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E-learning
for rural teachers
ITP
News Network/ New Delhi
LearningMate,
a division of Delhi-based Educomp Datamatics, Blackboard Inc and
World Links, a leading international non-profit organisation, have
recently announced a strategic partnership to introduce e-Learning
as a solution for professional development of teachers in rural
and under-served schools throughout India, parts of Asia, Africa,
Latin America, and the Middle East.
Under
the partnership, World Links will offer teacher training in the
use of technology and the Internet to improve teaching and learning
via the Blackboard Learning System MLT, the multi-language edition
of the company’s market-leading course management system. World
Links has created an innovative e-Learning version of its award-winning,
face-to-face training programme. The new e-Learning course utilises
interactive content, realistic scenarios and collaborative activities
to enable participants to immediately apply the learning to their
own environment. The 12-week course uses a distributed learning
approach, integrating the Internet, CD-ROM and a one-day face-to-face
seminar.
To
overcome challenges with unreliable and often costly Internet connectivity
in most of the developing world including India, LearningMate has
taken advantage of the Blackboard Building BlocksT technology to
develop a tool that provides offline access to Blackboard-enabled
course content. Also, through Building Blocks, LearningMate has
integrated its discussion board solution with the Blackboard Learning
System ML to support offline peer learning and collaboration between
learners in the World Links programme. Commenting on the new partnership,
Andrew H Rosen, general manager of Blackboard Inc said, “After
seeing various ministries of education and schools districts around
the world invest in computing and connectivity infrastructure over
the last few years, we now have identified a demand for proven technology
and methodologies that make large-scale teacher professional development
a reality. “
It
is understood that the partnership will initially pilot a 12-week
course in early 2003 on curriculum and technology integration in
schools throughout India, Ghana, Uganda, Zimbabwe, South Africa,
Botswana, and Zambia. And later on plans to expand the offering
to Latin America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia with localisations
in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Chinese, Japanese and German.
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