By Chinwe Nwacha, Onitsha
No fewer than 63 secondary school teachers in Anambra State, were on Thursday, at Dennis Memorial Grammar School, DMGS, Onitsha, trained on digital education by Wikimedia Foundation, a free online encyclopaedia,.
The training which centred on reading Wikipedia in the classroom for junior and senior secondary school teachers and students, had
Mrs Obiageli Ezeilo, as the Lead facilitator for the Wikimedia education team.
According to her the aim was geared towards teaching teachers on how to access and improve their media and information literary skills in classroom.
Ezeilo said that the programme was a free online training programme designed for teachers to learn how to integrate Wikipedia as a learning tool in the classroom.
According to her, "This will teach them how to access information, evaluate information and use these informations effectively in teaching and learning.
"If they are able to learn it very well, it would improve the students information and communications' Technology (ICT) skills.
"Teachers should start using Wikipedia, it is a reliable tool for teaching, it will help them in their research ability, ICT compliance, digital compliance, it will help them equip as in 21th century teachers", she said.
In her contribution, Dr Perpetual Osuchukwu, a resource person in Wikipedia, said that learning had actually taken place between them and the teachers, saying that they are responding well to the assignment given to them.
Osuchukwu said that they looked forward in collaborating with the state government in expanding the process to other parts of the state and sustaining it for a long period of time.
Also in her contribution, another facilitator, Achukwu O. Jane, said that the programme was targeted only at post primary school teachers to assist them in digital education.
"This is our maiden project in Anambra and we will like to partner the State government and we advise those that participated to retain what they were taught," she stated.
A computer science teacher in Dennis Memorial Grammar School, Mr Ayo Abiodun, said that it was a welcome development that would make teaching and learning easier for both teachers and students and called for its sustainability