A Teacher is always a Learner who frames her own Teaching Goals and strives hard to conquer it and build a vast knowledge bank for her learners. If you are a Teacher who is keen to know about the latest trends and developments in the field of education and educational technology, and interested in upgrading your knowledge and apply it creatively on your pupils, and build in yourself a confidence to tackle the educational crisis as per the wants and needs of present scenario of 21st century, then this article is for you, to establish a strong Professional attitude and etiquettes of Teaching Profession through continuous Professional Development.
Professional Development is a way for individuals and teams to expand and/or deepen their skills as educators. Professional Development (sometimes abbreviated as PD) generally refers to formal classes, seminars, and workshops. However, the term professional development can be used to describe any means by which a teacher seeks to increase understanding of teaching and further his or her teaching career, such as attending teaching-related conferences, taking online courses, or even independent study.
Professional Development can be either mandatory (at the school, district, or state level) or voluntarily pursued.
Most commonly, the focus of professional development for teachers involves learning new teaching techniques and methodology based on emerging research, as well as strategies for implementation. Professional Development is usually distinct from graduate work as it is seen as a form of continuing education and not in pursuit of a traditional, formal degree. Professional development also differs from simple training, which focuses on teaching specific skills. Professional Development is more holistic in its approach and seeks to promote continuous improvement and overall growth.
NEED FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
New techniques and approaches are constantly being explored, and our understanding of how best to educate students is continually evolving. Best practices from several years ago are no longer applicable because of the rapidly evolving technology and increasing globalization of the 21st-century world.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN INDIA:
The Indian Government has given great importance and set high standards for the professional development of the teachers in the 21st century due to ever evolving Educational Technology and implementation of the New National Policy on Education 2020 (NPE - 2020). Different Apps have been launched by the government for ease of convenience and safety and to provide continuous Education for the working professionals. One such App is SWAYAM.
INTRODUCTION TO SWAYAM APP FOR FREE ONLINE LEARNING COURSES:
SWAYAM is a programme initiated by the Government of India and designed to achieve the three cardinal principles of Education Policy viz., access, equity and quality. The objective of this effort is to take the best teaching learning resources to all, including the most disadvantaged. SWAYAM seeks to bridge the digital divide for students who have hitherto remained untouched by the digital revolution and have not been able to join the mainstream of the knowledge economy.
The courses hosted on SWAYAM are in 4 quadrants – (1) video lecture, (2) specially prepared reading material that can be downloaded/printed (3) self-assessment tests through tests and quizzes and (4) an online discussion forum for clearing the doubts. Steps have been taken to enrich the learning experience by using audio-video and multimedia and state of the art pedagogy / technology.
Courses delivered through SWAYAM are available free of cost to the learners, however learners wanting a SWAYAM certificate should register for the final proctored exams that come at a fee and attend in-person at designated centres on specified dates. Eligibility for the certificate will be announced on the course page and learners will get certificates only if this criteria is matched. Universities/colleges approving credit transfer for these courses can use the marks/certificate obtained in these courses for the same.
Here is the list of Best Free Online Courses available on SWAYAM App that every teacher should be aware of for upgradation of their knowledge and skills.
1. ACADEMIC & RESEARCH REPORT WRITING:
By National Institute Of Technical Teachers Training & Research (NITTTR).
Academic and research report writing is an essential activity for a contemporary teacher in institutes of higher education. It is a fact that a modern teacher has to play a variety of roles apart from that of an academic instructor. Research is one of such major activities for them. Publication of research findings is an integral part of research. Therefore, it is necessary for a teacher / researcher to learn and apply principles and techniques of report writing for effective dissemination of the academic and research findings. This course intends to introduce the learner to the principles, techniques and tools of academic and research report writing. After successful completion of this course the learner will be able to write reports on various academic activities including research effectively and efficiently.
To enroll for this courses: Click Here
2. COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN EDUCATION:
By Consortium For Educational Communication (CEC)
Communication technology encompasses every communication device and application imaginable, including phones, computer hardware and software, and web applications. The ultimate goal for a company is to be able to utilize communication technology productively. To achieve this goal, companies and employees must use technology wisely. They should create guidelines for a professional code of conduct to help employees understand the limits and proper rules of cell phones, emails, texting, and social media.
Given the tremendous response over the years when this course was launched in November 2017, August 2018, January 2019, January 2020,July 2020 and January 2021 with more than 17,000 learners,UGC CEC reruns this course in July 2021 during the time of Covid-19 pandemic.
To enroll for this courses: Click Here
3. E - CONTENT DEVELOPMENT:
By National Institute Of Technical Teachers Training & Research (NITTTR)
With the advent of the Internet and world wide web (www), access to information has become very easy and the entire world is moving towards digitization. Twenty first century students learn in a global classroom and not necessarily within four walls. They are more inclined to find information by accessing the Internet through mobile phones and computers, or chatting with friends on a social networking site. The advancements in technology and the plethora of powerful and innovative digital devices and tools have a great potential to improve educational outcomes. Educators must understand that the use of digital content and devices will improve teaching and learning and thus enhance educational opportunities and benefit the Millennial. This course on E-content development is meant to understand the meaning and standards of E-content, learning objects, designing and development of digital resources for teaching and learning. Thus this course aims in providing the knowledge and skill for teachers to cater to present day learners and their learning styles.
