Use of ICT in Learning and Teaching

Professional Development - Whys & Why Not's Date: 27th  Sep 2018/Thursday This blogpost is inspired from my love for training online/face to face for teachers/trainers/educators. Through out the previous two years I  have had several opportunities for professional development online. This blogpost will explore answers to  few important questions regarding  professional development beginning from my views regarding online PD, why does it matter so much, what are the various opportunities available for online PD and what do educational institutions need to do in order to ensure equitable access to online professional development for their staff in their respective institutions. Why is Online PD important for me? Lets begin by looking at reasons for my unending love for  Professional development and why it matters to me. Firstly It is because of these online professional development opportunities that help build my own skills and led to the dev...

Re-thinking EdTECH in the Early Years Date:08/09/2018  Saturday This post is inspired from my recent dive into an Online course  about the  Early Learning & Pre - School Education 2.0 - Child Centered and Playful Learning in Finland offered online by ALO Finland . I am extremely thankful to my course Instructor Pirjo Sohunen for the opportunity to explore and learn from the Finnish education system. The course helped me understand the meaning of child centered and playful learning in the early years. It also highlighted the process through which the Finnish system ensures that every child gets equal opportunity to grow to their full potential. It further provided an insight about use of various strategies, tools and education technology in the early years.  I will begin by sharing how learning takes place in the early years in Finland and then move to discussing in detail the role education technology plays   in the early years. Lets start by...

The Future Classroom Toolkit and its Implications in Schools in Pakistan Date: 26th June 2018/Tuesday My previous blog post was all about projects initiated by the European Schoolnet Future Classroom Labs, this post will look at another very important aspect of Future Classroom labs i.e the Toolkit. Lets begin by digging in and finding out what the toolkit is all about. The Future Classroom Toolkit is basically a collection of resources, tools and guidance for educators, school leaders, technology providers to bring innovation in schools. The toolkit consists of 5 toolsets, each set guides the educators through a series of steps on how to create a scenario. We will explore each tool set in detail below and then apply each in our Pakistani Schools and try to visualize impact. What is important to remember here is that classroom here does not refer to a traditional four walled classroom but rather any space where learning takes place.  The toolkit supports a whole school a...

Exploring the future of Future Classroom Labs in Pakistan Date: 22 June 2018/Friday My blogpost this time is inspired from my recent dive into the Future Classroom Labs by the European Schoolnet and their 30 Ministries and various industry partners to rethink design, pedagogy and technology in classroom. My blog explores their work in detail and highlights why such a set up is needed in Pakistan, how can this be set up and who can be the driving force behind this, some suggested schools and partners to take up the initiative. So lets begin by exploring what is actually the FCL Future Classroom Labs ? The Future Classroom Labs is created by European Schoolnet and 30 ministries and industry partners to re-imagine and think teaching and learning in conventional classrooms, reorganize learning spaces that cater to the differentiated needs of diverse learners in a class. Classroom here is not a traditional four walled room but any area where learning takes place be it inside or ou...

A Look into Finnish Education System Date: 18th April 2018/Wednesday This blog post is simply inspired from my dive into a recent online course by ALO Finland on Eliademy about the Finnish Education, titled " Finnish Education 2.0 - Phenomenal Learning and 21st Century Competencies ". It was a great opportunity to review teaching and learning practices in schools in Pakistan. I am so greatful to my Course instructor Pirjo Suhonen   for  giving me an opportunity to think about innovative practices and changes that need to be adopted in our education system. I consider myself blessed enough for being associated for good 22 years (as a student and employee) with a very prestigious institute of our country i.e #Beaconhouse School System. It was great to see a number of innovative practices being already introduced in Beaconhouse. I would like to begin by sharing what I liked most about the Finnish education system, there are no standardized testing procedures in plac...