Section 7: IT and Distance Learning in K-12 Education
Chapter 6: Online Professional Development for Teachers
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ONLINE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR TEACHERS
Márta Turcsányi-Szabó, turcsanyine@ludens.elte.hu
Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Informatics,
Department of Media & Educational Informatics
1117, Budapest, Pázmány Péter Sétány 1C., HUNGARY
tel: (+36 1) 381-2298, fax: (+36 1) 381-2140
ABSTRACT
The most effective way of spreading and updating professional development for teachers can
be done with the use of virtual learning environments. They provide ease of delivery,
flexibility for usage of resources, technology to support collaborative work and emergence of
learning/teaching communities that can further help each other in their common tasks.
Technology use is a basic feature of online professional development, since it provides the
technology of delivery as well as effective means of learning. Therefore, professional
development has to consider the use of information and communication technologies as its
main priorities when transforming teacher education into an effective process. Education also
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has to take into consideration the change in the forms of learning, turning away from more
formalised school settings into various forms of informal modes of learning, thus the design
of learning objects have to satisfy a more flexible use of materials within different contexts.
KEYWORDS
Continuous professional development, Europe, Hungary, initial teacher education, learning
objects, School networks, virtual learning environments
1. INTRODUCTION
The world is facing an acute and growing shortage of teachers. Besides, many teachers work
in overcrowded classrooms where frontal teaching and rote learning makes it difficult to
motivate children to learn in school, thus new teaching methods and strategies are needed to
change teacher practices. Technology can create virtual learning environments, which on the
one hand provides motivating learning situations as well as allows to quickly reach remote
areas in need and provide a flexible training environment for all participants (UNESCO Teacher Education Web site, n.d.).
Online education originated from Distance Education as technology penetrated deeper into
the method of delivery and communication. Distance Education refers to the delivery of
education to students who are not physically at the training institution itself. Delivery of
learning materials are provided through printed or electronic media or e-learning/onlinelearning technology and communication between teachers and students can be managed
through technology that allows asynchronous or synchronous communication. In case any
amount of on-site presence is required, then the learning mode is rather described as blended
learning, and in case more of the subjects and objects of learning are connected through
technology, then the learning mode is described to be facilitated through virtual learning
environment. In terms of prefix use, one can trace the path of development and be able to
distinguish between D-learning (Distance Education), E-learning (Technology Enhanced
Learning), M-learning (Mobile Learning) where students do not need to keep location and use
mobile or portable technology (Wikipedia – Distance Education Web site, n.d.).
However, e-learning is not a synonym of online learning. While e-learning requires the fluent
use of enhanced technology in itself as it is performed through emerging technologies,
delivering knowledge and information through multimedia content and internet resources, it is
not necessarily performed online, but can well be utilised in a face-to-face classroom situation
as well. The essence of online learning – in addition – is in its collaborative nature, that
simulates face-to-face classroom activities by providing virtual learning environment (e.g.
Moodle, BSCW, Blackboard, WebCT), collaborative teaching/learning environments to share
and communicate online (by using e-mail, mailing lists, chats, forums or videoconferences),
use virtual laboratories to perform experiments and facilitate assessment by application of
automatic assessment tools, portfolios and web-logs.
It is evident from the above, how technology plays a deterministic role in mode of education
in exactly the same way as technology penetrates the everyday lives of business and leisure
activities. Even though, the call of time has urged technology to make an immediate
penetration into business, a delayed impact on the leisure market is observed, and a far more
retarded emergence within education can be experienced. Technology, as it is, seems to be an
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unproved obstacle for schools rather than an enhanced facilitator for learning. Therefore,
teacher education of our present days has to exert distinct efforts to show and prove good
practices and integrate Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) into the everyday
teaching processes. The main problem might originate from the fact that the majority of
teachers practicing today have learned the teaching profession through books and in face-toface, frontal teaching situations and have little chance within their own learning experiences
in using technology to provide self-proof. Technology progresses rapidly, so Initial Teacher
Training (ITE) cannot prove to be enough, but Continuous Professional Development (CPD)
has to deal with new emerging technology, context and methods, in which the use of ICT
must have an outstanding role. Therefore, this chapter deals not only with online professional
development of teachers in general, but specifically concentrates on the issue of using ICT
tools and e-learning materials on the road as it both facilitates the learning process of teachers
as well as provides resources for enhanced learning in schools.
