AusPICT - European ICT Teacher Training in Australia
John Rawson & Andrew Naylor
“AusIPict” – St Patricks College, Launceston
jrawson@stpatricks.tas.edu.au
naylora@stpatricks.tas.edu.au
Abstract
Teachers have been encouraged both at Commonwealth and State levels to embrace the integration of
Information Communication Technology into their classroom teaching. Traditionally three major
obstacles stand in the way of this process:
1
2
3
Making computer processing power available to students on an “at need” basis.
Equipping teachers with the computer hardware and software necessary for lesson
preparation and delivery.
Equipping teachers with the skills to integrate the relevant ICT knowledge into their
teaching methodology.
The “Pedagogical ICT Licence” addresses the third factor.
The Licence was developed in Denmark in the late 1990s. It was developed by teachers, for teachers with
the goal that teachers did not just need to learn ICT skills: teachers needed to explore ways of integrating
these skills into their teaching. The resulting package has become something of a European phenomenon.
Over 70,000 teachers in Denmark and Norway have so far graduated from the scheme, and several other
countries are currently running pilot programs. The program embraces the use of online technology
combined with personal contact and collaboration.
ICT TRAINING FOR TEACHERS: SOME BACKGROUND
The “Digital Age” has been widely promoted by writers and educators (see, eg Jukes (2005a,
2005b)). Education systems and their infantry – the classroom teachers – are facing increasing
pressure to follow the lead of industry and commerce, and adopt Information Communication
Technology in a major way.
The need to better exploit the teaching and learning potential of ICT is widely
accepted and supported. However, to date, this potential has not been realised in
any significant way, particularly the potential to transform how, what, where
and why students learn what they do. (DEST 2003)
In the experience of the authors there have been three major factors which have limited the
integration of Information Communication Technology with classroom teaching:
1
2
3
Making computer processing power available to students on an “at need” basis.
Equipping teachers with the computer hardware and software necessary for lesson
preparation and delivery.
Equipping teachers with the skills to integrate the relevant ICT knowledge into their
teaching methodology. (See also, for example, DEST, 2000)
Governments and education systems are beginning to provide solutions for the first factor. Such
solutions as lap top computers, computer “pods” distributed throughout a school and equipping
all classrooms with some computers are being trialed throughout Australia.
States and individual schools are implementing programs which provide teachers with laptop
computers and relevant software to address the second factor.
The Pedagogical ICT Licence addresses the last factor.
Training Teachers in ICT
The increasing availability of computer resources is placing schools and their staff under even
greater pressure to integrate ICT into classroom practice.
The authors have been involved in teacher ICT training for a combined total of 50 years in six
states and two countries. We have elected to summarise the training techniques experienced in
that time by describing two broad models:
1
The “Osmosis” method
This system of training surrounds the teacher with technology – and then leaves them to make
what they will out of it. The theory behind this seems to be that eventually, some sort of ICT
skill will “seep into” the classroom teacher by virtue of the proximity of technology.
Although some enthusiastic teachers have actually ended up “mastering the beast” – generally
this approach has been quite successful in alienating teachers from the technology that is
supposed to be so helpful to them.
2
The “Classroom” technique (also called the “One-shot” method)
Here teachers are timetabled into formal classroom sessions – usually run by an IT expert who
has little or no understanding of the actual teaching needs. They get wonderful training in a
piece of software, become enthused by the possibilities, and then are released back into the real
world where opportunities to use the knowledge may be strictly limited. Teachers soon forget
how to use the software and when an opportunity to make use of it finally does present, they
can’t remember how to do it!
This approach seems to have produced a large amount of boredom and frustration.
Successful Features of Traditional ICT Training
A series of criteria were developed from the authors’ experiences with traditional ICT Training.
These were:
1
“Just in time”
ICT training was especially appreciated when it met the current needs of the participant.
Examples of this were learning how to create a table of contents in MS Word, or learning how
to transfer a spreadsheet from Lotus to Excel.
2
Appropriate
ICT training had to be seen as appropriate for the occupation concerned. An individual involved
in secretarial typing was less likely to perceive training in a spreadsheet program as useful than
a bookkeeper in the same company.
3
The equipment was transparent
An operator who had to spend time learning the basics of operating the hardware was less likely
to have a good training experience than someone who was already proficient in basic computer
tasks.
4
Applicable
The software was seen as applicable to the daily tasks of the individual.
5
Interaction
Classes where the person could interact with the trainer were much more effective than classes
which were either too large for this interaction, or which were run on a “follow the training
manual” principle.
