for individual needs Every student is unique in their own style; their learning capabilities are also different. Teaching through ICT somehow is not suitable to fulfill the individual needs of the students as some students felt it uncomfortable to work with computers and for students it is also beyond their reach. OTHER RISKS There are some other risks in involving technology in education, these are as follows:1. It may create a digital divide in the classroom as the students who know well to use technology will learn faster than those who are slow to assess in technology. 2. It may shift the attention of learner from learning content to developing ICT skill.

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3. 4. 5. 6.

It may be harmful for teacher student relationship as the ICT tool will be the communication and face to face interaction doesn’t involve that much. It requires experts as all the teachers are not experts in using ICT. The cost of its hardware and software are very much high. It require sufficient instruments for working properly as The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) report a majority of government institutions do not have sufficient IT systems.

Conclusion ICT brings a lot of changes in the 21st century; evolution is take place from the right of birth of an individual, individual travelled a lot from low to higher. Technology is an important part of present scenario; every work is done with the help of technology rapidly and accurately. ICT also has its significant role in education. Teaching profession always has a honorable place in the society. Teachers are treated as guide, friend and philosopher; he has his special place in the society. ICT in education makes the education more interesting, and participative. ICT helps the teachers to keep their knowledge up to date; it also helps the teachers to learn about new skills and techniques of teaching. Appropriate skills and techniques help the pupil teachers to become an effective teacher. Technology brings a lot of changes in every aspect of the society, it also bring rapid changes in the education system, as teaching through ICT includes teaching through laptops, LCD projectors, EDUCOM, smart classrooms and e-classroom etc. ICT makes the education system more flexible, dynamic and self-paced. But there are many problems are faced by the teacher educators. ICT must be integrated in the education system in a very appropriate manner that it replace the old method of teaching and brings the education system on a new level. References  Chauhan, S.S. (1992). Innovations in teaching and learning process. New Delhi: Vikas Publication House.  Dave, R. (1998). In competency based commitment oriented teacher education for quality school education. New Delhi: Initiation Document NCTE  Murthi, S. K. (2004).Teacher and Education in Indian Society. Ludhiana: Tendon publications.  UNESCO.(2002).ICT in Teacher Education – A Planning Guide.Paris: UNESCOReport.  Dahiya, S. S. (2005). ICT- Enabled Teacher Educator.University News, 43,109-114.  UNESCO. (2002). Information and Communication Technologies in Teacher Education , a Planning Guide. Paris : UNESCO.

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INTEGRATING ICT WITH TEACHER EDUCATION: AN OVERVIEW Rajni Dahiya* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT Teacher performance is the most crucial input in the field of education. Teacher can be made proficient with well planned, imaginative pre-service and in-service training programmes. Teacher Education define as a programme of education, research and training of persons to teach from pre-primary to higher education level (NCTE). Teacher education is a programme that is related to the development of teacher proficiency and competence that would enable and empower the teacher to meet the requirements of the profession and face the challenges. In the 21st century Educational systems around the world are under increasing pressure to use the new information and communication technologies (ICTs) to teach teachers. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are a major factor in shaping the Teacher education and producing rapid changes in society. This research paper reveals that use of ICT in teacher education makes learning more interesting, satisfying and effective. This paper attempts to explore about teacher education and ICT. Keywords: Teacher, Teacher Education and ICT Introduction Teacher education refers to the policies, procedures and provision designed to teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviours and skills they require to perform their tasks effectively in the classroom, school and wider community. Teacher education has a key role in adding the use of ICT to the abilities of their students and teachers. Some recent research has highlighted the many fields of knowledge that are required by teacher educators; these include knowledge about: the pedagogy of teacher education; learning and learners; teaching and coaching; and the profession of teacher educator itself. In addition, teacher educators need to know about the specific contexts their students will work in (e.g. for primary, or secondary education) and the subjects they will teach. More experienced teacher educators need expertise in: curriculum development and assessment; the wider context of teacher education, the way it is organized and in research. In Present era where the world of education and learning are changing rapidly, bringing new realities and challenges to Teacher Education Institutions ( TEI’s), through innovations in use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has important implications. Today Teacher Education in India is being overhauled and redesigned to include the changes taking place across the world. New opportunities and possibilities especially those in electronic and other related applications for skill development outside formal learning arrangements stimulate the reform of the existing educational provisions. The past decade has seen efforts made at different levels not merely to spread the use of computer and related technologies but also to integrate the same in the core functioning of institutions i.e. teaching- learning. In this direction, the GOI has initiated several programmes starting with the Computer Assisted Learning and Teaching (CALT) in late 1980’s. Under this teacher educators were provided initial training in the use of computers. Other schemes include financial support to acquire hardware, setting up of computer labs and other resource supports. All these developments posed new questions on the regulatory capacities of the organizations, infrastructure development, the way teacher educators view learner and learning, available technology and ICTs and provisions of teaching and learning. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Research Scholar, Department of Education, M.D.U., Rohtak. E-mail: [email protected] 118


Recent Trends in Teacher Education:Teacher education must include new technology. Teachers should also know the right attitudes and values, besides being proficient in skills related to teaching. As we know the minimum requirement of any training programme is that it should help the trainee to acquire the basic skills and competencies of a good teacher. Now-a-days new trends in teacher education are Inter-disciplinary Approach, Correspondence courses, orientation courses etc. Simulated Teaching, Micro Teaching, Programmed Instruction, Team Teaching are also used in teacher education. Now-a-day Action Research also implemented in Teacher Education. ICT acts as the gateway to the world of information and helps teachers to be updated. It creates awareness of innovative trends in instructional methodologies, evaluation mechanism etc. for professional development. ICT ICT Stands for “Information and Communication Technologies.” ICT refers to technologies that provide access to information through telecommunications. It is similar to Information Technology (IT), but focuses primarily on communication technologies. This includes the Internet, wireless networks, cell phones, and other communication mediums. In the past few decades, information and communication technologies have provided society with a vast array of new communication capabilities. For example, people can communicate in realtime with others in different countries using technologies such as instant messaging, voice over IP , and video-conferencing. Social networking websites like Facebook allow users from all over the world to remain in contact and communicate on a regular basis. Modern information and communication technologies have created a “global village,” in which people can communicate with others across the world as if they were living next door. For this reason, ICT is often studied in the context of how modern communication technologies affect society. Information and communication technology (ICT) is an extended term for information technology (IT) which stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals), computers as well as necessary enterprise software, middleware, storage and audio-visual AIDS. ICTs seen as tools to help teachers create more ‘learner-centric’ learning environments., Research consensus holds that the most effective uses of ICT are those in which the teacher, aided by ICTs, can challenge pupils’ understanding and thinking, either through whole-class discussions and individual/small group work using ICTs. ICTs are seen as important tools to enable and support the move from traditional ‘teacher-centric’ teaching styles to more ‘learner-centric’ methods. ICTs can be used to support change and to support/extend existing teaching practices. Pedagogical practices of teachers using ICT can range from only small enhancements of teaching practices using what are essentially traditional methods, to more fundamental changes in their approach to teaching. ICTs can be used to reinforce existing pedagogical practices as well as to change the way teachers and students interact. ICT in Teacher Education With the growing demands of society and on set of technology based education, it is necessary to include Information and Communication Technology in teacher education. With a scenario where information is accessible to a child at one mouse click, a teacher must be equipped with competence to use ICT for their own professional development. There is a major paradigm shift in the overall education system with implementation of better teaching concepts. This technology invites learners to be more independent and the curricula to be more dynamic. Teachers need to complement their content and pedagogy expertise by utilizing online facilities. Use of ICT effectively requires a change in classroom practice rather than mere acquisition of technical skills. There are a variety of approaches to professional development of teachers in the context of use of ICT in education. Teachers need to 119



update their knowledge and skills as the school curriculum and technologies change. No more learning is a teacher centric static process; it is more of learner centric and flexible process. Now with the inclusion of ICT it is observed that Class Room has turned into an active participant’s platform where actually the knowledge evolves. Thus professionally powerful teaching is the need of the hour in order to design dynamic ways of human development. Teachers need to acquire knowledge as well as skills to be able to survive and more than that to impart best of knowledge to the students. ICT is a scientific, technological and engineering discipline and management technique used in handling information, its application and association with social, economic and cultural matters (UNESCO, 2002). ICT is a part of our lives for the last few decades affecting our society as well as individual life. ICT which is now broadly used in educational world. Teacher, Student, administrator and every people related to education are popularly used ICT. Teacher use ICT for making teaching learning process easy and interesting. A competent teacher has several skills and techniques for providing successful teaching. So development and increase of skills and competencies of teacher required knowledge of ICT and Science & Technology. In modern science and technological societies education demands more knowledge of teacher regarding ICT and skills to use ICT in teaching – learning process. The knowledge of ICT also required for pre-service teacher during their training programme, because this integrated technological knowledge helps a prospective teacher to know the world of technology in a better way by which it can be applied in future for the betterment of the students. Now – a days ICT s are transforming schools and classrooms a new look by bringing in new curriculum based on real world problems, projects, providing tools for enhancing learning, providing teachers and students more facilities and opportunities for feedback. ICT also helps teachers, students and parents to come together. Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) helps students as well as teachers to use more technology for making teaching learning more attractive for the betterment of our future generation. Teachers must know the use of ICT in their subject areas to help the learners for learning more effectively. So, the knowledge of ICT is very much essential for the both prospective teachers as well as in-service teachers also. This will help teachers to know integrated technology with classroom teaching. Thus education system should encourage the use of digital tools and resources that are freely shareable and modifiable, in line with other curricular resources and discourage the use of software or content which is privately owned and which teachers and education system is legally and technologically prevented from sharing/customizing. Generally four phases are identified to implementation of ICT content in teacher education programme.  ICT Literacy: It means having the skills, Knowledge and attitudes to use ICT to maximum advantage and in other words we can say ICT literacy means that a person can contribute more effectively to their own well being and be a more effective worker, entrepreneur and consumer.  Efficiency: The effective and efficient use of ICT hardware and software for teaching learning activities.  Pedagogical Bases: Pedagogy bases ICT use (integration of ICT in subject content, teaching, online support, networking and management,)  Innovative Practices: Adopt best innovative practices in the use of ICT in teacher education programme. Need of ICT in teacher Education As we very well know that an educational institution holds an important position in forming the future of its students, we cannot forget the importance of the most vital organ of the educational body, a teacher. Teacher training is essential in modern ways so as to impart relevant and genuine education to the pupils. The world is changing at a very high pace and in order to make the students aware of today’s technological advancements it is necessary for the teacher to understand the present paradigm 120


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and implement new ways of teaching. The classroom is now changing its look from the traditional one i. e. from one way to two way communication. Now teachers as well as students participate in classroom discussion. Now Education is based on child centric education. So the teacher should prepare to cope up with different technology for using them in the classroom for making teaching learning interested. For effective implementation of certain student centric methodologies such as project-based learning which puts the students in the role of active researches and technology becomes the appropriate tool. ICT has enabled better and swifter communication; presentation of ideas more effective and relevant way. It is an effective tool for information acquiring-thus students are encouraged to look for information from multiple sources and they are now more informed then before. So for this reason ICT is very much necessary for Teacher Education. Role of ICT in Teacher Education  ICT helps teachers in both pre-service and in-Service teachers training.  ICT helps teachers to interact with students. It helps them in preparation their teaching, provide feedback.  ICT also helps teachers to access with institutions and Universities, NCERT, NAAC NCTE and UGC etc.  It also helps in effective use of ICT software and hardware for teaching – learning process. It helps in improve Teaching skill, helps in innovative Teaching.  It helps in effectiveness of classroom.  It also helps in improving professional Development and Educational management as well as enhances Active Learning of teacher Trainees.  ICT helps teachers in preparation for teaching. ICT as a medium for teaching and learning.  ICT prepares teacher for the use of their skills in the real classroom situation and also make students for their future occupation and social life.  ICT helps Teacher to design educational environment and helps Teacher to identify creative child in educational institute.  With the help of ICT, teachers can access with universities and colleges or education, teacher education institutions and national organizations like UGC, NCTE, NCERT and NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation council) etc.  ICT enables to access online libraries journal and research enable individuals learning.  ICT provide lifelong and professional development by providing courses at virtual situation, training on demand: orientation and new courses through video conferencing or online.  ICT enables to enhance the initial preparation by giving good teaching or training materials, use simulators, other training institution experiences and, working, introducing trainees with resources and support on cyber space, Example the use of technologies teaching training situation. Conclusion The traditional view of the learning process is typically teacher centered, with teachers doing most of the talking and intellectual work, while students are passive receptacles of the information provided. As technology has created change in all aspects of society, it is also changing our expectations of what students must learn in order to function in the new world economy. ICT has changed the role of Class Room teaching and has shrunk the world into small village. ICT is not a substitute but a powerful tool for teacher to make learning possible. Today education can be provided via satellite, this will save time, reduce unnecessary mobility and more. However to succeed, the digital divide need to be bridged. Institutions could use the platform of satellite TV, radio, VSAT, etc. it could even create and use distance – learning centers. Communication technology can increase the range of subjects taught. Integrating ever-changing ICT is a challenge to the academia as it throws 121



open new corridors for both teachers and learners. Planning, organizing, directing and coordinating of ICT for all sectors of education will be required. It will require a massive effort on the part of all educators. REFERENCES:  Bharadwaj, A. P. (2005). “Assuring Quality in Teacher Education”, University News, Vol. 43. No. 18.  Chauhan, S. S. (1992). Innovations in Teaching and Learning process. New Delhi: Vikas Publication House Pvt. Ltd.  Darvedi,s(2011). Professional development of teachers : A key to quality Edu; Gyanodya 4(2) July-dec.  Dahiya, S. S. (2005). ICT-Enabled Teacher Educator, University News, 43 page 109-114 May 2-8.  Dash, K. M. (2009) ICT in Teacher Development, Neelkamal Publication Pvt. Ltd. Educational Publishers, New Delhi.  Goel, D. R. (2003), ICT in Education, Changes and Challenges in ICT in Education. M. S. University, Baroda.  Jindal, A., Gupta S.K. (2012). Role of ICT in quality education in India .IJRESS Volume 2, Issue 12 ISSN: 2249-7382  NCTE (2002). ICT initiatives of the NCTE Discussion Document. New Delhi : National Council For Teacher Education.  UNESCO (2002). Information and Communication Technologies in Teacher Education, A Planning Guide. Paris: UNESCO.  Vanaja, M. & Rajasekhar, S. (2009), Educational Technology and Computer Education, Neelkamal Publications Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad. 14

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COMPUTER & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AS A COMMON DENOMINATOR FOR INNOVATION IN 21ST CENTURY Ombir* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT Information and communication technologies (ICT) have become common place entities in all aspects of life. Across the past twenty years the use of ICT has fundamentally changed the practices and procedures of nearly all forms of endeavor within business and governance. Education is a very socially oriented activity and quality education has traditionally been associated with strong teachers having high degrees of personal contact with learners. The use of ICT in education lends itself to more student-centred learning settings. But with the world moving rapidly into digital media and information, the role of ICT in education is becoming more and more important and this importance will continue to grow and develop in the 21st century. In this paper, a literature review regarding the use of ICTs in education was provided. Effective use of ICT for Education, along with ICT use in the teaching learning process; quality and accessibility of education, learning motivation. Learning environment.Besides, an overview of the ICT and scholastic performance.Information and communication technology deals with information system, creation, data collection, data storage, access, processing, retrieval, analysis, use and dissemination of information accurately and effectively for the purpose of enriching the knowledge and developing intelligent decision-making as well as problem- solving ability of the user. It also refers to the devices that enable all this to be done. Information and communication technology stands firmly on hardware and software of a computer and the telecommunications infrastructure. Information and communication technology is affecting us as individuals and as a society. Our options for education, entertainment,working and a variety of things that we do in information and communication technology. Internet, World Wide Web, digital camera , television, on line learning, wireless communication ,etc. are diverse topics related to information and communication technology. All these innovations and changes share a common denominator, namely computers and information technology. Key Word:- Communication, telecommunication, Efficient, traditionally Introduction According to Daniels (2002) ICTs have become within a very short time, one of the basic building blocks of modern society. Many countries now regard understanding ICT and mastering the basic skills and concepts of ICT as part of the core of education, alongside reading, writing and numeracy. However, there appears to be a misconception that ICTs generally refers to ‘computers and computing related activities’. This is fortunately not the case, although computers and their application play a significant role in modern information management, other technologies and/or systems also comprise of the phenomenon that is commonly regarded as ICTs.Pelgrum and Law (2003) state that near the end of the 1980s, the term ‘computers’ was replaced by ‘IT’ (information technology) signifying a shift of focus from computing technology to the capacity to store and retrieve information. This was followed by the introduction of the term ‘ICT’ (information and communication technology) around 1992, when e-mail started to become available to the general public (Pelgrum, W.J., Law, N., 2003). According to a United Nations report (1999) ICTs cover Internet service provision, telecommunications equipment and services, information technology equipment and services, media and broadcasting, libraries and documentation centres, commercial information providers, networkbased information serviceand other related information and communication activities. According to UNESCO (2002) information and communication technology (ICT) may be regarded as the –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *M.Ed. Student, Department of Education, M.D.U. Rohtak, E-mail: E-mail: [email protected] 123



combination of‘Informatics technology’ with other related technology, specifically communication technology.The various kinds of ICT products available and having relevance to education, such as teleconferencing, email, audio conferencing, television lessons, radio broadcasts, interactive radio counselling, interactive voice response system, audiocassettes and CD ROMs etc have been used in education for different purposes (Sharma, 2003; Sanyal, 2001; Bhattacharya and Sharma, 2007).. The field of education has been affected by ICTs, which have undoubtedly affected teaching, learning, and research (Yusuf, 2005). A great deal of research has proven the benefits to the quality of education (Al-Ansari, 2006). ICTs have the potential to innovate, accelerate, enrich, and deepen skills, to motivate and engage students, to help relate school experience to work practices, create economic viability for tomorrow’s workers, as well as strengthening teaching and helping schools change (Davis and Tearle, 1999; Lemke and Coughlin, 1998; cited by Yusuf, 2005). As Jhurree (2005) states, much has been said and reported about the impact of technology, especially computers, in education. Initially computers were used to teach computer programming but the development of the microprocessor in the early 1970s saw the introduction of affordable microcomputers into schools at a rapid rate. Computers and applications of technology became more pervasive in society which led to a concern about the need for computing skills in everyday life. Hepp, Hinostroza, Laval and Rehbein (2004) claim in their paper “Technology in Schools: Education, ICT and the Knowledge Society” that ICTs have been utilized in education ever since their inception, but they have not always been massively present. Although at that time computers have not been fully integrated in the learning of traditional subject matter, the commonly accepted rhetoric that education systems would need to prepare citizens for lifelong learning in an information society boosted interest in ICTs (Pelgrum, W.J., Law, N., 2003). The 1990s was the decade of computer communications and information access, particularly with the popularity and accessibility of internet-based services such as electronic mail and the World Wide Web (WWW). At the same time the CD-ROM became the standard for distributing packaged software (replacing the floppy disk). As a result educators became more focused on the use of the technology to improve student learning as a rationale for investment. Any discussion about the use of computer systems in schools is built upon an understanding of the link between schools, learning and computer technology. When the potential use of computers in schools was first mooted, the predominant conception was that students would be ‘taught’ by computers (Mevarech & Light, 1992).In a sense it was considered that the computer would ‘take over’ the teacher’s job in much the same way as a robot computer may take over a welder’s job. Collis (1989) refers to this as “a rather grim image” where “a small child sits alone with a computer”. However, the use of information and communication technologies in the educative process has been divided into two broad categories: ICTs for Education and ICTs in Education. ICTs for education refers to the development of information and communications technology specifically for teaching/learning purposes, while the ICTs in education involves the adoption of general components of information and communication technologies in the teaching learning process. ICT Enhancing Teaching and Learning Process Research Methodology The field of education has been affected by ICTs, which have undoubtedly affected teaching, learning and research (Yusuf, 2005) .ICTs have the potential to accelerate, enrich, and deepen skills, to motivate and engage students, to help relate school experience to work practices, create economic viability for tomorrow’s workers, as well as strengthening teaching and helping schools change (Davis and Tearle, 1999; Lemke and Coughlin, 1998; cited by Yusuf, 2005). In a rapidly changing world, basic education is essential for an individual be able to access and apply information. Such ability must find include ICTs in the global village. Conventional teaching has emphasized content. For many years course have been written around 124


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textbooks. Teachers have taught through lectures and presentations interspersed with tutorials and learning activities designed to consolidate and rehearse the content. Contemporary settings are now favouring curricula that promote competency and performance. Curricula are starting to emphasize capabilities and to be concerned more with how the information will be used than with what the information is. Contemporary ICTs are able to provide strong support for all these requirements and there are now many outstanding examples of world class settings for competency and performancebased curricula that make sound use of the affordances of these technologies (Oliver, 2000). The integration of information and communication technologies can help revitalize teachers and students. This can help to improve and develop the quality of education by providing curricular support in difficult subject areas. To achieve these objectives, teachers need to be involved in collaborative projects and development of intervention change strategies, which would include teaching partnerships with ICT as a tool. According to Zhao and Cziko (2001) three conditions are necessary for teachers to introduce ICT into their classrooms: teachers should believe in the effectiveness of technology, teachers should believe that the use of technology will not cause any disturbances, and finally teachers should believe that they have control over technology. However, research studies show that most teachers do not make use of the potential of ICT to contribute to the quality of learning environments, although they value this potential quite significantly (Smeets, 2005). Harris (2002) conducted case studies in three primary and three secondary schools, which focused on innovative pedagogical practices involving ICT. Harris (2002) concludes that the benefits of ICT will be gained “…when confident teachers are willing to explore new opportunities for changing their classroom practices by using ICT. As a consequence, the use of ICT will not only enhance learning environments but also prepare next generation for future lives and careers (Wheeler, 2001). Changed pool of teachers will come changed responsibilities and skill sets for future teaching involving high levels of ICT and the need for more facilitative than didactic teaching roles (Littlejohn et al., 2002). According to Cabero (2001), “the flexibilization time-space accounted for by the integration of ICT into teaching and learning processes contributes to increase the interaction and reception of information. Such possibilities suggest changes in the communication models and the teaching and learning methods used by teachers, giving way to new scenarios which favour both individual and collaborative learning”. The use of ICT in educational settings, by itself acts as a catalyst for change in this domain. ICTs by their very nature are tools that encourage and support independent learning. Students using ICTs for learning purposes become immersed in the process of learning and as more and more students use computers as information sources and cognitive tools (Reeves & Jonassen, 1996), the influence of the technology on supporting how students learn will continue to increase. In the past, the conventional process of teaching has revolved around teachers planning and leading students through a series of instructional sequences to achieve a desired learning outcome. Typically these forms of teaching have revolved around the planned transmission of a body of knowledge followed by some forms of interaction with the content as a means to consolidate the knowledge acquisition. Contemporary learning theory is based on the notion that learning is an active process of constructing knowledge rather than acquiring knowledge and that instruction is the process by which this knowledge construction is supported rather than a process of knowledge transmission (Duffy & Cunningham, 1996). In this domain learning is viewed as the construction of meaning rather than as the memorisation of facts (Lebow, 1993; Jonassen & Reeves, 1996). Learning approaches using contemporary ICTs provide many opportunities for constructivist learning through their provision and support for resource-based, student centered settings and by enabling learning to be related to context and to practice (Berge, 1998; Barron, 1998). As mentioned previously, any use of ICT in learning settings can act to support various aspects of knowledge construction and as more and more students employ ICTs in their learning processes, the more pronounced the impact of this will become. Teachers generate meaningful and engaging learning experiences for their students, 125



strategically using ICT to enhance learning. Students enjoy learning, and the independent enquiry which innovative and appropriate use of ICT can foster. They begin to acquire the important 21st century skills which they will need in their future lives. ICT Enhancing the Quality and Accessibility of Education ICT increases the flexibility of delivery of education so that learners can access knowledge anytime and from anywhere. It can influence the way students are taught and how they learn as now the processes are learner driven and not by teachers. This in turn would better prepare the learners for lifelong learning as well as to improve the quality of learning. In concert with geographical flexibility, technology-facilitated educational programs also remove many of the temporal constraints that face learners with special needs (Moore & Kearsley, 1996). Students are starting to appreciate the capability to undertake education anywhere, anytime and anyplace. One of the most vital contributions of ICT in the field of education is- Easy Access to Learning. With the help of ICT, students can now browse through e-books, sample examination papers, previous year papers etc. and can also have an easy access to resource persons, mentors, experts, researchers, professionals, and peers-all over the world. This flexibility has heightened the availability of just-intime learning and provided learning opportunities for many more learners who previously were constrained by other commitments (Young, 2002). Wider availability of best practices and best course material in education, which can be shared by means of ICT, can foster better teaching. ICT also allows the academic institutions to reach disadvantaged groups and new international educational markets. As well as learning at anytime, teachers are also finding the capabilities of teaching at any time to be opportunistic and able to be used to advantage. Mobile technologies and seamless communications technologies support 24x7 teaching and learning. Choosing how much time will be used within the 24x7 envelope and what periods of time are challenges that will face the educators of the future (Young, 2002). Thus, ICT enabled education will ultimately lead to the democratization of education. Especially in developing countries like India, effective use of ICT for the purpose of education has the potential to bridge the digital divide.India has a billion-plus population and a high proportion of the young and hence it has a large formal education system. The demand for education in developing countries like India has skyrocketed as education is still regarded as an important bridge of social, economic and political mobility (Amutabi and Oketch, 2003). There exist infrastructure, socioeconomic, linguistic and physical barriers in India for people who wish to access education Bhattacharya and Sharma, 2007). This includes infrastructure, teacher and the processes quality. There exist drawbacks in general education in India as well as all over the world like lack of learning materials, teachers, remoteness of education facilities, high dropout rate etc (UNESCO,2002). Innovative use of Information and Communication Technology can potentially solve this problem. Internet usage in home and work place has grown exponentially (McGorry, 2002). ICT has the potential to remove the barriers that are causing the problems of low rate of education in any country. It can be used as a tool to overcome the issues of cost, less number of teachers, and poor quality of education as well as to overcome time and distance barriers (McGorry, 2002). People have to access knowledge via ICT to keep pace with the latest developments (Plomp, Pelgrum & Law, 2007). ICT can be used to remove communication barriers such as that of space and time (Lim and Chai, 2004). ICTs also allow for the creation of digital resources like digital libraries where the students, teachers and professionals can access research material and course material from any place at any time (Bhattacharya and Sharma, 2007; Cholin, 2005). Such facilities allow the networking of academics and researchers and hence sharing of scholarly material. This avoids duplication of work (Cholin, 2005).ICT eliminating time barriers in education for learners as well as teacher. It eliminates geographical barriers as learners can log on from any place (Sanyal, 2001; Mooij, 2007; Cross and Adam, 2007; UNESCO, 2002; Bhattacharya and Sharma, 2007). ICT provides new educational approaches (Sanyal, 2001). It 126



