Kenyan ICT CFT Course Online Facilitator Training

I think as facilitators we may need to go an extra mile to learn how work with Moodle as a flatform right from installation, loading, creating courses and requiting students, etc. Again maybe it is necessary for a face to face workshop for facilitators to clarify a few issues on its use as guided in the manual.

I have printed and read the hard copy of KICTCFT Facilitation Guide and at the moment have no issues to raise. But it is also important for us participant to download the book "How to use Moodle 2.7, Teachers' Manual for the Worlds Most Popular LMS by Jaswinder Singh. This book is available here in PDF format and I have downloaded it. It has covered in details how to navigate in Moodle. Though quite large, one can read and use it to reinforce what is contained in the KICTCFT Facilitation Guide.

I have read the guide and has not seen any course of alarm for it is clear. I particularly liked the following sections: Tracking Participant progress within a Unit, Evaluation Criteria Used to Mark Portfolio Submissions and Inserting Marks into the LMS.

The guide is quite ok. Some concerns will be raised when they emerge due to individual differences

A part from online training, I wonder if there will be face to face orientation for the facilitators? 

I really like what I have read above and for sure the training is well planned. I have an issue that needs to be addressed.

•  Now that we will be managing online  students Remotely are we going to work from our stations undertaking our usual responsibilities as teachers? By asking this am trying to consider most of the hardships we had to bear undertaking the piloting stage.

The face to face orientation session is a lifeblood stage for the success of KICTCFT online course, from my experience, twenty-four hours of orientation was a struggling sufficient time. I would suggest thirty-six hours for the face to face orientation.

If ample time is provided during orientation, I submit that a lot of anxiety that is usually associated with it during the start of online course will be significantly reduce, hence the participants will move through units at steady pace.

With the same spirit, it is essential to include facilitators with expertise in screen reading softwares and sign language interpreters when both blind and deaf participants are part of face to face orientation.

 to bring the point home, it was a very challenging moment as a visually impaired participant to learn how to use the KICTCFT moodle and at the same time to discover by my self how to manipulate the platform with "JAWS FOR WINDOW'S", a screen reading software. it is pretty to know that although the mouse and the keyboard are devices used to manipulate the computer, they "speak different languages".,,

According to what i have seen, the KICTCFT guide has no much concern since it has actually covered all that is needed however face to face session need to be organized in order to kick start online sessions to ensure smooth participation.

Otherwise so far,it still remains a well comprehensive guide .

Congratulations to the designers of this course!! It is great and I am grateful for it has added value to me as a teacher.The course guide is okay, however, having interacted with the course material as a student, there are underlying issues that if addressed would make the course even greater.

These concerns are:

• Concerns about self (facilitators)

As much as most of the facilitators being brought on board have interacted with this course at one point; it would be prudent if the new facilitators are taken through the features of the Student Management System during a face to face session so that any salient problems that may be unforeseen can be tackled. The session in my view would also expose the facilitators to a wide range of media and technologies pertaining to course materials as well as techniques of assessment.

In my view, courses that proved a challenge in cohort one and two should be communicated to the facilitators so that they find out more on the areas that were challenging to the students and be of able to help the incoming students.

• Inclusivity

The course guide is okay but it segregates persons with disabilities since measures have not been taken to cater for persons with disabilities who may interact with the course materials. I implore for the needs if all to be considered.

• concern about impact

Another concern (though not about the guide) is if the course will impact  on the Kenyan teachers as intended AND if the teachers will have a paradigm shift as is expected at the end of the course.

Who will follow them in the field to offer technical know-how until they can confidently teach with technology?

This facilitation guide is good and very detailed and shows all the competencies needed as well as a manual for the whole course for the facilitator. I have gone through the whole guide and have seen it ideal and think it covers everything needed by the facilitators. It has clearly shown the responsibilities of the facilitators and all boundaries but I think this could also have been done for the participant students too, that is, show their responsibilities and rights too from their view.

Otherwise the guide is very good.

Its a good manual because it was made by the people who understand what a Kenyan child need and build the necessary Competencies to the teacher. But we need to have an introduction of Moodle platform and how it can link to other Online platform because we come from different ICT background.

The guide is user friendly. I also tend to lean on the idea of a face to face session for the facilitators. My worry though is the conectivity issues at our work stations. This makes some available online after working hours. If conectivity is availabe then source of power at our working stations is unavailable making it hard to carry a laptop.

All the same i shall soldier on. The cohort2 session made me 'adapt to the harsh environment.'

I have read the guide, its good and clear.The student grade book is wonderful. However,  I would suggest a two day reflection at the midst of the course.A time to be set and forums well moderated. This will give participants definite time to think and reflect on the already done units. This would show areas of success and challenges and wayfoward.The course would be an interesting journey. 

I have no concerns for the moment. I m eager to see what challenges will arise during the actual practise. But I also wish to be taken through Moodle design. This will help me understand more about how Moodle works and strengthen me further. I believe my colleagues would be confortable as well.

The facilitation guideline is good with well stipulated expectations and activities. I however think the facilitators should have at least some face to face meetings to iron out issues and even agree on views.

The course guide is well laid and elaborate enough. However, as a teacher for learners with Special Needs, even at the piloting stage, I raised concerns about learners with Special Needs. Kenya is still developing technologically. We have experts at K.I.S.E. who would have been used to address issues especially on teacher participants in the course who may be Visually Impaired like our colleague here Collins Odanga, who in post here highlights challenges he faced at pilot stage. I congratulate him for going through the course successfully and for making it to this level of facilitation. This will be a morale booster to more V.I. teachers to join the course. There should therefore be a deliberate move to preserve at least 5% chances(provided for  in the constitution) for teachers with disabilities, especially the Blind and the Hearing Impaired. These teachers will then use the skills and knowledge gained to assist teaching learners with SNE. Otherwise, praises for the designers. 

The guide is clear and covers basically all areas that are of interest to the facilitators. My hope is that when one is in need of assistance from the coordinating personnel, it will be forthcoming through the provided emails within the expected time.

If possible it would be of much help to have the lead facilitators share their earlier experiences with new ones. What they have learnt about facilitating KICT CFT Course during the 1st and 2nd cohorts.

The guide is clear I have not seen any issue with it. As mentioned by my colleagues we need to access all if not most of the resources intended to make our work easy eg the guide, books and notes to hello in our facilitation.

I have read the facilitation guide carefully and I have no issues to raise for now. There are additional resources on you tube as well. I would recommend the video -  '...A comprehensive tutorial for teachers'

Have read the guide and I dont have any issue with it. I find that it has clear and quality information

The guide is relatively elaborate, though I had one issue regarding plagiarism, is the Moodle fitted with software that can examine whether student is ibvolved in act of plagiarism?

I feel we need to be furnished with more details regarding issue of plagiarism.

colleagues being the last to comment as i think am doing in this forum we need to a quint our self by all f us having this book. it has a wealth of information