e-learning a new trend in teachers training activities

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Keywords: eLearning, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) the Teacher Training. Centre (TTC). ... it refers to the strategies that use the company network to deliver training courses to employees. ... because they study online. ... its own accredited training programs by National Centre for Staff Training In Pre-.
E-LEARNING A NEW TREND IN TEACHERS TRAINING ACTIVITIES Florica PARAGINĂ Teacher Training Centre, 315A Splaiul Independenţei, Bucharest 060043, Romania [email protected]

Silviu PARAGINĂ National Centre for Staff Training In Pre-University Education, 10, Spiru Haret Street, Bucharest 010176, Romania [email protected]

Alexandru JIPA Faculty of Physics, University of Bucharest 077125, Romania [email protected]

Abstract: In Romania, e-learning as a teacher training activity is at the beginning and has o lot of opponents, due to technical, economical, social and ethical problems associated with it. Some of these problems are the subject of this paper. Keywords: eLearning, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) the Teacher Training Centre (TTC).

I.

ELEARNING

Computer technology developed new types of communication between people due to the new communication technologies via Internet utilization such as blogs, wikis and discussion boards (forums). This communications tools generate a very fast exchange of the information and knowledge. Sometimes, the internet references become different in any second due the participants engaged in ideas presentations, in the same time. The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is the cornerstone for eLearning. The educational use of ICT involves new methods for the creation of new technology-enhanced learning settings in various areas, as: schools, higher education institutions and training companies. In this work we use the eLearning definition from Wikipedia [25] “Electronic learning (or eLearning or eLearning) is a type of technology supported education/learning (TSL) where the medium of instruction is through computer technology, particularly involving digital technologies. ELearning has been defined as "pedagogy empowered by digital technology" (Nichols, M., 2008. “E-Learning in context”, cited in [25]). In some instances, no face – to - face interaction takes place. ELearning is used interchangeably in a wide variety of contexts. Sometimes, it refers to the strategies that use the company network to deliver training courses to employees. Also, eLearning is defined as a planned teaching/learning experience that uses a wide spectrum of technologies, mainly Internet or computer-based, to reach learners. Nowadays, in Universities, eLearning is used to define a specific mode to attend a course or programs of study where the students rarely, if ever, attend face-to-face for on-campus access to educational facilities, because they study online. “Computers alone do not have an inherent educational role. Applications, lessons, and services – for training and formation in particular – are essential components of eLearning” [1].

The eLearning development starts with human-computer interaction (HCI) studies in the field of cognition and education offered by the Psychology and Education Sciences Research Departments from many universities [24]. Some authors are adepts for the introduction of a new science: “e-Didactics” [5] (“e-Didactics is the Didactics for the e-Learning”), as an “extension” of “traditional” didactics, referring to the use of computer technology in education/learning process. D’Angelo [5] shows the e-Didactic Paradigm “E-Didactics is the set of Knowledge, Processes and Strategies intended to guarantee to one or more individuals the acquisition “at distance” of competences represented by specific Didactic Objectives”. The methodology of using eLearning is a modern research subject because are produced new ICT tools, every day.

II.

e-LEARNING IN ROMANIA

In Romania the eLearning study programs are developed by: ¾ the universities research teams for their own needs ¾ the Institute for Educational Sciences which offers assistance to organisations implied in adult education and Long Live Learning activities such as: ƒ universities ƒ Teacher Training Centres (TTC) ƒ non-profit organizations ƒ companies ¾ companies and non-profit organizations. The eLearning university study programs in Romania are the solution for improving the student number. These offer to the students the chance to study paying less per credit hour, saving the financial costs for travel to the university and also the time for travel. The article 155 of Romanian Education Law (nr. 84/1995, republished with subsequent modifications) designate: Ministry of Education is obligated to provide training and improvement of teaching staff in the national education system and established national standards for teaching quality certification in collaboration with specialized institutions. Continuous training of teachers is a right and an obligation in the same time for teachers. Universities and the Teacher Training Centres (TTC) are the institution agreed by Ministry of Education for providing the training courses for teachers. At the beginning of a new scholar year the TTC activities project is approved by the Ministry of Education. Teachers training courses organized by TTC of Bucharest are divided in: ¾ its own accredited training programs by National Centre for Staff Training In PreUniversity Education; ¾ accredited training programs by National Centre for Staff Training In Pre-University Education designed by the stuff of Ministry of Education; ¾ its own continuous training programs contained by the educational offer approved by the Ministry of Education, Research, Youth and Sports; ¾ continuous training programs designed by the Ministry of Education for education reform implementation; ¾ continuous training programs proposed by institutions that have competencies in the fields of the education and of the research. We consider that these accredited programs of training had a great significance to the reinforcement of the Bucharest Teachers Training Centre’s image among the Bucharest teachers and community. During the last 8 years, the Bucharest Teachers Training Centre trained in accredited training programs 5806 teachers, among whom, 3701 teachers were trained within their own projected programs. As a result of the assessment of the program’s participants there were noticed appreciations concerning: the high qualification of the trainers, the usefulness of the debated subjects, the human

resources, the organizers’ professionalism and involvement, the celerity in resolving the problems that interfered along the program and the appropriated evolution of the seminaries. The negative aspects brought in question by the participants were: the long period of time allocated to the programs, taking classes in week-ends, the impossibility to attend the classes because of their own schedules. In scholar years 2006 – 2007 and 2007 – 2008, TTC of Bucharest had a continuous training program with eLearning modules in collaboration with CODECS. During the periods of training we had to resolve a lot of problems associated to this kind of training activity: • the participants were glad that they could attend the program without modifying their own schedules; • the participants could not access anytime our Internet address; • the trainer, the tutor, of the program had a lot of problems due to our institution poor Internet connection; • the program trainer could evaluate the participants activities anytime; • at an eLearning training program, the participants must have access to a good Internet connection and to a personal computer system (if they want to have a personal Internet connection and computer system, they must invest a lot of founds for accessing an eLearning program); • our accountancy manager did not find an accountancy methodology for calculation of the eLearning program tutor payment: • for development of an eLearning training program is necessary to have a lot of data about the eLearning methods and tools (some of them are presented in our paper references [1 – 25]); • the National Centre for Staff Training In Pre-University Education methodology for teachers training accredited programs has not a schedule model for eLearning program accreditation; • eLearning teacher training programs are not present in the article 32 of Teaching Staff Law from Romania (nr. 128/1997, republished with subsequent modifications) as an eligible teacher training program; • Ecaterina Andronescu, the Minister for Education, in 2009, had doubts about the quality of evaluation and of the competencies achieved in an eLearning training program; • a good interface between tutor and program participants is a moodle eLearning platform (is a free source, but you must have a good administrator for your network system).

III.

Conclusions

Some of the benefits of an eLearning training program are: 9 reduce overall training time, 9 bookmark progress (computer remembering where the participant left off so they can resume the courses from there, but you must have a good eLearning platform), 9 the participants remain in one location (e.g., home, office, airport, coffee shop, etc.) with no need to travel (also reduces transportation costs to physical classroom and benefits environment), 9 participants are not constrained to the course meeting times, 9 participants receive quality training In Romania, it is very important (for achieving these benefits) to contribute to development of a set of rules and laws for a well defined status of: ™ the eLearning training program, ™ the eLearning Tutor,

™ eLearning evaluation, ™ eLearning platform administrator.

Acknowledgements Ms. Florica Paragină’s activity is supported by the University of Bucharest, from POSDRU/6/1.5/S/24 – “Financial support for doctoral studies on the complexity of nature, environment and human society” research grant.

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