can provide speedy dissemination of education to target disadvantaged groups (UNESCO, 2002; Chandra and Patkar, 2007).ICT enhances the international dimension of educational services (UNESCO, 2002). It can also be used for non-formal education like health campaigns and literacy campaigns (UNESCO, 2002). Use of ICT in education develops higher order skills such as collaborating across time and place and solving complex real world problems (Bottino, 2003; Bhattacharya and Sharma, 2007; Mason, 2000; Lim and Hang, 2003). It improves the perception and understanding of the world of the student. Thus, ICT can be used to prepare the workforce for the information society and the new global economy (Kozma, 2005). Plomp et al (2007) state that the experience of many teachers, who are early innovators, is that the use of ICT is motivating for the students as well as for the teachers themselves. Bottino (2003) and Sharma (2003) mention that the use of ICT can improve performance, teaching, administration, and develop relevant skills in the disadvantaged communities. It also improves the quality of education by facilitating learning by doing, real time conversation, delayed time conversation, directed instruction, self-learning, problem solving, information seeking and analysis, and critical thinking, as well as the ability to communicate, collaborate and learn (Yuen et al, 2003). A great deal of research has proven the benefits to the quality of education (Al-Ansari 2006).Hepp,Hinostroza, Laval and Rehbein (2004) state that the literature contains many unsubstantiated claims about the revolutionary potential of ICTs to improve the quality of education. ICT Enhancing Learning Environment ICT presents an entirely new learning environment for students, thus requiring a different skill set to be successful. Critical thinking, research, and evaluation skills are growing in importance as students have increasing volumes of information from a variety of sources to sort through (New Media Consortium, 2007).ICT is changing processes of teaching and learning by adding elements of vitality to learning environments including virtual environments . ICT is a potentially powerful tool for offering educational opportunities. It is difficult and maybe even impossible to imagine future learning environments that are not supported, in one way or another, by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). When looking at the current widespread diffusion and use of ICT in modern societies, especially by the young the so-called digital generation then it should be clear that ICT will affect the complete learning process today and in the future. Authenticity is an important issue which should be addressed in the design and development of learning environments (Collins, 1996). Learning environments need to reflect the potential uses of knowledge that pupils are expected to master, in order to prevent the acquired knowledge from becoming inert (Bransford, Sherwood, Hasselbring, Kinzer, & Williams, 1990; Duffy & Knuth, 1990). In addition, teachers should stimulate pupils to engage in active knowledge construction. This calls for open-ended learning environments instead of learning environments which focus on a mere transmission of facts (Collins, 1996; Hannafin, Hall, Land, & Hill, 1994; Jonassen, Peck, & Wilson, 1999). ICT may contribute to creating powerful learning environments in numerous ways.ICT provides opportunities to access an abundance of information using multiple information resources and viewing information from multiple perspectives, thus fostering the authenticity of learning environments. ICT may also make complex processes easier to understand through simulations that, again, contribute to authentic learning environments. Thus, ICT may function as a facilitator of active learning and higher-order thinking (Alexander, 1999; Jonassen, 1999). The use of ICT may foster co-operative learning and reflection about the content (Susman, 1998). Furthermore, ICT may serve as a tool to curriculum differentiation, providing opportunities for 127



adapting the learning content and tasks to the needs and capabilities of each individual pupil and by providing tailored feedback (Mooij, 1999; Smeets & Mooij, 2001). As Stoddart and Niederhauser (1993) point out, ICT may fit into a spectrum of instructional approaches, varying from traditional to innovative. Another aspect which may of course influence the use of ICT is access to technology (Kennewell, Parkinson, & Tanner, 2000; OTA, 1995). This refers not only to the number of computers, but also to the placement of the equipment, e.g. in the classroom or in a computer room. Kennewell et al. (2000) feel it is essential that computers be placed in the classroom, in order to maximize the opportunities for curriculum activity. ICT environment improves the experience of the students and teachers and to use intensively the learning time for better results. The ICT environment has been developed by using different software and also the extended experience in developing web based and multimedia materials. ICTs have an important role to play in changing and modernizing educational systems and ways of learning. ICT Enhancing Learning Motivation ICTs can enhance the quality of education in several ways, by increasing learner motivation and engagement, by facilitating the acquisition of basic skills, and by enhancing teacher training. ICTs are also transformational tools which, when used appropriately, can promote the shift to a learner centered environment. ICTs, especially computers and Internet technologies, enable new ways of teaching and learning rather than simply allow teachers and students to do what they have done before in a better way. ICT has an impact not only on what students should learn, but it also plays a major role on how the students should learn. Along with a shift of curricula from “content-centered” to “competence-based”, the mode of curricula delivery has now shifted from “teacher centered” forms of delivery to “student-centered” forms of delivery. ICT provides-Motivation to Learn. ICTs such as videos, television and multimedia computer software that combine text, sound, and colourful moving images can be used to provide challenging and authentic content that will engage the student in the learning process. Interactive radio likewise makes use of sound effects, songs, dramatizations, comic skits, and other performance conventions to compel the students to listen and become more involved in the lessons being delivered. Some of the parents of the respondents opined that their children were feeling more motivated than before in such type of teaching in the classroom rather than the stereotype 45 minutes lecture. They were of the view that this type of learning process is much more effective than the monotonous monologue classroom situation where the teacher just lectures from a raised platform and the students just listen to the teacher. ICT changes the characteristics of problems and learning tasks, and hence play an important task as mediator of cognitive development, enhancing the acquisition of generic cognitive competencies as essential for life in our knowledge society. Students using ICTs for learning purposes become immersed in the process of learning and as more and more students use computers as information sources and cognitive tools (Reeves and Jonassen, 1996), the influence of the technology on supporting how students learn will continue to increase. Learning approaches using contemporary ICTs provide many opportunities for constructivist learning through their provision and support for resource-based, student centered settings and by enabling learning to be related to context and to practice (Berge, 1998; Barron, 1998).The teachers could make their lecture more attractive and lively by using multi-media and on the other hand the students were able to capture the lessons taught to them easily. As they found the class very interesting, the teachings also retained in their mind for a longer span which supported them during the time of examination. More so than any other type of ICT, networked computers with Internet connectivity can increase learner motivation as it combines the media richness and interactivity of other ICTs with the opportunity to connect with real people and to participate in real world events. ICT-enhanced learning is student-directed and diagnostic. Unlike static, text- or print-based educational technologies, 128



ICT-enhanced learning recognizes that there are many different learning pathways and many different articulations of knowledge. ICTs allow learners to explore and discover rather than merely listen and remember. The World Wide Web (WWW) also provides a virtual international gallery for students’ work (Loveless,2003). ICT can engage and inspire students, and this has been cited as a factor influencing ready adaptors of ICT (Long, 2001; Wood, 2004). ICT Enhancing the Scholastic Performance Based on the extensive usage of ICTs in education the need appeared to unravel the myth that surrounds the use of information and communication technology (ICT) as an aid to teaching and learning, and the impact it has on students’ academic performance. ICTs are said to help expand access to education, strengthen the relevance of education to the increasingly digital workplace, and raise educational quality. However, the experience of introducing different ICTs in the classroom and other educational settings all over the world over the past several decades suggests that the full realization of the potential educational benefits of ICT. The direct link between ICT use and students’ academic performance has been the focus of extensive literature during the last two decades. ICT helps students to their learning by improving the communication between them and the instructors (Valasidou and Bousiou, 2005). The analysis of the effects of the methodological and technological innovations on the students’ attitude towards the learning process and on students’ performance seems to be evolving towards a consensus, according to which an appropriate use of digital technologies in education can have significant positive effects both on students’ attitude and their achievement. Research has shown that the appropriate use of ICTs can catalyze the paradigmatic shift in both content and pedagogy that is at the heart of education reform in the 21st century. Kulik’s (1994) meta-analysis study revealed that, on average, students who used ICT-based instruction scored higher than students without computers. The students also learned more in less time and liked their classes more when ICT-based instruction was included. Fuchs and Woessman (2004) used international data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), they showed that while the bivariate correlation between the availability of ICT and students’ performance is strongly and significantly positive, the correlation becomes small and insignificant when other student environment characteristics are taken into consideration. Attwell and Battle (1999) examined the relationship between having a home computer and school performance, their findings suggest that students who have access to a computer at home for educational purposes, have improved scores in reading and math. Becker (2000) found that ICT increases student engagement, which leads to an increased amount of time students spend working outside class. Coates et al. (2004) showed that students in on-campus courses usually score better than their online counterparts, but this difference is not significant here. ICTs especially computers and Internet technologies enable new ways of teaching and learning rather than simply allow teachers and students to do what they have done before in a better way. ICT helps in providing a catalyst for rethinking teaching practice (Flecknoe,2002; McCormick & Scrimshaw, 2001) developing the kind of graduates and citizens required in an information society (Department of Education, 2001); improving educational outcomes (especially pass rates) and enhancing and improving the quality of teaching and learning (Wagner, 2001; Garrison & Anderson, 2003). ICT can help deepen students’ content knowledge, engage them in constructing their own knowledge, and support the development of complex thinking skills (Kozma, 2005; Kulik, 2003; Webb & Cox, 2004).Studies have identified a variety of constructivist learning strategies (e.g., students work in collaborative groups or students create products that represent what they are learning) that can change the way students interact with the content (Windschitl, 2002). Albert Bandura, Girasoli and Hannafin (2008) urge the use of asynchronous CMC tools to promote student self-efficacy and hence academic performance. Fister et al (2008) also depict the power of 129



tablet PCs to improve mathematics instruction. ICTs have the potential for increasing access to and improving the relevance and quality of education. General Conclusions of the review In order to conclude we will try to proceed to synthesize from a general viewpoint the results obtained, taking into consideration the relevant aspects of the literature. The results provided by both the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the literature obtained will be exposed especially regarding those aspects which are related to ICTs for Education and ICTs in Education. ICTs for education refers to the development of information and communications technology specifically for teaching/ learning purposes, while the ICTs in education involves the adoption of general components of information and communication technologies in the teaching learning process. This literature review has sought to explore the role of ICT in education as we progress into the 21st century. In particular ICTs have impacted on educational practice in education to date in quite small ways but that the impact will grow considerably in years to come and that ICT will become a strong agent for change among many educational practices. Extrapolating current activities and practices, the continued use and development of ICTs within education will have a strong impact on: ICT and teaching learning process; quality and accessibility of education; learning motivation, learning environment and ICT usage and academic performance. The adoption and use of ICTs in education have a positive impact on teaching, learning, and research. ICT can affect the delivery of education and enable wider access to the same. In addition, it will increase flexibility so that learners can access the education regardless of time and geographical barriers. It can influence the way students are taught and how they learn. It would provide the rich environment and motivation for teaching learning process which seems to have a profound impact on the process of learning in education by offering new possibilities for learners and teachers. These possibilities can have an impact on student performance and achievement. Similarly wider availability of best practices and best course material in education, which can be shared by means of ICT, can foster better teaching and improved academic achievement of students. The overall literature suggests that successful ICT integration in education. References  Al-Ansari, H. (2006). Internet use by the faculty members of Kuwait University. The Electronic Library Vol.24, No. (6), Pp; 791-803.  Alexander, J.O. (1999). Collaborative design, constructivist learning, information technology immersion, & electronic communities: a case study. Interpersonal Computing and Technology: An Electronic Journal for the 21st Century No.7, Pp; 1–2.  Amutabi, M. N. & Oketch, M. O. (2003), ‘Experimenting in distance education: the African Virtual University (AVU) and the paradox of the World Bank in Kenya’, International Journal of Educational Development Vol. 23No.(1),Pp; 57-73.  Attwell, P; Battle, J. (1999). “Home Computers and School Performance”. The Information Society. No. (15), Pp. 1-10.  Barron, A. (1998). Designing Web-based training. British Journal of Educational Technology, Vol. 29, No. (4), Pp; 355-371.  Becker, H. J. (2000). “Pedagogical Motivations for Student Computer Use that Leads to Student Engagement”. Education Technology. Vol. 40, No. 5, Pp; 5-17.  Berge, Z. (1998). Guiding principles in Web-based instructional design. Education Media International, Vol. 35No.(2), Pp;72-76.  Bhattacharya, I. & Sharma, K. (2007), ‘India in the knowledge economy – an electronic paradigm’, International Journal of Educational Management Vol. 21 No. 6, Pp. 543-568. 130



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Bottino, R. M. (2003),’ICT, national policies, and impact on schools and teachers’ development’ ‘CRPIT ’03: Proceedings of the 3.1 and 3.3 working groups conference on International federation for information processing’, Australian Computer Society, Inc., Darlinghurst, Australia, Australia, 36. Chandra, S. & Patkar, V. (2007), ‘ICTS: A catalyst for enriching the learning process and library services in India’, The International Information & Library Review Vol. 39, No. (1), Pp; 1-11. Cholin,V. S. (2005), ‘Study of the application of information technology for effective access to resources in Indian university libraries’, The International Information & Library Review Vol.37,No.(3), 189-197. Coates, D.; Humphreys, B. R. [et al.] (2004). “No Significant Distance’ between Face-to-face and Online Instruction: Evidence from Principles of Economics”. Economics of Education Review. Vol. 23, No. 6, Pp; 533-546

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INCLUSION OF ICT IN TEACHER EDUCATION IN INDIA Pramila Kumari* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT In the modern age the educational system is constantly being challenged to offer better education to more people, at the same time as technological development continually opens up new possibilities and methods of learning day by day. Teachers played a vital role in molding society. Therefore, the teaching profession was known as the noblest of all. “Teachers of the present generation should update their knowledge irrespective of their discipline”. Information technologies have reshaped teaching and learning in schools, but often not in ways anticipated by technology proponents. Schools have made significant use of assessment and instructional technologies that help promote learning for all students, whereas technologies for learners, such as mobile devices, video games, and social networking sites, are typically excluded from school contexts. As a professional practitioner, the teacher is likely to become a role model for his/her students. The teacher should also be a subject developer. By this one means that the teacher should, through continual work, bring new knowledge to the subject through his/her own experience, and research and development work. Teacher training is essential in modern ways so as to impart relevant and genuine education to the pupils. The world is changing at a very high pace and in order to make the students aware of today’s technological advancements it is necessary for the teacher to understand the present paradigm and implement new ways of teaching. Hence the author asserts that teacher education system must be empowered by ICT-driven infrastructure to ensure academic excellence. KEYWORDS: Inclusion, Communication, Technology, Teachers Education, ICT. Introduction The Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can offer good chances to spread and create inclusion processes: putting together different people and different subjects moving from an informal to a formal dimension and vice-versa during the learning process can enhance and develop a common background dimension to encounter the different educational needs of people. In an inclusive context we can offer more learning opportunities by favoring the development of knowledge and enhancing the process of creating the competences in regards to the potentialities of everyone. This paper examines the roles of both multimedia and special education applied to university courses. The concept of an inclusive approach of multimedia here focuses not only on the ways in which the needs of all students, including those with disabilities, in accessing, attending and achieving potentials on the program are met, but also on the ways the University responds to diversity under the following elements: quality of educational path, method and organization of educational environment, tutors’ professional skills, integrated strategies and methodologies. Teacher is someone who is a master in certain knowledge; someone who dispels the darkness of ignorance and spreads the light of knowledge. Traditional guru is someone more than a teacher, serving as a guide, a counselor to mold the delicate soul of students with values helping in spiritual as well as knowledge based evolution of a student. Teacher is a person who is trained specifically in a particular subject so as to deliver the same to his student in a way to benefit the student and society at large. Each profession occupies a specific niche in society- doctors heal, engineers design and bankers handle our money. Teaching, however, stands out as a special entity. At an early stage, teachers instill the faculties of communication, decision making and awareness of social responsibilities. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Research Scholar (JRF), Department of Education, M.D.U. Rohtak, E-mail: [email protected] 132


Later in life, no matter which field we choose to pursue, we again turn to teachers for training. These crucial responsibilities of inculcating knowledge, kindling inspiration and encouraging creative thought are all vested in the teacher. Keeping in mind the increasing trend of both parents working long hours, the teacher is also expected to build a strong moral character and provide emotional support. Thus, the teacher has to build a rapport with the student and be simultaneously approachable and authoritative. His/her role encompasses that of an instructor, friend, role model and confidant. Teacher is considered to be the architect of the nation, the future of the nation lies in the hands of a teacher. This shows the importance of teacher and that’s when we feel how important education is, which makes one a teacher. Teacher education is looked after by a systematic operation of various agencies involved in it. In our country, no system is free from problems; teacher education in not an exception to it. A great person once said, “Teaching is a profession that teaches all other professions.” From ancient times, teachers have been playing an important role in our society. Behind every successful engineer or doctor there is a teacher. Teacher Education in India We in India have a large number of teachers and we certainly require many more to suffice the best training lesson for the generations to come. Teacher Education is an important aspect of imparting genuine education to the students. Teacher Education is one way of ensuring that optimal learning takes place in the classrooms. It is very well known that the quality and extent of a learner’s achievement are based on the teacher’s competence and motivation. Various education commissions and a number of expert committee have discussed the aims of teacher education in India. The National Council of Teacher Education has defined teacher education as – A program of education, research and training of person to teach from pre-primary to higher education level. According to goods dictionary of education, Teacher Education means, “all the formal and non formal activities and experiences that help to qualify a person to assume responsibilities of a member of the educational profession or to discharge his responsibilities more effectively.” Owing to knowledge explosion and tremendously fast changing ICT, the teachers sometimes find it rather difficult to cope with the new intellectual challenges being thrown up by the changed global and local context. Therefore, they need to acquire new knowledge, and reliable and authentic information. Teacher education in India helps the student teacher by providing relevant knowledge, an attitude to grab what is necessary as per the present need and skills to functions effectively in the teaching profession. It equips a student teacher in both conceptual as well as theoretical framework in order to make them understand the professional intricacies. The Changing Role of the Teacher The educational system is constantly being challenged to offer better education to more people, at the same time as technological development continually opens up new possibilities and methods of learning. Education and tutoring can be described as complicated relationships in which many factors affect the whole. Some of these factors are the students’ learning preconditions and which framework factors apply at any given time. By framework factors we mean: “given factors enhancing or preventing learning”, and in this context associated with ICT. The framework factors will be different in relation to various methods. The students’ preconditions for learning concern their working habits, attitudes, motivation and knowledge which are all central factors in teaching and learning. It is important that the teacher is conscious of this, and intervenes in the processes when it is desirable or natural to do so. Methods in the field of ICT often require different things of the teacher at the same time demanding more student activity. 133



As a professional practitioner, the teacher is likely to become a role model or standard for his or her students. The teacher should also be a subject developer. By this one means that the teacher should, through continual work, bring new knowledge to the subject through his/her own experience, and research and development work. The teacher’s role as a subject disseminator is also emphasised by focusing on the “good teacher”, who in an inspiring and lively manner, awakens the desire, and therefore also the motivation for learning. Some teachers feel threatened by new technology and experience - that this may make the teacher superfluous. The way we see it, however, technology will never be able to make the teacher redundant, but it may make the teacher’s role different. Professional Development of Teacher The literally meaning of the term “Professional Development” is acquisition of skills, both for personal development and carrier advancements. Professional development encompasses all types of facilitated learning opportunities ranging from educational degree to formal coursework, conferences, refresher courses, in-service and pre-service teacher’s training programmes or other informal learning opportunities in a situated practice. It has been described as intensive and collaborative, ideally incorporating an evaluative stage. Besides this, there are a variety of approaches to professional development, including consultation, coaching, lesson study, mentoring, reflective supervision and technical assistance. APPROACHES TO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: There are enormous approaches towards facilitation of professional development of teachers. The term “Professional development, “, in broader sense may include all formal types of vocational education including pre-service and inservice professional development programs. These programs may be approached in be various forms like formal, informal, group or individualized or programs may be offered by human resource departments. In other words, the professional development skills may include cognitive learning skills, which sometimes may referred to as “Leadership Skills” or “Task Skills”. Professional opportunities may range from a single workshop to a semesterlong academic course, or services offered by different professional development providers resulting widely learning experience with respect to the philosophy, content, and format of the learning experiences. Some examples of approaches to professional development include –  Case Study Method - The case method is a teaching approach that consists in presenting the students with a problems/ case making one role-model as a decision maker facing a problem.  Consultation - To assist an individual or group of individuals to clarify doubts, problems followed by immediate concerns systematic problem-solving process.  Coaching - To enhance a person s competencies in a specific skill area by providing a process of observation, reflection, and action.  Communities of Practice - To improve professional practice by engaging in shared inquiry and learning with people who have a common goal  Lesson Study - To solve practical dilemmas related to intervention or instruction through participation with other professionals in systematically examining practice  Mentoring - To promote an individual s awareness and refinement one s professional development by providing and recommending structured opportunities for reflection and observation.  Reflective Supervision - To support, develop, and ultimately evaluate the performance of employees through a process of inquiry that encourages their understanding and articulation of the rationale for their own practices  Technical Assistance - To assist individuals and their organization to improve by offering resources and information, supporting networking and change efforts. 134


Inculsion of ICT in Teacher Education in India

ICT – Meaning and Importance Information and Communication Technologies (ICT’S) -The ICT (Information and Communication technologies), has also become an integral part of today’s teaching-learning process. Countries across the world are using ICT in facilitating information dissemination and communication in all areas of education and training. ICT are the “technological tools and resources that are used to communicate, to create, disseminate, store, and manage information.” They include hardware, software and Netware, as well as institutional, financial, cultural and application- related parameters that determine how ICT will shaped and developed by society at large for improving quality in teacher education.” Thus one should make of these technologies in the classroom that enable students to become active participants in their own learning process, such type of technologies are called “INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGIES”. For example: e-learning, blended learning, collaborative-co-operative learning, m-Learning etc. to be used in the classroom by the teachers to provide students with access to such technologies and guidance in using them in a way that will enhance their learning. And in an ICTsupported learning environment must be established for the professional and on-going developments of the today’s and would be teachers. Also, school leaders must communicate a vision for ICT in the educational institutions and foster an ICT culture that allows all school staff to be regular users of ICT. Challenge Based Learning (CBL) requires real-world tools, so one needs ubiquitous access to technology that is commonly used in 21st century life and work. This ideally includes ICT, computers, rich media creation tools, internet, and mobile devices for anytime, anywhere access to information, content, and communication. In addition, to make students to work in teams and not all of the work will take place during class, one has to need inculcating ICT and collaborative workspace that is available to everyone 24/7 in during teaching-learning. ICT in Teacher Education The developments in the use of the electronic media have influenced all walks of life. Education is no exception to this. The use of computers and the internet for enhancing the quality of education by making learning more relevant to life has been seen as an ideal by educational institutions. The citizens of tomorrow who are our students now are going to live in the age of the electronic media. How are we preparing them for the same? Are we giving them technology based Education? Are we giving them exposure to the use of computers and the internet? Have we integrated the ICT into classroom processes? What are the efforts made by the department in this direction? What does policy say about ICT in Education? There are several such questions which we need to probe into. An understanding of these issues will enable us to use the ICT more meaningfully in Education. With the growing demands of society and on set of technology based education, it is necessary to include Information and Communication Technology in teacher education. With a scenario where information is accessible to a child at one mouse click, a teacher must be equipped with competence to use ICT for their own professional development. There is a major paradigm shift in the overall education system with implementation of better teaching concepts. This technology invites learners to be more independent and the curricula to be more dynamic. Teachers need to complement their content and pedagogy expertise by utilizing online facilities. Use of ICT effectively requires a change in classroom practice rather than mere acquisition of technical skills. Teachers need to familiarize themselves with possibilities approaches and application in the use of ICT, the facilitation of teaching learning. There are a variety of approaches to professional development of teachers in the context of use of ICT in education. Professional development to incorporate ICT into teaching and learning is an ongoing process. Teachers need to update their knowledge and skills as the school curriculum and technologies change. No more learning is a teacher centric static process; it is more of learner centric 135



and flexible process. Now with the inclusion of ICT it is observed that Class Room has turned into an active participant’s platform where actually the knowledge evolves. Thus professionally powerful teaching is the need of the hour in order to design dynamic ways of human development. Teachers need to acquire knowledge as well as skills to be able to survive and more than that to impart best of knowledge to the students. Conclusion “Good education requires good teachers” means that it becomes essential that the most capable and appropriate people be recruited into the teaching profession, provided with a high quality. In the era of Innovations and Technological advancements, everybody wants to bring about a change in the present educational system to some extent. But the same does not seem to be transmitted in actions. And it is the Teacher, who is given an unassuming importance for ensuring the innovative teaching strategies in the field of education, who is the successive key role player in enhancing the quality based education. Therefore, the professional development teacher must be taken into account for various domains that include instructional technologies, innovative teaching-learning strategies that can be used in the classrooms for developing new programme and tools, to meet requirements of all students. Implementation of ICT leads to learning which is more interesting and less burdening. How efficiently can a teacher use this tool is of prime importance, in order to promote learning through ICT. ICT is not a substitute but a powerful tool for teacher to make learning possible. As technology has created change in all aspects of society, it is also changing our expectations of what students must learn in order to function in the new world economy. Students will have to learn to navigate through large amounts of information, to analyze and make decisions, and to master new knowledge domains in an increasingly technological society. They will need to be lifelong learners, collaborating with others in accomplishing complex tasks, and effectively using different systems for presenting and communicating knowledge to others. A shift from teacher-centered instruction to learner-centered instruction is needed to enable students to acquire the new 21st century knowledge and skills. ICT has changed the role of Class Room teaching and has shrunk the world into small village. References  (2011, Sep 05), Express News Service : New Delhi, 01:29 hrs “How important are teachers for society?”  National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) (1998) NCTE Document New Delhi, Published by Member Secretary, NCTE.  Jindal Anita, Prof. Gupta S.K. (December 2012). Role of ICT in quality education in India .IJRESS Volume 2, Issue 12 ISSN: 2249-7382  Khvilon Evgueni, Patru Mariana Information and communication Technologies in Teacher Education, UNESCO  Mohanty Jagannath (2000) Teacher Education in India  Internopplæring i fjernundervisning. 1996-97. Et samarbeidsprosjekt mellom høgskolene i Bodø, Gjøvik og Nord-Trøndelag  Veiledning på veiledning ved hjelp av videokonferanseteknologi. 1997.98. Et multipunkt veiledningsprosjekt i sykepleiefaglig veiledning ved Høgskolen i Bodø.  Cuban, L. (2003). Oversold and underused: Computers in the classroom. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

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Cuban, L., Kirkpatrick, H., & Peck, C. (2001). High access and low use of technologies in high school classrooms: Explaining an apparent paradox, American Educational Research Journal, 38(4), 813-834. Fullan, M. (2001). The new meaning of educational change (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Teachers College Press. No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Pub L. No. 107-1105. (2001).Washington, DC: U. S. Congress.

