USQ equips preservice educators with latest ICT skills

A new $7.8 million national project will ensure USQ Education students provide schools with the best learning opportunities in an increasingly online world.

Initially focusing on English, mathematics, science and history, the project will assist all preservice teachers acquire the skills to incorporate information and communication technologies (ICT) into classrooms across the nation.

Led by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC), the project team includes the Australian Council of Deans of Education, the Australian Institute for Teachers and School Leaders, Education Services Australia and the Australian Council for Computers in Education.

All 37 Australian universities that provide teacher education courses, including USQ, will be involved in the project.

USQ Associate Professors, Peter Albion and Romina Jamieson-Proctor, were members of the reference group contributing to design of the project.

Associate Professor Albion said their contribution had influenced the direction of the project.

'Teachers need a complex blend of knowledge about their content area, appropriate teaching approaches, and relevant applications of ICT,' Professor Albion said.

'Developing this Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) during teacher preparation is the foundation of the national project. Our recent research on assessing TPACK has been recognised by the world leaders in TPACK research and our knowledge of that area enabled us to influence the direction of the project toward emphasising TPACK by engaging with teachers skilled in the application of ICT.'

ALTC CEO Dr Carol Nicoll said the Council was delighted to be leading the high-profile partnership in a project that is expected to transform the delivery of teacher education.

'ICT has become an essential part of effective teaching and this project will ensure our future teachers are equipped with the skills to give students the best possible learning experience,' she said.

During the next 18 months the project will:

• Second highly accomplished educators to work in universities and change how the
  use of ICT is taught to student teachers
• Design and develop digital resources for training new teachers in the effective use of
  ICT – including lesson plans, videos of exemplar practice, advice on the use of
  technology, research articles and tools to support collaboration
• Restructure professional learning experiences for student teachers to ensure they
  can use a range of digital technologies effectively in the classroom to support
  student learning and the National Curriculum
• Establish an ongoing National Support Network of ICT and curriculum expertise
• Develop a framework to describe the ICT skills, knowledge and understanding
  required by graduating teachers
• Support an estimated 55,000 student teachers in Australia to map their level of ICT
  in education proficiency against the new National Professional Standards for
  Graduate Teachers.

Funded by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, the project forms part of the Digital Strategy for Teachers and School Leaders which aims to assist with the creative and effective integration of new technologies into student learning.

This nationally significant project will support successive generations of teachers to deliver on the federal government’s Digital Education Revolution within the Australian Curriculum and National Standards for Teachers.

For more information, visit: www.altc.edu.au