UNESCO ICT Competency Test

1. Consider your own assessment practice, would you consider yourself to ...

Be aware of formative and summative assessment procedures.

Use ICT to assess students’ acquisition of school subject matter knowledge using both formative and summative assessments

Develop and apply knowledge- and performance-based rubrics that allow teachers to assess students’ understanding of key subject matter concepts, skills and processes. Use ICT to provide students with feedback on their progress.

Help students develop both knowledge- and performance based rubrics and apply them to assess their own understanding of key subject matter and ICT skills and concepts and the understanding of other students, as well as use these assessments to refine their products and learning.

2. Communication and Collaboration are considered to be 2 important 21st century skills. Consider your own classroom practice. Would you consider yourself to ...

Aware of communication and collaboration tools.

Use communication and collaboration tools.

Use communication and collaboration tools to connect to the world outside the classroom.

Help students use ICT to develop communications and collaboration skills

3. When dealing with students with special needs in your classroom, would you consider yourself to ...

Be aware that ICT can enhance the learning opportunities of students with special educational needs.

Use of ICT focuses on the development of literacy and numeracy for students with special educational needs.

Use ICT diagnostic tools, assistive technologies and ICT resources to address curriculum objectives with students with special educational needs.

Embed ICT in all aspects of special educational needs teaching and learning. Assistive technologies are incorporated into all levels of school planning.

4. The next section will reflect on the use of actual ICT tools in your classroom. Select the description which best describe your own classroom practice. If productivity tools are described as basic tools to enable administrative tasks in the classroom, would you consider yourself to ...

Be unaware of the basic tasks and uses of word processors, presentation software and other digital resources.

Use word processors, presentation software and other digital resources for classroom learning at a basic level.

Operate various open-ended software packages appropriate to their subject matter area, such as visualisation, data analysis, role-play, simulation and online reference.

Use open-ended software packages to support students’ innovation and knowledge creation

5. The next section deals with the organisation and administration of ICTs in your school. We are aware that you might have access to different setup of shared devices. It can be a mobile trolley with tablets, or a resource centre or a computer lab. When you consider the description that best fits your practice, keep in mind that the statements refer to the setup at your school. Do you consider yourself to ...

Use the computer laboratory for isolated activities not linked to classroom practice.

Integrate the use of a computer laboratory into ongoing teaching activities.

Place and organise computers and other digital resources within the classroom so as to support and reinforce learning activities and social interactions.

Describe the function and purpose of planning and thinking tools and use them to support students’ creation and planning of their own learning activities and their continuous reflective thinking and learning

6. When it comes to informal learning. Which of the following describes your experience?

I am unaware of how ICT resources can support the acquisition of subject matter and pedagogical knowledge.

I use ICT resources to support their own acquisition of subject matter and pedagogical knowledge

I use ICT to search for, manage, analyse, integrate, and evaluate information that can be used to support their professional development.

I use ICT to actively contribute and share information and resources that can be used to support professional development of peers.

7. If an authoring tool is described as a tool which enables you to create a graphic display. How would you consider you own skills? Are you ...

Unaware of the use of graphic software and use a graphic software package to create a simple graphic display.

Able to describe the purpose and basic function of graphic software and use a graphic software package to create a simple graphic display

Able to use an authoring environment or tools to design offline and/or online materials.

Able to use multimedia authoring tools (multimedia recording and production equipment, editing tools, publication software, web design tools) to support students’ innovation and knowledge creation.

8. When it comes to the use of ICTs in your classroom lesson. How would you describe yourself?

No use of ICT resources within the classroom.

Manage the use of supplemental ICT resources with individuals and small groups of students in regular classroom so as not to disrupt other instructional activities in the class.

Manage student project-based learning activities in a technology-enhanced environment.

Play a leadership role in supporting innovation in their school and continuous learning among their colleagues

9. Using ICTs for classroom management. Do you ...

Emphasise a traditional teaching and learning paradigm (teacher centred classroom) with no integration of ICT?

Identify the appropriate and inappropriate social arrangements (whole class, small groups, and individual activities) to use with various technologies.

Create flexible classroom learning environments that integrate student centred activities and flexibly apply technology to support collaboration.

Create and implement a vision for the school as a learning organisation where innovation and continuous learning is enriched by ICT.

10. When it comes to the acceptable and appropriate use of ICTs for teaching and learning, are you ...

Unaware of the need to behave ethically, responsibly and appropriately when using the Internet and other digital tools?

Aware of the issues relating to ethical responsible and appropriate uses of the Internet and other digital tools?

Able to develop procedures and policies for ethical, responsible and appropriate use of the Internet and other digital tools to support classroom learning.

Facilitate the ongoing development of ethical and responsible student approaches to the use of new technologies.