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ROLE OF TEACHER EDUCATION IN SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF INDIA Nirmla Rani* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT Education is the key for development of any nation and it depends on the quality of teachers. Knowledge, dedication, quality, professional commitment and motivation of teachers are the factors responsible for quality education and learner achievement. The social and economic development of nation is fundamentally an educational process in which people learns to create new institutions, utilize new technologies, cope with their environment, and alter their patterns of behavior. Education in a broad sense improves the capabilities of individuals and the capacity of institutions, and becomes a catalyst for the closely interrelated economic, social, cultural, and demographic changes that can be defined as national development. The teacher is the most important element in any educational program. It is the teacher who is mainly responsible for implementation of the educational process at any stage. This shows that it is imperative to invest in the preparation of teachers, so that the future of a nation is secure. The Nation places demands and expectations on the teacher, which need to be addressed by both initial and continuing teacher education. India has reached the threshold of the development of new technologies and innovative methods to trained teachers which are likely to revolutionize the classroom teaching. Unless capable and committed teachers are in service, the education system cannot become a suitable and potential instrument of national development. Key words: - Educational Institutions, Social development, Economic development, Teacher education. Introduction Teaching is the oldest, most indispensable and inevitable of all the professions in the world. In India, teaching has been a recognized and revered profession since the dawn of history. The teacher was expected not only to impart information and skills, but lead and guide his students to “supreme knowledge”. Hence the qualities laid down for teachers were very high. Teacher education is based on the theory that ¯Teachers are made, not born in contrary to the assumption, ¯Teachers are born, not made. Since teaching is considered an art and a science, the teacher has to acquire not only knowledge, but also skills that are called ¯tricks of the trade. The National Council for Teacher Education has defined teacher education as – A program of education, research and training of persons to teach from pre-primary to higher education level and this is also a program related to the development of teacher proficiency and competence that would enable and empower the teacher to meet the requirements of the profession and face the challenges therein. Teacher education is broad and comprehensive. Besides pre service and in-service programs for teachers, it is meant to be involved in various community programs and extension activities, viz. adult education and non-formal education programs, literacy and development activities of the society. Teacher education encompasses teaching skills, sound pedagogical theory and professional skills. Teaching skills include providing training and practice in the different techniques, approaches and strategies that would help the teachers to plan and impart instructions, provide appropriate reinforcement and conduct effective assessment. It includes effective classroom management skills, preparation and use of instructional materials and communication skills. Pedagogical theory includes the philosophical, sociological and psychological considerations that would enable the teachers to have a sound basis for practicing the teaching skills in the classroom. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Research Scholar, IMSAR M.D.U. Rohtak E-mail Id: [email protected] 138


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The theory is stage specific and is based on the needs and requirements that are characteristics of that stage. Professional skills include the techniques, strategies and approaches that would help teachers to grow in the profession and also work towards the growth of the profession. It includes soft skills, counseling skills, interpersonal skills, computer skills, information retrieving and management skills and above all lifelong learning skills. Education has dynamically motivated teachers to aspire for freedom, viz., social freedom, educational freedom, economic freedom, political freedom and freedom for career and earning. It also enables teachers to acquire basic skills and abilities and fosters a value system which is conducive to raising their status in society. The education contributes to the higher status of teacher. Increase in education is associated with an increase in social decision making power. Need of Teacher Education It is common knowledge that the academic and professional standards of teachers constitute a critical component of the essential learning conditions for achieving the educational goals of a nation. The focus of teacher preparation had to shift from training to education if it had to make a positive influence on the quality of curriculum transaction in classrooms and thereby pupil learning and the larger social transformation. The aspects that need greater emphasis are; 1. The length of academic preparation, 2. The level and quality of subject matter knowledge, 3. The degree of commitment to the profession, 4. Sensitivity to contemporary issues and problems and 5. The level of motivation. Objectives of Teacher Education Some of the most important objectives of teacher education are as follows: 1. Imparting an adequate knowledge of the subject matter. 2. Equipping the prospective teachers with necessary pedagogic skills. 3. Enabling the teacher to acquire understanding of child psychology. 4. Developing proper attitudes towards teaching. 5. Developing self confidence in the teachers. 6. Enabling teachers to understand the significance if individual differences of child and to take appropriate steps for their optimum development. 7. Development of the ability to give directs satisfaction of parents from the achievement of children in terms of:(a) Proper habits of taking care of the body (b) Proper aptitudes reflected in the behavior of the children at home, in the school, in the street, at the farms and fields, etc. (c) Progress in the class. TEACHER EDUCATION AT DIFFERENT LEVELS OF EDUCATION There are two aspects of teacher preparation. The individual before he joins the school is exposed to a program of experiences and knowledge about the theory and practice of teaching, normally in a teacher training college. Such a program leads to a degree, diploma or a certificate. This is the preservice education of a teacher. Again a teacher in the class-room or an administrator at his job is also brought into a program and exposed to such experiences as aim at contributing to his professional and personal growth. Such a program is a program of in-service education.

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A. 1. 2. 3. 4. B. 1. 2. 3. 4. C.

Agencies of teacher education at State level: State Institute of Education (SIE State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) State Board of Teacher Education (SBTE) University Departments of Education (UDTE) Agencies of teacher education at National level: University Grant Commission (UGC) National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA) National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) Agencies of teacher education at International level: United Nations Educational Scientific, Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Challenges in Teacher Education Unprecedented expansion of teacher education institutions and programs during the past few years characterizes the teacher education scenario of today. With increasing school enrolments and the launch of pan-Indian primary education development programs like Operation Blackboard, District Primary Education Program, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Universalization of Elementary Education, there was a natural increase in the demand for teachers. Added to this, the backlog of untrained teachers in the system and the essential requirement of pre-service teacher certification for appointment as a teacher led to mounting pressure on existing institutional capacity. The demand far exceeding supply, market forces have taken over unprecedented rise in the number of teacher education institutions in most parts of the country. Changing Context of Teacher Education in Indian Scenario The well-established tradition of teaching and learning in India has retained its inherent strength even under adverse circumstances. The post-independence period was characterized by major efforts being made to nurture and transform teacher education. Having inherited a foreign model of teacher preparation at the time of independence from Britain in 1946, major efforts have been made to adapt and up-date the teacher education curriculum to local needs, to make it more context based, responsive and dynamic with regard to best meeting the particular needs of India. The current system of teacher education is supported by a network of national, provincial and district level resource institutions working together to enhance the quality and effectiveness of teacher preparation programs at the preservice level and also through in-service programs for serving teachers throughout the country. India has made considerable progress in school education since independence with reference to overall literacy, infrastructure and universal access and enrolment in schools. Major developments in the recent years form the background to the present reform in teacher education1. The National Curriculum Framework for school education, 2005. 2. The political recognition of Universalization of Elementary 3. Education that led to the Right to Education Bill, 2008- The Bill has been passed by the Parliament and the Right to Education Act has come into being making it mandatory for the state to provide free and compulsory education to almost 20 crores children in the 6-14 age groups till class 8. Contribution of Teacher education in Economic Development An ancient Chinese philosopher’s quote “Give a man fish and he will eat for a day Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.” shows the importance of teacher education in economic development. Education in every sense is one of the fundamental factors of development. No country can achieve sustainable economic development without substantial investment in human capital. 140


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Education enriches people’s understanding of themselves and world. It improves the quality of their lives and leads to broad social and economic benefits to individuals and society. Education raises people’s productivity and creativity and promotes entrepreneurship and technological advances. Teacher education plays a very crucial role in securing economic and social progress in improving income distribution. Higher education has historically included economic development as part of its core mission. The colleges and universities serving the region have allocated fiscal, physical, and human resources and created entrepreneurship systems within the institutions to advance economic development. Teacher education is helpful in increasing the physical capital which is most important factor determining economic growth which has been recommended to accelerate the process of economic growth and raise the living standards of the people. Education is considered as human capital and expenditure on education of the people as investment in man and human capital. Teacher education is helpful in the economic development in the following ways:1. By increasing economic growth. 2. By increasing per capita income. 3. It increases the productivity and creativity. 4. It also provides consumption and investment benefits to the economy. 5. It reduces inequality and poverty by generating employment. Contribution of Teacher Education in Social DevelopmentSocial developments means there is increase in the people’s standard of living. It is a process by which individuals acquire social competence by learning norms, values, beliefs, attitudes, language characteristics, and roles appropriate to their social groups. Education plays a very important role in the social development of a nation. .Social objectives such as human relations, economic efficiency and civic knowledge can be fulfilled through teacher education. There is direct link between teacher education and social development. With the help of imparting education by trained teachers people are able to get social intelligence and develop their social competence which enhance their mental health and makes people better citizens. In this way they build a positive influence on social development .Such a positive influence provides a supportive enviournment for the development of a nation. By providing teacher education a nation can make people better citizens who can make their social life more healthy and meaningful. Teacher’s Contribution In National DevelopmentWhatever policies may be laid down, in the ultimate analysis these have to be implemented by teachers as much through their personal example as through teaching learning processes. India has reached the threshold of the development of new technologies which are likely to revolutionize the classroom teaching. Unless capable and committed are teachers in service, the education system cannot become a suitable and potential instrument of national development. Teachers’ education has assumed special significance in the country’s planned development. They represent a valuable human resource and play an important role in the development of the community and the national economy. A teacher is encouraging, supportive and humane facilitator in teaching learning situations who enables learners (students) to discover their talents, to realize their physical and intellectual potentialities to the fullest, to develop character and desirable social and human values to function as responsible citizens; and also An active member of the group of persons who make conscious effort to contribute towards the process of renewal of school curriculum to maintain its relevance to the changing societal needs and personal needs of learners, keeping in view the experiences gained in the past and the concerns and imperatives that have emerged in the light of changing national development goals and educational priorities.

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ConclusionSince the teacher is the pivot of the entire educational system and is the main catalytic agent for introducing desirable changes in the teaching learning process, all attempts need be made for motivating teachers to become innovative and creative. It goes without saying that a self motivated and really industrious teacher can utilize his own resources to keep himself abreast of new knowledge and skills. It has been recognized that teacher education program should be structured and modified in a way that enables them to respond dynamically to the new problems and challenges in the field of education, then only teacher can help in national development. A country which is unable to develop the skills and knowledge of its people and to utilize them efficiently in the national economy will be unable to develop anything else. Clearly the teacher education is the significant source of economic and social development of an economy. References  Anand, M. (2011). Women empowerment (legal and education perspective). Vital publications: Jaipur.127&130.  Bhattacharjee J, (2015). Progress of Teacher Education in India– A Discussion from Past to Present. International Journal of Humanities & Social Science Studies II (I) 213-222  Goel D.R., and Goel, C., (2012). Teacher education scenario in India: Current problems and concerns. MIER journal of educational studies, Trends and Practices.  Dave, R. (1998). In competency based commitment oriented teacher education for quality school Education. New Delhi: Initiation Document NCTE  Government of India (2009). National knowledge commission, Report to the Nation. Retrieved from knowledgecommissionarchive.nic.in/downloads/report2009/eng/report09.pdf on 14.11.2016 Vol-2 Issue-6 2016 IJARIIE-ISSN (O)-2395-4396 3514 www.ijariie.com 1224  Mohanty S..B. (2015) High quality teacher training in advanced education systems (Editorial). Journal of All India Association for Educational Research. 27, (1) 1-37 Kaur S, (2013). Present Scenario of Teacher Education in India. International Journal of Science and Research. 2 (12), 262-264r  Mukherjee, S.N.(1977). Education of teachers in India. (Volume I). S.Chand & Company Ltd, New Delhi. 3-4&270.  NCTE National Curriculum Framework (2005) NUEPA, (2011) Teachers and teaching in India. Consotium for Research on Educational Access, Transitions and Equity (CREATE). India policy brief no. 5.  Sharma, A. K. (2003). Milestone in Teacher Education since Independence.  University of Mumbai, (2016). Concept of teacher Education. Retrieved from archive.mu.ac.in/my web test.  Venkataih N. (1998) Value education, New Delhi: APH Publishing corporation.  http://www.unesco.org/education/ pdf/412_35a.pdf  http://cerc.edu.hku.hk/wp-content/  http://archive.mu.ac.in/myweb_test/  http://archive.mu.ac.in/myweb_test/ [20IV.pdf / TAP/JTE_The_Work_of_Teaching.pdf [6]

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CONTEMPORARY CONCEPTUALIZATION OF TECHNOLOGICAL PEDAGOGICAL AND CONTENT KNOWLEDGE FOR TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Suman Thakran* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT This paper is about Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK). This framework builds on Lee Shulman’s (1986) construct of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) to include technology knowledge. TPACK refers to knowledge about the complex relations among technology, pedagogy, and content that enable teachers to develop appropriate and context-specific teaching strategies. The TPACK framework recommends that teachers need to have deep understandings of each components of knowledge to orchestrate and coordinate technology, pedagogy, and content into teaching. TPACK is an emergent form of knowledge that goes beyond knowledge of content, pedagogy, and technology taken individually but rather exists in a dynamic transactional relationship (Bruce, 1997; Dewey & Bentley, 1949; Rosenblatt, 1978) between the three components (Koehler & Mishra, 2009; Mishra & Koehler, 2006). This TPACK framework has significantly influenced theory, research, and practice in teacher education as well as teacher professional development. This paper advice to move beyond and draws upon the more contemporary conceptualization of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK), now known as TPACK. Keywords: Professional Development, Teacher Education, Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge, TPACK Introduction TPACK stands for Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge. Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge is an attempt to type the nature of knowledge vital by teachers for technology integration in their teaching. The TPACK framework spreads Shulman’s (1986) idea of Pedagogical Content Knowledge. Seven components of Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK). TPACK framework is the multifaceted interaction of three primary forms of knowledge: Content Knowledge (CK), Pedagogy Knowledge (PK), and Technology Knowledge (TK). The TPACK approach goes beyond seeing these three knowledge bases in isolation. The TPACK framework emphasizing the kinds of knowledge that lie at the intersections between three primary forms: Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), Technological Content Knowledge (TCK), Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK), and Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK).

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Framework of Technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) (Image from http://tpack.org) 

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Content Knowledge (CK) – Knowledge of content. Knowledgeof subject matter to be learned or taught by the teachers. The content to be covered in primary classes, middle school science or history is different from the content to be covered in an undergraduate course on art appreciation or a graduate seminar on physics. Shulman (1986), knowledgecomprises of concepts, theories, ideas, organizational frameworks, knowledge of evidence and proof, as well as established practices and approaches toward developing such knowledge” (Koehler & Mishra, 2009).For example,science includes knowledge of scientific facts and theories, the scientific method and evidence-based reasoning. Art appreciation includes knowledge of art history, famous paintings, sculptures, artists and their historical contexts as well as knowledge of aesthetic and psychological theories for evaluating art.The cost of not having a comprehensive base of content knowledge can be prohibitive; for example, students can receive incorrect information and develop misunderstandings about the content area (National Research Council, 2000; Pfundt, &Duit, 2000). Pedagogical Knowledge (PK) – Knowledge of pedagogy. Teachers have profound knowledge of processes and methods of teaching and learning. They incorporatethings like overall educational purposes, values, and aims. This basic form of knowledge applies in understanding how students learn, general classroom management skills, lesson planning and student assessment.” (Koehler & Mishra, 2009).Pedagogical knowledge needs an understanding of intellectual, social and developmental theories of learning and how they apply to students in the classroom. Technology Knowledge (TK) – Knowledge of technology. Knowledge about certain ways of thinking, working with technology, tools or techniques and resources. This includes understanding of information technology and apply it productively at work and in everyday life andable to recognize when information technology can support the achievement of a goal and being able continually adapt to changes in information technology (Koehler & Mishra, 2009). Attaining technology knowledge in this manner enables a person to accomplish a variety of different tasks using information technology and to develop different ways of accomplishing a given task. This conceptualization of technologyknowledgedoes not speculate an “end state,” 144


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but rather sees it developmentally, as evolving over a lifetime of generative, open-ended interaction with technology. Three principal forms of knowledge: Content (CK), Pedagogy (PK), and Technology (TK) of TPACK frameworkare explained.Now intersections between three primary forms: Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), Technological Content Knowledge (TCK), Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK), and Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) are explained one by one. Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) – Knowledge of pedagogy to teach specific content.As Shulman’s conceptualization of PCK is the concept of the transformation of the subject matter for teaching. Shulman (1986), this transformation happens as the teacher interprets the subject matter, finds multiple ways to represent it, and adapts and tailors the instructional materials to alternative conceptions and students’ prior knowledge. Pedagogical Content Knowledgecovers the core business of teaching, learning, curriculum, assessment and reporting, such as the conditions that promote learning and the links among curriculum, assessment, and pedagogy” (Koehler & Mishra, 2009). Technological Content Knowledge (TCK) – “An understanding of technology and content which influence and constrain one another. Teachers need to master more than the subject matter they teach; they must also have a deep understanding of the way the subject matter can be changed by the application of technologies. Teachers need to understand specific technologies which are best suited for addressing subject-matter learning in their domains and how the content dictates or perhaps even changes the technology—or vice versa” (Koehler & Mishra, 2009).Progress in fields as diverse as medicine, history, archeology, and physics have coincided with the development of new technologies that afford the representation and manipulation of data in new and fruitful ways. Consider Roentgen’s discovery of X-rays or the technique of carbon-14 dating and the influence of these technologies in the fields of medicine and archeology and how the advent of the digital computer changed the nature of physics and mathematics and placed a greater emphasis on the role of simulation in understanding phenomena. Technological changes have also offered new metaphors for understanding the world. Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK) – “An understanding of how teaching and learning can change when particular technologies are used in particular ways. This includes knowing the pedagogical affordances and constraints of a range of technological tools as they relate to disciplinarily and developmentally appropriate pedagogical designs and strategies” (Koehler & Mishra, 2009). For example, consider how whiteboards may be used in classrooms. Because a whiteboard is typically immobile, visible to many, and easily editable, its uses in classrooms are presupposed. Thus, the whiteboard is usually placed at the front of the classroom and is controlled by the teacher. This location imposes a physical order in the classroom by determining the placement of tables and chairs and framing the nature of student-teacher interaction, since students often can use it only when called upon by the teacher. However, it would be not correct to say that there is only one way in which whiteboards can be used. One has only to compare the use of a whiteboard in a brainstorming meeting in an advertising agency setting to see a rather different use of this technology. In such a setting, the whiteboard is not under the purview of a single individual. It can be used by anybody in the group, and it becomes the focal point around which discussion and the negotiation/construction of meaning occurs. An understanding of the affordances of technology and how they can be leveraged differently according to changes in context and purposes is an important part of understanding TPK. TPK requires a forward-looking, creative, and open-minded seeking of technology use, not for its own sake but for the sake of advancing student learning and understanding. 145



Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) – Underlying truly meaningful and deeply skilled teaching with technology.Technological pedagogical and content knowledge is an understanding that emerges from interactions among content, pedagogy, and technology knowledge. TPACK is the basis of effective teaching with technology, requiring an understanding of the representation of concepts using technologies; pedagogical techniques that use technologies in constructive ways to teach content; knowledge of what makes concepts difficult or easy to learn and how technology can help redress some of the problems that students face; knowledge of students’ prior knowledge and theories of epistemology; and knowledge of how technologies can be used to build on existing knowledge to develop new epistemologies or strengthen old ones (Koehler & Mishra, 2009). Integrating knowledge of technology, pedagogy and content, expert teachers bring TPACK into play any time they teach. Each situation presented to teachers is a unique combination of these three factors, and accordingly, there is no single technological solution that applies for every teacher, every course, or every view of teaching.Teachers need to develop fluency and cognitive flexibility not just in each of the key domains (T, P, and C), but also in the way these domains and contextual parameters interrelate, so that they can construct effective solutions. This is the kind of deep, flexible, pragmatic, and nuanced understanding of teaching with technology we involved in considering TPACK as a professional knowledge construct.Teaching and learning with technology exist in a dynamic transactional relationship (Bruce, 1997; Dewey & Bentley, 1949; Rosenblatt, 1978) between the three components in our framework; a change in any one of the factors should be ‘‘compensated’’ by changes in the other two. (Mishra & Koehler, 2006, p. 1029). The introduction of the Internet, for example – particularly the rise of online learning – is an example of the arrival of a technology that forced educators to think about core pedagogical issues, such as how to represent content on the Web and how to connect students with subject matter and with one another (Peruski& Mishra, 2004). Teaching with technology is a difficult thing to do well. The TPACK framework suggests that content, pedagogy, technology, and teaching/learning contexts have roles to play individually and together. Teaching successfully with technology requires continually creating, maintaining, and reestablishing a dynamic equilibrium among all components. It is worth noting that a range of factors influences how this equilibrium is reached. 

Implications of the TPACK Framework for Teachers and Teacher Educators  Teaching is an ill-structured problem (Leinhardt & Greeno, 1986; Spiro, Coulson, Feltovich, & Anderson, 1988) requiring reasoning about a wide range of interrelated variables such as the background knowledge that students bring into the classroom, teacher and student expectations about the content to be covered, and school and classroom guidelines and rules.Underlying this complexity, three key components of teacher knowledge: understanding of content, understanding of teaching, and understanding of technology. The complexity of technology integration comes from an appreciation of the rich connections of knowledge among these three components and the complex ways in which these are applied in multifaceted and dynamic classroom contexts.  Educational research has aimed at understanding and explaining “how and why the observable activities of teachers’ professional lives take on the forms and functions they do” (Clark & Petersen, 1986, p. 255; Jackson, 1968). A primary goal of this research is to understand the relationships between two key domains: (a) teacher thought processes and knowledge and (b) teachers’ actions and their observable effects. The current work on the TPACK framework seeks to extend this tradition of research and scholarship by bringing technology integration into the kinds of knowledge that teachers need to consider when teaching. 146


Contemporary Conceptualization of Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge for Teacher Professional Development

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The TPACK framework seeks to assist the development of better techniques for discovering and describing how technology-related professional knowledge is implemented and instantiated in practice. By better describing the types of knowledge teachers need (in the form of content, pedagogy, technology, contexts and their interactions), educators are in a better position to understand the variance in levels of technology integration occurring. TPACK framework offers several possibilities for promoting research in teacher education, teacher professional development, and teachers’ use of technology. It offers options for looking at a complex phenomenon like technology integration in ways that are now amenable to analysis and development. Moreover, it allows teachers, researchers, and teacher educators to move beyond oversimplified approaches that treat technology as an “add-on” instead to focus again, and in a more ecological way, upon the connections among technology, content, and pedagogy as they play out in classroom contexts. TPACK framework has significantimplication for teachers and teacher educators; specifically, we argue that teachers should be considered “designers” ofcurricula, and with regards to teacher educators, we identify “learning technology by design” and activity types as twokey methods for the development of TPACK.

