Here - EnglishAgenda - British Council

■■■■packages, setting up online accounts with Web 2.0 services and other activitiesthat are necessary at the start of the course prior to engaging with the actuallearning content within the course itself.A part-time blended model allows participants from similar teaching backgroundsto work together on the course, as they are usually living locally, whereas thefully online version of the course always has international cohorts. Both localand international cohorts have their advantages (one is not intrinsically ‘better’than the other), but offering an additional blended version of the course allowsparticipants to choose which group environment they would prefer to work in –by choosing a part-time blended option, they will work with local teachers.A blended model increases the market reach of the course, by appealing toteachers who may be concerned about embarking on a fully online trainingcourse. As one blended course participant put it in feedback:For me as a learner, the face-to-face part was great and was a stimulus to do thecourse. I’ve never done an online only course before, so this ‘blended’ approachappealed to me more. I think having the ‘blended’ approach has alleviated thisfear. I feel better prepared and more open now to the online part.The participantsParticipants on the Cert ICT are qualified in-service language teachers. The Cert ICTfocuses not just on ICT tools and techniques, but also on general concepts and areassuch as online assessment, integration of ICT into the curriculum, mobile learning,e-learning and blended learning. As such, the scope of the course is not restrictedmerely to English language teachers and we have also occasionally had teachers ofother languages on the course in the past (French, Spanish, Chinese and German).However, the Cert ICT is validated by Trinity College London, so there are clear entryrequirements: teachers must hold an initial teaching qualification, and non-nativespeaker teachers need a minimum level of English (IELTS 5.5 or equivalent).The needs of the participants on the Cert ICT are usually fairly defined: they want to,or need to, learn more about how to use ICT in their classrooms. Specifically, theywould like to learn to use technology tools with their learners in their face-to-faceteaching, and want ideas about how to do so effectively. The participants are usuallyfairly experienced teachers, with a minimum of two years’ experience, up to 20 yearsor more. (See teachers talking about their course expectations on the Blended CertICT: http://youtu.be/M0WrjdjXTTg)Generally, our course participants have received little or no technology training inthe past. But we do get a range of teachers on the course, from those with almostno experience, to a few who are already fairly proficient users of technology. Thecourse is, in fact, designed to take this into account, so that tasks are open ended,allowing participants to complete them to the level of their own ability. As practising(and often experienced) teachers, participants frequently realise this early on, as thiscomment from one more tech-savvy course participant shows:It was good because it was viable for all levels so to speak – you could work atyour own pace and also help others and get help.76 | Reversing the blend: From online to blended