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What do you include among the competencies needed for using cell phones? Dr Mpine Makoe: The biggest challenge of Open Distance Learning (ODL) institutions is to come up with ways in which teachers can be empowered with the necessary skills in order to fully utilize the affordances of mobile technology to engage students in the learning processes. The use of cell phones for teaching and learning cannot be sustained if teachers are not qualified and competent to use the tool in their work. Teaching using new technologies requires specific competencies that are different from those most ODL academics possess. Competencies are descriptive tools that identify skills, knowledge, and behavior needed to effectively perform a role. So far, there is very little information on the competencies that may be needed to effectively facilitate teaching and learning using cell phones.
The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to identify the knowledge and skills required to perform the role of a facilitator with the aim of developing a professional-development programme that is responsive to the competencies required. The training should give distance-education practitioners opportunities to become critical thinkers, problem solvers, information literate, technologically literate, and skilled in using mobile technologies.
Could you please describe the experiences collected so far and how they have been used? Read more...
Related links
MXit: How to Encourage and Facilitate Communication Among Students
Mpine Makoe
Institute for Open and Distance Learning, University of South Africa
5th International Conference on ICT for Development, Education and Training.
Source: CHECKpoint eLearning