Conclusion The TPACK framework describes how effective teaching with technology is possible by pointing out the free and open interplay between technology, pedagogy, and content. Applying TPACK to the task of teaching with technology requires a context-bound understanding of technology, where technologies may be chosen and repurposed to fit the very specific pedagogical and content-related needs of diverseeducational contexts (Kereluik, Mishra, & Koehler, 2010; Mishra & Koehler, 2009).We need a better, shared understanding of TPACK to inform teacher educationcourses and programs, to measure pre-service teacher education students’ TPACKcapabilities throughout their program of studyTPACK framework emphasizes how the connections among teachers’ understanding of content, pedagogy, and technology interact with one another to produce effective teaching.Integrate technology emerges from an understandingboth three main bodies of knowledge and their interactions. TPACK framework has significantimplications for teachers and teacher educators; specifically, teachers should be considered “designers” ofcurricula, and with regards to teacher educators, we identify “learning technology by design” and activity types as twokey methods for the development of TPACK. References  AACTE Committee on Innovation and Technology. Handbook of Pedagogical ContentKnowledge (TPCK) for Educators. Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group, New York (2008).  Bruce, B. C. (1997). Literacy technologies: What stance should we take? Journal of Literacy Research, 29(2), 289-309.  Clark, C. M., & Peterson, P. (1986). Teachers’ thought processes. In M. C. Wittrock (Ed.), Handbook of research on teaching (3rd ed.; pp. 255-296). New York: Macmillan.  Department of Education Training and Youth Affairs (DETYA). Good Practice and Leadershipin the Use of ICT in School, edNA Online, Adelaide (2000),  http://www.edna.edu.au/sibling/leadingpractice  Dewey, J., & Bentley, A.F. (1949). Knowing and the known. Boston: Beacon.  Jackson, P. W. (1968). Life in the classroom. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.  Kereluik, K., Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2010). On learning to subvert signs: Literacy, technology and the TPACK framework. The California Reader, 44(2), 12–18.  Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2009). What is technological pedagogical content knowledge? Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(1), 60-70. 147


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Koehler, M.J., & Mishra, P. (2008). Introducing TPCK. AACTE Committee on Innovation and Technology (Ed.), The handbook of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) for educators (pp. 3-29). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Leinhardt, G., &Greeno, J. G. (1986). The cognitive skill of teaching.Journal of Educational Psychology, 78(2), 75. Mishra, P. & Koehler. M.J. (2009). Too cool for school? No way! Using the TPACK framework: You can have your hot tools and teach with them, too. Learning & Leading with Technology, 36(7), 14–18. Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017-1054. doi: 10.1111/j.14679620.2006.00684x. National Research Council. (1999). Being fluent with information technology literacy. Computer science and telecommunications board commission on physical sciences, mathematics, and applications. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. National Research Council. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Peruski, L., & Mishra, P. (2004). Webs of activity in online course design and teaching. ALT-J: Research in Learning Technology, 12(1), 37-49. Pfundt, H., &Duit, R. (2000). Bibliography: Student’s alternative frameworks and science education (5th ed.). Kiel, Germany: University of Kiel. Putnam, R.T., &Borko, H. (2000). What do new views of knowledge and thinking have to say about research on teacher learning? Educational Researcher, 29(1), 4-15. Rosenblatt, L.M. (1978). The reader, the text, the poem: The transactional theory of literary work. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press. Shulman, L. (1986). Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. Educational Researcher, 15(2), 4-14. Shulman, L. S. (1987). Knowledge and teaching: Foundations of the new reform. Harvard Educational Review, 57(1), 1-22. Spiro, R.J., Coulson, R.I., Feltovich, P.J., & Anderson, D.K. (1988). Cognitive flexibility theory: Advanced knowledge acquisition in ill-structured domains. In V. Patel (Ed.), Tenth Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 375-383). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

Websites:  http://www.tpack.org  http://matt-koehler.com/tpack2/tpack-explained/  http://www.citejournal.org/volume-9/issue-1-09/general/what-is-technologicalpedagogicalcontent-knowledge/

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USAGE OF ICT IN TEACHER EDUCATION: A PERSPECTIVE VIEW Nirmla Kumari* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT 21st Century is the century of information technology. The aim of the information technology associated with the idea of modernization and globalization. Information technology in education is changing the way we teach, learn and conduct research. Utility of ICTs in education are widespread and are continually growing worldwide. It is usually believed that ICTs can make teachers more expressive and learners, making significant contribution to learning. ICT has changed not only educational life, but also the whole of our social life. This is a fundamental challenge that we must accept and address in a responsible way. The use of ICT in education lends itself to more student-centred learning settings. Aiming towards gaining more form technology for optimum results needs to be our immediate focus, in this context. The benefits of technology should be exploited to the maximum to raise the quality of education and also to give meaning for learning. The present paper explores the usage of ICT in teacher education. Keywords: Teacher, Education, ICT, Usage, Challenge. Introduction ICTs refer to Information and Communication Technologies. It is an umbrella term that involves all technologies for the communication of information. ICT can be described as the use of hardware and software for efficient management of information. UNESCO (2002) also define “ICT as a scientific, engineering discipline, technological and management technique used in handling information, its application and connection with economic, social, and cultural matters.” Nowadays, ICT is becoming a part of our lives for the last few decades affecting our society as well as individual life. Around the world, education systems are under increasing pressure to use the new information and communication technologies (ICTs) to teach learners. The Indian education system is determined to impart the overall development of individual and society and enabling the teaching-learning community to compete the international market. Now, ICT is broadly used in educational world. ICT is changing how we learn, teach, and conduct research, but important research challenges remain. Teacher, student, administrator and every people related to education are popularly using ICT. Teacher use ICT for making teaching learning process easy and interesting. The learning pyramid clearly shows that how ICT is useful in teaching and learning process. New Challenges for ICTs in Teacher Education The challenge for ICTs in teacher education is to assure that the new generation teachers, as well as current teachers are well prepared to use new learning method, process and materials with the new ICT tools for learning. ICTs bring a new challenge for teachers’ educators: 1. Knowledge: Teacher educators should have the knowledge to address the main questions of the next century. They must be attentive for the core missions of schools in the society and of the values a school has to transmit. 2. Use of digital technologies or e-teachers: Teachers should be able to use digital technologies, tools and resources, but also to change the pedagogy, to integrate ICTs technologies and, more important, as tools for pedagogical enrichment. So teachers have to be ‘e-teachers’. 3. Being part of a network: Teachers’ educators being able to behave in a network, to take benefit from networking demand teachers and experience such network activities. Therefore, teachers –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Research Scholar, Department of Education, M.D.U., Rohtak, E-mail: [email protected] 149



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educators should work in networks, take part in networks, and consider that their role is to develop human networks for learning. Reformers: Teachers have to play role of actors for changing school in a learning society. They cannot just wait for the reforms elaborated by policy makers. They must contribute to decision making, they must be aware of their important role in the educational policy. Blended Teachers: ‘Blended Teachers’ means teachers having mixing digital activities and non-digital ones, mixing presence and distance, dealing with time and space and all the possibilities offered by ICT in the management of time and space (distance and presence, synchronic and non-synchronic). Life Long Learning Teachers: Teachers have to be ‘Life Long Learning Teachers’. So that they have to prepare their pupils for lifelong learning and pupils should inspired by lifelong learning. This implies that teachers themselves are involved in lifelong learning.

Importance of ICT in 21st CEntury’s Teacher Education In 21st century, the task of teacher has changed and continues to change from being an instructor to a constructor, facilitator, coach and creator of a learning situation. ICTs play an important role for teacher educators in many following ways:  Through the help of ICT, educators can have access to colleagues, institutions and universities, centre’s of expertise, rich resources at cyber space and national organizations like UGC, NCTE, and NAAC etc. ICTs enable to access on-line libraries, journals and research to enable individual learning.  ICTs make possible to improve the initial preparation by giving good quality teaching or training materials, to use simulators, recording and feedback practices for teaching and microteaching, other training institution experiences and working, introducing trainees with resource and support on cyber space.  Through video conferencing or on-line, ICTs provide lifelong and professionally developed courses at a virtual situation, training on demand, orientation and refresher courses.  ICTs enable to give feedback and testing objectivity and fast, without biases as well as ICTs enable to facilitate sharing of ideas, experiences as well as collaborating on projects, exchange materials through virtual communities. Fundamental Principles for Effective ICT Teacher Education SITE (2002) has provided fundamental principles for development of effective ICT teacher education. These are following:  Transform Learning: Technology can be used to support traditional forms of learning as well as to transform learning. A power point presentation, can improve a traditional lecture, but it does not necessarily transform the learning experience, however, the brightest promise of technology in education is as a support for new, innovative, and creative forms of teaching and learning (SITE, 2002).  Technology literacy: It involves use of technology to promote the educational development of learner. Pre-service learners should learn many uses of technology because they are included into their coursework and field experiences. They should see their professors and adviser teacher’s model innovative uses of technology; and they should explore innovative uses of technology in their teaching.  Technology must be used into teacher education programme: During their teacher education programme, students should learn about and with technology and how to include it into their individual teaching. Pre-service teacher education students should learn about a wide range of

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educational technologies across their professional preparation, from introductory and foundation courses to student teaching and professional development experiences. UNESCO’s Vision of ICT in Education It includes leadership and vision, lifelong learning, context and culture and planning and management of change. Teacher education is related to content and pedagogy, technical issues, social issues and collaboration and networking. Now, role of a teacher changed from a knowledge transmitter to that of a facilitator, knowledge navigator, co-learner and sometimes courseware developer. Learning is the responsibility of the learner and the teacher has the fundamental task of guiding the learner and facilitating learning through good pedagogy and appropriate technology. Pedagogy, as a key professional attribute and major element of professionalism in teachers, can be supported by technology for an improved teaching-learning process. ICT can strengthen attributes of the formal school as a one-stop learning community that is essential for good pedagogy, and provide a remedy for improved learning in alternative settings outside the institution. ICT offers new and innovative modes of learner centered learning culture at all levels of education. It can bring classroom without walls and has profound impact on learning environments. ICT integration becomes a necessary, natural, automatic and integral part of teaching and learning rather than an add-on teaching aid. UNESCO’S Vision of ICT in Education

Source: UNESCO’S Planning Guide: Information Commission Technologies in Teacher Education (2002) Modern Trends in Teacher Education In 21st century, we must follow some modern techniques in teacher education.  Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) & E-Learning: Free education has materialized in the form of e-Learning and Massive Open Online Courses as a direct result of students wanting to learn but not having the resources to do so whether they don’t have the money or the background to achieve their learning goals.

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Students Centered Teaching method: There has been a visual change in the modern teaching and learning methodology. There is shift from book and teacher centered teaching to student centered teaching. The use of computer and electronic devices has become very common in today’s educational system and e-classes are increasing day by day and the modern teacher needs to learn this new way of teaching. ICT based teaching: Teaching should be based on ICT so that students should be able to undertake education anywhere, anytime and anyplace. It can influence the way how the learners are taught and how they learn the processes which are learner driven and not by teachers. This in turn would better prepare the learners for lifelong learning as well as to improve the quality of learning (Moore & Kearsley, 1996). Use of Wireless Technologies: We should use a number of different wireless devices in teacher education. These include web-enabled wireless phones, web-enabled wireless handheld computers, wireless laptop computers, and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). Integrated and theme-based learning: If this approach can be delivered with proper teacher support along with high standards, it can soon become the biggest disrupter in modern-day schooling in the coming years. Professional development of teachers: There was a lot of focus on the training and professional development of teachers in 2016, starting with the introduction of the Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, New Teachers Training Programme announced by the Government in the Union Budget of 2016. Shortage of trained teachers is a recognized hurdle in improving learning outcomes in the country. A continued focus on the professional development of teachers through a combination of online and offline learning modules is critical, given their pivotal role and contribution in the education system. Mobile Teacher Education: We move as a global society so that where ever we go, we carry our smart phones with us. Between conversations, we look down and tap away at whatever our minds fancy necessary or entertaining. So education, at least in the most cognizant facets, says it will be there too. It will walk with us on our journeys, our whims, our detours, and our desires. If we take our laptops around the world, education will walk with us according to mobile educational theories. Social Networking: A network of social interactions and personal relationships a dedicated website or other application which enables users to communicate with each other by posting information, comments, messages, images, etc. With social networking growing to the point that last tracked about 70 million updated blogs, using social networking to teach any subject and catapult students into a realm other than stagnant learning means blending the traditional education with modern communication. Many educators believe this is the route to engaging students in learning all the basic skills they need.

Use of ICT in Teacher Education ICT is an assisting tool in teacher education. UNESCO World Education Report, (1998) Teacher and Teaching in a Changing World, describes the radical implications the new ICT has for conventional teaching and learning; to improve learning, the following essential conditions must be met:  Teacher must have knowledge and skills to use the new digital tools and resources to help all students achieve high academic standards.  ICT helps teachers to develop or improve lesson plans, exchange ideas, obtain information and find free animation and simulation to enliven their lessons. High quality, meaningful and culturally responsive digital content must be available for teachers and learners.  ICT facilities the educational transaction between providers and users by keeping students well 152


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informed about the courses, improving teacher-learning, sharing thoughts, providing direct feedback, encouraging paced learning and allowing for effective mapping of learning pathways. The new ICT enables self-paced learning through various tools such as assignments, tutorials, computers etc., with sensitivity to different learning styles and continuous assessment of student’s progress. With the result, the teaching-learning enterprise has become more result-oriented. Teachers and Students must have sufficient access to digital technologies and the Internet in their classroom, schools and teacher education institutes.

Strategies for ICT in Teacher Education The following strategies could provide a fundamental approach towards enhancing this ICT in teacher education: 1. Teacher educator must have the knowledge and skills to use the new digital tools and resources to help all students achieve high academic standards. 2. Teacher should be sufficiently educated by providing qualified in-service training opportunities, and learning environments should be donated with the minimum necessary technological tools. 3. High quality, meaningful, and culturally responsive digital content must be available for teachers and learners. 4. The teacher educators who integrate ICTs in their courses should be supported through incentive payments and load of course on teacher educators should be decreased. 5. The curriculum content of teacher education should be the world-class and globalised, pooling up the world-class materials and designs for learning and teaching and maximizing global relevance and exposure in different development areas. 6. The funding for new ICT resources should be increased in order to provide adequate ICT equipment’s and resources. The use of technology and on-line learning is becoming an emerging area of education. Technology plans for implementing ICTs in teacher education institutions should be prepared and implemented. 7. Computer, satellite communication, internet and various electronic Medias are the real new methods of learning. Teacher educators and prospective teachers should be aware of the benefits of ICTs. Conclusion This is the age of information technology. Everyone and everything seems to have something to do with computers and communications. ICTs in teacher education are not only new tools bringing evolution and changes. It is a new challenge for schools and for teachers. They raise new fundamental paradigms, new fundamental concepts, which change knowledge and access to knowledge. It can change the nature of education and roles of students and teacher in teaching learning process. The teacher must also provide leadership in determining how the new technologies can best be used in the context of the culture, needs, and economic conditions within country. The teachers have to be equipped with the skills and abilities from time to time to handle the latest technology as the quality and competence of teachers with a strong impact on student learning. A positive find is that all those teachers who are not well versed with the computer and other technology, expressed keen interest in undergoing training for the same. They felt that if trained, they would be in a position to make use of resources available in the school. Teacher education institutions must work closely and effectively with school teachers and administrators, national or state educational agencies, teacher unions, business and community organizations, politicians and other important stakeholders in the educational system. Further, teacher education institutions also need to develop strategies and plans to enhance the teaching-learning process within teacher education programmes and to assure

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that all future teachers are well prepared to use the new tools for learning. Therefore, ICTs should be used currently in conjunction with well planned classroom teaching. References  Bhattacharjee, B. and Deb, K. (2016). Role of ICT in 21st Century’s Teacher Education, International Journal of Education and Information Studies. Vol. 6, (1), pp. 1-6.  Budgedeo, S.H. (2016). Issues And Challenges in Bringing ICT Enabled Education to Rural India, International Journal of Scientific Research and Education, Vol.4 (10). pp. 4759-4766.  Dahiya, S.S. (2008). Educational Technology Towards Better Teacher Performance, Vikas Marg, Shakarpur, Delhi:Shipra Publications.  http://www.unescobkk.org/index.php?id=799 last assessed on dated 7/6/2017.  J. Laxmi, L. B. Madhavi, (2014). Professional Development - Current Trends in Teacher Education (With Reference to ELT and Computer Science), International Journal of Advance Research in Computer Science and Management Studies, Vol. 2,(5), pp.13-19).  K.Nachimuthu, G. Vijayakumari (2007). Modern ICT Trends in Teaching Technology, EDUTRACK, Vol.6 (6), pp. 18-20.  Khajapeer, M (2001). The teacher education in 21st century in India challenges ahed, Vol.39, No. 8 University New Baroda, India.  Lisa, C. (2013). Modern Trends in Education: 50 Different Approaches to Learning.  M U Paily (2006). Integration of Information and Communication Technology in Teacher Education, Edutrack, Vol.5 No. 6, pp. no. 5-11.  Moore & Kearsley (1996). Putting Tools into Courses, not Courses into Tools Karen A. Lemone WPI Computer Science Department, USA.  Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education. 2002. Basic Principles [Online] Available: http://www.aace.org/site, dated 7/6/2017.  Sreedevi, P.S. (2016). ICT Enabled Education, New Delhi:A.P.H. Publishing Corporation.  UNESCO (2002) Information and Communication Technology in Education–A Curriculum for Schools and Programme for Teacher Development. Paris: UNESCO.  UNESCO (2002). Information and Communication Technologies in Teacher Education, a Planning Guide. Paris: UNESCO  UNESCO, (2002). ‘Open and Distance Learning Trends, Policy and Strategy Considerations’, UNESCO.  Vallikkad, S. (2009). Information and Communication Technolgy for Teacher Education, New Delhi: Kanishka Publishers, Distributors.  Z. Zhang, M. Dragana, (2008). ICT in teacher education: Examining needs, expectations and attitudes, Canadian Journal of Learning and Technolgy.

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BENEFITS OF USING ICT IN TEACHER EDUCATION Sarita* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT Over the last two decades, the rapid growth of ICT has become one of the most important topics discussed by scholars in education. This is due to capability of providing a dynamic and proactive teaching and learning environment. In line with the current digital era, teachers are required to integrate ICT in their daily teaching and replace their traditional methods with modern tools and facilities. The incorporation of technology into education is one of the most important challenges for education today. It is time to move beyond the walls of ours classrooms to join forces with other institutions and societies to revitalize education. The main focus of this paper is on Effective integration of ICT in education that will greatly contribute to meet student needs for learning anywhere, anytime. Integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) into teaching and learning process is a growing field which has variety of definitions according to different points of view. A very common view asserts that the application of ICT processes should be presented in an integrated way as well as concrete model to be developed for the teachers in order for the integration of process to improve students’ learning. Based on the premise that “The integration process should strengthen learning of students”, there is a need to present an integrated point of view in the application of these processes and to develop some concrete examples for teachers. Therefore the main purpose of this study is to develop a model assessing the ICT integration process and helping to improve students’ learning. Keywords: Information and Communication Technology, ICT integration, Enhancing learning, Educational improvement, Teacher education. Introduction:Many scholars agree that at the dawn of the 21st century education delivery should not continue to be as business as usual. The traditional three Rs-literacy (Reading, Writing and Arithmetic) is challenged by an unprecedented rapid creation and dissemination of knowledge and information hence the move from an industrial society to a knowledge society. As Kwando (2007) puts it, the knowledge Society is the society that knows how to use information. For the effective use of information, one needs more than traditional reading, writing and arithmetic skills. Can ICTs help to meet the educational requirements of the digital era? The answer to this question is not straightforward as it may seem. First of all ICTs are not a certain magic world that educationists can shake to fix all the educational challenges faced in the current knowledge society. The demands and concerns facing the education enterprise were not created by ICTs and will not be resolved by ICTs either. It is going to be very difficult-if not impossible-for countries to meet the objective of effective learning for all, anywhere and anytime. Integrating ICT into teaching and learning is not a new concept. For Wang and Woo (2007), it may be as old as other technologies such as radios or televisions. Citing Earle (2002), Wang and Woo describe integration as having a sense of completeness or wholeness by which all essential elements of a system are seamlessly combined together to make a whole. While acknowledging that defining both terms (technology and integration), may drive the problem, Earle (2002) supports the position by Wang and Woo when he argues that integration does not mean the placement of hardware in classrooms. He further contends that technologies must be pedagogically sound and go beyond information retrieval to problem solving. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Research Scholar, Department of Education, M.D.U. Rohtak 155



Benefits of Using ICT in Education  Assist students in accessing digital information efficiently and effectively ICT is used as a tool for students to discover learning topics, solve problems and provide solutions to the problems in the learning process. ICT makes knowledge acquisition more accessible and concepts in learning areas are understood while engaging students in the application of ICT.  Support student-centered and self-directed learning Students are now more frequently engaged in the meaningful use of computers. They build new knowledge through accessing, selecting, organizing and interpreting information and data. Based on learning through ICT, students are more capable of using information and data from various sources and critically assessing the quality of the learning materials.  Produce a creative learning environment ICT develops students’ new understanding in their areas of learning.ICT provides more creative solutions to different types of learning inquiries.  Promote collaborative learning in a distance-learning environment ICT enables students to communicate, share and work collaboratively anywhere, any time. Students not only acquire knowledge together, but also share diverse learning experiences from one another in order to express themselves and reflect on their learning.  Offer more opportunities to develop critical (higher-order) thinking skills Based on a constructive learning approach, ICT helps students focus on higher-level concepts rather than less meaningful tasks. A longer exposure in the ICT environment can foster students’ higher critical thinking skills.  Improve teaching and learning quality The students have more opportunity to build the new knowledge onto their background knowledge, and become more confident to take risks and learn from their mistakes. It concluded that ICT fosters autonomy by allowing educators to create their own material, thus providing more control over course content than is possible in a traditional classroom setting.  Support teaching by facilitating access to course content Teachers can act as catalysts for the integration of technology through ICT. If the encouragement, equipment and necessary technological support are available from institutes for the teachers, developing an ICT class will be easier for them. Barriers in the use of ICT Teacher Perspective  Low teacher expectations and a lack of clear goals for ICT use in schools.  A lack of teacher collaboration and pedagogical support, as well as a lack of experience among cooperating teachers.  Insufficient time to master new software or integrate ICT during a class period.  Insufficient skills for managing teaching materials.  Excessive focus on teaching technical or operational skills rather than course content.  Pressure to improve scores on national examinations.  A lack of in –service training on the use of ICT  Technical problems in the classroom.  Classroom management with large class sizes. Administrative and ICT Infrastructure perspective  School inspectors focus more on the quantity of course content and student test scores than on ICT usage.  A lack of appropriate administrative support for the effective use of ICT. 156


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Administrative mandates to improve examination results, which shifts the focus away from using ICT to engage students in higher- order thinking activities.

Factors Influencing the Use of ICT Factors influencing the use of ICT can be divided into external factors and internal factors. The two types of factors are related to each other and to usage level. A variety of external factors have been identified that influence the progression or effectiveness of technology integration in schools. External factors:- technology availability, accessibility of ICT equipment, time to plan for instruction, technical and administrative support, school curriculum, school climate and culture, faculty teaching load and management routine and pressure to prepare students for national entrance exams. Among these external factors, the most common are lack of access to computers and software, insufficient time for course planning and inadequate technical and administrative support. Internal factors:- several internal factors also influence technology integration outcomes. Internal factors related to teachers includes: Understanding of ICT use, beliefs which may conflict with the application of ICT, attitudes towards technology integration, perception, including intention or motivation to use ICT and technology self-efficacy. The Importance of School Culture on ICT Use School culture encompasses the vision, plans norms and values that are shared by school members. Focusing on the importance of school culture for ICT integration, Pelgrum and Law (2009) indicated that effective ICT integration depends on the perceptions and vision of school leaders rather than teachers’ ICT skills. School culture has a mediating role that influences teachers’ action, beliefs and attitudes. Therefore in addition to internal and external variables mentioned previously, school culture also plays an important role in successful technology integration. In order to explore teacher perceptions of school culture related to the level of ICT usage, Tezci (2011b) examined Turkish teacher perceptions from both the technical and motivational perspectives. The results showed that their perceptions from both perspectives were not positive, because majority did not believe that they would receive adequate technical and motivational support from their school. However, as the school culture became more positive, the teachers’ ICT usage level increased. Teachers need to feel confident in their ability to facilitate student learning with technology in order to integrate technology into their classrooms. To achieve this goal, more professional development is required with a focus on increasing teachers’ skills so that they are able to overcome apprehensions associated with using technology. Further, new teaching approaches and technical support should be offered by schools to allow them to retain control while facilitating learning with computers. Overall, implementing effective teaching with technology integration requires changes in teachers’ knowledge, beliefs and school culture. Teacher Training and Professional Development It is a well known fact that professional teacher development is a key to successful integration of ICT in teaching and learning process. According to Carlson (2002), teachers remain the gatekeepers for students’ access to educational opportunities afforded by technology. They cannot and should not be ignored. Moreover, providing technical skills training to teachers in the use of technology is not enough. Teachers also need professional development in the pedagogical application of those skills to improve teaching and learning process. The starting point of a digital classroom is a teacher. Teachers must be trained to effectively use of technology for planning student instruction. The role of the teacher has subtly shifted from being the sole ‘provider’ of knowledge to being a facilitator as the student explores for himself, the expansive 157


world of knowledge. From being a ‘sage on the stage’, to being a ‘guide by the side’. In today’s world, life long learning has become a critical determinants of success. Hence more than mastering various competencies, the key still requires is learning how to learn. The learning management system (LMS) harnesses the potential of technology to improve learning outcomes and to prepare students for the accelerated changes in the world in which they live. Conclusion ICT integration is a comprehensive process of applying technology to educational system to improve teaching and learning. Its success depends not only on the availability of technology, but also heavily on the pedagogical design. Though there is no formula for determining the optimum level of ICT integration in educational system, creative teachers at all level of education have always found ways to incorporate innovative teaching aids and strategies in their classes. However, ICTs should be used currently in conjunction with well planned classroom teaching. Jhurree (2005) argues that education reform is occurring throughout the world and one of its tenets is the introduction and integration of ICTs in the education system. The successful integration of ICTs into the classroom warrants careful planning and depends largely on how well policy makers understand and appreciate the dynamics of such integration, integration of ICTs in education has been a contentious issue. As Jhurree (2005) claims some people argue that technology will change the educational landscape forever and in ways that will engender a dramatic increase in the performance of learners. Unlike these extreme advocates, there are others who adopt a balanced approach (Jhurree, 2005).They are convinced that ICTs, if properly integrated, have the potential to enhance the teaching and learning. Levine (1998) emphasizes the importance of having a plan that is based on real school needs and one that is realistic, achievable and effective. The plan should be produced, not for the sole purpose of putting technology in the classroom but to reflect the real needs of schools in order to make effective technology deployment and to produce enhanced learning environments. There is no universal truth when it comes to applying ICTs in education and there is no advice that can be directly applied without considering each country’s reality, priorities and long-term budgetary prospects and commitment. In developing countries ICT should be combined with traditional technologies, such as print and broadcast radio, to achieve better effectiveness. References  Wang,Q.Y.,&Woo, H. L(2007).Systematic planning for ICT integration in topic learning.Educational Technology and Society,10(1),148-156.Retrieved on 11 july 2009 fom http://www.ifets.info/ journals/10-1/14.pdf  Jhurreev, V.(2005).Technology integration in education in developing countries:Guidelines to policy makers. International Education Journal,6(4): 467-483.Retrieved on 1 December 2011 from http:// ehlt.flinders.edu.au/education/iej/articles/v6n4/jhurree/paper.pdf  Carlson, S. (2002). The missing link in educational techno:Trained teachers.Techknowlogia, October- December 2002. Retrieved on 12 March 2010 from http://www.techknowlogia.org/ TKL-Articles/PDF/435.pdf.  Tezci,E.,2011a.Factors that influence preservice teachers’ICT usage in education.European journal of Teacher Education,vol.34,pp.483-499.

