CASTRIES, St. Lucia – The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Friday announced it had launched a new platform that will provide digital access to the latest in online educational tools for its member states across the sub-region.
Due to the pandemic, remote learning has changed the way Caribbean students receive instruction. Education technology is changing the traditional schooling landscape in these countries. (Caricom image)The St. Lucia-based OECS Commission said that iLearn, launched by its Education Development Management Unit (EDMU) brings it closer to the goal of delivering a vast library of high-quality digital instructional resources to educators, parents and students.
It said teachers in the OECS have been eagerly submitting applications to contribute to the pool of region-specific and region-wide instructional resources by becoming certified as iLearn Developers.
To be certified, registrants will take part in 10 hours of training and complete five practical exercises designed to provide teachers with the skills to develop fun and engaging e-learning content that meets research-based standards for quality instruction.
EDMU program director, Sisera Simon, highlighted the importance of this new program in light of the demands on teachers and students with the transition to distributed learning, a model that considers the various circumstances of learners for face-to-face and online learning:
“Access to quality resources is of utmost importance to teachers navigating the many challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The development of content that is culturally and contextually relevant is also critical to ensure the continued engagement of students online.
“We are calling on all teachers in the OECS to be a part of this exciting educational revolution. We also need data and we ask teachers to share their thoughts and recommendations through the online surveys that we have launched. Certification as an iLearn Developer will provide teachers with the skills for the future and open opportunities for continued development,” Simon added.
.The OECS Commission said that through the iLearn Developer initiative, more than 300 teachers across the OECS will be selected to develop learning resources. Participants who successfully complete the program will receive a stipend and an official certification as an OECS iLearn Developer.
The OECS groups the islands of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts-Nevis, Montserrat, Anguilla and the British Virgin islands.