6
Product directed
Classes where the trainee actually produced usable product (eg the accountant who transferred
his Lotus files to Excel) were likely to be more highly valued.
7
Dedicated time
Training sessions were normally set for evenings or weekends where the employee was given
time or remuneration in lieu. Participants indicated that they preferred training away from the
place of employment. One of the reasons sometimes cited was the lack of distraction of normal
work tasks.
The “Special” situation of teacher ICT training
Normal ICT training could be termed a “first-tier” training. If we train a typist to use a word
processor, then the computer software is a replacement for the old mechanism. The word
processor will perform all the functions of the typewriter – and add a few more for good
measure. This type of ICT usage is “first-tier” because it is a direct replacement. The computer
performs a direct simulation of the original function.
“Second-tier” training occurs when we want to ‘train the trainers’. Here we not only introduce
ICT features, but we expand from the ICT milieu to encompass the problems the trainers may
have with the software and with the people they are handling.
Some of the work that teachers do in a class-room with ICT is obviously “Second-tier” –
because they will be training students in various forms of ICT, so they need to have training
beyond personal usage.
ICT training for teachers, however goes beyond this stage as well. Teachers have to understand
the “ICT” components (first-tier). They also have to train others (“second-tier”). In addition,
they need to understand the implications of the ICT presented, in such a way that they can
integrate it into a new conceptual environment – the learning/teaching environment of a
classroom. We could term ICT training for teachers a “third-tier” level of training.
This distinction is made clear if we compare examples of tasks from different sectors. In the
commercial sector, an office worker may need to present a report with a table of contents and
page numbering. In the educational sector a teacher may be contemplating a unit on creative
writing. The secretary will directly apply their knowledge of the word processing program to the
material at hand – a first tier process. The teacher will decide on the elements to be taught; then
an appropriate ICT package from a range of options and finally teach the students the software
skills needed. The ICT options could range from simple word processing to a Desktop
Publishing program to a presentation program or even to web publishing. These three steps
constitute a “three-tier” process.
Third Tier ICT Training: The Integrated Approach
In the last ten years a number of “integrated” approaches have been trialed in various countries.
The philosophy behind an “integrated” approach is simple. Teachers should learn ICT skills
needed for their own teaching to the level that they can pass these skills on to students, and be
encouraged to produce relevant work which they are able to take into their own classroom
lessons.
Experience has shown that this approach has much more success in involving teachers in the
first place, and having a lasting effect within their classroom teaching, in the second place.
Elizabeth Probert (Probert 2004) describes training 15 science teachers to create PowerPoint
presentations of their units:
‘All enjoyed the experience very much with one dramatically announcing that
his teaching “had been changed for the good forever”.’
This approach was the basis of the NOF (National Opportunities Fund) in the UK which
operated between 1999 and 2003. Under this scheme an Approved Training Provider (ATP)
devised a program which delivered ICT skills to teachers based around actual classroom needs.
The MirandaNet report on the NOF training scheme identified (amongst others) five factors
which would have lead to greater success (Preston, 2004):





Develop a collegiate approach to investigation, exploration and support.
Encourage the taking of risks by the advanced and the adventurous.
Promote research based practice techniques in order to implement and sustain change in
classrooms.
Suggest web based and paper based portfolios of exemplars for the whole staff to learn
from.
Ensure that assignments were based on actual classroom practice and therefore as
closely as possible were integrated into teachers’ normal planning processes.
The Pedagogical ICT Licence
The Pedagogical ICT licence was developed in Denmark in the late 1990s. It was developed by
teachers, for teachers with the goal that teachers did not just need to learn ICT skills: teachers
needed to explore ways of integrating these skills into their teaching. The resulting package,
consisting of a set of core compulsory modules and twelve optional modules, has become
something of a European phenomenon. So far 60,000 teachers in Denmark and 20,000 teachers
in Norway have participated in the Licence. There are ongoing pilot programs in Greece, Italy,
Ghana, Cameroon (and Tasmania) and several other countries are planning to start pilot
programs in the near future. The package has also proven adaptable to ICT training in fields as
diverse as health care and pre-school care.
We encountered the program in 2003 whilst searching for ways of delivering high-quality ICT
professional development to our staff. The criteria were developed from the analysis of ICT
training given earlier in this paper. Thus we were looking for a program which would deliver
training that was, in particular





“Just in time”
Appropriate and applicable
Interactive
Product directed
“Third Tier”: blending ICT skills, ICT teaching skills; and integrating program projects
with teaching content.