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TRANSLATING THE SKILLS IN CLASSROOM TEACHING THROUGH PROFESSIONAL TRAINING IN TEACHER EDUCATION Anisha* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT Teacher education institutions play a very important role to produce highly erudite and skilful teachers. In modern era perspective teachers should be able to increase such knowledge and skills. Teacher education include to the policies, procedures and provision designed to integrate teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and skills they require to perform their tasks effectively in the institution, classroom and community. The curriculum of the teacher education should be accomplished of providing some information, communication skill, networking and soft skills .Soft skills that enhance an individual’s interactions, job performance and career projection. A quality of teacher comes from a quality education process. A carefully designed and well planned education system is critical to developing teacher education. This is an exciting and challenging time for teacher educators. The nature of teaching is changing. In an effort to transform themselves into exemplary educator preparation institutions, many programs are becoming more entrepreneurial, recognizing new opportunities and making changes required to respond to the needs of 21st century learners. The purpose of this paper is to explore the needs and utility of skills that has been integrated in teaching profession. Now this time institutions become more technological enrichment, educators need basic technological skills for ICT base presentations, prepare report and taking attendance electronically. Key words - Teacher education, Skills Integration Introduction In digital age, teachers need to be flexible and be able to adapt various Skill .Teachers essential many of professional development skills along with knowledge of their subject matter and experience in order to be an effective teacher. When schools are looking to hire a teacher, there are a few basic requirements that they are looking for: A College degree, experience working with children and patience. In rapid development of technology impact into our lives, that impact on the way teachers teach and the way students learn. Modern teachers need to be competent in not only basic skills, but new skill sets. Advancement of technologies are developed every day that can change the way students learn, and the way of instruction given by a teacher teaching-learning process. Learning standards and updating expectations are changing through Institutions. Every modern teacher must have able to adapt variety of skill .Teaching skill improve the behavior in classroom presentation and lesson planning. Need of Skill Development Teachers need a variety of skills to become proficient in their careers. They need excellent communication skills so they can explain the material in the curriculum in a variety of ways to students who have diverse learning styles. They also need superior interpersonal skills, such as patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations. Collaborative skills enable them to work productively with their colleagues. Creativity and presentation skills are important when planning lessons to motivate students and hold their interest. As schools become more technologically advanced, teachers also need basic technological skills for audio-visual presentations and for reporting and taking attendance electronically. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Research Scholar, IITR, BPSMV, Khanpur Kalan E-mail: [email protected] 159



A systematic planned and well designed education system is stable to developing students. Thus, an institution of teacher education plays a very important role to produce person resources that is highly knowledgeable and skillful to meet the demand and expectations of many people. The teaching and learning processes in institutions of teacher education should be capable to provide such knowledge and skills to perspective teachers. The curriculum process of the teacher education should be capable of providing some knowledge and skills for teachers in conceptual and soft skills apart from hard skill. Infusing the soft skills in the curriculum of teacher education is the need of the profession for it to be successful. Skills are individual attributes that enhance an individual’s communications, job presentation and career projection and hard skills which tend to be specific to a certain type of task or activity. We could say that soft skills refer to behavior qualities, social agility, fluency in language, individual habits, sociability and hopefulness that mark to varying degrees. Soft skills complement hard skills which are the technical requirements of a profession.lt can also be an important part of the organization especially if the organization is dealing with people face to face.The reorientation of education which is one trust of education for sustainability also relates the importance of these so-called soft skills. Teachers’ soft skills are important. The attainment of these skills will make a difference in quality of teaching and effective learning. The quality of teaching is a crucial factor in promoting effective learning in schools (Tang, 2013).Teaching is a composite act, requiring a wide range of information and skills counting hard and soft skills to successfully manage the demands of the classroom Subject Mastery It is essential for teachers to have a strong grasp of the material they are teaching. Elementary school teachers must have very good content knowledge in basic numeracy, literacy, social studies and science. High school teachers, who usually specialize in only one or two subject areas, must have a thorough knowledge and understanding of their area of specialty. Teachers also need to know how children learn. They need to know the expectations in development for children of different ages. They also need to know a variety of teaching strategies and disciplinary techniques. Pedagogical Approach Teachers require knowledge of the unique skills that each child brings to the classroom in order to effectively target instruction towards students’ learning needs.Most teachers are initially drawn to the profession due to positive learning experiences they have early in their lives. There might be a favorite teacher who was instrumental in helping them fulfill their full potential or any opportunity they had to teach something to someone, such as a younger sibling learning to ride a bicycle or a friend needing help with homework. These experiences help potential teachers understand the dynamic of transmitting information from teacher to learner. Other experiences, such as being a camp counselor, scout leader or sports coach also contribute to increased awareness of how to interact with youngsters and how to motivate and inspire them. Classroom Management Strong classroom management is the foundation of every smooth-running classroom. Yet it can be tricky for new teachers to master good classroom management develop her classroom management skills which help of educational consultant to create discipline in class. Punctuality, Adaptability, Good communication and friendly behavior are classroom management tips that will be helpful for all new teachers. Mentoring Teaching can be incredibly challenging. Second-year teacher opens up about the struggles of 160


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being a beginning teacher and her involvement in a mentoring program that supports new teachers. Monitoring skill inspiring to see actionable suggestions and emotional support to learner. Mentoring: the allocation to each beginning teacher of an experienced teacher, specifically trained as a mentor; the mentor may provide emotional and professional support and guidance; in many U.S. states, induction is limited to the provision of a mentor, but research suggests that, in itself, it is not enough. Parent-Teacher Interaction Interacting with parents takes a whole different skill set than teaching. Parents better know Learn how to build effective communication skills by a beginning teacher receive suggestions from a parent relationship coach. Teaching Strategies Teachers could have a hard time without a wide variety of support staff around them. If you feel alone, your school principal, administrative staff, parent-teacher committee, and more are often available to provide you help. By working as a team, you may have an easier time increasing your students’ ability to learn and have fun. An essential component of teachers’ college programs is practice teaching. These practicum placements should occur early in the teachers’ program. It is only by preparing lessons and delivering them that teachers can determine which methods they are most comfortable with and which ones are more likely to ensure student success. Teachers need to be lifelong learners and take advantage of the many professional development opportunities that are available for them to expand their repertoire of teaching strategies. Throughout their careers, excellent teachers constantly adjust and adapt their approach as they reflect on their past experiences and improve upon them. Communication Skills When dealing with the organization and execution of such teaching in classrooms we find teachers who may or may not have the skills necessary to communicate with their students, skills that can facilitate or preclude fulfillment of the teaching proposal. Teachers are expected to be fluent and able to communicate effectively in language. They should be able to convey their thoughts with clarity and confidence both in written and oral forms. They are also expected to be active listeners while providing the necessary response. They should also be capable of giving and using technology during presentation confidently. No teacher will succeed if they don’t have good communication skills. Clear, concise, and to the point - the better your communication skills are, the easier your lessons will be. There are many different types of classes available to help some teachers who may need help improving their skills. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills With this skill, teachers should be able to think in a critical, creative, innovative, and analytical manner which includes the ability to apply knowledge. Elements that they must possess under this aspect are the ability to identify and analyze complex situation as well as making evaluations that are justifiable. They should also have the ability to expand and improve thinking skills, to provide ideas and alternative solutions. Group Work Group work skills involve the ability to work and cooperate with people from various social and cultural backgrounds so as to achieve a common goal. In order to build a good working relationship with his/her peers, it inessential that they are respectful toward others’ attitude, behavior, and belief. From time to time they are also expected to undertake the role of a leader and a group member 161



interchangeably. Part of being a teacher is being able to work together as part of a team or a group. When you work together as a team, it provides students with a better chance to learn and have fun. Networking with other teachers and solving problems together will only lead to success. Doing so fosters a sense of community not only in your own classroom, but school-wide as well. Continous Informative Learning Teaching is a lifelong learning process. There is always something to learn when you are teacher. The world is always changing, along with the curriculum and educational technology, so it’s up to you, the teacher, to keep up with it. A teacher who is always willing to go that extra mile to learn will always be an effective and successful teacher. In acquiring skills and knowledge, teachers should be able to do self-regulate learning independently. They should have the skills to search for relevant information from various sources and able to manage them efficiently. They should also receptive to new ideas and able to develop an inquiry mind. Entrepreneurship Skill This skill involves the teachers’ abilities to venture into business and work-related opportunities while creating risk awareness. This skill includes the ability to identify professional opportunities and be able to prepare, build, and explore professional plans which eventually leads to selfemployment. Ethic and Professional Moral Skills In relation to ethical issues, they should be able to analyze and arrive at decisions in matters concerning ethics. Beyond the working environment, they should be able to practice good ethics while having a sense of responsibility toward society. With this skill, teachers are able to practice with high moral standards in the relevant professional practice. They should also be able to understand the effects of economy environment, and social-cultural factors on their respective professional practice. Leadership Skill Leadership skill entails the ability of teachers to lead in various activities. Teachers should have the knowledge on basic leadership theories which will enable them to lead a project. It is also essential that they are able to understand the role of a leader and a group member and be able to carry out those roles interchangeably. One of the other most important skills each teacher must have is leadership. Your students need someone to guide them, to be in charge, and set the tone of the class. Leadership is a difficult skill, meaning you may want to get outside help if you feel that you could use more work on this particular skill, or any other for that matter. ICT base Knowledge Technology is growing at a rapid pace. In the past five years alone we have seen huge advancements and we will continue to see it grow. While it may be hard to keep up with it, it is something that all modern teachers need to do. Not only do you just need to understand the latest in technology, but you must also know which digital tools are right for your students. It’s a process that may take time but will be greatly influential in the success of your students. Update Online Awarance Teaching skill is definitely a new one in this century. In this digital age most; A teacher is updating online awareness, which means they have an Online reputation. Modern teachers need to know how to manage their online reputation and which social networks are available for them to be 162


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on. Many social cite give a teacher online updating like face book, twitter, whatapp and hangout. Linking in is a professional social network to connect with colleagues .Social networking site where students visit, is a good idea for online updating and awareness. Self-Confidence This is likely the single most important skill. Kids these days are stubborn, and many lack the inherent respect for authority that we were taught at a young age. Spending a single day in a room full of raucous teenagers is enough to send any human being to the lonely bin, which is why every good teacher needs increase self confidence and patience in order to find a way to work with his students and earn their respect. Conclusion In a modern era teacher is interesting to try new challenges, new idea from new educational apps to teaching skills and electronic devices. Innovative means not only adapt new things, but interaction your students, making real-world connections, develop reasoning skill and cultivating creativity. It’s getting your students to take risks and having students learn to collaborate. Teaching is certainly be a challenge, it is also one of the most challenging career. In view of the importance in integrating skills in teaching professional training, it will be beneficial to examine how translating the skills obtained by these teachers from their teaching professional training to their workplace. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore the extent of skills that will be inculcating in teaching profession training for teachers. References  Fantilli, R.D., & McDougali, E. (2009). A study of novice teachers: Challenges and supports in the 1st years. Teaching and Teacher Education 25, 814-825.University of Toronto, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.  Flores, M.A., & Day, C. (2006). Contexts which shape novice teachers’ identities: A multiperspective study. Teaching and Teacher Education, 22(2), 219-232.  Hairuzila, I. (2009). Challenges in the integration of soft skills in teaching technical courses: Lecturers’ perspectives. Asian Journal of University Education, 5(2), 67-81.  NCERT (2005)Draft, curriculum framework (2005).  Pachauri, Digvijay.and Yadav, Aruna.(2014). Importance of Soft Skills In Teacher Education Programme. Int. J. Educat. Res.Technol. Vol 5 [1] March 2014.22-25  Tang, K.N. (2013). Teaching as collective work: What are the needs of novice teachers? Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 93, 195-199.  Tang, K.N., Nor Hashimah, H., & Hashimah, M.Y. (forthcoming, 2015). Novice teacher perceptions of soft skills needed in today’s workplace. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences.  Wong H; Induction programs that keep new teachers teaching and improving; NASSP Bulletin Vol. 88 No. 638 March 2004

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TECHNO- PEDAGOGICAL SKILLS IN TEACHER EDUCATION Jugnukhatter Bhatia* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT The main aim of teacher education programme is to develop skills and appropriate knowledge among prospective teacher for using and integrating right technology in an appropriate manner. Effective teaching is not simply adding technology to the existing teaching and content domain rather a teacher should know about technology, pedagogy and content for using them effectively in day–to-day classroom teaching. Techno pedagogical skills are the ways to make accessible and affordable quality education to all. The NCF (2005) and XII five year plans (2011), emphasized to provide connectivity, valuable content and low cost computing devices to all the institutions of teacher education in the country. The techno-Pedagogical knowledge is a collaboratively developed frame work of scholars and researchers seeking to conceptualize and clarify the competencies that evolve from the interaction between pedagogy and technology. It is a key deciding factor for the hybrid approach of meta teaching. Use of techno pedagogical skills can break down some of the barriers that lead to underachievement, student disaffection and educational exclusions. Keywords: Teacher Education, Techno-pedagogy, Effective teaching “A competent teacher should be a techno-pedagogue.” Technology has fundamentally altered how we live and work as well as how we learn. Wider availability of best practices and best course material in education, which can be shared by means of technology, can foster better teaching. Use of technology in education develops higher order skills such as collaborating across time and place and solving complex real world problemsparticularly in teacher education institutions as in the rapidly expanding knowledge based society, teaching becomes one of the most challenging professions so it is necessary for teachers to use and applies modern technologies in their teaching. The main aim of teacher education programme is to develop skills and appropriate knowledge among prospective teacher for using and integrating right technology in an appropriate manner. This means a teacher should know about technology, pedagogy and content for using them effectively in day–to-day classroom teaching.

A Framework for ICTs in Teacher Education Teacher Education = Teaching Skills + Pedagogical theory + Professional skills –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Assistant Professor, Satyug Darshan Institute of Education & Research, Faridabad Email: [email protected] 164


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Teaching skills would include providing training and practice in the different techniques, approaches and strategies that would help the teachers to plan and impart instruction, provide appropriate reinforcement and conduct effective assessment. It includes effective classroom management skills, preparation and use of instructional materials and communication skills. Pedagogical theory includes the philosophical, sociological and psychological considerations that would enable the teachers to have a sound basis for practicing the teaching skills in the classroom. The theory is stage specific and is based on the needs and requirements that are characteristic of that stage. Professional skills include the techniques, strategies and approaches that would help teachers to grow in the profession and also work towards the growth of the profession. It includes soft skills, counselling skills, interpersonal skills, computer skills, information retrieving and management skills and above all lifelong learning skills. An amalgamation of teaching skills, pedagogical theory and professional skills would serve to create the right knowledge, attitude and skills in teachers, thus promoting holistic development.

TECHNO- PEDAGOGICAL MODEL (TPACK MODEL) Techno-pedagogy is the art of incorporating technology in designing teaching learning experiences so as to enrich the learning outcome i.e. to make use of internet technology, exploring it, accessing information from it to use in teaching learning process. Techno -pedagogical skills are the ways to make accessible and affordable quality education to all. The NCF (2005) and XII five year plans (2011), emphasized to provide connectivity, valuable content and low cost computing devices to all the institutions of teacher education in the country so as to increase the reach of educational programme, facilitate management of the system as well as address specific learning needs ad requirements. Acquiring techno-pedagogical proficiencies will make teaching and learning a pleasurable exercise as it would lessen the pressure on the teachers and enable the students to develop deeper into domain of knowledge.Technology had made inroads intoevery sphere of human activity, including the field of education.It had totally transformed the face of didactic teaching andbrought about far reaching changes in the way in which knowledgewas being shared.As the Teachers knew the significance of technology as it hadmade easier for students to understand. When it came to teachingtheories, the Teachers should give up the mechanical approachand make it interesting by simulating problems and findingsolutions to such imaginary issues. In such a context, the terms “pleasure and pressure” should notget blurred and the distinction could be kept intact if the teacherswith appropriate techno-pedagogical skills make teaching a”pleasurable” experience without feeling much of “pressure.” Today the techno-pedagogical competency is very much needed for teachers in teaching and learning process, as it facilitates effective teaching and learning. The techno-pedagogical competency is nothing but the ability of the teachers to make use of technology effectively in teaching. The teachers develop techno-pedagogical competencies then they may try to make use of this often in teaching and it will in turn make the learning process simple and effective. In techno-pedagogy, three areas of knowledge i.e. Content, Pedagogy and technology are included.  Content generally refer to the facts, concepts, theories and principles that are taught and learned.  Technology encompasses modern technologies such as computer, Internet, digital video and commonplace technologies including overhead projector, blackboards and books.  Pedagogy describes the collected practices, processes, strategies, procedures, and methods of teaching and learning. It also includes knowledge about the aims of instruction, assessment and student learning.

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The Dimensions of the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge Approach (Source: Koehler & Mishra, 2009) Hence, knowledge of ICT and skills to use ICT in teaching/learning has gained enormous importance for today’s teachers. There must be congruence between the school curriculum and teacher training curriculum. Otherwise, teachers are not ready to utilize their knowledge to effectively design teaching/learning processes, project work, and assignments. This will help student teachers to develop the concept of ‘techno pedagogy’ to a greater extent. Truly speaking, technology integration is understanding, and negotiating the relationships among these three components of knowledge. Good and Effective teaching is not simply adding technology to the existing teaching and content domain. Rather, introduction of technology causes the representation of new concepts and requires developing sensitivity to the dynamic, transactional relationship between all three components suggested by TPCK framework(Koehler, 2005)

The four educational aims of the techno-pedagogical program. 166


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CHALLENGES OF USING TECHNO-PEDAGOGY IN TEACHER EDUCATION Techno-pedagogy enhances better education rather than simple education but there are numerous challenges such as: 1. Destitute infrastructure of ICT for using Techno-pedagogical skills Several teacher education institute do not have proper rooms or buildings so as to accommodate the technology. Pitiable ICT lab having hardly ever used web based instruction, electronic machine such as telephone, cellular phones, fax, radio, television, video, computer, poor cable network with internet, e-mail, hardware and software, poor satellite systems, injure videoconferencing etc. create the challenges to use techno-pedagogical skills in higher education. 2. Scarce competence on English language and online content English is the dominant language of internet. In our country English language proficiency is not high, especially outside of town areas. This represents a serious barrier in maximizing the educational benefits of the World Wide Web. 3. Calamity of Teachers with Techno-pedagogical skills A Techno-pedagogical skill in Teacher Education is a challenging task because mediated communication demands more of perfection on the part of teacher educators with ICT skills. The four most common mistakes in introducing techno-pedagogical skill into teaching are i) installing learning technology without reviewing student needs and content availability; ii) imposing technological systems from the top down without involving faculty and students; iii) using inappropriate content from other regions of the world without customizing it appropriately; and iv) producing low quality content that has poor instructional design and is not adapted to the technology in use (UNESCO, 2009). 4. Lack of incentives of teachers Though the hurdle of instructor awareness, there is also little incentive for teaching staff to devote time to altering their teaching methods from talk and chalk method to techno-pedagogical method through ICT or online learning. 5. Evils on Research and Development Techno-pedagogical skill demands sound research base for intensive formative research. For that only two way communications is more effective than one way communication through two ways audio and two ways video communication. 6. Lack of awareness of existing techno-pedagogical skill services Sometimes institutes offer a rich assortment of ICT services for the development of Technopedagogical skill. But there seems to be little awareness among students and especially among teaching staff of the breadth of technology services available to them. 7. Hitch of using software Use of unlicensed software i.e. pirated software in standard formats, as it is easy for costs of maintenance, also the legal problem to use ICT in different colleges. Even if the existence of licensed hardware and software, lack of capacity in equipment maintenance create serious problems to implement it. 8. Limited techno-pedagogical resources Imperfect using multimedia resources for hybrid teaching methods leads to inferior learning outcomes for students, resulting the ICT illiterate of students at higher level of education. 9. Lack of coordination among the departments There is lack of coordination across the campuses, colleges as well departments. University design separate website followed by colleges as well as departments and does not cross-reference to each other’s, resulting partial sharing of information for students by the University, colleges or departments.

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10. Frequent power outages and fluctuations The power outages and fluctuations dampen the potential impact for the use of techno-pedagogical skill. It became the reason for damage of working computer and other equipment which support the Techno-pedagogical frame. Designing and implementing successful technology-enabled teacher education programmes is the key to fundamental, wide-ranging educational reforms. Teacher education institutions and programmes must provide the leadership for pre- and in-service teachers and model the new pedagogies and tools for learning. Thus, as a fraternity of teachers we should use techno-pedagogical skills in Teacher Education in 21st Century because these are only who can construct a leading road for the advanced future for pupil teachers as well as the students. If techno-pedagogy would be used then it can make a difference to provide accessibility, equality and quality of teacher education, thus at the end overall education. REFERENCES  Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2005).What happens when teachers design educational technology? The development of technological pedagogical content knowledge. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 32(2), . 131–152.  Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2009).What is technological pedagogical content knowledge? Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(1), 60-70.  Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006).Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A new framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017-1054.  Thakur, Nabin (2015). A Study on Implementation of Techno-Pedagogical Skills, Its Challenges and Role To Release at Higher Level Of Education, American International Journal of Research in Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, 9(2).

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INTEGRATED SKILL DEVELOPMENT IN TEACHER EDUCATION: WALK THE TALK Priti Lata* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT For the most of this century, and increasingly in modern times teachers education have been implied to consider ways in which a greater level of reflectivity especially through enhancing integrate skill development in teacher education. Teachers play a very important role in developing the future of new generations and the builders of nation. so they have been properly trained to enhance their teaching skill .To improve teaching ability in teaching learning process need the implementation of integrated skill and effective training so this paper has focused on practicing and implementation of integrated skill in teaching and learning. Keywords: Integrated skill, new generations, future builders, implementation, practicing. INTRODUCTION: Teacher is a nation builder. The teacher can build the nation only if they themselves are fully developed in various skills that is integrated skill. The language competency use of ICT problem solving method guiding and counselling ability intermingling and intermixing of various subject teaching and learning methodology including various soft skill like correlation of one subject to other subjects ,promote decision making skill, negotiation skill and leadership skill etc(Fulton,2006). The skill must be imbibed and inculcated in the prospective teacher and the teacher. Thus integrated skill development should be made in the pre- service as well as in- service programs. We (Indian educationist, administrators and general public) talk about carving the excellent teacher in the preservice programs as well as in -service programs but the walking towards the aim is a dull picture. Pre- service teacher education is needed for inducting fresh or new teacher and tries to change them into effective and competent teacher .Teacher are expected the develop the universal principle and values like equality, justice and peace along with civic and social values enshrined in of Indian culture (Ameeta,2005).But most of the teacher are getting the degrees of D.Ed ,B.Ed and M.Ed are prepared through remote control that is without attending educational institutions the licence of teaching awarded year to year. This scenario is a black spot on teacher educators and educationist .Latest be talk optimistic and think how to integrated skill development in teacher education in reality. In- pre service teacher education, we have NTT D.Ed , B.Ed and M.Ed and four- five integrated courses etc, while in the inservice courses we conduct seminars ,workshops, conferences, open discussion ,symposium etc. NCTE desires to develop integrate skill in teacher education through in -service and pre- service courses by organise many programs. OBJECTIVES 1. To study the level of integrated skill development in teacher education in present scenario 2. To devise the methods to develop the integrated skill in prospective teachers and full flagged teacher. 3. To study the functions done through integrated skill development among teachers. 4. To study the present and the future prospectus of integrated skill development in teacher education in India. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Ph.d. Research Scholar, Central University of Haryana, Jant-Pali (Mahindergarh), E-mail: [email protected] 169



METHODS TO DEVELOP THE INTEGRATED SKILL The integrated skill should be develop in the teacher at pre- service stage and in- service stage various good teacher and educational institutions develop integrated skill through correlation the subject with other subjects by training and teaching method like correlation with history with geography, geography with economics, math with science and practical life, political science with civic and sociology etc. The pre -service teacher will also trained for team work and integrated skill or developing co-curricular activities like lesson teaching competition ,real objects related to teaching making competition, cultural programs related to syllabus content and other also. During the in- service programs the workshops, seminars, conferences may be held on uses of integrations of skill and ICT and new methods of integration of correlation the subject by teaching method other programs like bilingual teaching, problem solving. group discussion ,team work, creating a situation and then asking a group of teachers or teacher to solve it and adopting interdisciplinary approach may also held. FUNCTIONS OF INTEGRATED SKILL DEVELOPMENT Above developed integrated skill in the pre- service and in- service course should not be hanging in air the college or university principals and head of the department must provide a sound an excellent platform for the teacher to implement the integrated skill learnt by him at the education institution. The math and science teacher may be made CCA incharge so as to develop the soft skill of language ,problem solving, leadership qualities, guiding and counselling abilities similarly the humanities faculty teacher may be give duties and work science, commerce, fine art, dance and drama facilities thus interchange and exchange of one faculty in other faculty should practises consequently the soft and integrated skill function properly through the nation builder- the teacher. Thus function of integrated development will caters the concept of walk the talk. WHAT IS IN PRACTISE Today education is content loaded .Teacher is worried to complete his syllabus rather than curriculum .There is no correlation in intra subjects as well as inter subjects correlation is also vanishing subject teacher of Hindi hesitate to correlate his subject with science and scientific reason and technology vice versa exam fever and result is also hurdle in practising the integrated and soft skills by the teacher, To sum up, the present scenario the picture has a dull side. We talk about interdisciplinary skill in teacher training but no implementation in real teaching as a teacher because the training could not be a skill in real life. WHAT IS IN FUTURE I being optimist see bright side of teacher education in developing integrated and soft skill among teachers also the head of institutions and department must provide free hand to teacher to practising their integrated skill on their pupils. This is possible only when the principal or HOD himself should acts at catalyst in practising his soft and integrated skills among his faculty and promote for inter-disciplinary skill or awards the teacher for their hard and new efforts. CONCLUSION To sum up, need to recognise the value of integrated skill development of our growing and dynamic changing in favour of quality education and economy we need to implement this skill for reforms in educational system and also bring new factors like burden free education and interested or quality education ,knowledge skills and technology etc. integration skill will give us the field of education momentum to find a place in global scenario and education quality create or decide the future of nation. 170


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REFERENCES  Ameeta P & Purohit, D. (2005). Soft skill training: Requirement for a new age teacher, 55-56  AL- Ghamari ,T.(2004). Integrated writing with other skills. Muscat message, 78-81.  Bose,M.(2003).Integrated all the skills while you teach(1). Available at: http//www.yementimes.com.  Miller, K. (1995).Curriculum: To integrate or not to integrate (ERIC Doc 384591).  Zaid,M. (2009).Integrated teacher of the language skill in EFL:An evaluation study. Journal for language teaching 44(2).

