Sharing

This section of the main document of this course, called "Sharing" allowed me to see the kinds of solutions and propositions teachers and schools would like to share on how to avoid pitfalls or obstacles, and also on how to give equal chances to everybody when teachers and schools want to integrate ICT. 

4.3 Sharing 

Objective 
Discover some suggestions on how to face some of the challenges. 
Can you share with other schools how you have overcome some of the challenges you faced when integrating ICT in a Primary School? (7.4) 

With respect to the sharing of experiences and successes, the schools we’ve interviewed responded in two different directions. Some have expressed how they do or have done to share with some colleagues and which, while others have understood the question as an invitation to share with us some recommendations and suggestions. Therefore the answers make a little less consensus, but there are still some very interesting aspects. Firstly regarding the recommendations that teachers have shared, they are connected to: 

 Training: the schools underline the importance of the staff professional development as one the key aspects to overcome the difficulties and problems. 

 Infrastructure: some schools mention the importance of the quality of the infrastructure that has to be well thought and supported in order to maintain a high level of quality that ensures all the actors are kept involved and motivated. 

 Parents: some schools mentioned the role of parents who are important collaborators who should be involved in the action and well supported too. 

 Culture: promoting and talking about ICT makes it part of the school culture and people become more aware and ready to face challenges. 

Relatively to sharing arrangements made, teachers who have expressed their experiences mainly mention situations that brought them into a relationship with other schools (in their immediate neighbourhood, in their regional or national network) through the construction of communities of practice or productive and facilitative collaboration and therefore reduced their isolation. 

Suggestions from some of the schools interviewed to other schools on how to face challenges 

Professional development 

The schools make some suggestions regarding teachers’ professional development required to integrate ICT and face challenges : 

 At the beginning, offer technological courses and then keep a constant professional development offer. 

 Look for courses to follow to develop teacher’s digital literacy. 

 Offer teacher trainings in small groups to ensure mentoring and differentiation 

 Teach teachers to let children learn, explore and express themselves. 

 Organise staff workshops led by staff for staff : « when, where, what works ». 

 Offer a program of continuing professional development for the entire staff, not only teachers. 

Infrastructure 

Some schools make suggestions regarding the infrastructure : 

 Build infrastructure and devices that specifically designed for ICT integration. 

 Give ICT a real focus and value in the school. 

 Include ICT in the School Development Plan. 

Culture 

Some schools make suggestions concerning the digital culture in the school :

 Make ICT specialist, pedagogical coordinators and teachers collaborate together. 

Create a promotion team. 

 Organize a “club of modern teachers” in the school where teachers help each other and present new software. 

Parents 

Two schools have suggestions for the relationship with parents and families : 

 Fill up the generation gap by training parents and children. 

 Consider carefully the parental engagement because it is a big part of the success. 

How challenges where shared with other schools 

Some schools answered this question by explaining what they have done to share with other schools how they faced challenges : 

 One school explains that they took part in communities of practice, which helped them to share.  Two schools say they shared with other schools thanks to workshops they organised during professional conferences. 

 One school say they could count on their school board to share with other schools what they have done. 

 Two schools are members of networked schools through which ICT group are created and meet regularly. 

 Two schools explain that their teachers are invited to participate in seminars that part of a national program so that they can share knowledge and experience and collaborate. 

 One school says that they work with the ICT coordinator of the sister school. 

 One school says that even though they would like to share, it is hard in their country (Czech Republic) because there are not enough ICT schools to share with.