After some negotiation with Uni•C (the Danish branch of the Department of Education which
develops and runs the licence program) we obtained the rights to localise and develop the
program for the Australian educational jurisdiction.
One of the impulses which pushed the development of the Danish licence was the
disillusionment of teachers with then current “Computer Drivers Licence” programs, such as
“ECDL” (The European Computer Drivers Licence). While such programs attempted to impart
a range of ICT skills to teachers and other professionals, the computer skills taught were never
integrated into the educational context. The Danish developers of the Pedagogical ICT Licence
then, were charged with creating a training program which would be
 Teacher-centred
 Classroom-centred
 Teacher-implemented
The NOF trainers were not (as a rule) teachers. Trainers (facilitators) in the Pedagogical
Licence, on the other hand, must be teachers – currently teaching in a classroom.
The Framework of the Licence
The structure of the Pedagogical Licence consists of a total of eight modules (four compulsory
and four elected). Each module generally takes between four and six weeks to complete, so the
whole Licence can be finished in eight months. Delivery of the Pedagogical Licence rests upon
four main pillars.
“Facilitators”, not “Trainers”
When a group of teachers come together to undertake the Licence, the facilitator for that course
presents a six-hour introductory session. In this six hour session, participants are given a broad
overview of the course; they are introduced to the mechanism of downloading on-line course
materials; the use of the electronic conferencing system; and the idea of collegial participation.
At the end of the session participants have formed small teams of between two and five people
and made a broad decision about the modules they wish to pursue. They have also made a
personal contact with “their” facilitator.
Collegiate (team) involvement
Throughout the course of the Licence program the facilitator will interact with the teams
through the electronic conferencing system. Teams decide on which modules they are going to
tackle. They create projects which utilise the ICT skills of the current module and these projects
are drafted, presented to the facilitator through the conference system, and improved to a final
level. Because there are no “fixed competence levels”, a team’s success is decided by how they
are able to express improvements in their projects. This means that no matter how skilled the
course members may be, they are always challenged to improve their ICT skill. Conversely,
even teachers with very low beginning skill levels will be able to show an improvement in
understanding and performance. No absolute level of proficiency is required to obtain the
licence, only a measurable self-improvement in the ability of each member of the team.
Integrated project work
The whole thrust of the Licence is to empower teachers to integrate the ICT skills of the module
into a useful, relevant teaching project which they will then use in their classroom teaching. For
example, here is the task for the assessment project in the Presentation Module:
Choose three year levels where work with multimedia programs could be carried out.
Describe briefly the themes that the students work with and what the multimedia production
should cover.
Also describe how you imagine the progression in the students’ work with multimedia
throughout their school career; which skills should they learn in the beginning, and which ones
should they learn later, which themes and project types are suitable, and what should the
students learn about communication?
This is not a project which demonstrates the teachers skills, it is a class project which would
demonstrate the level of student skills the teacher anticipates the students achieving. This is the
pedagogical component of the Licence. In order for the teacher to reach this point, they
themselves have to develop themselves, not only the multimedia skills required by the students,
but
Online course resources
All course material is available to participants through logging in to the AusiPict web site
http://www.ausipict.com
(Fig 1)
Figure 1: Screen shot of module page
Course material falls into four basic divisions:
1
2
3
4
A pedagogical analysis of the relevance of a particular type of ICT. This analysis
contains a description of the software type and provides examples of how this
particular piece of ICT can be integrated into classroom practice.
A set of exercises in the programs used in the module. These are exercises to enable
teachers themselves to become familiar with the software.
ICT manual(s) for specific software. For example, a manual for MS Word.
Articles and other online resources to amplify and back up the pedagogical and ICT
facets of the module.
Progression Through the Course
The whole Licence comprises a total of eight modules. Four of these modules are compulsory,
and four are selected from eight presently available optional modules (Figure 2):
Figure 2: Compulsory and optional modules
After the initial introductory session, a participant would work with two to four other members
of a team through the first three compulsory modules.The team would then make a decision on
which of the eight optional modules they would like to tackle. When the four optional modules
are completed, the participants complete the final compulsory module, “ICT Development in
Schools”.
The Pedagogical Licence assessed against the criteria
The Pedagogical Licence fulfils the criteria for ICT professional development we set in the
beginning:
1
“Just in time”: Teachers can select modules which are relevant to current teaching
needs.
2
Appropriate and applicable: The modules are written by practising teachers and
localised for the Australian context.
