11 March 2013

The Administration of the Hi-Tech Park, the Ministry of Education, the National Institute of Education and Intel Corporation continue to implement the joint project on testing educational models using individual electronic devices (IEDs) in the republic institutions of secondary education.

In the academic year 2012-2013 the project "1 : 1" involved 23 teachers and 275 students from eight educational institutions of Minsk, Orsha, Novopolotsk (Vitebsk region), Smorgon, Vasilishki agro-town, urban village Voronovo, Negnevichi village (Grodno region).

Trainings that are designed to help educators effectively use modern technologies and services in the educational process are held for the teachers - participants of the project for the second academic year on the basis of the Belarusian-Indian Training center in the field of ICT.

The purpose of testing educational models using IEDs in institutions of secondary education is not just to teach modern students basic computer skills, but help them navigate the information flows, select and analyze information, synthesize new knowledge to build a system of effective communication and co-operate with fellow students and representatives of other cultures. The use of ICT in the classroom in elementary school allows to move from explanatory and illustrated way of learning to activity, in which a child becomes an active participant in learning activities. Besides, it is the ability to animate a lesson, raise the students’ interest to the subject, which contributes to the conscious assimilation of knowledge by students.

"While introducing this model, we faced the problem that the teachers neither know how to use internet services in their teaching practice, nor have the skills of the confident computer user. Therefore, it became necessary to organize such a training, "- said the deputy director of the HTP Administration Alexander Martinkevich.

However, according to the coach, the head of information technology and e-learning resources department of the National Institute of Education, Irina Vasilyeva, notes, thanks to the conducted training, teachers - members of the project not only successfully apply ICT in the educational process, but also share good examples from their personal experience with each other.

More than 10 trainings have been held by the moment. As was explained by Irina Vasilyeva, during this time, the teachers have learned: to design a lesson using ICT in the first and second levels of education; to organize the students’ learning activities using the program of classroom management Classroom Management; to create their own teaching materials using Web 2.0 services, to organize students’ networking and other.

Here are just some of the teachers’ comments after the end of the next stage of training:

"Now I know exactly how to use a blog in my professional activity. The result of the training is the assurance that it is very useful, the assurance that I have the support, the assurance that I flame and able to set this light to others! ";

"The most important thing is that I have a desire to work, to learn new things! The result - I imagine that in the Web 2.0 services I can do a lot";

"The main result is my professional growth";

"I became a part of the experimental program not for the first time, but only this project trains teachers. We have the ability to communicate with each other, to share experiences. We feel the support from coaches, trainers and project managers of the National Institute of Education. I like it, nothing more to add".

This pilot project is implemented within the framework of the Protocol of Intentions on Cooperation in ICT sphere in System of Education, which was signed on August 9, 2011 by the Ministry of Education, the Administration of HTP and Intel Corporation. As a sponsorship, the HTP resident companies provide the educational institutions, involved in the project, with personal mobile computers, connected in a wireless class network with access to the Internet. A series of trainings for teachers began in August 2011.

In the academic year 2011-2012 five Belarusian educational institutions took part in the project.