Practicing ICT among Filipino Teachers

To teach a subject matter is one thing. To use ICT to enhance teaching of a subject matter is another thing. To use ICT to allow enjoyable, authentic and empowered learning would be another challenging thing for our Filipino teachers.

So it is fundamental that a Filipino teacher to use ICT in teaching and for learning to take place requires her to practice ICT. Practice means regular use of ICT. This means she should take time from her busy schedule to-- read and respond to her e-mails everyday; use the computer (maybe the school computer or her netbook computer) in making her lessons and grades, read relevant news sites and blogs related to her subject area everyday. For a Filipino teacher to be able to apply ICT effectively requires deliberate practice. Here's a very good example of deliberate practice, how Benjamin Franklin developed his writing skills -- http://www.anecdote.com.au/archives/2010/08/benjamin-frankl.html .

What happens after practice? The teacher becomes comfortable on the use of the technology-- the computer, the internet, the e-mail, maybe even some games, thesaurus or translation program. But it does not end here. Comfort and confidence she has gained would allow her now to incorporate various ICT tools in teaching and learning. And with the resilient character of technology, experimentation on how technology will deliver better teaching and encourage progressive learning can be done by the teacher.

So practice, constant use, experimentation and whole lot of exposure to various technologies will make our Filipino teacher a confident ICT practitioner.