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NEED OF DIFFERENT SKILLS IN TEACHER EDUCATION Anshu Dembla* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT Education plays a vital role in the development of human being. India is a big country which development depends upon different factor as economic, social, scientific & technological and moral etc. All these factors depend upon education. If we want to see our country in the series of developed countries, we have to improve our education .Efforts should be done at every level of education as primary, secondary and higher. T h e progress of a country depends upon the quality of the teachers and that’s why teaching is the noblest profession among all professions. Teacher education is a programme which makes enable and competence to teacher trainees. In teacher training programmers different teaching skills are taught and efforts are done to make academic awareness about the latest skills. This paper highlights the need of different skills in Teacher Education. Key words – teacher education,skills,development of country Introduction I am delighted to join you and to share my thoughts on a very important topic-Need of Different Skills in Teacher Education. According to NCTE- Teacher is the most important element in any education programme. He plays a important role in educational process at any stage. Teacher’s competency determines the achievement of learners. So the quality of education depends upon the quality of teachers. Kothari commission has said very rightly “The destiny of india is being shaped in its class rooms.’’ India’s population is increasing day by day, so the need of well qualified and skilled teachers has also increased .So lots of efforts should be done to improve teacher education. Teacher Education is a continuous process which is related to educate new teachers and development of teacher’s competence and to make them able to face the challenges. Today’s advance technological period need, to define the role and value of skills in teacher education curriculum and to prepare teachers for the integration of latest technologies for the futuristic generation into the classroom. Different Skills in Teacher Education Teaching skills are meant by providing training and practice in different techniques and strategies which would help the teachers to plan and impart instruction, efficient inforcement and conduct assessment. When schools want to hire a teacher, there are basic requirements they look for as teacher’s degree, teaching experience, communication and confidence etc. Teachers need a variety of professional skills along with subject matter and experience to be a good teacher. Here are some professional skills, that today’s teacher should possess. 1. Communication:- communication is a process of sending and receiving messages, ideas, feelings and information. For be a good teacher communication skill should be clear and impressive. Almost the entire day teacher has to communicate with students and with colleagues. Teachers have to report student progress to parents. They need to explain the strength and weakness of their students. So oral and written communication of a teacher should be good. 2. Confidence:-Confident person always think positive and stay away from negativity. Confident –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Assistant Professor, Ramanujan College of Education, Palwal E-mail: [email protected] 172


person has a good posture, smiling face and have eye-contact with others. A teacher should be confident so that he can be a role model for students. 3. Continuous learner: - According to Tagore:-”A teacher can never truly teach unless he is still learning himself. A lamp can never light another lamp unless it continues to burn its own flame.” Teaching is a lifelong learning process .We live in changing environment, where changes always come which may be in curriculum, methods, skills and technology. A teacher can’t teach in reality until he /she is not learning. For being a good teacher it is very necessary to keep update with changes. For this a teacher has to accept that he/she is not a perfect master but a learner. 4. Innovative: - Innovation involves creativity and willing to try new things. In technological period there are tremendous changes in education methods, curriculum and techniques. For being innovative it is necessary to adopt new things and make inspire to students to connect with world and cultivate all new things. 5. Team-player:- “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championship” -Michael Jordan. A team player is a person who works in a team to achieve a common goal. There are many subjects which a teacher can’t teach alone, he has to take help other teachers. He/she has to work in team. A teacher should be a team player whose goal should to make learning funful and effective for students. For it teachers have to make network with other teachers. 6. Knowledge:- A teacher should not only possess deep knowledge he is to transmit to the students, but he must also know how to transmit it. Teachers of primary education have basic knowledge of subjects and high class teachers should specialized in one or two subject areas and have knowledge and understanding of their specialization. They should also know different teaching strategies and techniques. Beside it all teachers must have integrated knowledge. 7. Knowledge of technology:-The development of technology has influenced all aspects of human life. Education is no exception to this. The use of computer and internet enhance the quality of education. Teachers should not have only knowledge of technology but also how to use it and make understand student that how to use technology as a tool for learning process. So we should welcome new technology for fast development of education. 8. Guide:- According to Swami Vivekananda-”Teacher is a philosopher, friend and guide helping the educed to go forward in his own way”. So teacher should possess knowledge, skills, powerful character and specific training so that he can guide students. He should a friend, philosopher and guide. He should do trained to student’s mind and heart. 9. Teaching experience:-Teaching experience is very essential for teacher trainees because by this they can improve their teaching and learn to solve real classroom challenges. In teacher training institute this is done by Micro-teaching and Teaching practice. From 2015 B.Ed. course has become 2 years course, Internship has included so that trained and skilled teachers can be prepared. 10. Sympathetic:- A teacher should be sympathetic. He should have love with students. He should have sympathy with them. Without sympathy he/she can’t teach. Only by sympathy a teacher can bring himself at the level of students. Conclusion:Education is an important instrument in bringing up of innate powers while effectiveness of education as a system depends upon its teachers. The quality of education at any level is surely depending upon its teachers, their qualification and skills. If we want to make the system of education 173


strong, we have to adopt new innovative ideas. We have to welcome new technologies, new teaching methods and new skills. I hope that with this seminar we not only share our experience with many invited experts, but we learn from each other and by this, increase awareness and knowledge on different skills development in Teacher Education. References  Walia,J.S.( 2011). Education in Emerging Indian Society pp 216, 234  Sharma, R.A. ( 2009) Teacher Education.  http:// work.chron.com/skills….needed become teacher-14030

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CHALLENGES IN INTEGRATION OF SKILLS IN TEACHER EDUCATION Surender Singh* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT The aim of the present paper is to enhance the teacher education quality by focusing on the emerging issues & related problems. Various issues of teacher education namely, institutional passiveness, gap in public and private sector, low quality level, overgrowing institutions, lack humane and professional teachers, poor integration of skills, improper modes of teacher education, little contribution to higher education, miss-match in subject and pedagogy, vision crisis, lack of research and innovations, stake holders’ non-alignment, no integration of technology, interest and life goal mismatches, non-scientific and psychological planning, deficiency of laboratories, more stress and use of distance/open universities, invalid recognition and accreditation and lack of clear cut teacher education policy have been dwelt on in this paper. The paper concludes that teacher education system in India calls for revolutionary changes. KEY WORDS— Skill integration, Challenges, Teacher education. Introduction and Background Indian teacher education system has been strengthened a lot during the past couple of years. The NCTE Regulations were revisited and modified by the NCTE and notified continuously. School Teachers’ qualifications were worked out and notified time to time. The TET inclusion in qualifications has been widely appreciated, wherein, it was provided that even after obtaining the necessary qualifications the teacher will have to obtain some skills for working properly and productively. Norms and Standards for Two Year Diploma in Performing and non-performing Art Education were worked out by the Council and notified in August 2009. Teacher Education New Curriculum Framework was designed and released time to time. The Study of Demand & supply of trained teachers in States and Union Territories at primary, upper primary and secondary levels was completed by the Council in 2010 and was published in 30 volumes. The recognition of sizable number of below standard Teacher Education institutions was withdrawn. A large number of Teacher Education institutions have shifted to their own premises. Bridge courses have been introduced to strengthen Teacher Education, where found wanting. Online applications and self-disclosure drives were introduced. Persons of integrity and competence were included in the Visiting Team Panels. A manual has been designed on the structure & functioning of the labs. A volume has been published by the NCTE namely, Teacher Education, which contains Reflections towards Policy Formulation. The efforts made by the NCTE are indeed appreciable. Teacher Education has been struggling to strengthen its identity. Struggle does not mean degeneration of values and degeneration of institutions. It is true that after persistent struggle there is evident improvement, but, still there is no end to perfection. Every establishment has noise. There are issues and resolves, problems and solutions, puzzles and pathways. Reflections on some of the issues concerning Teacher Education in India are presented in this research paper. Passiveness in Institutions Because of difference of State, Society, Judiciary and Education there is institutional inertia. Who is accountable? The State? The Society? The Judiciary? The Education? Or all of them? Incubation, innovation, creation and construction are the products of Peace, patience and perseverance. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Assistant Professor, Modern College of Education, Bhojawas, Mahender Garh. E-mail: [email protected] 175



Annihilation, deletion and destruction can be done within seconds. Education has its own identity. Nobody should try to superimpose and dictate education. Earlier the Society was governing the Society, and then the State started governing the Society, now the Economy is overarching, both the State & Society. The private & corporate sector has more of commercial motive. Education has been largely commercialized. Return on investment is being estimated in terms of material profit rather than in terms of all round development. Gap between Public & Private Sector There is public private partnership in teacher education. There is a pathetic indifference in public sector institutions and rampant commercialization in private sector. The teacher education degrees conferred by the various universities and institutions are non-comparable. Are TETs, SETs and NETs. The solutions? If the input and process norms are grossly wanting, then how can the quality be ensured. What could be greater loss than educational institutions questioning the legitimacy of their own products? There is evident variation at all levels of input, process and output. The study conducted by Madhavi (2009) reveals that research aptitude, educational management aptitude, adjustment capacity and teacher education disciplinary profile have been found to be significant predictors of teacher education proficiency in the western region of India. Research aptitude, adjustment capacity and teacher education disciplinary profile have been found to be predicting in a positive and significant manner, whereas, educational management aptitude has impacted in a negative manner. Living competencies and techno-pedagogic competencies have not been found to be significant predictors. There is a need to find out how teacher education has failed to correlate significantly with these variables. Also, there is a need to find out how the educational management aptitude has been found to be contributing inversely. None of the six variables have been found to be significant predictor of teacher education proficiency in the northern, eastern and the southern regions of India. Enrolment in teacher education programmes varies from region to region. There are some areas in India where the enrolment in Teacher Education is near full, but, the physical presence in the face to face mode is nearly nil. These are exclusively commercial centres than educational. There should be immediate ban on these institutions, whether, these institutions are under the purview of the NCTE or not. There are well specified teacher education curricula by the NCTE. Even then in significant number of institutions there is under coverage. The quality of product and placement criteria for teacher education programmes varies from university to university. There is evident disregard with respect to the NCTE Norms and Regulations. The question is whether to revise the norms or the parameters or both. Low Quality Level There are problems of quality perception, quality scaling and quality differentiation in Teacher Education. There is a significant variance between expected and actual quality. Alas, this gap is widening. This is exemplified by the successive entrance tests for higher level, be it Graduate, PostGraduate or Doctoral Level. There has to be adequate focus on all the systemic parameters- input, process and output. The degeneration of quality of Teacher Education can be attributed more to the private sector. Unless the teacher education norms are observed sincerely by the society, nobody can help. Overgrowing Institutions Teacher training colleges has overgrown enrolment in most of the teacher education programmes. But, at the same time there is uneven distribution of the teacher education institutions. Teacher 176


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education regulations, norms and standards though latest visited during 2009, have further scope for perfection. There is a need to have demand and supply estimates. Blanket “NO” and even blanket “YES” can be grossly harmful in the public interest. The States need to justify, substantially, casewise their stand for objection or no objection with due respect to the establishment of teacher education institutions. There is a need to find out teacher education institutions required countrywide, program-wise and state-wise, at present, and in future. Surveys need to be conducted to find out the present status and requirement. These projections ought to be in tune with the growth of school education. Also, futurological studies need to be conducted to make forecasts of teacher education. Lack of Humane & Professional Teachers Teacher Education for preparing humane & professional teachers needs to be holistic. Along with content & methodology there is a need to integrate emotional competencies, such as, selfawareness and self-management, social sensitivity and social management. There is a need to integrate life skills, such as, self-awareness, empathy, interpersonal relationship, effective communication, critical thinking, creative thinking, decision making, problem solving, and coping up with emotions and stress. There is a need to integrate skills, such as, asking, accessing, analyzing, applying and assessing. There is a need to integrate techno-pedagogic skills, such as, media-message compatibility, media designing, integration of message media and modes, realizing proximity of message forms, media language proficiency, media choice, message authenticity and media credibility, media automation, media integration and media acculturation. There is a need to integrate human development climate through trust, risk taking, openness, reward, responsibilities, top support, feedback, team spirit and collaboration. There is a need to integrate spiritual intelligence dimensions, such as, spirituality, soul or inner being, self awareness, quest for life values, convention, commitment and character, happiness and distress, brotherhood, equality of caste, creed, color and gender, interpersonal relations, acceptance and empathy, love and compassion, flexibility, leadership, life & death. The teacher education programmes need to integrate in numerous skills & competencies. Environmental Education courses run by teacher education institutions have been found to enhance environmental awareness, but not developed environmental ethics. Political Science education programs have been found to multiply the number of professional politicians and not humanistic statesmen. Law Education is not ensuring lawfulness. Even after Science Education the actions are not scientific. The convocations without invocation are useless and painful. Merit is destroyed due to mismatches between Teacher Educators and Teacher Trainees. Quality teachers can be developed through skilled and competent Teacher Education professionals who have passion for profession. There should be no compromise with the standards and norms. No Attention on Integration of Skills The term skill has become a misnomer, particularly, in education. All the skills, such as, life skills, techno-pedagogic skills, techno-savvy skills, info-savvy skills, emotional skills, human development skills, spiritual skills need to be integrated in teacher education. The study conducted by Helaiya (2009) very well presents how the life skills can be developed in the pre-service teachers and integrated in the teacher education programmes. The study insists that all the life skills need to be integrated in the teacher education programmes. There should be simultaneous focus on creative thinking and critical thinking, as well as, self-management and social management. The present century teachers ought to be highly skilled in management of stress and emotions. The study conducted by Madhavi (2009) has tried to scale the techno pedagogic skills amongst the M.Ed. students. The study reveals that living competencies and techno-pedagogic competencies have not been found to be the significant predictors of teacher education proficiency in India. The Study by Dhodi (2011) on the development of info-savvy skills in Secondary Student177



Teachers demonstrates very well how the info-savvy skills of asking, accessing, analysing, applying and assessing were developed in the pre-service teachers of India through surfing on cultural heritage of India, Buddhist heritage of India and on the domains of their respective discipline methods. It is a joyful experience to travel through her research volume experiencing various surfing skills, viz., skimming, scanning, authenticating, hyper-linking, switching, skipping culminating into educational immersion for seeking solutions. The intervention program by Dutta (2009) was an attempt to provide student-teachers with varied exposure and experience which helped them to enhance various emotional skills and so emotional maturity. The various skills need to be properly integrated in teacher education. Teacher education is starving and striving for competent & proficient teacher educators. Little Contribution to Higher Education Teacher Education has not been in a position to come out of school education. It has made very little contribution to higher education. Educationists have been over obsessed with school education intensively for complexity, enormity, and the large number of the schools and students, but this is at the cost of neglecting higher education. Mis-match between Subject and Pedagogy There are mismatches between the subject and pedagogy. There are mismatches amongst the profiles of the learners and their education. Every subject has its own structure and functions. Each subject has its own ethos and discipline. Every Education level has its own tenderness. In spite of the presence of all the global and regional attempts we have not been in a position to even sustain the identity of elementary education. When is education said to be universalized? Every moment there are slogans and predicaments to universalize education. Has the Education really been universalized? Has the Right to Education ensured Education? Have we really been strong enough to provide differentiated differential inputs? Subject specific differential pedagogy demands scientific bases. We ought to make sincere & exhaustive attempts to realize the matches. Lack of Innovations and Research Teacher Education is a discipline which educates the progressive generations on what has gone by, where we are, where we want to go, and what we like to create, observing healthy, meaningful and long life. Innovations in Teacher Education are very rare. It may be attributed to various factors. Novel ideas do not incubate because of the adverse external conditions. There are wide gaps between the visionaries and actors. So, very often the innovations have short life and die down in the institutions, where these originate. Sometimes, the most innovative programs fail in the formal system, because, these are beyond the view & purview of the apex bodies. Four year integrated secondary teacher education programmes need excellent teacher educators who are philosophers of basic disciplines, as well as, education. Such a combination is rarely found. In addition to this, there is a need to have scope for vertical mobility. Activity based, personalized teacher education programmes though originated with zeal, yet need to struggle to sustain themselves in the forms envisaged. Novel ideas die because of non-incubation. Personalized teacher education, holistic teacher education, specialized teacher education, and even integrated teacher education are rarely found because we don’t have the capacity to tolerate repeated failures arising out of experimentation. One-shot success is a fairy tale and not the reality of life. The society and its institutions must have the capacity to tolerate genuine mistakes committed inadvertently during the course of innovation.

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Stake Holders Non-Alignment Different parties to education champion their cause by becoming the so-called stakeholders without having regard to the needs, urges and aspirations of other stakeholders. Consequently, the system is unduly stressed, instead of making it resilient enough to deliver man-making education. State indifference and displeasure, judicial concern and activism, Privatization and commercialization, public hope and failure, disregard and disrespect for education are fully evident. Very Low Use of Technology Teacher education programmes are largely traditional. Pace of modernization is very slow. We have not yet been in a position to infuse the technological innovations for transacting the education. There is more of knowledge deepening than knowledge construction. A sizable number of studies on effectiveness of CAI developed through various computer languages employing either preexperimental design or quasi experimental design reveal significant mean score gain from pretest to post-test. Computer as a medium has been found to have the potency of addressing the heterogeneity in terms of variables, namely, IQ, Interest, Motivation, Language level (Zyoud, 1999, MSU). A sizeable number of teacher education institutions in India have initiated ICT in education either as a core course or as optional course. Inspite of the impeding factors, namely, limited staff, inadequate laboratories with maintenance problems, sizeable classes, the courses have been found to realize their objectives reasonably (Goel, Das, and Shelat, 2003, MSU). A sizeable number of teacher education institutions have been found lacking facilities. A few studies conducted on the use of Internet in Teacher Education Institutions revealed that the student teachers largely lack in info- savvy skills and techno-pedagogic skills ( Joshi, 1999, MSU; Dhodi, 2005, MSU). Some of the teacher trainees make use of Internet for surfing, e-mail, research, core courses, and special areas. But, the Internet is rarely used for web designing, reflective dialogue and outsourcing. Measures of Internet safety are rarely employed. There is a need to develop NetSavvy Skills in Teacher Educator Trainees (Goel, 2006, MSU). Educational technology and ICT in education have demonstrated their values. But, Technology in Education is not yet fully integrated. Technology in Education is still underutilized. There is a need of technological revolution in teacher education. There is a wide scope for transformation of teacher education through technology. Lack of Laboratory Facilities The various laboratories of teacher education institutions, namely, Science Lab, Psychology Lab, Guidance & Counseling Lab, Educational Technology Lab, Computer Lab, and Language Lab are either not there or are mostly in very bad states. The field reality is still worse. All the laboratories ought to be fully functional and innovative to address the problems Over Stress on Distance/Open Universities Some of the distance and open universities have become over activists in the context of teacher education. These have a notion that they can open their teacher education extension centers anywhere. To give birth to infinite is their right, but who will rear their babies. Such distance and open universities have resulted into the dilution of teacher education. Invalid Recognition & Accreditation There are questions on recognition of teacher education institutions. There are questions on inputs & processes of teacher education. There are questions even on Accreditation of teacher education institutions. Escola Normal of Goa was much better established during Portuguese 179


period than the most recent modern teacher education institutions in India. Nalanda was having a much better profile and grade than the highest graded modern universities. No Clear Cut Teacher Education Policy There is no Teacher Education Policy in India. But, who will formulate Teacher Education Policy? To preserve the identity and sanctity of education, it is high time that we introduce Indian educational services. It is unfortunate that education is not even considered as an entity. Irrespective of geographical and cultural context, education is needed for all and therefore, it should be a national priority instead of leaving the subject in the domain of States. For this education should be shifted to the central list of the constitution from the concurrent list. In order to make it locally relevant, the financial and administrative arrangement be jointly shared, both, by the Centre and States. This would hopefully loose the chains of political interference in the university system. Every fault of Teacher Education is attributed to the National Council of Teacher Education. Rather than finding faults let us try to meet the gaps between our policies and programmes, vision and mission, wish and will. The foregoing analysis highlights the malaise plaguing the Indian Teacher Education System. It calls for revolutionary changes. There should be open forums and public debates on Teacher Education Policy, rather than leaving it to some selected committees, and commissions. References  Dhodi, N. (2011). Development and Implementation of a Program for Enhancing Info-Savvy Skills in Student Teachers, Ph.D. Thesis, The M.S. University of Baroda.  Anderson L.W. (1989). The Effective Teacher Study Guide and Reading. New York :Mc Grow Hill.  Aggarwal, J. C. (1999). Development and Planning of Modern Education.New Delhi,: Waqas Publication.  Sharma. S. R. (2000). Modern Teaching Strategies, New Delhi: Omsons Publication.  Goel. D. R. and Chhaya. (2012) Teacher Education Scenario in India. MIER Journal of Educational Studies.  Pachaury D.& Yadav A. (2014). Importance of Soft skills in Teacher Education. International Journal of Educational Research and Technology.

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NEED AND REQUIREMENT OF INTEGRATING TPACK MODEL: AN INNOVATIVE STRATEGY FOR SKILL DEVELOPMENT IN TEACHER EDUCATION Leena Sharma* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT We live in exponential times where digital technologies have already changed the way we work and play. The future of technology is more promising. It is of no surprise that the ongoing discussion of technology and its role in education takes even greater significance today.There is a general failure of teacher development programmes to adequately prepare teachers to integrate ICT in their teaching-learning. One of the reasons for that failure was the lack of a systematic framework to systematically guide teachers’ to integrate of ICT in teaching-learning.One of the most important and influential 21st century conceptual developments in the area of Technology and Teacher Education is the development of TPACK model for thinking about the knowledge, skills and dispositions a teacher needs in order to successfully integrate educational technologies into the classroom. The present paper throws a light on need and requirement of integrating TPACK Model as an innovative strategy for skill development in teacher education. Keywords: Effective Implementation, TPACK In order to explore the components, need and requirements of integrating the TPACK framework in Teacher Education as a new strategy for skill development, it is important to first understand its origins in the Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) Model introduced by Shulman, and then explore what Koehler and Mishra and others have discovered with regard to TPACK. Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) Model The knowledge required by the teachers has varied greatly throughout history.By the mid-1980s, the emphasis of teacher training had turnedalmost completely toward pedagogy, leaving behind the content knowledge. Shulman (1986) proposed that, “It wasn’t enough to teach content and pedagogy as two separate entities; that, in fact, good teaching required a complex integration and balance of the two. Shulman proposed that different content areas required different methods of inquiry and instruction”. This new and somewhat controversial idea of Pedagogical Content Knowledge has become one of the most widely referenced ideas in Teacher Education. Origin and Definition of the PCK Framework The origin of Pedagogical Content Knowledge had both theoretical and political concepts. On one hand, Shulman felt a need to demonstrate the importance of subject matter knowledge in training teachers, but on the other hand, the then Secretary of Education William Bennett believed that teacher training was unnecessary and that anyone with a college degree could be an educator. As a result,”Shulman first introduced the term Pedagogical Content Knowledge during his Presidential Address to the American Educational Research Association in 1985 and it first appeared in print in 1986.”(Van Driel, Veal, & Janssen, 2001). When the framework was first introduced, it was considered a sub-category of content knowledge. Shulman originally defined pedagogical content knowledge as “the particular form of content knowledge that embodies the aspects of content most germane to its teaching ability” (1986).Shuman expanded the definition later by stating that “this knowledge includes –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Research Scholar, Department of Education, M.D.U., Rohtak E-mail: [email protected] 181



an understanding of what it means to teach a particular topic as well as knowledge of the principles and techniques required to do so” (Wilson, Shulman, & Richert, 1987). Shulman kept on suggesting that, rather than existing as separate domains of knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge is actually a transformation of subject matter knowledge, general pedagogical knowledge, and knowledge of context, creating a new form of knowledge that is unique to teachers. Controversies Regarding the PCK Framework Since its introduction in 1986, the pedagogical content knowledge framework has been used as the foundation for numerous educational studies. However, it is certainly not without a degree of controversy. Marks (1990) perhaps described the conflict surrounding this model best with his description of the “blurred boundaries” that exist between pedagogical content knowledge, subject matter knowledge, and general pedagogical knowledge. He lists three ambiguities inherent in any study of pedagogical content knowledge that illustrate these fuzzydemarcations. First, any example of pedagogical content knowledge will necessarily contain features of subject matter knowledge and general pedagogical knowledge. This means that any classification of an item as pedagogical content knowledge is simply “a matter of focus” (Marks, 1990). Secondly, because these studies take place in an educational context, “statements about subject matter translate directly into pedagogical terms even though they are not expressed in those terms”. Finally, statements made about the teaching of one subject matter can apply to anysubject matter. Are these statements, then, representative of pedagogical content knowledge or general pedagogical knowledge? As stated by Gess-Newsome(1999), “This overlap demonstrates the difficulty of producing adequate definitions of complex concepts and ofestablishing clear, discrete, and manageable categories that avail themselves to examination. Regardless of the ambiguity surrounding pedagogical content knowledge, the construct has proven very valuable to the field of education. Gess-Newsome lists four contributions of the pedagogical content knowledge framework to the study of teaching, namely, that it has (a) “provided a new analytical frame for organizing and collecting data on teacher cognition, (b) highlighted the importance of subject matter knowledge and its transformation for teaching, (c) incorporated findings across related constructs, and (d) provided for a more integrated vision of teacher knowledge and classroom practice”. Therefore, though the construct may flawed and/or difficult to measure, it has provided a valuable lens with which to examine teaching. Shulman’s PCK model has been examined, expanded and elaborated by many scholars and practitioners since 1986.We will focus here on one of them. It is the work of Mishra & Koehler (2006) on expanding PCK to TPACK that adds further complexity to the way we think about teaching, learning, and technology. Technological, Pedagogical& Content Knowledge “The introduction of modern computer technologies has vastly changed the way our students interact and learn as well as their future prospects in terms of skills and job opportunities. Initially, technology was treated similar to how pedagogy was treated in the middle of the last century—as a separate but (perhaps) necessary entity.”(Mishra & Koehler, 2006). Training preservice teachers in educational technology was not a priority until the mid 1990s (Wentworth & Earle, 2003) and technology has largely been maintained as a separate course in teacher education programs (Graham, Culatta, Pratt, & West, 2004). The overlap of these three domains—content, pedagogy, and technology—is a new framework known as Technological, Pedagogical & Content Knowledge. Though the overlap of the domains was not a completely new concept before Mishra and Koehler’s work, they were the first to clearly articulate the interrelationships between the three domains, including the unique pairings that occur between them.