Besides official training programs, the case of providing online curriculum materials is highly
important. Research in the UK claims that the nature of ICT is fundamentally antipathetic to
the culture of the school and highlights the dissatisfaction towards the educational system,
which is leading increasing numbers of parents in the USA and the UK to remove their
children from school and educate them at home, using the services of Internet-based providers
of educational materials (Somekh, 2004). Of course one can only understand the problems
fully by examining the pedagogy related to ICT usage – this chapter cannot deal with this
rather extensive and very important issue – but one should be guided on with the evidence
that new affordances provided by virtual learning environments require teachers to undertake
more complex pedagogical reasoning than before in their planning and teaching (Webb &
Cox, 2004). There is also evidence that online projects make great impact on teachers and
thus act as professional development side-effect, especially in relation to the use of new
technologies (Turcsányi-Szabó et al. 2006; also see 6.7 of this Chapter). The assertion claims,
that classroom activities are the catalyst for professional growth as classroom behaviours are
determined directly by teacher beliefs on which the experiences can make impact after
reflections on evaluations of success of new practices (Fisher, 2003). Moreover, classroom
observations suggest that technology integration is governed by six key elements (relevance,
recognition, resources, reflection, readiness and risk), which changes pedagogic practices and
allows teachers to take ownership of their professional development (Rodrigues, 2006).
Whereas the design of virtual learning environments and activities also require the
implementation of an integrated approach to pedagogy and technology which recognizes how
these activities, communities and environments represent, transform and encourage a virtual
extension of a face-to-face classroom (Richards, 2006).
This chapter first examines Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and Continuous Professional
Development (CPD) within Europe and beyond, discusses virtual and distance learning
possibilities offered for teachers and highlights case-studies from all over the world. Then it
elaborates on trends of knowledge delivery and revisits lessons learned in Teacher Education
(TE) within the region of Asia and the Pacific. Finally, the issues are specifically examined
within the example of Hungary.
2. TEACHER TRAINING IN EUROPE AND BEYOND
The governments of all European countries share the awareness that teachers’ professional
development in ICT for education is a key factor in school innovation. However, they have
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adopted different approaches to the question, ranging from very decentralised and
autonomous initiatives to very structured systems (Midoro, 2005).
2.1. Basic skills in the use of ICT within ITE
An increasing number of students already acquire ICT skills before entering higher education,
which has been mastered either at school (primary or secondary) or autonomously,
independent of their education path. Thus, in some institutions basic ICT skills are already
considered as a prerequisite in higher education. But, since the situation is often quite
heterogeneous, most institutions also offer (mandatory or optional) courses for developing
basic ICT skills on different levels. In some countries like Iceland and the UK, institutions
offer their ICT courses online, so trainees acquire a certain implicit knowledge concerning
both the used technology (CMC systems, virtual learning environments, etc.) and the
processes of online communication and collaboration. Unfortunately this does not mean that
future teachers are also able to use ICT effectively in the classroom. Thus, institutions in
Europe are following two main kinds of approaches in order to develop the specific
competencies needed: to use new technologies for supporting learning processes within
specific subject areas, and to master methods and tools for designing and using virtual
learning environments (Midoro, 2005).
2.2. Approaches of Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
In some countries, teachers’ professional development is a natural continuation of ITE and in
other countries, there seems to be no continuity between ITE and CPD. For example in
Belgium, Germany, and Sweden, public or certified private bodies autonomously propose
courses in ICT for education addressed to in-service teachers, while in Greece CPD is
completely organized and managed at a national level by a single central body. In some
approaches centralised and decentralised aspects are merged together and this can occur with
different levels of intensity (Midoro, 2005). Often, courses are delivered blended, allowing
face-to-face lessons as well as online lessons with collaborative activities (see also National
Reports of Italy, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Greece, Portugal, Germany, and Spain (@Teacher
- National Reports Web site, n.d.).
