Testing

1. Introduction I am so excited to be part of the Open Distance Learning Master teacher training funded and organized by UNESCO BREDA.Until I came to this programme, I had little knowledge about how much teaching can be exciting using the same tools that fascinate our youths of the 21st century. I have always promoted the use of the new technology such as mobile phones, cameras, iPods and computers but with this training, I am learning new ways of using these effectively for learning.E-learning is an emerging trend in Africa and it has been developed, improved and adapted on several platforms where learning has become interesting and dynamic. E-learning is bringing another dimension to the teaching methodologies because it encourages, among other things, dynamic and interactive learning.

2. Intoduction (cont.) The Gambia government has its ICT policy and E-learning projects well spelt out in their agendas and activities, so this is not new anymore. The task at hand now is how this can be broken down to suit the acute needs in the drive towards education for all, and offer appropriate cost-effective and sustainable solutions to building a highly literate society and highly qualified human resources. Most importantly, how it can ensure that quality education is offered to all. This ODL project intends to target the teachers – as they are an important pillar for attaining some of the MDG goals – so as to equip them with skills that will not only serve as a means of self-development, but also provide answers to the poor performance of students in their subjects and reach those who are unable to continue school due to factors beyond their control. The project intends to introduce Moodle, a course management system, to the teachers. Then they will be taught to create online courses in their respective subject areas and then they will learn how to use Moodle for effective online and offline teaching. This blog is created to provide the forum needed for discourse as well as share information and experiences.