Is this the time where new knowledge gained during summer’s slow pace gets put to the test? Are your newly acquired skills engendering exciting activities in your course plans? Is even your traditional course plan in flux? Will your course plan be available in hard copy this session or are you going to go paperless and only create an on-line version?
Profweb is beginning a new academic year, just like you. You frequently start by finding out what courses you are teaching. As this column goes on-line, Job 1 for us is to find out what we can do to help you to make those courses more in harmony with recent developments in information and communication technology.
Charting your IT Skills
Where are you or your students in their acquisition of information communication and technology skills? Sometimes it’s hard to take stock of just how much knowledge we have acquired. Take a few minutes to get acquainted with InukTIC http://inuktic.qc.ca. Once you have an account, there is a Skills Assessment section that will give you an extremely good idea of what you need to learn. It will then suggest resources to help you acquire those missing skills.
InukTIC logo
Consult your IT Representative to find out if your school has already created an account with InukTIC. There may be an IT Profile available which is specifically tailored for the goals of your college. Contact your IT Representative at the following link: http://www.reptic.qc.ca/en/the-network/directory-reptic/cegeps-public-colleges/.
Linking to Teaching and Learning Resources
Resources which respond to learning or teaching goals make the transition from theoretical ability to the practical application of knowledge. The CCDMD through its development of computerized pedagogical material and La Vitrine Technologie-Éducation through its indexing of learning objects are two of our partners in the production and distribution of ICT in education materials. There is a complete list of our partners with links to their sites at the bottom of every page in Profweb. Our Resources tab is linked to Eureka, the collective catalog of resources developed through the initiative of La Vitrine Technologie-Éducation.
Sharing Inspiring Experiences
Who doesn’t love reading about how a colleague overcame certain learning difficulties of their students or put a theoretical idea into practice to the benefit of their class! Profweb’s Story tab at http://www.profweb.ca/en/publications/real-life-stories is a repository of teachers’ concrete experiences in using new technology which are graciously shared with the college community at large. Jeff Roy’s story appearing this week is a great example of this kind of generosity.
Documenting Basic Knowledge
Experimenting on your own and sharing experiences with your colleagues sometimes simply aren’t enough for real success without access to more developed information on specific themes related to IT in college education. The report tab at http://www.profweb.ca/en/publications/featured-reports meets this need. Before using a blog or a wiki, before dealing with problems of plagiarism or launching into an activity using video teleconferencing, browse through our reports. This week Profweb English is becoming even more responsive to our readers’ needs with the launch of the English edition of Sophie Ringuet’s report on the pedagogical use of Forums. Don’t miss it!
Staying Informed About New Developments
ProfwebExpresso went on-line on May 18. Subscribe to this newsletter and receive an e-mail every Monday which gives you a weekly update on new developments happening at Profweb. What a great way to stay informed about new information on our site!
If we could, we would deliver a personal edition of ProfwebExpresso to each teacher in the network. Imagine receiving information specifically tailored to your interests! Short of this dream, however, we ask you to help us to make Profweb as responsive to your needs as possible. Write us at info@profweb.qc.ca with any IT request that you have. A member of our team is waiting to help you.
Our Reader Response feature below is also at your disposition!
