COURSE CODE: PES 408

GROUP 10

LECTURER-IN-CHARGE: DR S.A ONASANYA

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES AND FUTURE EXPECTATIONS OF PES SPECIALISTS

IN ICT MEDIATED ENVIRONMENT

The application of ICT to pre-basic and basic education has many implications for the nature and purpose of education because as the ICT world continues to grow exponentially by the day schools cannot remain mere venues for the transmission of a prescribed set of information from the teacher to the learner alone rather, schools must promote “learning to learn” through the use of ICT i.e teacher acquires knowledge of ICT so as to impart learning

experiences into learners, using the ICT knowledge acquired .Therefore teachers are to be properly equipped in

order to cope well in today’s IT world

Introduction

What is a career?Career is an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a

person’s life with opportunities for progress. It requires special training through life or a phase of life.

Career

This refers to the future projections or estimations of occupation chances based on studying the present available situation. It can also be described as a chance or opportunity to make use of one’s skills to acquire money.

Career Opportunities

Career is real in nature because it deals with the present i.e what you are already acquainted with. It also gives

room for progress e.g ability to go for more professional training.

Career Opportunity on the other hand, is an estimate of an occupation one intends to undertake based on the

skills such a person have acquired e.g I intend to serve in Enugu because, there are many job opportunities

there. Career opportunity is futuristic in nature

 

Difference between career and career opportunities.

These opportunities include:

1. Opportunities to use ICT knowledge to design Instructional materials for Nursery and Primary School learners e.g Applications like Encarta Kids, Mindware, Brain teasers, Scratch etc

2. Opportunity to design educative mind games and puzzles that can boosts kids I.Q reasoning e.g Neok 12, Softtonic games &fun brain, Google apps for education etc

3. Opportunity to become teachers of computing

4. Opportunity to specialize on e-learning software document for nursery and primary education.

5. Opportunity to become curriculum developers who can advise the government on how to implement ICT in schools effectively

Career Opportunities for primary Education Specialist in IT dominated

world

The following steps are required for a primary education specialist who wants to make a career opportunity out of e-learning software development for nursery and primary level of education.

1. Learner’s need: Interests of learners must be put into consideration

2. Structure and Contents: Contents must match learner’s level of education.

3. Page Design: It must be easy to navigate, with balanced and consistent text and graphics.

4. Usability: It must be duly tested and certified okay in the same environment where it will be used by the learners

Specialization in Nursery and Primary school e-learning software

development

 

1. Digital literacy: Instead of being shackled to textbooks as the only source of information as it used to be, teachers can now go online to access reliable, valuable, fun- focused and up to date information to teach learners.

2. Interest: The use of ICT for instruction motivates and brings out the passion to learn and this makes learning more concrete

3. Skills: ICT enhances creative thinking which may lead to future innovation or re-shaping of future curriculum.

Career Future trends in media and technology for nursery and primary

schools

Blended learning is what goes on in most Nigerian schools today i.e combining ICT with traditional method of teaching but forward thinking educators are

finding other interactive tools to grab to their learner’s attention, and sustain it through the use of computer assisted instruction e.g scratch program designed

for kids aged 8-13 years which uses kid-friendly programming language.

What is Blended Learning?

1. Curriculum agencies, where IT can be used to plan implement and evaluate the curriculum

2. Specialists in e-learning software development for nursery and primary education

3. Well ICT equipped classroom teachers/lecturers in schools.

4. Education Boards e.g SUBEB, Ministries of Education e.t.c

 

 

Work places of the future and expectations of future primary

education specialists.

With the exponential rate at which ICT is increasing day by day, the following are the future estimation for schools:

1. Curriculum may have to be re-designed and reviewed more appropriately to meet the present ICT needs of learners.

2. More services and workshops may be organized for teachers to equip them better for the task.

3. Each classroom teacher may be required to have at least one personal computer system.

4. Schools, especially public schools may become more child friendly and exciting for learners if the user of ICT is encouraged.

Projections for specialists in the future; with references to ICT

1. Acquire adequate knowledge about ICT.

2. Reinforce yourself with practical skills through training.

3. Try and acquire a personal computer.

4. Be creative and active by getting frequently updated through IT .

5. Build yourself through organized seminars and workshops.

6. Learn from other teachers by keeping in touch with them.

 

 

How Primary Education specialists can equip themselves for ICT-dominated jobs

of the future.

1. Instability of electricity and power supply to use computers.

2. Non-flexible curriculum to incorporate adequate use of ICT, to meet the learner’s need.

3. Failure of government to supply sufficient computers to schools to go round learners.

4. Some teachers cannot cope well with ICT because they are not adequately trained. Many can only use the computer but they can’t produce useful software packages for these learners.

 

 

Challenges of primary Education Specialists in ICT- mediated environment