Education Ministry Will Monitor Course Content for Tablets

The Ministry of Education will be ensuring that the content and general use of the computer tablets, which are to be introduced in some schools in September, are in tandem with the set curriculum.

Chief Education Officer at the Ministry, Dr. Grace McLean, gave the assurance on Thursday, August 14, while addressing a JIS Think Tank.

“We will ensure that as far as it is possible, books that are available electronically, and that we would have provided for schools, are uploaded on the tablets.  Instead of providing students with hardcopy books especially at the lower primary level, students will be able to access these materials online,” Dr. McLean explained.

An initiative of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining (MSTEM), the Tablet In Schools pilot project is set to roll out in 38 learning institutions across the island at the start of the new school year in September.

The pilot programme will be introduced in one teachers’ college, 12 high, 11 primary, six pre-primary, four all-age and one junior high school, and a special education institution.

Many of the teachers involved in the pilot have already received their tablets and have been participating in workshops to learn how to use them effectively.

“They will be able to use the tablet to create their lesson plans and teach, so while they are using their tablets, students are also using theirs so there is communication that is taking place,” Dr. McLean informed.

She assured that the Ministry had done its homework before consenting for the project to be introduced in the schools.

“Overall, the Ministry is really very happy for this innovation in Jamaica as this may be the largest one within the Caribbean. We have done our research across the entire world, so we know the weaknesses and the strengths. We have put systems and procedures in place to account for those weaknesses,” she told JIS News.

The Chief Education Officer said the Ministry is looking forward to an excellent rollout “as we seek to change the landscape of education in this country.”

She, however, warned against expecting instant results from the project. “We cannot attribute any improvement in academic performance say in the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), which is only six month away, as that would be impossible. Instead, we will monitor to see how well the students are able to use the tablets and look at the gains that would have been made especially in literacy and numeracy, and to see how we can gradually encourage this kind of environment within the education system,” Dr. McLean stated.

The Ministry of Education has nominated a content committee, representative of the schools involved in the pilot, and led by curriculum and educational technology consultants. The committee has shortlisted free and paid application (apps), which are being tested for the project.

All tablets will be able to access the internet, which will be provided free of cost to the schools.

Chief Executive Officer of E-Learning Jamaica, Avrill Crawford, said the schools were selected based on their readiness and preparedness to receive the tablets. These include having secured rooms to store the devices.

Mrs. Crawford said that the schools will also be provided with cabinets to store the devices.