In many countries qualities of teachers are more often measured through competencies within
their professional functionality (Resta, 2002; Midoro, 2005) which of course depends on local
principles and strategies employed in planning as well as the surrounding community
(Majumdar, 2005).
3. VIRTUAL AND DISTANCE LEARNING FOR TEACHERS
Evidence shows that distance education in its various forms can work and if well-designed
can be educationally legitimate. It has been applied to the education of teachers and has been
shown to be effective on a number of measures, for example the number of students enrolled,
outcome, cost, etc. (Perraton et al., 2002).
3.1. How to build virtual and distance learning for teachers
In terms of cost per student, distance-education programmes have often shown advantages
over conventional programmes (Kvaternik, 2002). UNESCO is very actively publishing
experiences in TE all over the world and provides guidelines especially for developing
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countries to gain knowledge on building effective institutions (UNESCO – Teacher Education
Web site). Regional and country overviews, projects, online resources, and more valuable
information can also be accessed for use. (UNESCO Bangkok – ICT in Education Web site,
n.d.)
3.2. Models for Online Professional Development
Based on Tinker’s taxonomy, four models of online professional development can be
identified (Haddad & Draxler, 2002): the course supplement model, complements traditional
face-to-face teacher training; the online lecture model, uses primarily one-way delivery of
high-quality content and some orientation from instructor; the online correspondence model,
uses fewer resources, but offers increased personal contact; and the online collaborative
model, emphasizes on collaboration activities among participants through high technology
and expert facilitation.
Besides normal universities all sorts of formal and informal form of education exists, which
often require high levels of online presence.
3.3. Types of Institutions
Open Universities: A substantial portion of open university students are seeking regular
university degrees, and another significant portion are engaged in lifelong learning, advancing
their knowledge and skills for occupational, family, and personal purposes (Haddad &
Draxler, 2002). Examples: The Open University Web site (http://www.open.ac.uk/), China
TV University Web site (http://www.crtvu.edu.cn), Indira Gandhi National Open University
Web site (http://www.ignou.org/index.htm).
Virtual Universities: Incorporates a variety of institutions that may be classified as megauniversities, open universities, and dual-mode universities, and whose primary programs are
at a distance, as well as those that may be referred to commonly as virtual universities
(Haddad & Draxler, 2002). Examples: Peru’s Higher Technological Institute Web site
(http://www.tecsup.edu.pe), and African Virtual University Web site (http://www.avu.org).
Community tele-centres: In developing countries on every continent, public ICT access
centres are springing up and bringing information from around the world to communities,
generally referred to as tele-centres. They vary in the clientele they serve and the services they
provide. All models are useful. But so far, the version designed specifically to achieve
education and development goals – including affordable access and training for students,
teachers, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and other social development agents – is
the most likely to ensure access for targeted, low-income populations (Haddad & Draxler,
2002). Their publication mentions examples from Benin, Ghana, Asunción, and Bulgaria.
Thus, learning can take place in various types of formal and informal institutions of learning,
where the essential element can be viewed as the access to motivating learning materials that
allow flexible use in a lifelong learning scheme. The design of such learning materials is
crucial, as flexibility also means the use of the same learning elements in different contexts.
This will be dealt with in the next section.
4. TRENDS IN KNOWLEDGE DELIVERY
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4.1. Trends in Content Development – Learning Objects and Repositories
There is a need for standardised systems that can catalogue, store and retrieve content in ways
that enable users to access and organize it for their particular purposes as well as sharing it
institutionally, nationally, and internationally. There is a great deal of effort being expended
around the world on the development of such systems – ones that will standardize the
development of resources Learning Objects (LOs), catalogue them (metadata) and store them
in repositories (Glen & Farrel, 2003). Examples: The eduSource project Web site
(www.edusource.ca/english/what_eng.html)
and
Merlot
Web
site
(www.merlot.org/Home.po).