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Components of TPACK  Content Knowledge (CK) refers to, “a person’s understanding of the concepts related to a specific academic discipline. Additionally, a person with content knowledge also understands the structures of their subject matter”.(Shulman, 1986).  Pedagogical Knowledge (PK) refers to teaching strategies and methods. According to MorineDershimer and Kent (1999), “Pedagogical knowledge is a combination of many components including classroom management and organization, instructional models and strategies, and classroom communication and discourse”.  Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), the overlap proposed by Shulman, refers to theidea that pedagogy and content are interwoven. Shulman defines it as “subject matter knowledgefor teaching” (Shulman, 1986).  Technology Knowledge (TK) refers to one’s ability to use computer technology—tomanipulate programs and hardware to produce desired results. This facet of the framework is completely decontextualized – meaning that anyone in any field of employment, at any age, living anywhere in the world, can possess technology knowledge.  Technology Content Knowledge (TCK) refers to an understanding of which technologies are appropriate to use in various disciplines, whether in the classroom or on the job. Inherent here, too, is the understanding that technology may require a compromise of content or may enhance representation of content (Harris, Mishra, & Koehler, 2007; Mishra & Koehler, 2006).  Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK) refers to a general understanding of the application of technology in education without reference to a specific content. It also includes the ability to creatively use available technology tools in a pedagogical context (Harris et al., 2007).  Technological, Pedagogical& Content Knowledge (TPACK) refers to the complex interrelationship between a teacher’s technology use, instructional methods, and understanding of the subject matter (Mishra & Koehler, 2006). Need for Successful Implementation of TPACK in Teacher Education “Utilizing the TPACK framework can drastically change the way teachers teach their subjects” (Swenson, Young, McGrail, Rozema, &Whitin, 2006).”Understanding how to balance all three domains in a way that is most effective for learners is a difficult skill to acquire.” (Bull et al., 2007). “True TPACK is particularly difficult to master first because of the complex relationships and also because of the continually changing nature of technology, making every technology integration problem a unique one”. ( Mishra& Koehler, 2007). Teacher educators are beginning to stress the need for TPACK development in preserviceprograms (Niess, 2006; van Olphen, 2007). Thompson (2005) indicates that TPACK will have a profound impact on teacher education. Below are the points that should be kept in mind while implementing TPACK as skill in Teacher Education. 1. Student Confidence “Much of the research and literature published on the topic of TPACK is based on the building and assessment of student confidence in technology integration” (Gao,Choy, Wong, & Wu, 2009; Mayo,Kajs,&Tanguma,2005). In fact, a recent publication Gao et al. (2009) stated “failure to raise the teachers’ competence during pre-service education may result in the pre-service teachers quickly forsaking the use of instructional computer technology in practice” (pg. 725). Similar research by Hersh (2013) suggests that, “for successful implementation, the use of technology should be embedded in content-specific and methods coursework to increase teacher confidence”. Finally, Mayo et al. (2005) concluded that, “increased use of educational technologies resulted in increased self-efficacy of technology integration. These findings all suggest that the first step to building TPACK in teacher preparation is through building confidence through exposure. 183



2.

Leadership and Modelling of Technology Integration A recent publication, Goktas, Yildirim, andYildirim, (2009) articulate how important it is for teacher educators to act as role models for prospective teachers by using technologies in their own teaching. The authors illustrates how specifically instructor competency and willingness to use technologies in teaching will enrich their courses in the technology-integration process while modelling best practices for pre-service teachers. Similarly, Koch et al. (2012) published a study that showed that, “technology modelling and program design within a teacher education program can have a significant impact on pre-service teachers, thus improving their perceptions about their ability to integrate technology”. Thomas et al. (2013) extended this concept by stating “Leaders, deans and department heads must be an integral part of the change process for successful technology integration to take place”. These recent publications illustrate the importance of modelling technology integration not only by education instructors but also by university leadership and administrators. However, building confidence through exposure and modelling are just two of the many ways that TPACK can be established in teacher preparation programs. 3.

Assessment/Evaluation of Technology Integration “Over the past ten years, the field of technology in education has really struggled with ways to quantify progress toward technology standards. Due to this concern, researchers have recently been dedicated to developing reliable assessment approaches for measuring TPACK and its constructs”.(Abbitt, 2011; Koehler & Mishra, 2007; Schmidt, 2009).The goal of this effort is to better understand which areas of strengths and weaknesses as well as which professional development approaches do increase teachers’ technology knowledge. In a recent publication Kyie-Blankson et al. (2009) articulated this effort well by stating “Monitoring and examining students’ expectations and evaluation of faculty use of technology in instruction is necessary to provide valuable feedback to educators and administrators regarding effective technology integration in teaching and learning” (p. 211).The authors importantly note that reflection and evaluation is an inseparable component of ongoing teacher action and growth. Conclusion Many universities have not yet moved to full technology integration, there is a heavy reliance upon the traditional, stand-alone technology courses to provide all of the technology knowledge needed by pre-service teachers. In fact, in a national study by Gronseth et al. (2010), eighty percent of faculty members responsible for technology experiences indicated all or some of their programs required a standalone educational technology course. In the same study when asked to describe changes they would make in their programs, more than half of the educational technology faculty expressed a desire to have more systemic technology integration, particularly in field experiences and methods courses.  First, although it is important to introduce technology knowledge (TK) early in a teacher education program, professional development activities might be offered regularly to preservice teachers to keep them updated on emerging technology and technology commonly available in their placement schools.  Second, it is essential that educational technology faculty, methods, course faculty and school teachers collaborate to develop technology-integrated teacher education curricula that help preservice teachers to develop technology content knowledge (TCK). Through the review of TPACK literature, it is evident that many teacher preparation programs are relying on out-of-date technology models and are in need of redesign. Suggested improvements have focused on building confidence through exposure, instructor and administrative modelling, effective evaluations and technology embedded curriculum. All of these strategies have potential to 184


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strengthen teacher education programs and prepare pre-service teachers for 21st century instruction. Perhaps what educators should consider is how we can expect students to grow when we have not grown ourselves as instructors? We cannot teach with 19th century skills and expect our students to be prepared in the 21st century. References  Abbitt, J. (2011). Measuring technological pedagogical content knowledge in preservice teacher education: A review of current methods and instruments.Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 43(4), 281-300  Bull, G., Park, J., Searson, M. Thompson, A., Mishra, P., Koehler, M.J., et al. (2007). Editorial: Developing technology policies for effective classroom practice. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 7(3), 129-139.  Gao, P., Choy, D., Wong, A. F. L., & Wu, J. (2009). Developing a better understanding of technologybased pedagogy.Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 25(5), 714-730.  Gronseth, S., Brush, T., Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A., Strycker, J., Abaci, S., Easterling, W., & ... van Leusen, P. (2010). Equipping the next generation of teachers: Technology preparation and practice.Journal of Digital Learning In Teacher Education, 27(1), 30-36  Gess, Newsome, J. (1999). Pedagogical content knowledge: An introduction and orientation. In J. Gess-Newsome & N.G. Lederman (Eds.), Examining Pedagogical Content Knowledge: The Construct and its Implications for Science Education. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.  Goktas, Yildirim, andYildirim, (2009) Goktas, Y., Yildirim, S. &Yildirim, Z. (2009).Main barriers and possible enablers of ICT integration into preservice teacher education programs.Educational Technology & Society, 12(1), 193-204.  Graham, Culatta, Pratt, & West, 2004). Graham, C., Culatta, R., Pratt, M., & West, R. (2004). Redesigning the teacher education technology course to emphasize integration. Computers in the Schools, 21(1-2), 127-148.  Harris et al., 2007).Harris, J.B., Mishra, P., & Koehler, M.J. (2007). Teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge: Curriculum-based technology integration reframed. Paper presented at the 2007 Conference of the American Educational Research Association  Hersh (2013) Hersh, E. C. (2013). Change and challenge: The influence of technology integration in teacher preparation programs.  Koch et al. (2012) Koch, A., Heo, M., & Kush, J. (2012).Technology integration into pre-service teacher training.International journal of information & communication technology education, 8(1), 1- 14.doi:10.4018/j icte.2012010101  Kyei-Blankson, L., Keengwe, J., &Blankson, J. (2009).Faculty Use and Integration of Technology in Higher Education.AACE Journal, 17(3), 199-213.  Mayo,Kajs,&Tanguma,2005 Mayo, N. B., Kajs, L.T., &Tanguma, J. (2005).Longitudinal study of technology training to prepare future teachers.Educational Research Quarterly, 29(1), 3-15  Mishra, P. & Koehler, M.J. (2006) Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017-1054.  Mishra, P. & Koehler, M.J. (2007). Technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK): Confronting the wicked problems of teaching with technology. In C. Crawford, et al (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference 2007. Chesapeake, VA: AACE.  Morine- Dershimer and Kent (1999), Morine-Dershimer, D. & Kent, T. (1999). The complex nature and sources of teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge. In N.G. Lederman & J. Gess-Newsome (Eds.), Examining pedagogical content knowledge. Boston: Kluwer Academic. 185


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Niess, 2006; Niess, M.L. (2006).Gues Editorial: Preparing teachers to teach mathematics with technology. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 6(2), 195-203. Schmidt, D. S. (2009). Technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK): The development and validation of an assessment instrument for preservice teachers. Journal of research on technology in education (International Society For Technology In Education), 42(2), 123. Shulman, L.S. (1986). Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. Educational Researcher, 15(2), 4-14. Swenson, J., Young, C.A., McGrail, E., Rozema, R., &Whitin, P. (2006).Extending the conversation: New technologies, new literacies and English education. English Education, 38(4), 351-369. Thompson (2005)Thompson, A.D. (2005). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: Framing teacher knowledge about technology. Journal of Computing in Teacher Education, 22(2), 46-48 Thomas et al. (2013) Thomas, T., Herrring, M., Redmond, P., &Smaldino, S. (2013). Leading change and innovation in teacher preparation: A blueprint for developing TPACK ready teacher candidates. Techtrends, 57(5), 55-63. Van Driel, J.H., Veal, W.R., & Janssen, F.J.J.M., (2001). Essay review: Pedagogical content knowledge: An integrative component within the knowledge base for teaching. Teaching and Teacher Education, 17, 979-986. vanOlphen, M. (2007). Educational technology and world language teachers. In C. Crawford, et al (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference 2007. Chesapeake, VA: AACE. Wilson, S.M., Shulman, L.S., & Richert, A.E. (1987). ‘150 different ways’ of knowing: Representations of knowledge in teaching. In J. Calderhead (Ed.), Exploring Teachers’ Thinking. London: Cassell Educational Limited. Wentworth, N. & Earle, R. (2003). Trends in computer uses as reported in Computers in the Schools. In D.L. Johnson & C.D. Maddux (Eds.), Technology in education: A twenty- year retrospective. New York: The Haworth Press, Inc.

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PRE-REQUISITE FOR INTEGRATING SKILL DEVELOPMENT IN TEACHER EDUCATION Pooja Arora* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT The rhetoric of skills is much in evidence. We here of ‘skills for the future’, ‘relevant skills’. ‘the skill demands of new technology’ and the ‘skill needed to survive in the modern world’. But what are these ‘skills’, and at which levels of education are they required? The question can be explored in two ways. Firstly, by considering recent documents and reports on the links between IT in education and industry. Secondly, by a full scale empirical investigation into the perceived ‘skill demands’ of employers in IT, their current recruitment patterns at various levels, and the relation of those demands to the range of IT education currently offered in our education and training schemes. The present paper examines the necessity for integrating skill development in education. Introduction: Through the ages man has worked for his livelihood, has learned through accumulated experience how to face and control natural forces and how to live within the limited physical resources for the good of all. All this mass of rich human experience achieved through work has stimulated man to seek means and methods of increasing his efficiency in work. As a result, the method of learning through organized experiences has come into use. Apprenticeship or training under guild organization originated during ancient times and continued during the middle ages, was among the first forms of organized learning. The vocational institute or school, which is relatively of recent origin, is a modern example of institutionalized learning to work through consciously organized instruction. Since the beginning of time occupational knowledge and manual skill have, in one form or another, been transmitted from man to man and from generation to generation. This transmitting process, whatever its form of organization, has developed into the educational process that has now given rise to expansions and developments of what may be termed as vocational or skill based education. The diffusion of the occupational knowledge and the transmittal of the manipulative skill, underlying occupations and callings of man, may be interpreted as the forerunner of the various concepts of vocational education. In this board sense, vocational educational becomes that part of the total experience whereby man learns to carry on a gainful occupation proficiently and efficiently. The term “vocational education” as used in this board sense is meant to cover both unorganized and organized methods of transmitting knowledge, skills and competences. The age-old methods of learning on the job with no or little assistance and supervision is the unorganized form, while specific vocational education through the institutionalised process is the organized form. In a strictly utilitarian sense, “vocational education or training implies a series of organized and controlled learning experiences used to educate or train any person or persons for a given employment”. The instructing process is organized to the extent the instructional objectives are clearly defined and understood and the instructor knows exactly what knowledge and skill it is his duty to impart most effectively. Through the ages, however, there has been but one way for the unskilled worker to learn to do his work, namely, the “pick up” method, in which observation, imitation and individual initiative constitute the sole means of training. It is only in the recent years that any serious attention is given –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Associate Professor, CT College of Education, Jalandhar. E-mail: [email protected] 187



to the training of unskilled worker to do his tasks efficiently. The unprecedented developments in science and technology have tended to expand vocational areas for which organized education or training is required. Vocational Education and training has thus become both a consequence and a cause of progress. General principles of skill based education: Principles of skill based education serve a useful purpose in the delineation of policies, processes and procedures underlying skill education, Principles of skill education are derived from past experiences and judgments that have proved to be satisfactory and effective. Principles growing out of the deliberations and general agreement among individuals and bodies interested in and concerned with vocational education find incorporation in the basic skill education laws. The general principles of skill based education are delineated below: 1. Skill Education will be efficient in proportion as the environment in which the learner is trained is a replica of the environment in which he must subsequently work. 2. Effective skill education can only be given where the training jobs are carried out in the same way with the same operations, the same tools and the same machines as in the occupation itself. 3. Skill education will be effective in proportion as it trains the individual directly and specifically in the thinking habits and the manipulative habits required in the occupation itself. 4. Skill education will be effective in proportion as it enables each individual to capitalize upon his interest, aptitudes and intrinsic intelligence to the highest possible degree. 5. Effective skill education for any profession, calling, trade, occupation or job can only be given to the selective group of individuals who need it, and can profit by it. 6. Skill Education will be effective in proportion as the specific training experiences for forming right habits of doing and thinking are repeated to the point that these habits become fixed to the degree necessary for gainful employment. 7. Skill Education will be effective in proportion as the instructor has had successful experiences in the application of knowledge and skills to the operations and processes he undertake to teach. 8. For every occupation there is a minimum of productive ability which an individual must possess in order to secure or retain employment in that occupation. If vocational educational is not carried to that point with that individual, it is neither personally or socially effective. 9. Skill education must recognize the conditions as they are must train individuals to meet the demands of the labour market even though it may be true that more efficient ways of conducting the occupation may be known and that better working conditions are rightly desirable. 10. For every occupation there is a body of content which is peculiar to that occupation and which practically has no functioning value in any other occupation. 11. Vocational education will render efficient social service in proportion as it meets the specific training needs of any group at the time they need it, and in such a way that they can most effectively profit by the instruction. 12. Skill education will be socially efficient in production as in its personal relations with learners it takes into consideration the particular characteristics of any particular group which it serves. 13. The administration of skill education will be efficient in proportion as it is elastic and fluid rather than rigid and standardized. 14. While every reasonable effort should be made to reduce per capita cost, there is a minimum below which effective skill education cannot be given, and if the course does not permit this minimum of per capita cost, vocational education cannot be attempted. Skill education-involving the institution, the home, and the industry or business-frequently evolves processes and procedure different from those of general education. 188


Pre-Requisite for Integrating Skill Development in Teacher Education

Need for integrating skill development in education It is not possible to give learners a ready-made complete package of knowledge and skills for life at any one time or period. In the modern context, workers are continually in need of adaptation, readaption to changing demands and exigency of situation, and are therefore constantly required to face renewal of knowledge and skills. The sweeping changes in products, processes and techniques arising from scientific and technological discoveries and innovations result in far-reaching change in training policies, methods and standards required to meet the new exacting demands. This calls for organized systematic ways to train and retrain workers for a wide variety of occupations, spread over large geographical areas, equipped with higher and newer grades of occupational knowledge and skills. As efficiency in the use of human effort progress, as sub-division of operations and tasks lead more to specialization of jobs, as the scale of production increases, the occupations tend to become less general and more specific. This leads to demands for knowledge, skills and competences that are immediate, direct and specialized. In the modern world of industry and business, the incoming generations tend to nurture ambition and aspiration to step up the ladder of job hierarchy. This rightful desire for upward mobility is strengthened when opportunities are offered to the workers, within their organization or outside it, for the training or further training which fit them for the new job responsibilities. The fundamental principle of the present-day vocational education is that every learner should be given as much education or training he wants at a particular time. Instead of complete preparation for a life occupation, it may be just enough when an individual is equipped sufficiently with knowledge and skills which may help him in meeting his immediate social or economic needs and responsibilities. Through a well-devised system of further or extension education, persons may get prepared for newer or higher occupational callings and responsibilities under the rapidly changing socio-economic order. Further education can help a person in upgrading his job or in seeking alternative occupation or in getting training related to any other personal growth and development. Further education in vocational and technical areas covers a field of great diversity and usefulness, as in the case in U.K., where-”it is the fastest growing and in many ways the most successful and inventive areas of English education”. When properly organized and developed, further education system can provide immense scope and vertical mobility of young working persons towards their goal of better and higher academic and professional achievements leading to better and richer employment benefits. By adopting modern methods and routes of study, facilities for further education can be provided extensively and economically for the emerging class of skilled persons that will have the ability and academic standing to enter advanced education and training programmes. For Example, widening the range of routes available – part-time day/evening, block release, sandwich, directed private study or correspondence route or mixing of routes-should give the widest possible opportunity for students to study for various courses. Similarly, devising specialized courses based on the principle of multiple-entry credit system, may make it possible for motivated students to enter a higher stage of course with the minimum of academic entry requirements. A system of further education of the envisaged kind shall thus prove to be a major integrative factor, a highly motivating force for successful career development of young persons who have had the basic initial groundings in vocational education. Conclusion: The need to pay due attention to the proper relationship between supply and demand in terms of skilled work force has to be understood in the context of stringency of our financial and physical resources. If the country or state is to achieve its targets of economic growth, it must have adequate supply of skilled hands of reach category of jobs to be performed. On the other hands, if there is a surfeit of trained persons in any job category, it implies waste of scarce resources and organizational 189


efforts. It also adds to the difficult problem of unemployment and the resulting frustration to the educated youth. Unemployment is more often the result of a lack of proper education and skill acquisition rather than of a shortage of job opportunities. We must, in one way or another, see that our education system prepares boys and girls to use their minds as well as muscles for talks that today’s and-tomorrow’s-labour market requires. National, regional or state-the fact must be recognized that in an increasingly technological era, occupational education and skill development are the keys to a long-range solution, both for the individual and society. Helping young people become employable should become an essential national objective of educational institutions. A concerted effort is therefore needed by government agencies, industrial and business organisations, social and political bodies in this direction and all groups and individuals deeply concerned with and interested in skill education-through enlightened wage policies, improved means and methods of educational organization, organized vocational guidance and counseling services, the creation of public opinion-to promote the status and value of skill based education. References  Burrell, J. and Anderson, K.(2008). I have great desires to look beyond my world: Trajectories of information and communication technology use among Ghanaians living abroad. New Media Society, 10: 203-224. DOI: 10.1177/1461444807086472.  Dhawan, V., (2004). Critical success factors for rural ICT projects in India: A study of n-Logue projects at pabal and Baramati. MSc. Thesis, Shailesh Mehta School of Management, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.  Kiri, K. and Menon,D.(2006). For profit rural kiosks in India: Achievements and challenges. Inform. Dev.  Kumar, R. (2004). Social governance and economic impact assessment of information and communication technology interventions in rural India. MSc. Thesis, Urban Studiesand Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  Licker, P.A.( 2001). A gift from the gods? Components of information technology fatalism, determinism in several cultures. Electr. J. Inform. Syst. Dev. Countr., 7: 1-11.  Pringle, I. & David, M.J.R (2005). Rural community ICT applications: The kothmale model.  Rao, S.S.,(2005). Bridging digital divide: Efforts in India. Telemat. Inform., 22: 361-375. DOI: 10.1016/ j.tele.2005.01.007

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ICT AS A TOOL FOR BRIDGING THE SKILLS GAP IN TEACHERS Sangeeta Rani* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT We are living in a changing universe where change cannot be brought to a halt. The process of teaching – learning also undergoes a change with the changing world. The rapid change in the advancement of technologies has made a significant change in the education system and teacher must know not only how to use technology but also when and why to use it. The growing skills gap is one of the biggest challenges in teachers and information and communication technology (ICT) is one of the tools in a portfolio of vital solution that aims to bridge the skills gap. By birth, no individual is blessed with all the qualities needed to be a successful teacher. If teachers are expected to meet standards of technology competency, quality professional development must be available to help them integrate technology into instruction. If teachers themselves have a better understanding of technology it will be easier for them to make a competent and skillful teacher. This paper seeks to address the skills gap and strives to present some key suggestion for bridging the skills gap in teachers. Keyword: Information communication technology, Skills gap, professional development Introduction Education is the essential foundation of a thriving and innovative society and quality of education plays a pivotal role in the process of development of nations. Thus, it is rightly said that progress of any country particularly of a democratic country depends upon the quality of its teachers and for this reason; teaching is the noblest among all profession. Professional success of every professional in his profession depends mainly on his up to date professional knowledge, fullest devotion, and dedication along with his efficiency and effectiveness. In the present day world with advancement in technology, these qualities can be inducted through education. Teachers are the torch bearers in creating social cohesion, national integration, and a learning society. They not only disseminate knowledge but also create and generate new knowledge. The emergence of a knowledge-based society is changing and changes the status of education. Hence, teacher’s role changes to that of a coach or guide as well as an instructor. Rapid changes in technology are a challenge for teachers and states trying to keep teachers up to date. But our teachers are uncomfortable with the use of latest tools of technology; such as e – learning, use of a computer, e-mail, OHP etc. They should be trained to use the technological innovations that are readily available. The teacher must keep himself aware of the current development. The growing skill gap is one of the biggest challenges in teachers. Skill gap occurs when there is an inadequate supply of skills or attributes within a given occupation. Ireland’s Digital Champion, Lord David Puttnam gave a keynote speech on technology and education, and offered the audience this analogy: “If you took a brilliant surgeon from 1913 and placed him in an operating theater today, there is nothing he could do; nothing he could contribute from his skill base. And yet if you take a teacher from 1913, and pop her into a classroom today, in many, many subjects she could teach what all of us would understand as a lesson”. The country presently faces a dual challenge of severe paucity of highly-trained, quality, as well as large sections of that teacher who possess little or no job skills. Each and every day new development, new fact, new theories and new methodologies are being evolved and if teachers have better understanding of information communication technologies it will easier to improve the professional –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Research Scholar, Department of Education, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Haryana (India) E-mail: [email protected] 191



abilities, performance and use modern teaching aids. Therefore, the best way to provide quality education is to bridge the skills gap in teachers with required competencies. What is the Skills Gap? With the continuous emergence of new technologies and new educational needs, certain skills are required to succeed today. Generally, Skills Gap is the difference in the skills required for the job and the actual skills possessed by the employees. It is that point at which an organization can no longer grow because its employees do not have the right skills to achieve the best outcomes.

