CultusThis interview is conveyed with Dobri Joveski, Primary school teacher for 16 years, who is a leading utilizer of the new technologies in education in the Republic of Macedonia
When did you begin using the social media for educational purposes?
The grounds for communication among all parties involved in the creation and participation in the education-upbringing process is the e-mail. I would like to emphasize its role, since apart from being a personal communication among two entities, it offers an opportunity to exchange information and to create among limitless number of users.
The initial idea for communication and presentation of the educative content and the project activities was my participation in the creation of the blogs through www.bloger.com,
ThinkQuest, E-twinning, Edmodo, Facebook, Skype, YouTube, Partners in learning, as well as educative and social portals that I use in my every day work.
The social media in educative purposes has become our common practice. The necessity of following the news, has become part of the educative content for the teachers. This necessity lead to creating a new community of teachers that exchanges its good education practice in teaching through webinars. In the Republic of Macedonia, this type of education has been ongoing for two years and it comes as a result from the cooperation between Microsoft-Partners in learning and the good practices shared by the teachers in Croatia.
What are your future plans in expanding the activities?
Organizing of the webinars as a successful project activity will continue and it will be expanded with the participation of other interested teachers that are following the innovations in the education on a global level. If pre-conditions for this type of training are created, it can be used by the diaspora students, for the purpose of introducing the traditional and the cultural values of the entities that live in the Republic of Macedonia.
Through the cooperation with the relevant institutions on a state level, primarily Ministry for Education and Science, Â Ministry of Information Society and Administration, Directorate for education development and State education inspectorate, the future plans are in the direction of expanding the activities of webinar development in Macedonia, i.e. online trainings for professional training of the teachers.
How do you experience the current rise of using the Internet in educational purposes?
The utilization of the IT communication in the education of children is no longer a matter of choice, but a necessity. This is the way through which the children’s potential is stimulated, enabling them enriched intellectual development. The Internet offers limitless possibilities in gaining ideas to create the class content for all school subjects, being an unquenchable source of knowledge and teaching resources. With the correct directing and awareness of safe utilization, the Internet educational process is enriched with a valuable source of exploring and teaching, enabling communication on all levels, among all entities in the education-upbringing process.
What would you like to recommend to your colleagues in the utilization of the interactive tools and the new technologies in education?
If the teachers make an analysis and evaluation of their own work in education, they would conclude that the utilization of the information communication technologies and the interactive online tools is becoming a necessity and an advantage in the presenting of the educational content.
In this way, the teaching and the tutoring is becoming a pleasure, a natural process, efficient and effective training of the teachers and the pupils in their future challenges.
About :Dobri Joveski, Primary school teacher
Upon graduation, he was working in rural areas in mixed classes, meanwhile participating in trainings organised by Step by step, With reading and writing towards critical thinking, trainings organised by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Macedonia-Development of the democracy and the children’s right, implementing the teaching techniques in practice.Â
An important step in his professional development is the participation in the initial trainings for computer learning introduction via e-school. He was an educator and master trainer for the teachers in several regional schools, where he lectured about the computer and Internet utilization in the education process, through MS Windows, Linux, i.e. Edubuntu. He is a primary school teacher for 16 years.
By being an active utilizer of the IT in his every day life, as well as through the communication and the exchange of the experiences of the teachers in Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Bulgaria and wider, as well as through the fruitful cooperation with Microsoft Partners in learning on numerous school projects Dobri has reached recognised results on global level. He is working in presenting the innovative approaches in teaching content, including creative utilization of many online programs and applications (good school practice with Flip camera recording, utilization of ToolKid, G-Compris, Jumpido programs), using Classmate computer, Smart Board, tablets, mobile phones, Kinect that enable pupils various educative resources and experiences.
The professional development of the teachers, the exchange of the experiences and the proven school practice were used in the organising of the webinars through Microsoft Live Meeting и Microsoft Lync in which he participated with much enthusiasm. Constantly upgrading the knowledge on IT communication content, makes him transfer the gained skills to the pupils and develop professionally, all contributing to become a teacher of the 21st century.