Dewan Farooque Memorial High School Badin didn’t have a single computer in 2005 when I joined the school as a Science Teacher. Earlier, in 2002, I attended a workshop conducted by Intel Education. It was very stimulating because I didn’t have any knowledge about computers. I realized that ICT could really be a challenge for a teacher. After the training, I implemented Intel Teach Program in at least five schools successfully. I shared the positive aspects of ICT in education with the Managing Director of Dewan Farooque, who was very supportive to establish a lab. The school became the best in the district. I love to teach and had 17 years of teaching experience before joining Helium Pvt. Ltd. RTA as a Senior Trainer. “Inshallah, I will always continue to teach with the skills learnt through Intel Teach Program, wherever I am.” view a science project that I did: http://educate.intel.com/pk/ProjectDesign/UnitPlanIndex/Cash_the_Waste/index.htm The door represents my joining the regional training agency team which opened many new vistas to explore...

The Intel Teach Program has left an indelible mark. Many training courses, network projects, meetings and regional Skype conferences have contributed to the formation of core competencies. This is evidenced by my personal growth and victories in various competitions of people who participated in the Program.

When technology's door is opened, we let in infinite possibilities… That is how the Intel Teach program has entered my school and my professional CV. It has helped me to rethink methodologies, to plan new teaching practices and to reinvent the teaching/learning processes. Learning, experiencing and living are part of my daily life through this door. I believe the education is the door for new possibilities in children's lives. New technologies came to enhance even more our students' artistic productions, who now have new possibilities of creation.

Finding the Beauty of Civilization of Three Thousand Years At an awards ceremony for the Intel Teach Program, a peculiarly-dressed and beautiful girl from the Dan minority, an old fishing boat and a fisherman’s singing attracted everyone’s attention. As principal of Haicheng District No 9 Elementary School in Beihai, Guangxi Province, I have been exploring for years how to make breakthroughs in the “cramming” method of teaching. The ideas that the Intel Teach Program advocates, such as encouraging students’ creativity, teamwork and problem-solving skills and letting children take the initiative to learn, were fresh and new to me. My school is adjacent to a fishing island, which is the birthplace of the Danjia culture – a typical marine civilization, but my students knew little about the characteristic culture. Being aware of the problem, I said “I will find a way to combine active learning, exploring spirit and issues around us, so that children can know more about their hometown.” I designed a field study project – “Look for Danjia People.” Students formed teams to collect cultural relics of the Danjia. At the beginning stage of data collection, some unknown legends of the Danjia culture, the accumulation of three thousand years of history, and the vast information about the ancestry of fishing residents touched the souls and lives of students. In the following field study, unique customs, such as “when visiting the home of a Danjia family, do not step on the threshold of the door,” or “when people of Dan minority eat fish, they call 'turn over the fish'” and “Danjia people use boats as their homes” inspired the children’s interest. Especially when they heard the vague but penetrating love songs from the elderly Danjia people, the children said “We never expected that we would be so impressed by the old Danjia songs.” In my view, all of this is the practical result of a new educational philosophy, which helped students change their understanding about the world when they study and record the past. Therefore, when presenting results, I used to think students were too young to study and understand such profound concepts as civilization. But with the innovative methods of the Intel Teach Program, the children not only resurrected the culture of the ancestor in their minds, but also developed a love for the old civilization. I also believe that the students will create their own bright future after experiencing and recording dying civilizations.

My comprehension of Intel Teach was very vague and I used to hear various controversial opinions as far as this course is concerned. I was therefore hesitant at the beginning. However, a person can’t form his particular point of view about any issues at all until he tries it, so I decided to register for the course, giving it a try hoping to accomplish my goals. I consider this course as an entrance to a small kingdom, which may seem small to some in terms of area; however, it is tremendously big in terms of being rich in outcome. It serves as an entrance and a channel to the world of knowledge and science, which I would like to transfer to my students for their benefit. This course provides wider opportunities, broadening horizons for our students. I can imagine myself being in the outer space which, however, is not a real one, but the space of knowledge; it’s my students and myself being there together hoping and planning for a brighter future.