The use of LOs in education – especially elementary and secondary education – is still in a
starting stage and thus a lot of lessons still need to be learned in order to make them have an
innovative impact on the learning process. McCormick and Li (2006) evaluated the use of
European LOs. Their findings indicated that teachers were generally unhappy about the fit of
LOs to the curriculum, though they are able to superimpose their own pedagogy on any LO
and found their granularity and interoperability characteristic to be the most significant in
their usefulness. LOs themselves do not guarantee high-quality learning performance and
meaningful learning activities, but they require carefully designed learning environments and
instructional arrangements (Nurmi & Jaakkola, 2006a). The teachers’ role in organising,
structuring and guiding the whole process is crucial, whereas the design of LOs have to take
into consideration a pedagogical context which is less task-centred, but more idea-centred
(Ilomaki et al., 2006). In fact, the promises of LOs can only be fulfilled when they are used
according to the principles of contemporary learning theories - viz. engaging students in
active knowledge construction and meaning making (Nurmi & Jaakkola, 2006b). Thus,
frameworks for knowledge management and appropriate environments need to be put in place
to activate LOs to their full potential and allow emergence of online communities of users.
4.2. Trends in Portal Development
Butcher (in Glen & Farrel, 2003) describes three types of portals currently available,
emphasising that, in many instances, these services are merged in a single portal: Networking
Portals, provides access to various individuals to tools and facilities; Organizational Portals,
constructed by organisations whose core business is to deliver educational materials;
Resource-based Portals, provides access to various educational resources online.
To create successful online communities, strong social and intellectual benefits that cannot
easily be accomplished in face-to-face communication must be realized – and innovative
technology must be a part of that overall package. Collaboration with, or sharing of, resources
can be helped by facilitating sharing and communication in communities governed by
common work and purposes. Building communities of practice has become a major theme of
educators’ professional development research and practice since it enables teachers to
promote collaboration, increase idea creation, solve problems in time- and cost-efficient
manners, and, therefore, foster social capital. Example: TeacherBridge project Web site
(http://teacherbridge.cs.vt.edu/).
When the learning task itself is the learner’s task, when the situation is under the learner’s
control, and when the activities of learning are personalized by that learner, participants are
motivated and educational outcomes are greatly enhanced This approach allows teachers to
get started on projects as quickly as possible, a behaviour which minimalist theory explicitly
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Chapter 6: Online Professional Development for Teachers
encourages: people can easily learn by doing with concrete examples, not by being told how
to do things (Kim et al., 2003). Examples: AskERIC Web site (http://askeric.org/About/),
Knowledge Finder Web site (http://colfinder.org/public), and UNESCO Community of
Practice in Curriculum Development Web site (http://www.ibe.unesco.org/COPs.htm).
It is not only professional development that such portals can support, but also the target areas
of public education with all other sorts of emerging informal learning modes.
4.3. Trends in learning modes
Open Schools – The models that have evolved in the primary and secondary education
sectors as a result of the use of distance education methodologies often use the label Open
School (Glen & Farrel, 2003). Examples: Open School BC Web site
(http://online.openschool.bc.ca/).
School Nets – A portal managed by local or international stakeholders, providing learning
materials and activities for both institutions and individuals on a broad level (Glen and Farrel
2003). Examples:: SchoolNet Canada Web site (www.schoolnet.ca), European SchoolNet
Web site (www.eun.org or www.eschoolnet.org), SchoolNet South Africa Web site
(www.school.za), SchoolNet Africa Web site (www.schoolnetafrica.net), and World Links for
Development Web site (www.worldbank.org/worldlinks).
The question remains: how well can these trends and experiences be utilised on a larger scale,
bloom within different cultures and language areas, serve varieties of country policies and be
adaptable in underdeveloped regions as well, where the greatest need for teaching and
learning is required. It is worth examining the factors that lead to effective implementations.
5. LESSONS LEARNED IN ASIA & THE PACIFIC REGION
5.1. Curriculum and Content Development
A synthesis of lessons learned provides the basis for the development of tools and blueprints
to guide policy and programme improvements for the appropriate use of resource to support
the integration of ICT in education, based on the experiences of Indonesia, Malaysia,
Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, with respect to curriculum, pedagogy and
content development in the integration of ICT in education (UNESCO, 2004a).
