Vocational Education & Training (VET) classrooms do differ from that of its schooling counterparts in a number of ways, the most noticeable is that the learners in these environments are Adult Learners. It is likely that these learners have been out of school for quite some time and since their schooling, the way educational lessons are carried out and how you can engage with your teacher have changed dramatically, due to the advancements in technology. Reasons that we should therefore incorporate ICTs into our training include:
1) Help Students to Develop Technical Skills
In VET learning, we are required to assess the LLN (Language, Literacy & Numeracy) needs of our students in order to determine if additional support will be needed. Literacy, used to solely focus on the reading ability of the students, however as times have evolved, Literacy should refer to the skills that one would need in order to live and function comfortably in their environments, this is due to the advancements in technology. From experience the mindset of VET students have been "I am not tech savy and back in my day we didn't have computers".
As educators, we should be responsible for changing this mindset and over the duration of the learner's training, help them develop such skills so that not only do they get their qualification but they also gain new skills that will benefit them, especially for employment. An example of this, a student that was under guidance by myself had bare minimum computer skills and found the easiest of tasks quite challenging. Her program was an online course and she was required to attach documents to emails, as she had no skills, I used webinars and educational videos from YouTube showing her how to complete such a task. By the end of her training, her feedback was " I now feel better about using a computer and the things I can no do is amazing".
2) Increase Teacher/Student Interaction
Another reason that as educators we should use ICTs is to increase the methods in which students can engage and interact with us. In recent times, Social Media has taken over and changed the way in which we all communicate and share information. Gone are the days where if you needed assistance you would talk to the teacher or phone them for assistance, now students can engage with others by use of Social Media (Facebook, Twitter), share information on blogs or online forums and even share pictures with apps such as Instagram and Flickr. Although VET students are typically adults, by incorporating the use of such apps and methods to engage students it links to the first point of developing their Literacy skills to enable them to function in their respective communities.
Consider if you did not develop a certain skill such as Internet Banking, you might feel "left out" or behind the times and such consequences could cause mental health issues with individuals out of fear of changing the way things are done. An example of how how ICTs can increase teacher/student interaction includes use of Social Media to post reminders about classes and any upcoming events that they may be interested in. Engage students in discussions around certain topics and resources that they locate online.
3) Promotes Flexibility
Before the Internet, the only way that we could obtain qualifications was to attend an educational organisation and sit in class, interacting with other participants and the teacher. Since it's release, the Internet has allowed us to complete many of life's activities online including Banking, Shopping, Paying Car Registration etc. A lot of educational organisations paid attention to this trend and now offer courses via online learning, or as it is commonly referred to "elearning". Elearning allows participants to undertake training without the need for travelling to and from a location, it also reduces the need to be printing and sending in hard copies of assessments as responses and assessment evidence an be submitted online via the use of a Learning Management System (LMS). Such systems are internet based and allow students to login and access their training at a time that suits their schedule. Such learning can be combined with an element of classroom training as well (blended learning) or the participant can complete their qualification solely online fitting their studies into their schedule. In recent times, online learning has boomed in a number of industries and as such a lot of Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) and Higher Education (universities) are now offering qualifications such as degrees and diplomas online, therefore, increasing enrolment numbers.
Examples of where online learning promotes flexibility suits individuals who have demanding schedules and are unable to attend training classrooms (people working full time), busy mothers juggling the demands of newborn babies and young children with the cost of child care they would be able to save money by keeping the children at home and undertaking a qualification online, therefore, they still have access to obtaining a qualification and further developing skills for when they are ready to return to the workforce. Such learning method also appeals to those individuals who are in remote locations and are unable to regularly travel to attend classes, by providing training using ICTs it allows them to engage with the educator as well as complete necessary requirements.
As an educator ask yourself, how do I want my classroom to look like? How will I engage with my students and keep them focussed?
1) Help Students to Develop Technical Skills
In VET learning, we are required to assess the LLN (Language, Literacy & Numeracy) needs of our students in order to determine if additional support will be needed. Literacy, used to solely focus on the reading ability of the students, however as times have evolved, Literacy should refer to the skills that one would need in order to live and function comfortably in their environments, this is due to the advancements in technology. From experience the mindset of VET students have been "I am not tech savy and back in my day we didn't have computers".
As educators, we should be responsible for changing this mindset and over the duration of the learner's training, help them develop such skills so that not only do they get their qualification but they also gain new skills that will benefit them, especially for employment. An example of this, a student that was under guidance by myself had bare minimum computer skills and found the easiest of tasks quite challenging. Her program was an online course and she was required to attach documents to emails, as she had no skills, I used webinars and educational videos from YouTube showing her how to complete such a task. By the end of her training, her feedback was " I now feel better about using a computer and the things I can no do is amazing".
2) Increase Teacher/Student Interaction
Another reason that as educators we should use ICTs is to increase the methods in which students can engage and interact with us. In recent times, Social Media has taken over and changed the way in which we all communicate and share information. Gone are the days where if you needed assistance you would talk to the teacher or phone them for assistance, now students can engage with others by use of Social Media (Facebook, Twitter), share information on blogs or online forums and even share pictures with apps such as Instagram and Flickr. Although VET students are typically adults, by incorporating the use of such apps and methods to engage students it links to the first point of developing their Literacy skills to enable them to function in their respective communities.
Consider if you did not develop a certain skill such as Internet Banking, you might feel "left out" or behind the times and such consequences could cause mental health issues with individuals out of fear of changing the way things are done. An example of how how ICTs can increase teacher/student interaction includes use of Social Media to post reminders about classes and any upcoming events that they may be interested in. Engage students in discussions around certain topics and resources that they locate online.
3) Promotes Flexibility
Before the Internet, the only way that we could obtain qualifications was to attend an educational organisation and sit in class, interacting with other participants and the teacher. Since it's release, the Internet has allowed us to complete many of life's activities online including Banking, Shopping, Paying Car Registration etc. A lot of educational organisations paid attention to this trend and now offer courses via online learning, or as it is commonly referred to "elearning". Elearning allows participants to undertake training without the need for travelling to and from a location, it also reduces the need to be printing and sending in hard copies of assessments as responses and assessment evidence an be submitted online via the use of a Learning Management System (LMS). Such systems are internet based and allow students to login and access their training at a time that suits their schedule. Such learning can be combined with an element of classroom training as well (blended learning) or the participant can complete their qualification solely online fitting their studies into their schedule. In recent times, online learning has boomed in a number of industries and as such a lot of Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) and Higher Education (universities) are now offering qualifications such as degrees and diplomas online, therefore, increasing enrolment numbers.
Examples of where online learning promotes flexibility suits individuals who have demanding schedules and are unable to attend training classrooms (people working full time), busy mothers juggling the demands of newborn babies and young children with the cost of child care they would be able to save money by keeping the children at home and undertaking a qualification online, therefore, they still have access to obtaining a qualification and further developing skills for when they are ready to return to the workforce. Such learning method also appeals to those individuals who are in remote locations and are unable to regularly travel to attend classes, by providing training using ICTs it allows them to engage with the educator as well as complete necessary requirements.
As an educator ask yourself, how do I want my classroom to look like? How will I engage with my students and keep them focussed?