Once upon a time there was a queen who looked into a magical mirror, and said, mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the best teacher of all. The mirror answered "Queen, though creative ye be, fair maiden teacher is the progressive educator to me." The queen was green with envy and crafted a poisonous apple for the teacher. The queen discovered her competition was a librarian who obtained teaching ideas and strategies from Intel Engage (http://engage.intel.com). Her students used the Visual Ranking tool to assess search engines, the Seeing Reasoning tool to explore character relationships, and the Showing Evidence tool for creating arguments between chemicals and their reactions (www.intel.com/teachers). All of her rubrics were created using Assessing Projects and addressed 21st century skills. The queen decided she had much to learn to become a better teacher so instead of using the apple she registered for an Intel Teach class… and they lived happily ever after.

Before I came to this training program I was unaware of preparing subject-wise projects. Now I am fully equipped with the skills and knowledge required for project-based learning. It is only through this training program that I received a complete idea of using computers and related equipment in preparing projects in my primary subject -- Mathematics. I can proudly say this training has delivered many benefits – all made possible by the talented and untiring lecturers of Intel Teach.

Two and a half decades ago I became a special education teacher. I was inspired by the work of Anne Sullivan, a teacher who unlocked doors to the world of knowledge for Helen Keller, a blind and hearing impaired student. Discovering ways to improve education for ALL students is my mission in life. The Intel Program gave me a fresh perspective on technology integration within my own curriculum. The results...Students are engaged and highly motivated when standards are incorporated into real world project- based approaches to learning. Add the 21st century skills and higher levels of thinking to the recipe... you have a formula for the success and the love of lifelong learning. As a National Senior Trainer I have collaborated with other educators. This experience helped me recognize the qualities of a great teacher. Great Teachers do more than explain and demonstrate. They inspire!

Allowing Tibetan Children to Explore the World As a teacher from Lhasa Experimental Primary School in a remote pastoral area in Tibet, I fully understand the impact of economic backwardness on children. I hope to give my students a good education and help build a better future for Tibet. However, looking at the continuously improving computer, the Internet and other modern teaching tools, I have a new concern: children now have the tools to get connected with the world, but seeing the world does not mean understanding the world, so we have to find a new way for children to understand the world. 2005 brought me an opportunity: I became one of the first trainees of the Intel Teach Program in Tibet. But I came with a skeptical mind. To my surprise, I found the Intel Teach Program let me think about teaching methods from the student's point of view, and I first felt my own role change. Novel ideas -- such as the trainers regarding the trainees as partners, training content being set as tasks and projects, and students collaborating on tasks in groups impressed me deeply, and I came to realize the true meaning of the Intel Teach Program. Subsequently, I completely changed my own thinking method, and immediately put the Intel Teach methods into practice after I came back to school. In July 2006, the Tibetan people rejoiced at the operation of the “Heavenly Road” Qinghai-Tibet Railway. I was aware that this was a good opportunity for the students to actively explore, carry out teamwork, and understand the world. So I planned a project themed “The Heavenly Road leads to my home,” and asked the children to group themselves and to make field trips to the “Heavenly Road” to inspect the changes to life brought by the road. At the beginning, I was very worried about the enthusiasm of the students due to the heavy homework load in the Experimental Primary School, but after the project began I found the children outside of the classroom always put on a happy face. The final class meeting was colorful. One group, with the title of “Magical and Beautiful Heavenly Road,” not only showed a magnificent picture of the railway running through the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, but also proposed some environmental concerns of the railway operation and performed a scene titled “It’s everyone’s responsibility to protect the railway and the environment.” Several students who usually had poor academic performance unexpectedly showed Qinghai-Tibet railway paintings they had created. The colorful and vivid paintings were much appreciated, thus re-inspiring their courage to learn. Later, in the results show of Intel Teach Program applications, the “Heavenly Road leads to my home” project impressed all the judges, who praised the new future brought by the Qinghai-Tibet railway to Tibet. Thanks to the Intel Teach Program, I have helped Tibetan children find new ways of understanding the world.

The Intel Teach program has improved my teaching ability, enriched my career resources, and enabled my students to open the gate to high-level thinking.