5.2. School Networking
The decision to establish a SchoolNet must take into account wide-ranging considerations, as
can be seen from experiences of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, with
respect to SchoolNet-related infrastructure and connectivity (UNESCO, 2004b). Further
country overviews can highlight different aspects in relation to (I)TE programs in Asia and
the Pacific at UNESCO Bangkok – Regions and Country Overviews Web site
(http://www.unescobkk.org/index.php?id=783)
Private enterprises also provide support and very successful initiatives that spread rapidly all
over the world. A very good example is Intel, which offers free professional development to
K-12 educators, focused on enhancing education with technology and student-centred
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Chapter 6: Online Professional Development for Teachers
learning approaches (Intel Teach
http://www97.intel.com/education/teach/).
to
the
Future
project
Web
site
-
There are of course many different success stories. The International Federation for
Information Processing (IFIP), among others, holds a Technical Committee of ICT in
Education that operates a web page where the different country profiles contain basic
documents for planning at national level, national educational networks, and the best
educational projects that are running in the country at present (IFIP TC 3 Country Profiles
Web site - http://www.ifip-tc3.net/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=18).
6. THE CASE OF HUNGARY
6.1. Teacher Training
In Hungary, concerning ITE, one has to consider that Informatics is a compulsory subject
from elementary 5th grade onwards since 1998 (Turcsányi-Szabó & Ambruszter, 2001). Thus
specialised Informatics teachers are trained throughout the country to deliver the subject on a
high level, both at elementary and at secondary schools. There were four universities in
Hungary that were involved in the training of secondary school informatics teachers and five
colleges that were involved in training elementary school teachers so far, which are now in
the process of change due to the Bologna process.
Concerning CPD, all teachers in Hungary have to undergo 120 lesson hours of in-service
training once every seven years. Thus courses offered all over the country in Universities,
Teacher Training Colleges, and Institutes for Professional Development, concentrate on new
competencies to be mastered according to the requirements of present time.
6.2. Infrastructure
In 1994, the Hungarian Ministry of Education initiated a nation-wide project financing
Internet facilities for all schools, training and content for school-work facilitating connection
to institutes bearing public collections and it’s access as well to Hungarian nationals outside
the country (Turcsányi-Szabó & Ambruszter, 2001). The project financed the following
topics:
 The establishment and operation of 64Kb communication lines for schools allowing
unrestricted Internet access.
 Equip all schools (all secondary schools till 1st September 1998, all elementary
schools till 2002) with Internet-ready multimedia lab.
 Develop content for educational materials accessible via Internet that would help
school work: supplementary course materials, assignments for individual work,
multimedia and Internet introductory kit, monthly newsletter, musical resource kit, and
recently accessible research materials.
 Facilitate bi-directional data exchange via co-ordinated data-bases that could be
accessed nation-wide.
The ministry also financed the establishment of reference centres and training centres for
teachers, where courses would be held in the following levels:
 Basic Internet use: for all teachers that are not specialised in informatics.
 Educational Informatician: a high degree for non informatics specialists.
 School ICT advisor: for those bearing a middle degree in computer science.
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6.3. Distance Education
Considerable efforts have been made in Hungary since the early 1990s to establish a distance
education system for taking advantage of the increasing ICT use. As a promoter of the
development the National Council for Distance Education (set up in 1991, NCDE Web site http://www.ntt.hu) coordinated large Tempus and PHARE projects aiming at the
modernization of the so called traditional evening and correspondence education. Training of
experts and trainers, establishment of Regional Training Centres and their network based on
higher education institutions, and setting up of a National Methodological Centre were the
main results of this activity (Tóth, 2002).
6.4. Present situation
At present, all higher educational institutions are connected through broadband fibre optic
cable and broadband (ADSL) Internet access is provided to all (5500) primary and secondary
schools. Until 2006 in the National Development Plan the Human Resource Operative
Programme is responsible for building lifelong learning skills and pedagogical methodology
reform in primary and secondary education using a competence-based approach (Horváth,
2004).
Concerning teachers of all subject areas, the Ministry of Education initiated in-service teacher
training and incentives for purchasing computing instruments: Till the spring of 2004, ICT
training for 10 000 teachers; 2004-2006: ICT training for 30 000 teachers for competence
based education combined with incentives for purchasing computing products through tax
allowance policies (Magyar, 2004).
