ICT in the Classroom
Next course dates: 01 October 2008 - 20 December 2008
Term: 50 hours over 10 weeks
Fee: € 475

[ course | tutors | enrolment | resources ]
[ what a course looks like | feedback... ]

this course is offered in collaboration with

This course was awarded a British Council ELTON for innovation in ELT  at the ceremony held in London in  February 2007. More details here

Future course dates:
09 January 2009 - 26 March 2009
09 January 2009 - 26 March 2009

CONTENT
The ICT in the Classroom course looks at a range of useful technology-related skills and tools which are immediately applicable in the classroom. You will learn about various approaches to using technology in the classroom and have the opportunity to put them into practice over the duration of the course itself. ICT areas explored in the course include: planning and teaching with the Internet, search techniques, designing webquests, using text and voice chat with learners, and blogs.

AUDIENCE
The course is aimed at all teachers of English and/or other languages worldwide. It is envisaged both as an add-on for newly-qualified entry level teachers wishing to increase their employment opportunities in this competitive market, as well as experienced professionals looking to expand their teaching repertoire and qualifications at the same time as they gain some experience in online learning.

[ find out where our course participants come from with our participant map... ]

TIMETABLE
Our course will cover ten weeks from 01 October 2008. Participants are expected to spend approx. 4 - 6 hours per week on online individual and collaborative group work, including offline reading and reflection. Deadlines for task completion are weekly, and participants can log on at any point during the week to work on the course. There are no 'fixed' times to be online - apart from regular timetabled online chats - these are negotiated to suit everyone. You will receive a detailed study timetable to help you organise your workload effectively once you have enrolled on the course.

You will use our online video conferencing platform for your course chats at least once during the course  - the exact time for this is negotiated with the group. To take part in a video conferencing session you will need a headset with microphone (headsets with a USB plug are the best option), or a stand-alone microphone and speakers. If you have a webcam, you may want to connect that during the video conferencing session, but this is optional—you will be able to see and hear your tutor even if you only have a headset. Video conferencing sessions are always recorded which means that even if you can’t attend, you will be able to watch the recording later online, in your own time. Our video conferencing platform is accessed via a web page—you do not need to download or install anything to use it during the course [see also What you need below].

OBJECTIVES
During the course, you will:

learn to effectively use a VLE (Virtual Learning Environment)

become familiar with search and evaluation skills for Net resources.

analyse and develop lesson planning and materials preparation skills.

explore the theory and practice of webquests.

experience text and voice chat as a classroom tool.

learn to set up and implement a variety of blog types.

reflect on the skills needed for working effectively with students online.

create a final technology-based lesson plan, put it into practice and reflect on the experience.

COURSE STRUCTURE
You will follow the course entirely online, working closely with a tutor in collaborative groups which use individual, pair, small group and whole group work. Throughout the course you are in constant contact with course colleagues and tutor(s).

WEEKS 1 - 2: Introduction to ICT in the classroom

WEEKS 3 - 4: The Internet: lesson planning and teaching

WEEKS 5 - 6: Webquests: theory and practice

WEEKS 7 - 8: Using chat and blogs with learners

WEEKS 9 - 10: Final course project

FINAL COURSE PROJECT
The ICT in the Classroom course leads to a final course project, developed and implemented during the last two weeks of the course (Weeks 9 and 10). The final course project requires participants to:

1. design a lesson around an ICT tool studied on the course, and to submit it to tutors / colleagues on the course
2. try the lesson out with a group of learners, or with one learner (depending on the tool chosen)
3. reflect on the experience and suggest any changes for future use of the project

Note that participants will need to have access to a class, or to an individual learner (depending on the ICT tool chosen), for stage 2.

SKILLS
The course is taught entirely online, using the VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) Moodle. You won’t need any prior experience or knowledge of online learning, although very basic experience of email and Internet use would be helpful. Technical and pedagogical support is available for the entire duration of the course.

WHAT YOU NEED

• An Internet connection, preferably broadband
• A headset (best is with a USB connection) or stand-alone microphone and speakers
• A webcam is optional
• An up-to-date browser
• Adobe Acrobat Reader
• An up-to-date media player (e.g. Windows Media Player or similar)
• A word processing package (e.g. Microsoft Word or similar)

You will use our video conferencing platform at least once during the course; before taking part  in the first session, we advise you to run the online system check here to ensure that you can take part fully in the session.

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS
Competence in written and spoken English, whether English is the applicants’ first, second or foreign language: successful applicants’ levels of competence in English must be of a standard sufficient to enable them to fully understand and complete the course work.

CERTIFICATION
This course is quality-assured by Trinity College London. The Consultants-E will issue participants with a Certificate that includes the Trinity logo, on successful completion of the course. Successful completion of the course is defined as completing 80% of the course work, and completion of the final course project, to an acceptable standard.

ENROLMENT/FEES
You can enrol online by following this link. The fee for the course is € 475 and covers all tutorials, guest speaker sessions (where appropriate), evaluation of final project work and certification from Trinity College London.