3
Interactive: The facilitator role and the team structure combined with the electronic
conference system provide for the teacher/teacher interaction and also
mentor/participator interaction. Positive feedback has been reported from teachers
using the First Class conference system to interact and manage tasks (Kyriakidou
1999)
4
Product directed: Participants produce usable teaching modules.
5
The Licence is “Third Tier”: blending ICT skills, ICT teaching skills; and
integrating program projects with teaching content.
But Does it Work?
One of the advantages of implementing a training system which has already been trialed on over
80,000 teachers is that impact studies have been commissioned on large groups. Some of the
results from a study made on a group of 1000 participants discovered that








The majority of teachers who participated in the Pedagogical Licence (before 2001),
now increasingly use the computer as a personal tool, and for education and
communication with colleagues
The biggest impact is an increase in using the Internet in education
Explosive growth in electronic communication as a result of the Pedagogical Licence
A major impact on the use of e-mail and electronic conferences
Female teachers estimate a bigger impact than males
ICT-novices experienced a bigger impact than teachers already experienced in using
ICT
Younger teachers experienced smaller impact
More than 85% of participants find the course relevant or highly relevant. (Gjørling,
2004)
AusPict: An Australian Implementation
In December 2004, Ulla Gjørling, the chief trainer of Uni•C, Denmark, travelled to Tasmania
and trained the first group of Australian facilitators.
At present (March 2006) we are presently processing the first batch of thirty five staff members
through the Licence, and expect to issue the first certificates before the end of the current year.
Although we are in the early stages of delivering the Licence, there has been a great wave of
enthusiasm from staff to be involved in this process. This is demonstrated by the large
proportion of staff involved. A number of other schools have indicated an interest in becoming
part of the program, and this appears likely to expand in 2006-7.
Future Implementation
Currently we are working to adapt the Licence to the Australian Quality Training Framework so
that it will also become an ANTA endorsed qualification. The program should become available
to other schools throughout Australia over the next year.
Conclusion
ICT training for teachers is emerging from the early stages of its development. We are now
much more aware of how such training needs to be presented. In particular, the issues identified
by the MirandaNet report on the NOF training of 290,000 teachers in the UK need to be met by
any ICT teacher training of the future. The Australian Pedagogical Licence does in fact meet
these needs. The Licence program
 Develops a collegial approach to investigation, exploration and support.
 Encourages the taking of risks by the advanced and the adventurous.
 Promotes research based practice techniques in order to implement and sustain change
in classrooms.
 Suggests web based and paper based portfolios of exemplars for a whole cohort of
teachers to learn from.
 Ensures that assignments are based on actual classroom practice and therefore as
closely as possible are integrated into teachers’ normal planning processes.
Our “industry”, the “education industry” is still in its infancy in terms of discovering and
implementing the teaching and learning potential of ICT. We hope that the Australian
Pedagogical Licence will assist education in Australia to move to a new stage, where ICT is no
longer “outside” the classroom, but is a natural, accepted facet of every teacher’s work with
students.
References
Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST).(2000), Learning for the knowledge
society. Paper produced by the Department of Education, Science and Training. Retrieved
March 1, 2006 from http://www.dest.gov.au/schools/publications/2000/learning.htm
Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) (2003), Raising the Standard. Paper
produced by the Department of Education, Science and Training. Retrieved February 1, 2006
from http://www.dest.gov.au/schools/publications/2002/raisingstandards.htm
Gjørling, U., (n.d.), Quoted in an interview with Ulla Gjørling, Chief Trainer, Uni•C, Denmark.
Retrieved March 1, 2006 from http://ferl.becta.org.uk/display.cfm?resID=6704
Jukes, I (2005a). From Gutenberg to Gates to Google (and beyond...). Retrieved 2 March 2006,
from http://ianjukes.com/infosavvy/education/ejukespresents.html
Jukes, I (2005b). Understanding Digital Kids. Retreived 6 March 2006, from
http://ianjukes.com/infosavvy/education/handouts/handouts.asp?mid=1
Kyriakidou, M. (1999). Electronic-conferencing: promoting a collaborative community with
learning opportunities for developing teachers. British Educational Research Association
Annual Conference. University of Sussex at Brighton, September 2-5 1999. Retrieved from,
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/00001374.htm
Preston, C., (2004). Learning to use ICT in classrooms: Teachers’ and trainers’ perspectives.
Part 2: Emergent trends from the evaluation of the NOF ICT programme for school trainers,
ICT advisers and teacher educators. Research paper produced by MirandaNet. Retrieved March
11, 2005 from http://www.mirandanet.ac.uk/tta/background.htm
Probert, E., (2004), Teaching and Technology, Access September 2004,