To enroll for this courses: Click Here
4. EDUCATIONAL VIDEO PRODUCTION:
By National Institute Of Technical Teachers Training & Research (NITTTR)
This course introduces the learner to important elements like video program production, planning, management and scripting; camera, lighting and recording techniques; graphics and animation; and finally about post production. To make it more interesting and to actively involve the learner, the approach is to sensitize the participant by showing related video; interactive course material spread with self-assessment exercises, fill in the blanks, match making and so on.
To enroll for this courses: Click Here
5. GUIDANCE & COUNSELING:
By National Institute Of Technical Teachers Training & Research (NITTTR)
Guidance and counseling services have much wider scope than merely assisting students in making educational and vocational choices. It helps the students in making the best possible adjustment to the situation in the educational institution and in the home. Moreover, the guidance is an integral part of our educational system and it facilitates overall development of students’ personality. It is also a continuous process, aimed at assisting the students to make decisions and personal adjustment from time to time.
To enroll for this courses: Click Here
6. DESIGN AND FACILITATION OF E - LEARNING COURSES:
By Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)
This course describes the foundations, processes, models and theories and instructional design in practice that have evolved from the basic systemic approaches for the e-learning environment. Keeping in view the need of the learners, teachers and practitioners of e-learning, this course is planned, designed and developed to acquaint them with the design aspects of Instructional Design. Learners will learn from video programmes of subject matter experts, web resources and pdf/ppt contents and also from peer interaction. Activities like quizzes, participation in discussion forums and short assignments helps the learners for better understanding of concepts.
To enroll for this courses: Click Here
7. RESEARCH IN TECHNICAL EDUCATION:
By National Institute Of Technical Teachers Training & Research (NITTTR)
Technical education system has shown tremendous growth during the last two decades and the quality of the technical education system is under criticism. The various sub-components of the system namely, input, curriculum and instructional processes, output, resources, management etc. need improvement. For introducing changes in the system, data and information need to be systematically gathered, analyzed and interpreted. In other words, systematic research needs to be undertaken. Educational research can provide laudable support to teachers in various aspects of teaching-learning and other related activities undertaken by them. Undertaking or conducting research involves formulating research proposals, organizing and conducting research, writing research reports and evaluating research. The course on “Research in Technical Education: aims at enabling the learners to acquire the capabilities of selecting and defining research problems, describing the methodology of research, collecting the data and analyzing and interpreting the results to conduct the research effectively.
To enroll for this courses: Click Here
8. ICT IN TEACHING & LEARNING:
By National Institute Of Technical Teachers Training & Research (NITTTR)
In the era of Knowledge-based society, technical education has assumed an indisputably significant role. The new developments in information technologies have an opened-up fresh perspectives in teaching and learning. The ICT enabled methods shall help the teachers to offer quality e-content; for both - education in classroom situations and to a large number of populations in a structured, flexible, interactive, blended, flipped and open way.This course on ‘ICT in Teaching and Learning’ shall enable the teachers’ to select and integrate ethically appropriate ICT pedagogy in teaching-Learning processes in Teacher and Learner Directed Learning environment. Explore the emerging trends in Open Educational Resources (OER), Learning Management System (LMS) platforms for developing Small Private Open Learning (SPOCs) and Massive Open Online Learning Courses (MOOCs), aspects of Mobile learning. Most importantly the teachers’ shall - fortify the ethical-intellectual property rights, copyright handling, legal, security and software related issues in using ICT. This course is aimed at building the capacity of aspiring teachers and in-service teachers like you, for transforming the educational culture and teaching-learning system of the Institution.
To enroll for this courses: Click Here
9. EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP:
By National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL)
In the context of Global, Multicultural & Virtual work environments domain knowledge alone is not a sufficient guarantee for professional success. Since long we have been talking about organisational leadership or corporate leadership. In fact leadership is an adjective mostly attached to the growth of industry. Rarely do we realise the importance of leadership in educational institutions. This course is designed to help the teaching/Academic professionals to understand how educational leadership can transform and enhance the effectiveness of educational institutions. This course intends to focus on the academic community and to encourage individual members to develop various skills, competencies, abilities to enhance their leadership skills. It will also help them to develop awareness into their self-motivation, reflective practices, critical thinking and positive plans of actions for enhancing their leadership impact and institutional effectiveness. This course is aimed to mobilize human resources of the education sector, educational administration and prospective teachers.
To enroll for this courses: Click Here
10. DEVELOPING SOFT SKILLS & PERSONALITY:
By National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL)
The course aims to cause a basic awareness about the significance of soft skills in professional and interpersonal communications and facilitate an all-round development of personality. Hard or technical skills help securing a basic position in one's life and career. But only soft skills can ensure a person retain it, climb further, reach a pinnacle, achieve excellence, and derive fulfilment and supreme joy. Soft skills comprise pleasant and appealing personality traits such as self-confidence, positive attitude, emotional intelligence, social grace, flexibility, friendliness and effective communication skills.
To enroll for this courses: Click Here
Hope this article has enlightened your paths to achieve greater success while you still build and grow in your profession and take a step closer towards your Teaching Goals. Have a wonderful experience of teaching and learning the new trends in education.
Happy Teaching.
By Shobha Joy Gaddam
(Academician & Educator)
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