Need of bridging the skill gap Today’s students need to know not only the basic reading, writing and arithmetic skills but also skills that will allow them to face the world that is continually changing. Application of information communication technologies and changing role of media will offer more interaction and would cater to various styles of learning. Globalization and democratization of information have made possible the access information to everyone and everywhere. Innovative practices supported by technology, but they also address certain pedagogical challenges such as integration of informal learning experiences, the limitation of existing physical and virtual learning environment and the personalization of learning experiences (Alexander 2006) curricula are being revised and each individual has responsibility to respond to change and using current learning technologies to achieve the best outcomes. Information communication technologies provide opportunities to teach the teacher, but the teacher also needs to work to reduce the growing skills gap with ICT themselves. According to Ives and jarvenpaa(1993) “ Information requirements must be met by stitching together human skills and expertise with the threads of information and communication technology”. Certain skills are required to be developed among the teachers for enabling them to face the challenges in the real world, in the professional career. The UNESCO World Education Report (1998) ‘Teachers and Teaching in a changing world’ describes the radical implications the new information and communication technologies have for conventional teaching and learning. Teachers being the allimportant pillars in the education system, it is important to attract the best possible people into the profession and then support them to function effectively. Hence, there is need of bridging the skills gap in teachers and ICT is an important tool for achieving this target. Role of ICT in bridging skills gap in teachers Teachers succeed in their profession ones they become able to make technological know-how is the prerequisite of exploring the digital world. It is with the help of technological powers we are in a 192


ICT as a Tool for Bridging the Skills Gap in Teachers

position to revolutionize the world. When we talk of a paradigm shift it means when one form acceptance is going to be partially if not fully replaced by another form, then a huge skills gap exist and these gaps can be considered as evolutionary. A great proportion of skills required related to new technology. When a new software package becomes available, people must train to use it. Most teachers are not equipped with the technical skills. But with the help of application of information communication technology, we can reduce the skills gap to developed competences in the core theme of pedagogy, technical competences, networking and social issues. Professional development Since teachers are expected to perform multiple roles at the present time; their continuous professional development becomes inevitable. It is essential to increase teacher’s competency knowledge, skills, attitude, by which they can improve the quality of education. It can also be said that learning will become more active and hence there should be more skills focusing on learning by doing or through interaction and collaboration with others. The emergence of new technology, especially web 2 technologies has given many platforms for teachers to learn. These changes also mean that teachers will need to be able to re- skill competencies, so as to keep updated with changes and be able to respond to fast changing working environment Web 2.0 Technologies (Blog, Wiki, and Podcasts) Web 2.0 technologies such as blogs, wikis, and podcasts have been considered as ‘social software’ because they are perceived as being well connected, allowing users to develop web content collaboratively and open to the public. Web 2.0 tools are easy to use and quickly developed and organized. Thus, they allow powerful information sharing and straightforward collaboration. Further, these tools have an advantage of requiring minimum technical skills to use their features. Hence users can focus on the information exchange and collaborative tasks without bothering about technical knowledge. Blog: Following a blog written by others in the profession is a good way for one’s professional development. Since blog also provides opportunities to interact asynchronously; there is a possibility of social learning. Since interaction is asynchronous, responses would be more reflective rather than spontaneous. Writing blog is another way of engaging in professional development. Systematic, articulated writing is only a product of thoughtful engagement in the profession. Wiki: Wiki is another web 2.0 technology where the teacher could contribute and hence engage in professional development. Wiki is a type of interactive website where the webpages are editable by the users of the site. Users are able to edit existing pages and add new pages to the site. This allows groups to collaborate on the creation of web-based information. The wiki users can keep the content improving till the members of the community are satisfied with the content. Since putting together information on a particular topic requires research, synthesis, and presentation of the idea for others that helps teachers develop their knowledge on the area they are exploring makes a wiki a powerful tool for professional development. Podcast: Podcasts are another web 2.0 technologies that are useful for teachers. Since the archives of the resources are always available for use, podcasts become very handy when they are in need. Since the audio format can be played on mobile phones, they are available for teachers for convenient professional development, i.e., teachers can select what, when and where they learn. Professional development of teachers becomes a necessary input for the improvement of overall quality of education. Not only does professional development offer new skills, but it also allows opportunities to learn from others. As other professionals share their experiences (Blogs, Wiki, Podcast), 193



your staff can pick up new ideas and perspectives. This can lead to greater efficiencies of teachers and helps in removing skills gap. Massive Open and Online Courses (MOOCs) The Internet is huge reservoirs of resources and provides a large number of learning opportunities. In MOOCs, one would be able to enroll into a fullfledged course, consisting of course structure, instructional video, guided interaction, monitored evaluation, grading of the tasks completed etc. In other words, the MOOCs provide a complete learning experience online. Usually, a course in a MOOC would long anywhere between 6 to 16 weeks. The course contents are structured on a weekly basis. Social Media Networks Social media networks provide teachers with opportunities to get connected with people who are working in areas connected with educational practice. Most highly valued use of such a network is sharing ideas. Spaces such as Twitter( https://twitter.com/), LinkedIn ( https://in.linkedin.com/ ), Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/) and Google+ (https://plus.google.com/) offer instant opportunities to follow and learn from authors, educators, educational leaders and professional heroes who not only share information and resources but frequently initiate and invite direct engagement. Simply following people who would otherwise only be names in textbooks or journal articles is one legitimate way to be in these spaces. Through social media networks, we also have legitimate opportunities to engage with these individuals and to learn directly from them. Social media based platforms provide access MICROSOFT INITIATIVE TOWARDS NME-ICT “SAKSHAM” Ministry of Human Resource & Development, Govt. of India has launched the National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NME-ICT) Project. Under this project, MHRD wishes to impart training to more than 1 lakh teachers from 20,000 colleges across India on basic Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools and build capacity for use of IT in day to day teaching. Microsoft is conducting a FREE “Microsoft Saksham – Teacher Empowerment” program for the teachers. These teachers have been selected across various disciplines and shall be groomed to be a Champion on ICT skills. As an end result, the teachers would be motivated to build a content repository that would allow them to share their ideas; research projects leverage all the available knowledge resources for finding useful examples and case studies and enable them to collaborate with other teachers and with their mentors. The SAKSHAM Portal www.saksham-ms.in, is an online resource which allows the SAKSHAM champions to access content, form communities, build content repositories, leverage knowledge and actively share ideas and projects. Champions also have the facility to create their own training batches on Saksham portal and thus extend the online community of new ICT champions. Microsoft plans to recognize those ICT champions who successfully reach out and mentor other educators and students. Microsoft welcomes the educators from University into its fold and the SAKSHAM fraternity, which represents an empowered, critical mass of dedicated experts in every field, working in a networked manner to bridge the skills gap and accomplish MHRD’s NME-ICT vision. e-teacher: Teachers being the all-important pillars in the education system, then support them to function effectively by reducing skills gap.The idea is to create a bank of videos of good teachers teaching at least basic and key topics and make them widely available so that they can be used by a large number of school teachers. Hence, ICT help in developing skills for the best learning outcomes.

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Video Teacher Observation: Schools can be provided with low-cost video cameras and teachers are required to video-record their Sessions – say one every fortnight and send it to an expert, this may be an almost equally effective solution. Conclusion Since young people will likely to continue to be at the forefront of technological change, therefore teachers should meet the needs of 21st-century learners. It is evident that there is a huge skills gap present in India, and this gap needs to be bridged for us to remain competitive. This paper describes various opportunities provided by ICTs for bridging the skills gap in teachers. There are various avenues including MOOCs, social media networks, web 2.0 technologies and e-teacher Microsoft Saksham – Teacher Empowerment” for bridging the skills gap in teachers. The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind. - Khalil Gibran References  Alexander, B. (2006). Web 2.0. A New Wave of Innovation for teaching and learning, 32-44.  Chandra R. (2005). Impact of Media and Technology in Education, Delhi: Kalpaz publication.  Dintoe, S. S. (2010). Identifying and bridging the gaps in education system through effective use of educational technology: schools in Botswana (Doctoral dissertation, Concordia University).  Gray, D. E., Ryan, M., & Coulon, A. (2004). The training of teachers and trainers: Innovative practices, skills and competencies in the use of eLearning. European Journal of Open, Distance and e-learning, 7(2).  Ives,B.,Jarvenpaa, S.L. (1993). Competing with information: empowering knowledge networks with information technology. Institute of information studies. The knowledge economy: The nature of information in the 21st century,The Aspen institute, queenstown, MD.  Marmar M, (2001). Universal Quality School Education and Role of ICT, available at www.ciet.nic.in

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INTEGRATING SOFT SKILLS IN TEACHER EDUCATION: TOWARDS EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Manju Gehlawat* –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ABSTRACT It has been widely observed that education is an essential tool for achieving sustainability. We all realize that the current economic development trends are not sustainable and that public awareness, education and training are the key elements to move our society towards sustainability. Only quality future human capital can envision development of its nation to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Therefore, the inculcation of soft skills among the students will be two-pronged: to produce quality human capital and to develop their knowledge, understanding, values and skills as well. Teachers play a pivotal role in developing the future generations. Therefore they have to be properly guided to enhance their competencies. The teacher training programs should aim to elevate and improve teacher’s professional abilities in teaching. This paper emphasizes on the importance and development of soft skills namely problem solving skills, communication skills, information management skills, entrepreneurship skills and leadership skills of the teachers to enhance their professional competence. Keywords: Soft Skills, Education for Sustainable Development Introduction Teachers’ soft skills are of vital importance. The attainment of these skills will make a difference in quality of teaching and effective learning. The quality of teaching is a crucial factor in promoting effective learning in schools (Tang, 2013). Teaching is a complex act, requiring a wide range of knowledge and skills including hard and soft skills to successfully manage the demands of the classroom (Tang, Nor Hashimah & Hashimah, forthcoming 2015). Since teaching is an additional complex process (Flores & Days, 2006), novice teachers need to have important soft skills. Consequently, teacher educators today are confronted with the issue of how best to ensure that teaching graduates will continue to be relevant and bring value to the job market. It is the responsibility of the teacher training institutions to ensure that the prospective teachers have relevant skills to gain employment. Hence, soft skills development should be imbued into the professional training programs. Furthermore, universities should combine hard skills and soft skills in the curriculum if confident students with a sense of balance and proportion in these skills to be produced (Hairuzila, 2009). Understanding the Soft Skills Soft skills refer to all aspects of generic skills that include the cognitive elements associated with non-academic skills. Soft skills are identified as the most critical skills in the current global job market especially in a fast-moving era of technology. The reorientation of education which is one trust of education for sustainability also relates the importance of these so-called soft skills. The term soft skills is being used to describe skills that managers and leaders use that are subjective in nature, such as creative thinking, dealing with people issues, coaching for performance, and so on. According to Daniel Goleman, soft skills contribute to a person’s ability to manage him or herself and relate to other people – skills which matter twice as much as IQ or technical kills in job success. Based on the researches, seven soft skills have been identified and chosen to be implemented. They are:  Communicative skills –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *Assistant Professor, C.R. College of Education, Rohtak-124001, E-mail: [email protected] 196


Thinking and problem solving skills Teamwork dynamics Life-long learning and information management Entrepreneurship skills Ethics and professionalism Leadership skills

     

Elements of Soft Skills

1.

Sr. No. 1.

Soft Skills

Must Ha ve Eleme nts (Sub-Skills)

Good To Have Elements (Sub-Skills)

Communicative Skills

Ability to deliver id ea clearly, effectively and with confidence either orally or in writing Ability to pra ctice active listening skill and respond. Ability to pre sent clearly and confidently to the audience.

2.

Critical Thinkin g and Problem Solvin g Skills

3.

Team Work

4.

Life-Lon g Learning & Information Manage ment Skill

5.

Entre prene urship skill

Ability to identify and analyze problems in difficult situ ation and make justifiable evalu ation. Ability to expand and improve thinking skills such as e xplanation, analysis and e valuate discussion . Ability to find ideas and look f or altern ative solutions. Ability to build a good rapport , inte ract and work effectively with others. Ability to understa nd and play the role of a leader an d follower alternatively. Ability to recognize and respect other’s attitude, beh avior and belie fs. Ability to find and mana ge relevant information f rom various sources. Ability to receive new ideas performs autonom y learning . Ability to identify job opportunities.

Ability to use technology during presentation. Ability to discuss and arrive at a consensus. Ability to commun icate with individua l from a different cultu ral backg round. Ability to expand one’s own communicative skill. Ability to use non -oral skills. Ability to think beyond Ability to ma ke conclusion ba sed o n valid proof. Ability to withstand and give full re spo nsibility. Ability to un derstand and accommodate one self to the varied working en viron ment.

6.

Ethics, Moral & Profe ssional

7.

Leade rship skill

Ability to understa nd the economy crisis, environment and social cultural asp ect s prof essionally. Ability to analyze make problem solving decisions related to ethics. Knowledge o f the basic the ories of leadership. Ability to lead a project.

Ability to give contribution to the plan ning and coordina te grou p work. Respo nsible towa rds group decision.

Ability to de velop an inquiry mind and se ek knowledge .

Ability to propose busin ess opp ortunity. Ability to bu ild, explore and seek business opp ortunities and job. Ability to be self-e mplo yed. Ability to practice ethical attit udes besides having the responsibility towards society.

Ability to un derstand and take turns as a leader and follower alte rnatively. Ability to supervise membe rs of a group.

Communicative Skills: The communicative skills involve effective communication in both the national language and English language in different contexts and with different people. Communicative skills are an integral part of any education system either in higher education or primary education. They have also been greatly emphasized in the reorientation of basic education 197



2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

for ESD (Education for sustainable development) which is: the ability to communicate effectively (both orally and in writing). The communicative skill seemed to be one important component that lacks in the future human capital. The incompetence of the future teachers to master both languages will be a set-back to a lot of potential development and advancement of the country. Thus, this is a good time to reorient the curriculum of teacher training institutions to embed communicative skills. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills: This skill includes the ability to think critically, creatively, innovatively and analytically. It also involves the ability to apply knowledge and understanding to new and different problems as well. For ESD to be successful, it must give people practical skills that will enable them to continue learning after they leave school, to have a sustainable livelihood and to live sustainable lives. The critical thinking skills, skills to organize and interpret data and information, skills to formulate questions and the ability to analyze issues that confront communities are greatly addressed in the reorientation of basic education in ESD. The Skill of Team Work: It refers to the ability to work with people from different social cultural background to achieve a common goal. Students are encouraged to play their role in the group and to respect opinions and attitudes of others in the group. This skill is also part of ESD as stated in the reorientation of basic education: the ability to work cooperatively with other people. If the future human capital can attain these skills, we can be rest assure that the future generation will collaborate ideas and cooperate a taskforce towards the well-being of the nation. Life-Long Learning and Management of Information: This skill involves an effort to learn to be independent or self-regulated learning in acquiring skills and new knowledge. The ability to find and manage relevant information from various sources is also a criterion of this soft skill. Besides this, students are also expected to develop an inquiry mind and crave for knowledge. These characteristics are equally important in ESD in order for an individual to be media literate and consumer knowledgeable. Entrepreneurship skill: It is the ability to seek business opportunity and develop risk awareness. It also involves being creative and innovative in activities related to business and tasks. To design and plan business propositions and the ability to be self employed. This skill can in some ways contribute to the society if the training and practice is done for a good purpose. Ethics, Moral and Professional: It focuses on the ability to practice a high moral standard in professional tasks and social interaction. This skill also includes the ability to analyze ethical problems and make problem solving decisions. Having a sense of responsibility towards society is another criterion of this soft skill. Leadership skills: The ability to lead in various activities and tasks is the basic aim of this skill. This is an important criterion in ESD for planning and implementing ideas in a group. This skill is also important to lead in discussion and make decision.

How to Inculcate Soft Skills Among Students? In general, the development of soft skills among students via formal teaching and learning activities takes three models: (1) Stand Alone and (2) Embedded (3) Combination of Stand Alone Subject Model and Embedded Model 1.

Stand Alone Subject Model : This model uses the approach of training and providing opportunities to students to develop soft skills through specific courses that are carefully planned for this purpose. Usually, these subjects are offered as university courses (such as English language, entrepreneurship, etc) and elective courses (such as public speaking, critical thinking, etc). The courses in this category are often a part of the overall requirements that make up the 198


Integrating Soft Skills in Teacher Education: Towards Education for Sustainable Development

program. The number of courses and credits in this category depends on the curriculum design and the requirements of the program. The stand alone subject model can also be initiated by encouraging students to sign up for several additional courses which can be credited to be a minor course which is different from the initial program. For example, a student who is pursuing an engineering program is encouraged to take minor courses in management or mass communication. However, such an approach will require an increase in the number of credits and time spent for the particular program. 2.

Embedded Model : This model uses the approach of embedding the soft skills in the teaching and learning activities across the curriculum. It does not require the student to take special courses as in the stand alone subject model. Instead the students are trained to master the soft skills through various formal teaching and learning activities that are planned and carried out using specific strategies and methods. In this way, the content and learning outcomes to be achieved for the respective courses are maintained. This is the suggested model to be implemented in all the courses for the different programs in teacher training institutions. This is followed by implementing several teaching and learning activities such as questioning, class discussion, brainstorming, team work, presentation, role play and simulation, task/project, field work and site visits. In general, the development of soft skills using the embedded model requires the expertise of the lecturers to use various teaching strategies and methods that are entirely student-centered. It also involves active teaching and learning with students should actively participating. Some of the appropriate and practical strategies and methods include: (i) learning by questioning (ii) cooperative learning (iii) problem-based learning (PBL), and (iv) e-learning

3.

Combination of Stand Alone Subject Model and Embedded Model : Each of the respective models described above has its weaknesses and strengths. From the framework, planning, implementing and assessment perspective, the stand alone model definitely has an advantage. This is because the course or subject is specially developed to assist students to acquire soft skills. However, this model lacked the opportunity for students to develop and acquire soft skills as integrated with other knowledge and skills in the major discipline studied. The existing number of credits for the respective program is also a constraint for students to sign-up for additional courses on soft skills. On the other hand, the framework, planning, implementing and assessment of the embedded model are more challenging than the stand alone model. This model requires the teacher educators to master specific teaching and learning skills and then apply these skills in teaching the respective core courses for the specific program. However, this model is more effective in developing and acquiring the soft skills integrated with other knowledge and skills when appropriate teaching and learning strategies are carefully planned and used. In addition, this model does not require any additional courses to the already existing courses of the respective program. Based on the weaknesses and strengths discussed, teacher training institutes are encouraged to use the embedded model rather than the stand alone model. This is because the embedded model focuses on student-centered learning, such experiential learning, problembased learning and gives students practical experience.

Development of soft skills through support programs This involves programs and activities that are created, developed and used to support soft skills either directly or indirectly. In general, the program and activity can be divided into two areas: (i)

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academic support programs and (ii) non-academic support programs. The academic support program helps students acquire soft skills that are associated with academic matters. As for the non-academic support program, it assists students in acquiring soft skills that are not related to academic matters but more related to the personal and professional development of the students. Most of the programs are in the form of co-curricular and extra co-curricular activities. Conclusion To live up to the challenge of globalization, which is in line with an era of an informational economy, the strength of a nation is strongly dependent on the ability of its citizen to be highly intellectual and skillful. Thus, the development of human capital is important and necessary since it drives the nation to crystallize its vision and mission. Without quality human capital, a nation will be weak with no human factor that is capable to embark on new initiatives and perspectives. Quality human capital comes from a quality education process. A carefully designed and well planned education system is critical to developing such human capital. Thus, teacher training institutions play a very important role in producing human capital that is highly knowledgeable and skillful and can meet the demands and expectations of society. The teaching and learning processes in these institutions must be capable in providing such knowledge and skills to future graduates. The fundamental courses are most important for teacher trainees to inculcate the soft skills, however the ideas expressed by educational thinkers in fundamental courses, such as Gandhi, Tagore, Sri Aurobindo, Rousseau, John Dewey and others including various psychologists and sociologists are often studied in a piecemeal manner. The hard skills are most visible and tangible and relatively easy to teach capable of being measured and therefore evaluated. Soft skills are interpersonal and human relations skills in other words “people skills” which include social, psychological and communicational skills. The research studies have also identified some of the weaknesses among the teachers produced by the teacher education institutions. They are not so sound and lack the so-called soft skills demanded by the society. Hence, the institutions of the teacher education are urged to produce quality teachers who are equally intelligent possess excellent attitude, high ethical and moral values. Hence, reorientation of teacher education curriculum should concentrate on infusing soft skills related aspects to meet the needs of society. So, teacher education programmes have to make a conscious effort in designing courses that generate deeper understanding of three skills viz., hard skills, soft skills and conceptual skills. References  Fantilli, R.D., & McDougali, E. (2009). A study of novice teachers: Challenges and supports in the 1st years. Teaching and Teacher Education 25, 814-825. University of Toronto, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.  Flores, M.A., & Day, C. (2006). Contexts which shape novice teachers’ identities: A multiperspective study. Teaching and Teacher Education, 22(2), 219-232.  Hairuzila, I. (2009). Challenges in the integration of soft skills in teaching technical courses: Lecturers’ perspectives. Asian Journal of University Education, 5(2), 67-81.  Pachauri, D. & Yadav, A. (2014). Importance of Soft Skills In Teacher Education Programme. International Journal of Educational Research & Technology, 5 (1), 22-25.  Tang, K.N. (2013). Teaching as collective work: What are the needs of novice teachers? Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 93, 195-199.  Tang, K. N., Nor Hashimah, H., & Hashimah, M.Y.(2015). Novice teacher perceptions of soft skills needed in today’s workplace. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 186 , 835 – 840.  http://blogs.funiber.org/formacion-profesorado/2011/05/27/the-importance-of-soft-skillsdevelopment-in-education 200


Integrating Soft Skills in Teacher Education: Towards Education for Sustainable Development

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_for_Sustainable_Development http://irlt.yorku.ca/blended/FAQanswer1.html http://schoolofeducators.com/2009/02/importance-of-soft-skills-development-in-education/ www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042815024647

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INTEGRATING SKILL DEVELOPMENT IN TEACHER EDUCATION: ISSUES, CHALLENGES & STRATEGIES Edited by:  Prof. H.L. Sharma  Dr. Vandana Punia  Dr. SaritaDahiya

Publishers:

SUDHA ENTERPRISES EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHER 401, Qutabpur, Rewari (Haryana) Pin Code- 123401, Contact No. 09215063994, 09996666336 Email:- [email protected]

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Printed & Published by:

SUDHA ENTERPRISES 401, Qutabpur, Rewari Phone: 9215063994, 9996666336 E-mail: [email protected]

2017 @ Editors The responsibility for the facts or opinions expressed in the papers is entirely of the authors. Neither the University nor the publishers are responsible for the same. The views expressed in the articles or research papers are of individual’s contribution and are solely responsible for its plagiarism. All right are reserved. Any part of the book may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the editors.

ISBN No. 978-81-932238-8-8

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PREFACE The most flourishing education systems focus on building a hierarchy of skills. Skill development is the process of honing the existing skills, learning some new skills, while maintaining the old skills if not raised to a higher level. Integrating skill development in teacher education programmes requires a broad vision and comprehensive approach for accomplishment of desired goals. This requires integrating, facilitating, upgrading and enhancing futuristic skills among teachers in order to obtain desirable educational outcomes. Such skill-oriented practices will build a class of teachers with high excellence and help them in their professional growth and equip them for facing the classroom with varied learners with a range of diverse needs. ICT is seen as a critical component in the Key Competencies both as a skill and as a tool in the development of other skills. The challenge for ICTs in Teacher Education is to assure that the new generation of teachers, as well as current teachers, are well-prepared to use new learning methods, processes and materials with the new ICT skills for learning and teaching. Today’s life and work environments require far more than thinking skills and content knowledge. Cultivating the ability to navigate through the complex life and work environments requires novice as well as senior teachers to pay rigorous attention on developing adequate soft skills and life skills. The present work in form of book titled as “Integrating Skill Development in Teacher Education; Issues, Challenges and Strategies” is a collection of reflective outlooks of teachers, stakeholders, policy makers towards theory and practice of integration of skill development for teacher educational institutions. It focuses on issues, strategies and challenges among teacher educators with reference to integration of ICT skills,Technology, Pedagogy and Content Knowledge(TPACK), Soft skills, Life skills in teacher education programmes. In this frame, it is imperative to prepare teachers for integration of skill development in teacher education programmes for pre-service teachers, also for teachers in services, along a broad spectrum. It is the considered opinion of the editors that the present book will be of immense help to the researchers and practitioners working in field of teacher education. The best of the efforts have been made in compiling and editing this book. We would like to put on record our most sincere thanks to contributors and gratefulness to our worthy Vice Chancellor Professor B K Punia for believing in us. process of arriving at this final product was quite enjoyable and enriching.

Editors

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CONTENTS S.No.

Title

Page No.



Foreword



Preface



List of Contributors

1.

Teacher Education Programmes and the Acquisition of 21st Century Skills: Issues and Challenges Ms. Manisha Sharma

2.

1-5

Construction of Tool for Measuring Technological, Pedagogical & Content Knowledge (TPACK) of Indian Pre-service Teacher Educators Prof. Hemant Lata Sharma

3.

6-8

Digital Storytelling; Technology-Integrated Pedagogy for Social Science Curriculum Dr. VandanaPunia

4.

9-14

TPACK: Promethean Path for Amalgamation of Skills among Teacher Educators Dr. SaritaDahiya

5.

15-20

Unfolding the ways ICT can do in Teacher Education Dr. Neeru Rathee

6.

21-25

Potential Tool for Effective Teaching: Technological, Pedagogical And Content Knowledge (TPACK) Dr. Madhuri Hooda

7.

26-29

Incorporation of Innovative Technologies : Effective integration of ICT in Teacher Education Ms. Menka Choudhary

8.

30-34

Psychological Pinning of ICT in Pedagogy of Education Mr. Sanjay Kumar

9.

35-38

ICT: An important Tool for Changing ‘Book-Centered Learning Environment’ into a ‘Student-Centered Learning Environment’ Ms Jaita Mukherjee Mondal

10.

39-45

MOOC or SWAYAM: Future Tools for Effective Incorporation of ICT in Teaching & Learning Ms.Rusha Mudgal

11.

46-50

Enhancing Quality of Teaching –Learning through ICT based Approaches Mr. Rajesh Makol

51-55 205 (i)


S.No. 12.

Title

Page No.

Paradigm Shift in Effective Integration of ICT in Education Dr. Suman Lata

13.

56-61

Skill Development in Teacher Education Dr. Poonam Dhull

14.

62-67

Quality Improvement and Management in Education : Role of Teachers Dr. Sarvjeet Kaur Brar

15.

68-71

Role of In-Service Teacher Training Programs in Fulfilling Emergent Needs of Advanced Skills in Teachers Ms. Vandana

16.

72-75

Effective Assimilation of ICT for achieving Excellence in Teacher Education Ms. Indu Sharma

17.

76-81

Quality Assurance and Skill Development in Teacher Education through Innovative Strategies Ms. Poonam

18.

82-88

Approaches & Challenges of Integrating Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) in Teacher Education Ms. Kavita

19.

89-94

Professional Development of Teachers in Higher Education Institutions – A Step towards improving Employability of the Students Ms. Meenakshi Dhingra

20.

95-101

Developing Soft Skills among Teacher Educators for Holistic Development Ms. Sheetal

21.

102-107

Exploring ways for Professional Development of Teachers: Teaching through ICT Ms. Sonia

22.

108-112

Sustainable Change in Teaching- Learning Process through ICT Ms. Komal Dhiman

23.

113-117

Integrating ICTs with Teacher Education Ms. Rajni Dahiya

24.

118-122

Computer & Information Technology as a Common Denominator for Innovation in 21st Century Mr. Ombir

123-131 206 (ii)


S.No. 25.

Title

Page No.

Inclusion of ICT In Teacher Education in India Ms Pramila Kumari

26.

132-137

Role of Teacher Education in Social and Economic Development of India Ms. Nirmla Rani

27.

138-142

Contemporary Conceptualization of Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge for Teacher Professional Development Ms. Suman Thakran

28.

143-148

Usage of ICT in Teacher Education: A Perspective View Ms. Nirmla Kumari

29.

149-154

Benefits of using of ICT in Teacher Education Ms. Sarita

30.

155-158

Translating the Skills in Classroom Teaching through Professional Training in Teacher Education Ms. Anisha

31.

159-163

Techno-Pedagogical Skills In Teacher Education Ms. Jugnu Khatter Bhatia

32.

164-168

Integrated Skill Development in Teacher Education: Walk the Talk Ms. Priti Lata

33.

169-171

Need of different Skills in Teacher Education Ms. Anshu Dembla

34.

172-174

Challenges in Integration of skills in Teacher Education Dr. Surender Kumar

35.

175-180

Need and Requirement of Integrating TPACK Model: An Innovative Strategy for Skill Development in Teacher Education Ms. Leena Sharma

36.

181-186

Pre-requisite for Integrating skill development in Teacher Education Dr. Pooja Arora

37.

187-190

ICT as a Tool for Bridging the Skills gap in Teachers Ms. Sangeeta Rani

38.

191-195

Integrating Soft Skills in Teacher Education: Towards Education for Sustainable Development Dr. Manju Gehlawat

196-201 *** 207 (iii)
