Feeling Left Behind with Technology in Education?
If you're a teacher who feels unsure about how to integrate technology meaningfully into your classroom, you're not alone. Many educators feel overwhelmed by the fast pace of digital change, unsure of where to begin, or doubtful about whether they're "doing it right."
That's exactly why the ICT in Education Teacher Academy exists.
This membership is designed to support you step by step as you grow from uncertainty to confidence, and from basic tech use to true leadership in ICT integration. At the heart of it all is a structured roadmap called the Technology Integrator's Learning Journey to Transformation. This success path builds the ICT competencies for teachers in a way that's practical, reflective, and 100% relevant to your classroom.
What Are ICT Competencies for Teachers?
The UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (ICT-CFT) outlines the digital knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to use ICT effectively in education. These include:
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Understanding ICT's role in teaching and learning
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Using ICT tools to support pedagogy and student outcomes
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Managing digital learning environments
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Collaborating, communicating, and creating using technology
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Modelling safe, ethical, and responsible digital use
(Source: UNESCO ICT-CFT)
In the ICT in Education Teacher Academy, these competencies are embedded in every stage of the Success Path. You don’t just attend a one-off PD session—you build confidence and competence progressively through reflective practice, downloadable resources, and community collaboration.
The Journey to Becoming a Competent and Confident Teacher
Each stage of the membership builds your skills, confidence, and ability to apply technology meaningfully. Here's how it works:
| STAGE | FOCUS | KEY ICT COMPETENCIES DEVELOPED | HOW THE MEMBERSHIP SUPPORTS YOU |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adoption | Learn to use 1–2 ICT tools | Using basic tools for instruction, exploring digital pedagogies | Video workshops, beginner lesson plans, reflection prompts, ICT audit tools |
| Adaptation | Purposeful integration | Designing creative, curriculum-aligned ICT lessons | Done-for-you plans, Wisdom Tool search, community discussion |
| Infusion | Lead with innovation | Collaborating, mentoring, and creating ICT resources | PD logs, collaborative resource hub, APST-aligned templates |
| Transformation | Drive school-wide change | Leading ICT vision, policy, and student-led projects | Leadership tasks, showcase templates, advanced workshops |
Each stage aligns with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) and integrates the UNESCO framework to ensure your growth is evidence-based and internationally benchmarked.
What About Professional Dispositions?
Having the right technical skills is only part of being a competent teacher. Your mindset matters too. According to Purdue University, professional dispositions in education include:
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Ethical practice
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Reflective thinking
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Commitment to learning
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Respect for learners
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Responsibility and initiative
(Source: Purdue University)
Our membership nurtures these professional dispositions for teachers by embedding reflection, collaboration, and ethical ICT use throughout the journey. Whether it’s through our workbook’s critical thinking prompts or by mentoring others in the community, you're always encouraged to model the kind of educator you aspire to be.
What Will This Change in My Teaching?
When you build your ICT competencies through the membership, you:
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Plan better digital lessons that actually improve learning outcomes
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Feel confident adapting ICT for diverse learners
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Use technology intentionally, not just for the sake of it
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Model ethical digital use for students
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Gain recognition and clarity for your professional growth
Real Examples from the Membership:
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Teachers like Mia used the workbook to map out digital storytelling lessons and tracked outcomes with observation tools.
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Educators implemented programmable toy lessons (e.g. Bee Bots) and adapted them into literacy and numeracy tasks.
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Members shared QR code scavenger hunts and AR nature journals, sparking new ways to integrate science and digital creativity.
What Can You Do Today?
If you're ready to stop guessing and start growing, here’s how to get started:
1. Reflect: Use our ICT Audit Tool to understand your starting point
2. Apply: Download a beginner lesson plan and try it out
3. Track: Use the Critical Reflection prompts in your workbook
4. Connect: Ask for support in the member forum and learn from others
Teacher Competency in ICT
It is vital to understand that there are significant links between the level of ICT capability that you may have and the development of ICT capability of students. Research (Kennewell, Parkinson, & Tanner, 2000) conducted to determine how ICT would support literacy and numeracy found that the effectiveness depended to a large extent on the teacher’s own personal ICT capability. Observations indicated that where the teacher’s knowledge and confidence in ICT were low there was often haphazard development of ICT skills. On the other hand, those who were confident about their ICT capabilities were the ones who were willing to allow students to experiment and help them progress further in their capabilities.
Despite this, there are ways of overcoming limitations in the ICT capability of teachers. According to UNESCO (2017), a technically competent teacher is able to:
- Operate computers and use basic software for word processing, spreadsheets, email, etc;
- Evaluate and use computers and related ICT tools for instruction;
- Apply current instructional principles, research, and appropriate assessment practices to the use of ICTs;
- Evaluate educational software;
- Create effective computer-based presentations;
- Search the Internet for resources;
- Integrate ICT tools into student activities across the curriculum;
- Create multimedia content to support instruction;
- Create hypertext documents to support instruction;
- Demonstrate knowledge of ethics and equity issues related to technology and;
- Keep up-to-date as far as educational technology is concerned.
Each of these top qualities of a competent teacher will be embedded when practicing our technology teaching strategies.
As it can be seen above, the skill that mainly applies here is the third that emphasises the use of “appropriate assessment practices to ICTs”. However, we can also add the first point as it relates directly to the teacher’s knowledge of the resources.
is so much of it. Yet don’t have to know everything. As with student ICT capability, it is not just about acquiring skills but to do mainly with your ability to decide whether the ICT technique is appropriate. For this reason, it is often best never to give students the impression that you do and so you will be able to feel more comfortable knowing that you are a learner just like them.
Final Word: You Deserve to Feel Confident with Technology
The digital shift in education isn’t slowing down. But you don’t have to navigate it alone. The ICT in Education Teacher Academy offers you the tools, structure, and support you need to build real, recognised, and reflective ICT competencies for teaching.
And the transformation? It’s not just about tech. It’s about becoming the kind of teacher who is confident, curious, and capable of leading learning in the digital age.