Cambridge Certificate in Teaching with Digital Technologies

Digital technologies are speedily developing and entering all areas of human life, so their application in education has become inevitable. Advanced educational institutions already utilize their possibilities, whereas school counselors study the positive effects of digital technologies as a teaching aid for activating both individual and group learning.

The Teaching with Digital Technologies program was designed so as to help the modernization of the teaching system and popularize the use of digital technologies in education. It was created as part of the Cambridge Professional Development Qualifications (Cambridge PDQs) the tradition of which guarantees professional authority and insight into the latest trends of educational improvement.

Why is it important to use digital technologies in education?

Digital technologies have opened a new chapter in education, primarily because they enable fast access to information. However, it is the teacher’s role to familiarize students with effective browsing methods, source evaluation, and how to properly utilize the full potential of digital technologies.

Young people are largely familiar with the possibilities of digital technologies and use them in everyday life, mostly for entertainment. The fact that computers, tablets and other devices are so well-known to them makes them potentially very useful for learning and research.

Who is the program for?

This program is designed for all teachers who actively teach in primary and secondary schools, as well as institutions of higher education. It is for all those who want to become modern teachers and use digital technologies to make their lessons more effective and more relatable. It is for all those who want to do their job as best as they can, to educate young people, and help them reach their goals.

What knowledge and skills will you acquire in the Teaching with Digital Technologies program?

The role of a teacher doesn’t only involve transferring knowledge to your students, but also helping in the overall development of their personalities, their readiness to adopt new learning methods, as well as training them to expand and complement their knowledge even outside educational institutions and throughout their life. This is why the best teachers are those who keep up with modern trends, and continuously improve their teaching methods.

In this program, you will learn about the potential of digital technologies available to teachers in various educational institutions, as well as to master the principles of their correct use in education. You will also learn to determine which technological tools may be useful to your students, and which will only be a waste of time.

Course program

The Teaching with Digital Technologies program allows you to acquire a certificate and a diploma. After completing the first module, you become eligible for the certificate, and after completing the second and the third module, you become eligible for the diploma.

CERTIFICATE

Module 1: Teaching and learning methods analysis with digital technologies

The first module comprises three separate units:

Understanding the potential of digital technologies in teaching and learning

Students are expected to examine their own practice and the practice of their colleagues to gain a clear picture of the application of digital technologies in education. In addition, they will make an overview of technological tools which are available to them and their students and then link them to specific learning objectives so as to:

Identify the scope of available digital technologies and ways to use them so as the improve the existing model of teaching activities, or introduce new ones;
Analyze how and why technologies can be used to support certain learning objectives within their practice, and in terms of relevant theories;
Within their practice, recognize appropriate digital technologies and activities carried out with the use of the said technologies which allow students to cooperate, discover things and build knowledge, solve real-life problems and start things, exchange information and communicate effectively with others, analyze, adapt, revise and evaluate ongoing activities;
Evaluate digital technologies so as to improve current teaching activities and provide better conditions for developing new ones.

Holding classes with the use of digital technologies

Students will explore digital technology assisted teaching, from lesson planning to assessment. The will actively study related concepts and principles so they could:

Plan lessons in which one or several digital devices are used as learning support;
Be self-confident when holding classes and use appropriate management techniques, as well react appropriately in unexpected situations;
Ensure a positive learning experience for all their students and monitor the effects of digital technology application in learning;
Assess lesson efficiency, and the effects of using digital technologies as a teaching aid.

Evaluation of digital technology application as a support to teaching and learning

Students will additionally explore teaching and learning practices which involve the use of digital technologies so they could:

Develop their assessment ability in the selection and application of digital technologies;
Use feedback from different sources to recognize aspects that work well, as well as those areas that could be improved in their teaching practice;
Analyze problems they’ve encountered in their teaching practice, and implement concepts and principles associated with the use of digital technologies;
Recognize and use adequate options for sharing experiences with their colleagues when it comes to digital technology assisted teaching.

DIPLOMA

Module 2: Developing analytical practice in digital technology assisted teaching

In this module, students will examine their teaching practice more thoroughly and critically, so they could:

Design a specific plan for a series of lessons that involve the use of one or several digital technologies as support to specific learning goals, while also making use of the specific options that digital technologies provide;
Plan digital technology assisted lessons so as to be inclusive and allow all students to participate and learn;
Be self-confident when holding classes, use appropriate management techniques, and react appropriately in unexpected situations, thus providing all students with a positive learning experience;
Demonstrate their knowledge of different evaluation instruments and techniques, as well as sources of feedback;
Analyze their experiences so as to evaluate and improve their teaching practice when it comes to digital technologies, thus making learning as effective as possible;
Use techniques and instruments to evaluate lesson effectiveness and digital technologies used to support learning.

Module 3: Impact of digital technologies on education

In this module students will continue to develop their views on the educational use of digital technologies. They will have the opportunity to:

Demonstrate the ability to critically analyze their own and other people’s experiences;
Examine their own experiences so as to critically assess broader effects of digital technologies on education and the curriculum, role of the teacher and school, as well as student ability to concentrate their learning both at school, and outside of it;
Become aware of different theoretical attitudes toward the use of digital technologies in education, and compare them with their own experiences;
Identify and use appropriate possibilities for exchanging experiences about the use of digital technologies in teaching with colleagues, including colleagues from other educational areas and other schools;
Keep up with the latest innovations in the field of digital technologies and their potential as support to learning;
Assess their experience in this program, and plan further steps in their professional development with regard to the application of digital technologies in education.

What’s next?

You want to continue expanding your knowledge and skills? Upon completion, you can enroll in one of the remaining three Cambridge programs and become a teacher who can choose where and who to teach. On the other hand, you can also choose one of the courses that allow teachers to raise the quality of their teaching to a higher level. Choose the area you are most interested in and get ahead.

You can learn more about professional courses, seminars and workshops here.