6.5. Sulinet Digital Knowledge Base & Portal
The content development strategy of Hungarian SchoolNet (Sulinet) can be determined
according to two target areas (Főző & Pap, 2004; Abonyi-Tóth, 2006):
 The Sulinet webpage – The goal is to operate a well functioning educational portal,
which attends 50,000 visitors a day.
 Development of digital educational auxiliary materials, which are usable in the field of
the public education as open source.
The Sulinet Digital Knowledge Base (SDT Web site - http://sdt.sulinet.hu/), edited and
managed by Sulinet, aims to establish a complete electronic database covering all the cultural
domains of primary and secondary education specified in the Hungarian National Curriculum.
The available database offers lesson plans, methodological support, subject matters and basic
learning blocks for teachers and students to use in the everyday teaching/learning process.
The use of SDT is free of charge for all individuals and educational institutions within
Hungary and those beyond the borders. It aims to serve not only public education, but also
ITE and CPD.
The different elements of the Knowledge Base (pictures, texts, sound- and video files) are
designed as re-usable LOs and are placed into a Learning Content Management System
(LCMS) designed to suit local requirements. More than 200,000 reusable LOs are placed
within the LCMS. Different users are entitled to go through different paths depending on their
preferences, levels and purpose. Enhanced search facilities provide direct access to required
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topics, and use of bookmarks ease the process of collecting entry points to revisit. Materials
can be accessed thematically; through designed paths; searched titles, keywords, and other
specified tags; established connections via an internal concept graph, which also serves as
visualization tool for knowledge integration.
The internal storage of data and the publishing complies with international standards
(SCORM, IMS, LOM, Dublin Core) to attain re-use and portability of content. The structure
of the system also makes it possible to publish the materials in other interfaces like mobile
phones or palmtops. Functionality allows not just browsing and download of materials, but
also editing new materials or adapting existing content to suit specific needs. The system is
also equipped with messaging, forum, and activity area to facilitate project work and
collaboration.
Besides, Sulinet portal (Sulinet Web site - http://www.sulinet.hu/tart/kat/Re) publishes
auxiliary educational materials and subject matter blocks too as well as methodological
information. The portal consists of 4 sub-portals (e-Learning, School, Pedagogy, Systems
administrator) with 28 sections altogether. School bodies can find all sorts of information they
need and can easily exchange with others on topics and experiences. In addition Sulinet also
launched a 30 hours ICT based modular in-service teacher training program consisting of ten
modules that can be attended all over the country (Sulinet Express Web site http://www.oki.hu/printerFriendly.php?tipus=cikk&kod=link-Sulinet-Express).
Thus, the Hungarian approach embedded within Sulinet provides a unique environment with
equal access for all citizens and Hungarian nationals around the world, to be part of the
learning community, allowing participants to take active role in further perfection of the
established knowledge base as members of a community of practice in the educational arena
of the 21st century.
6.6. Teacher Training at ELTE University
Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE University Web site - http://www.elte.hu/en/) was the first
to introduce computers into the teacher training programs. Students with several types of
majors attended introductory computer and programming courses as well as their applications
in subject areas. ELTE University is the biggest university in Hungary which, apart from
other subject areas, produces the largest amount of teachers in the field of informatics and
prepares all teachers for the use of ICT in education. Its educational policy, which was very
highly programming oriented, has shifted more towards the use of ICT in subject areas rather
than the heavy emphasis in the learning of the technology and computer science itself.
EPICT – The European Pedagogical ICT Licence is a comprehensive, flexible and efficient
in-service training course introducing a European quality standard for the continued
professional development of teachers in the pedagogical integration of information, media and
communication technologies (ICT) in education, controlled internationally by the EPICT
Group (EPICT Group Web site - http://www.epict.eu/about_epict/index.html). The Hungarian
representative is the Centre for Multimedia and Educational technology (MULTIPED Web
site - http://edutech.elte.hu/kozpont/english/index.html) based at the Faculty of Sciences at
ELTE University, serving teacher training faculties of the university with courses on
Educational Technology and ICT in Education.
