Information Communication Technology, or ICT, is changing the way students learn and teachers work. Here are five ICT skills for teachers to be able to prepare today’s students for tomorrow.
ICT Skills for Teachers #1. Basic computer literacy
You don’t need to be a computer geek, but you do need to be use basic programs (at the very least, Microsoft’s Word, Outlook and PowerPoint). The good news is that most computer programs share common features and icons, which means skills learnt in one program are usually transferable.
ICT Skills for Teachers #2. The ability to back-up
Computers are the filing cabinets of the 21st century, and most lesson plans, resources and reports are now created, shared and saved on computers. If you don’t want to lose your work, you need to know how to back-up your files.
ICT Skills for Teachers #3. Experience of online project work
Most teachers as students to take part in group work at some point, but how often do teachers do this type of work themselves? If you want to be able to really help your students, get involved in some projects that are run online – either in or outside of school. Your experiences will stand your students in good stead.
ICT Skills for Teachers #4. The ability to nurture creativity – and mark it
Most white collar companies want creative employees. With easy programs for word processing, film and photo editing, music creation and drawing (to name just a few) computers enable people create like they never have before, so you need to create assignments that encourage to think in new ways. At the very least, you need to be able to download and review the films, music, podcasts and 3D drawing they create.
ICT Skills for Teachers #5. Social networking skills
Whether you use Facebook or not isn’t important, but you need to have a basic understanding of how online networks work and the netiquette involved. Your students will be chatting online, writing blogs and sending tweets, and you need to be ready if they ask for guidance.
Find other helpful ways for teachers to succeed in the 21st century in our Teacher’s Lounge where you can find out how to achieve success with blended learning, flipped classrooms, personalized learning, student self-assessment, project-based learning, and more!