11. Thinking about ICT policies and classroom practice, how would you consider yourself?

Create lesson plans without any reference to ICT policy and practice.

Specify how policy statements correspond to characteristics of classroom practices and utilize these in their own planning

Possess a deep knowledge of national policies and social priorities, and be able to design, modify and implement classroom practices that support these priorities.

Design, implement, and modify school level education reform programs that implement key elements of national education reform policies

12. The Internet is described as a world wide network of connected devices, sharing information and resources. Would you consider yourself to be ...

Unaware of the uses of Internet and the World Wide Web.

Locate websites through a web browser by typing a URL or by using a search engine to conduct a keyword search

Evaluate the accuracy and usefulness of Web resources in support of project-based learning with the subject area.

Empower students to critically valuate the accuracy and usefulness of Web resources in support of their own learning.

13. As mentioned before Communication and Collaboration is key skills in the 21st Century learning environment. Which of the following statements describe your ability to use Communication and Collaboration tools the best?

Use of email and text messaging for personal/social purposes.

Use common communication and collaboration technologies, such as email, text messaging, video conferencing, and web-based collaboration and social environments.

Use search engines, social networks, and email to find people, resources for collaborative projects.

Empower students to use search engines, social networks, and email to find people, resources for student led collaborative projects.

14. With so much emphasis on Continuous Professional Development, how would you consider your own awareness of ICTs for professional development ? When it comes to planning ...

I am unaware of the use of ICT to enhance teacher productivity.

I can use ICT to enhance my productivity.

I use ICT to access and share resources to support my activities and my own professional development.

Continually evaluate and reflect on professional practice to engage in ongoing innovation and improvement.

15. When it comes to administration tools, ICTs has the ability to manage many of the tasks on our behalf. Would you consider yourself to ...

Be unaware of the use of ICT for student administration purposes.

Use networked record keeping software to take attendance, submit grades, and maintain student records.

Use a network and appropriate software to manage, monitor, and assess progress of various student projects

Describe the function and purpose of virtual environments and knowledge building environments (KBEs) and use them to support increased knowledge and understanding of subject matter and the development of online and face-to-face communities.

16. When you think about your learning environment and the available ICT tools, would you say you are able to ...

Identify key concepts and processes in the subject area and awareness of subject-specific tools.

Identify key concepts and processes in the subject area, describe the function and purpose of subject-specific tools and how they support students’ understanding of these key concepts and processes.

Identify key concepts and processes in the subject area, describe the function and purpose of subject-specific tools and how they support students’ understanding of these key concepts and processes and their application to the world outside the classroom.

Identify and discuss how students learn and demonstrate complex cognitive skills, such as information management, problem solving, collaboration, and critical thinking

17. Reflect on how you plan your lessons to accommodate your students in terms of ICT skills acquisition. Would you say you ...

Focus on basic ICT skills acquisition for students.

Help students acquire ICT skills within the context of their courses

Help students use ICT to acquire the skills of searching for and managing information in the context of real world problems

Help students use ICT to acquire the skills of searching for, managing, analyzing, integrating, and evaluating information to construct their own understandings.

18. In terms of teacher awareness and participation. Which of the following would describe you the best?

I am unaware of how teachers can access and participate in online professional communities for teachers.

I am aware of online professional communities for teachers.

I use ICT to access outside experts and communities to support their activities and their own professional development.

I use ICT resources to participate in professional communities and share and discuss best teaching practices.

19. The next section will deal with Curriculum and assessment in your classroom. How would you consider yourself when it comes to curriculum planning?

Knowledge of curriculum standards and standard assessment procedures.

Match specific curriculum standards to particular software packages and computer applications and describe how these standards are supported by these applications.

Design units and classroom activities that integrate a range of ICT tools and devices to support student learning.

Design units and classroom activities that integrate a range of ICT tools and devices to help students acquire the skills of reasoning, planning, reflective learning, knowledge building and communication.

20. When linking student learning to ICT tools, would you consider yourself to ...

Be able to locate off-the-shelf educational software packages and Web resources in isolation from curriculum activities.

Evaluate educational software including off-the-shelf packages, tutorial, drill and practice software and Web resources for their accuracy and alignment with curriculum standards and match them to the needs of specific students.

Use ICT to communicate and collaborate with students, peers, parents, and the larger community in order to nurture student learning.

Describe the function and purpose of planning and thinking tools and use them to support students’ creation and planning of their own learning activities and their continuous reflective thinking and learning.

21. How would you describe yourself when it comes to awareness of policies, are you ...

Unaware of national policies regarding ICT and learning.

Aware that national and international policies regarding ICT and learning exist.

Compare current national ICT policy against international best practice in order to identify good classroom practice.

Embed policy and research into classroom practice to improve student learning outcomes.