TEACHER EDUCATION FOR 21ST CENTURY TEACHERS: A Focus on Technology and Collaboration to Improve the Quality of Education in the Americas UPDATE SEMINAR and ONLINE COURSE REPORTS Dr. Marva Ribeiro, Project Coordinator – Caribbean Adriana Vilela, Education Specialist, OAS/DEC

SEMINAR REPORT Teacher Education for 21st Century Teachers: Re-visioning Teacher Education in the Americas October 29-31, 2009 Trinidad

Number of Participants 93 participants from 33 countries 35 participants from T&T Staff of the OAS Department of Education and Culture Staff of the International Cooperation Initiatives Unit of the TT MOE FEMCIDI representative

PURPOSE The purpose of the seminar was to: Bring together stakeholders from a wide cross section of universities and higher education institutions to rethink teacher education for the future Reflect on the achievements of the OAS Teacher Education four-year project Inform participants about the online, capacity building activities of the New project.

Papers were presented under six themes/tracks: Recruitment and selection of future teachers Initial formation and teacher preparation Once in the classroom: In-service teacher education Collaboration: public-private partnership Teacher evaluation and quality assurance The teacher educator: mentor and role model

Particularly helpful or interesting presentations New Mexico Teacher Licensing experience Teacher education system in Brasil The innovations in teacher education in Argentina The public-private partnership in TVET in Jamaica Presentations which described the utilization of ICT in teacher education

Evaluation The seminar received high ratings from participants Participants felt that there should have been more room for discussion Reflections shared suggest that what was shared was relevant and applicable to most countries present

ONLINE COURSES FOR TEACHER EDUCATORS Aimed at demystifying Information and Communication Technology integration for pre-service teacher educators across Latin America and the Caribbean. Through active discussion and practical activities participants will learn ways to bring collaborative technology and 21st century teaching and learning into their practice.

OBJECTIVES Teacher Educators in this course will: Gain an understanding of foundations for 21st Century teaching and learning Experience hands-on integration of ICT and collaborative learning into their teaching practice Recognize the benefits of international collaboration and knowledge sharing Develop a portfolio of ICT resources relevant to their future work 

STRUCTURE Ten weeks guided instruction (2 facilitators) 30 participants per course Asynchronous Active participation & discussion in forums Scaffolding structure (building on learning and skills)

DATES Courses in English: Courses in Spanish January 2009 (currently active with participation of Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Guyana and Suriname) April 2009 Courses in Spanish August 2009

PARTICIPATION Countries submit a written proposal through the Ministries of education. Ministries designate a country coordinator who serves as suppor for participating teachers. Ministries invite teachers to participate. OAS assigns scholarships to selected teachers.

PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS ENGLISH COURSES International Education and Resource Network (iEARN), a not for profit organization with 20 years experience developing online teacher professional development and creating online teacher and student communities.

PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS SPANISH COURSES Fundación Evolución, a not for profit based in Argentina with Ibero American Outreach. They have 18 years experience in ICT professional development. NOTE: Both courses are aligned to the UNESCO ICT-CFT

Thank you!