Managing Limited Resources Straddling the eastern coasts of the Philippine Archipelago, Region VIII consists of six provinces with a total land area of over 21,500 square kilometers. Conversely, the region is traversed by only one highway and limited arterial roads. Most of these roads can only be traveled on foot or by “habal-habal” – the motorcycle-turned-public-utility-vehicle that carries up to four passengers (and their loads) up and down otherwise impassable dirt roads that are ubiquitous in the southern part of the country. Strung out over this vast area are 199 school districts, home to over 5,000 public high schools and elementary schools. With such a broad area of responsibility, monitoring positions in the Department of Education regional office favor individuals with no qualms about being on the road for weeks at a time in order to cover the area in the time allotted. In 2003, I was 30 years old, and still unmarried, so I was given the job of monitoring the ICT programs in the region's schools. February 2003 found me riding a habal-habal to my next school visit, when oncoming traffic and a pothole defeated our driver’s efforts. I fell off the bike and ended up with a broken leg. The doctor’s prognosis was good – I would still be able to walk on my own, but lengthy periods on the road were no longer possible. Since a lame ICT Coordinator would not serve the intended purpose, I found a more suitable posting instead: as principal of Samar National High School. To the public, it was the “oldest academic institution in Samar and Leyte,” with a record of alumna in public service: a governor and a congressman, among others. To education insiders, it was known as a retirement sinecure – a well-established school that needed little effort to run. Unfortunately, the institutional scenario that I came upon turned out to be as incapacitated as my leg. Despite the school's venerable history, infrastructure was lacking, the relationship between the teachers and administration was cold and the quality of education was low. Unfortunately, despite the school's large enrollment, resources were severely limited. SNHS was on its last legs. I reached for my cane and buckled down to do the work of rehabilitation. STEP 1: Conduct an environmental survey. I made a thorough inventory of the school’s facilities and resources. As a former ICT Coordinator, one of the first things I investigated was the ICT facilities. Most of the existing computers were no longer functioning, and there was no ICT laboratory for students to use. The teachers lacked both strategy and initiative to teach fruitfully, and were going through the motions of teaching. This all translated to the low academic performance of the students as seen in the below average cumulative scores of the students in regional and national examinations. On the plus side, a large alumni organization was ready and willing to be tapped for assistance. The local government also boasted alumni from SNHS who were eager to aid in the school’s make-over. Finally, there were a number of private stakeholder programs -- such as Intel Teach – working to advance quality education. STEP 2: Consolidate your team and involve them in the development of a vision for the school. I called for a meeting of the entire school staff and presented the results of the survey. When I asked for suggestions in order to solve the problems, most were willing to share their views. Some pointed to our lack of resources and were pessimistic about how much change could be accomplished. We ended up agreeing to maximize available resources first, and then conceptualize more creative ways of addressing the school’s needs. The important thing is that we all agreed a change was needed and all of us would be responsible for its actuation. STEP 3: Map out a detailed plan for implementation which includes provision for sustainability and carry it out. I’ve always believed in the 5Ps: “Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.” Good planning conserves time and maximizes resources. Our attack was two-pronged: improve infrastructure and enhance teaching. Consequently, we developed projects and took on programs that addressed these two main concerns. And so we counted ourselves fortunate to have been granted a slot in the Intel Teach Program for AY 2006-2007. As one of only nine divisions selected nationwide, we benefited from the enhanced program package that offered not only teacher training, but post-training services in the form of pedagogical support for the trained teachers and planning and managing support for school administrators. This dovetailed neatly with our own efforts to institutionalize efforts at reform. The Intel Teach experts’ input gave our team the necessary acknowledgement that we were on the right track and the spur to focus efforts into more concrete goals along a realistic timeline. We enhanced our school improvement plan with specific tracks for appropriate technology use for teaching and learning. This initial detailed three-year plan has since evolved to accommodate changes, but it was what first got us going. With the influx of programs and so few resources, the school created the Committee on Solicitation to concentrate on the development and farming out of project proposals. We also dusted off relationships with old partners and sought out new ones, since it is their support that multiplies our capacity for resource generation and program sustainability. Through solicitations, the school was able to fund programs and provide facilities and materials for the school. The school now has four computer laboratories that can accommodate 70 to 100 students. The computers were donated by stakeholders. The Department of Trade and Industry gave us another 20 computers through a personal letter of request. The Department of Education gave 50 more computers through the Adopt a School program. We were chosen as recipients after we institutionalized the Intel Teach program and presented to DepEd the innovations integrated into our curriculum. STEP 4: Conduct regular review and evaluation of implementation. Teacher trainings were documented and evaluated. Post-training classroom practice was also monitored and documented in order to assess the benefits (or disadvantages) gained by the school. Regular meetings were held to monitor on-going programs and activities. Challenges and issues are dealt with immediately and decisively in open discussion in order to prevent a return to the former divisive order of things. STEP 5: Continue to update your plan based on active assessment. Do not rest on your laurels. There will always be room for improvement. New teaching strategies and programs geared towards the better learning of students were added into the SNS educational system. These included the Program for the Mentally Gifted, Special Program in the Arts, the Visually-impaired class; Science and Technology Curriculum (formerly ESEP); Revised Basic Education Curriculum (RBEC), and the Night Class (for working students). To sustain the spirits of the faculty, we echoed the rewards and incentives scheme we experienced in the Intel Teach program in our school. Service credits were awarded for outstanding teaching performance or acceptance of extra workload. Likewise, a recognition ceremony is held periodically to acknowledge the efforts of partners and stakeholders. Five years later, in 2007, SNHS was given the Champion School Award at the 2nd National Intel Teach Awards for 21st Century Educators. In 2009, SNHS was declared the ICT Center of Education in the division of Samar. The school that once had no ICT lab can now accommodate more than one class with a one-to-one student-to-pc ratio. Students are now performing better with the improved facilities and energized teachers. The activities, trainings and programs of the school have also strengthened the bond among the teachers, as well as confidence in the administration. The atmosphere that once was cold is now warm and relaxed. The school with limited resources now manages not just to adequately provide for the classroom needs of students but continues to develop and implement new programs to improve teaching and learning.