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6.7. Special projects at ELTE University
The emphasis of Informatics is so high in the country, that three years ago the Faculty of
Informatics was established within ELTE University, which considers – among others – the
training of informatics experts and teachers, continuing their pioneer activities of integrating
ICT into TE in a more effective setup. Besides the official courses in teacher training, there
are special projects that help infusion of innovation within public education initiated within
TE. An example is the practice of ELTE University TeaM lab (TeaM Lab Web site http://teamlabor.inf.elte.hu/), which offers courses for higher graders as undergraduate noncompulsory electives, mainly within the Informatics teacher training program and secondly
for programmer and program designer mathematicians with relation to developing e-learning
materials and running projects in public education (Turcsányi-Szabó, 2006a).
All courses require project work that outlines a definitive part of an actual project to be
launched and the sequence of courses contribute to the building, launching, running and
evaluating processes within project activities. Projects are launched directly into public
education often in association with the national computer society (John von Neumann
Computer Society, Public Education SIG - http://njszt-kozokt.inf.elte.hu/) and results are
reported twice a year at the conferences for Informatics Teachers (INFO conferences Web site
- http://www.infoera.hu/), where discussions with practicing teachers can produce important
conclusions for the future.
One such project type is the TeaM Challenge Game series (TeaM Challenge Game series
Web site - http://matchsz.inf.elte.hu/kihivas/), launched every year since 2002 (TurcsányiSzabó et al. 2006). TeaM lab initiates projects not only for formal public education, but also
for tele-centres in underdeveloped regions as capacity building initiative, during which a
model for mentoring has been developed (Turcsányi-Szabó, 2003), which is since then
successfully utilised within the Hungarian tele-centre community (Telehouse association http://www.telehaz.hu/).
Another such continuous project is the development of subject oriented microworlds for
elementary education and special education. In fact, e-learning material for teachers has been
developed in 1996 within NETLogo project on how to use, configure and design such
microworlds using Comenius Logo as authoring tool (Turcsányi-Szabó, 2000). This material
was later extended and adapted to suit elementary education as well and was used for many
years at ELTE university ITE in blended courses and opened for the public (visited by both
in-service teachers and students), mentored online by future teachers themselves (TurcsányiSzabó, 2004). At present, ITE uses the localised version of Imagine authoring tool and an elearning material developed by TeaM lab, which has been adapted as LOs for Sulinet SDT
“Digital literacy” course (Turcsányi-Szabó, 2006b) and can be accessed freely by public
education for use in class-work too. The English language version of this material is also
available through Logotron Ltd. (Turcsányi-Szabó, 2006c) and is distributed in English
language cultures.
Thus, it can be said, that TeaM lab not only takes part intensively in face-to-face and online
ITE, but also develops the necessary e-learning materials which are suitable for both training
purposes and for direct use in class-work. Thus formal and informal CPD also profits through
direct use of materials in schools and at homes for which online-mentoring is provided.
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Section 7: IT and Distance Learning in K-12 Education
Chapter 6: Online Professional Development for Teachers
7. CONCLUSION
ITE and CPD varies in forms, resources, methods and delivery along the different countries in
Europe and beyond, but case-studies suggest that ICT use is a benchmark for success and the
effectiveness of all initiatives depend on the fluent use of enhanced technology, availability of
adequate and suitable LOs, the setup of suitable virtual learning environments, and initiation
of innovative projects that allow an integrated approach to pedagogy and technology as a
virtual extension of formal and informal learning in general. Research on the actual
effectiveness of these tools and resources is in an early stage and the concrete parameters of
success and are yet to proven.
However, it is well visible, that lessons are worth learning from other cultures and regions as
there is always something new and innovative to examine, try out and if proven, to adapt to
local needs. The overview of the picture is quite wide on an international scale and all
countries should find their own profile, depending on capabilities to utilise the right tools and
methodology that would really able them to make changes with the needed impact. It might
well be different from country to country as the add-on values of local communities can be
highlighted only if appropriate basic requirements are met on which a well designed structure
of schooling is built on, that can be flexibly adopted according to needs.
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