How can grasshoppers change ICT practices July 5

How can grasshoppers change ICT practices? July 5 th – 7 th 2011, ICT in the Classroom Conference, Johannesburg, South Africa By Lieve Leroy, VVOB Zambia

Case • You attend a workshop, but upon returning to your own workplace, you fail to implement the lessons learned. • Your colleague just got his ICDL certificate, but still has a classroom full of chalk and talk. Ever experienced something like this?

Outcomes By the end of the session delegates will: • Have reflected on capacity building in ICT, inclusive of integration in class/work practices. • Have exchanged good ideas and go home with a basket of tips and tricks. • Have a good understanding of the Grassroots approach and have reflected on the duplicability of it.

Getting started • Think of an ICT tool (Web 2. 0) which inspired you during the last year. • What was the trigger that made you start using it? ü Speed dating set up ü Plenary

More questions • Have you ever succeeded in motivating a/some colleague(s) to use an ICT tool? • What was the key to success? ü Think ü Pair ü Share

Our tool box to success • Let’s make an inventory

Some guidelines • ICT application in the classroom: – requires staff development – implies change, which might trigger resistance • Highly effective ways of staff development are: discussing, coaching, mentoring, observing and developing others are highly effective • comfort risk danger: – Feasible but challenge – Support (time, materials, coach) – Confidence

Our tool box to success • Reflect on the guidelines and relate those to our tool box: how effective are our approaches

The reality: Zambia

The reality: Zambia

The reality: Zambia

Grassroots Zambia “Learn to use & Use to learn“ • Based on Grassroots TU Delft, The Netherlands • Done in Zambia, community schools and colleges of education

Grassroots • Staff at all levels can submit a proposal for a small scale initiative to enhance the introduction of ICT, or innovative methods of teaching at school/college (bottom up) • Expert support/guidance over the duration of the project (technical and educational support) • Reward for a successful implementation • Dissemination in a good practices seminar and publication of good practices

Why grassroots? • Stimulate lecturers, with little or no experience with ICT, to get a feeling for using ICT • Increase the use of ICT in education in the institute Why is it successful: • Lecturer is the owner of the idea; feels empowered • Stimulating creativity of lecturers • Enthusiasm and commitment • Stimulates peers; appealing concept • Students are immediately benefiting

Process Approval of proposals planning • Fine tuning proposals • Feasibility • Getting started implementation • Guidance and mentoring • Meetings with peers Celebration/ dissemination • Good practices • Reward • Writing Tales of the Grasshoppers

In Zambia: two rounds 5 thematic groups: • Find, search, collaborate • Audi, visual and video learning • Gadgets and tools • Language and Mathematics • Hands on ICT

“Those who make a distinction between education and entertainment don't know the first thing about either. “ -- Marshall Mc. Luhan

Expert Groups

Agreement Working Together The role of the mentor in grassroots is: • Give feedback • Give advice on how to balance responsibilities, set professional priorities and action plans. • Help to find technical/subject matter inputs and resources. • Empower participants to take responsibility for their own project, experience and learning. • Organise meetings with the ‘peer group’. • Create linkages with colleagues from other institutions.

Getting started • How would the concept of grassroots project be transferable to your situation? • Discuss your own challenges in the use of ICT in your organisation/class. Come up with a grassroots proposal to solve this situation

• http: //www. icto. tudelft. nl/en/ongoingprojects/grassroots/tu-delft-grassroots/ • http: //grassrootszambia. webs. com/ • http: //www. vvobzambia. blogspot. com/ • http: //www. slideshare. net/bart. cornille/tab-1 -tales-of-thegrasshoppers With contributions from presentations by Kristin Smets (VVOB Brussels) and Leonie Meijerink e. a. (VVOB Zambia)

literature • • • Bubb, S. , Earley, P. (2007). Leading and managing continuing professional development (2 nd ed. ). London: Paul Chapman Publishing. Bubb, S. Earley, P. , Leading staff development for school improvement, School Leadership and Management, Vol 29, No 1, February 2009, pp. 23 -37. Fullan, M. (2007), The New Meaning of Educational Change (4 th ed. ), London: Routledge. Leithwood, K. , Mascall, B. , Strauss, T. , Sacks, R. , Memon, N. and Yashkina, A. (2007) Distributing Leadership to Make Schools Smarter: Taking the Ego Out of the System. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 6: 1, pp. 37 -67. Marzano, R. J. (2003), What Works in School: Translating Research into Action, Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Marzano, R. J. , Waters, T. and Mc. Nulty, B. A. (2005), School Leadership that Works: From Research to Results, Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Meijerink, L. , Dopper, S. , Cornille, B. , Duplicability of Grassroots concept to inspire educators to use ICT in education, e. Learning Africa Conference, 26 May 2010, Zambia. Pont, B. , Nusche, D. and Moorman, H. (2008), Improving School Leadership, Volume 1: Policy and Practice, Paris: OECD. Reeves, D. B. (2009). Leading change in your school: How to conquer myths, build commitment, and get results. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Schollaert, R. and Leenheer, P. (Eds. ) (2006), Spirals of Change. Educational change as a driving force for school improvement, Leuven: Lannoo Campus.