ICT for ELT in the Horn of Africa: Options and Approaches

Tomorrow, a workshop in "ICT for ELT in the Horn of Africa: Options and Approaches"

will be held at the University of Khartoum. The objectives of the workshop are "to raise participants’ awareness of the role ICT can play in language teaching and related fields, such as professional development training, and to explore ways in which it can be used effectively within the contextual constraints teachers face in Sub-Saharan Africa.  It is aimed primarily at tertiary level teachers of English / teacher trainers with a degree of ICT competence and an interest in seeing its use expanded within their university or institut".

I will train teachers for one day, day 3, to use blogger and pbworks. Hala Salih will take day 4, to train them to use del.ici.ous, Google applications. I wish I was in a better health (I am due tomorrow :-))) so I could have fully participated in the whole 5 days. I am not feeling well, which results in NOT working on my full energy. I was hoping to give my utmost to the teachers at the workshop, some of whom are dear friends of mine. Pity me!

This what  I "managed" to create for our day 3 and 4. I thought of inviting someone as a guest speaker. I thought of webcasting it. I thought of streaming it with UStream. All gone with the wind. I am working with only 30% of my energy.  My presentation is not ready yet! Oh, this is for sure, not the Hala I know. I hope all will go well.

My topic intertwines so well with my mentor's.WoW!!

My mentor, Vance Stevens, who writes on his posterous blog that he is "passionate about helping others to learn by getting them to help me to learn", refereed his colleagues to my wiki's workshop for extra information because "our topics intertwine so well". WoW! How can help myself of not being happy, and confident! I am copying=pasting two paragraphs of his post here as they are so true, and applicable to my context too. You are right Vance!
Vance writes:
These technologies are so exciting yet so difficult to get across not only to students but especially to one's colleagues. That's the real choke point, but when approached correctly, not condescendingly but in a spirit of assistance, and when they are ready, colleagues might just come around. How do we improve our world? One person at a time.
It's a real challenge to write materials that are approachable to both these cohorts, teachers and students (where is my mind today? Who just completed a survey asking 10,000 teens why they were turned off to Twitter?).

Workshop at Ahfad

I am just going to post this with a very fast typo ,untill Dr.Amna sends us "the attachment" by email,or was it a joke? I am dead brain now!!
Today, I attended a workshop at Ahfad University for Women on the pre-session course for all programmes. Teachers form many university participated in the workshop, providing, information ,talking about their own experiences. ALL have agreed upon the problems that face teachers ,students and faculties to attain the level required. The problems were summarized on the following:
•Untrained teachers. Some teacher assistants are graduated from faculty of Arts, received no in-service or pro service training.
•Large classes of students(100-400).
•Lack of motivation from students side
•Low level upon entrance.
•Not enough contact hours(2 hours per week)
•Lack of syllabi
•English is not given a credit, thus students are de-motivated to spare time and effort to study hard to pass.
•Administration is not willing to provide any further help. Deans and coordinators even sell it out leave science to the scientists
•Not enough staff
•No rooms available is what teachers hear when ask about increasing contact hours
•Teachers are frustrated enough as not to be in a status for looking for more innovative ways in ELT field or any other way to motivate students .
•Teachers have a misconception of TPD, teacher training and teacher education, though these terms have been used interchangeably lately .
Suggestions
All participants thanked Ahfad University for their constant initiatives taken in order to grab EFL teachers “out of the nutshell”(my expression). Moreover, they also believe English language is the gate towards success in study, research and fining a job.Dr. Amna Bedri promised to send us the dissemination of he workshop. These are summarized points ,as far as I can recall:
1.division to three groups :teacher training, content of syllabus and policies and administration.
2.Processional course is vital.Fees 150-250 Credit hours 120 per month.
3.A general unified course for ESP is required for all universities.
4.ASTEL ,association for EL teachers in Sudan, is about to be registered. This should be taken as a step towards unifying efforts of teachers in all parts of the country.
5.Activations of TRC teacher resource center, in Ahfad, in cooperation with other teacher training centers, like Al Azhari University, to start providing workshops, seminars and lectures for teacher training and teacher professional development.
6.Needs analysis for syllabus design/how material is selected/realistic objectives
A POINT TO REMEMBER:
When online TPD is suggested by me, Dr Amna attacked it from different angle; students vary in their levels, from beginning-post intermediate, thus special attention is needed to EACH student .Definitely agree, but even in a group of 4,I can divide the task into four to assure each is engaged into separate part ,which he has to accomplish by himself or with the help of the leader of the group.
Very Disappointing?????Tea,I know,but challenging too!