Technology brings students from behind closed doors into a world of knowledge. I began work at the eMINTS National Center in Columbia, Missouri (USA) in 2000 and since then I’ve been training and coaching classroom teachers and I am amazed at how much has changed in that time!! An eMINTS classroom looks like a regular classroom except that it has lots of cool technology for students and teachers. Each room has an interactive whiteboard, scanner, camera, internet connections, a printer, and computers for students and teachers to use at any portion of the school day. I am currently providing professional development to 7/8th grade teachers in my portion of the state that are a part of our I3 validation study. These teachers want to enrich the learning in their classrooms by integrating technology in meaningful and purposeful ways. They will do this using a 1:1 classroom laptop environment in combination with eMINTS and Intel Teach Thinking with Technology professional development programs. _____________________________________________ [Intel editor's note: Intel Teach Thinking with Technology is course designed to help teachers learn instructional strategies for addressing and assessing thinking skills, using technology to support deeper understanding of core content. The goal is for teachers to leave the course with a standards-based unit plan, support materials, and implementation strategies to improve and assess students’ higher-order thinking with the use of free online tools.]

The future is not simply near – it looks at me every day through my students’ wide-open eyes. It’s not me who is leading children, it’s they who stretch out their hands to me. The Intel Teach Program gives me a chance to reach them.

I had the opportunity to be a part of the Intel Teach family by being trained to be a a Master Trainer. This was the first training program to introduce me to technology as a tool to enhance my teaching and improve classroom interaction. I also trained my colleagues on the course and empowered them with technology tools. This exposure has given a new dimension to my teaching and learning process. The training has had a tremendous impact on my professional development , to empower me as a 21st century educator. I have been continuously updating myself with the changing environment and exploring various online tools to learn and teach. I believe that if concepts and application competency is truly a goal, the Biology classroom cannot afford to be focused merely on concepts and conventional knowledge. Rather, it should provide ample opportunities for concepts to practice and activities that

The most aggressive feeling one can have is discovering that you have been working the wrong way for 10 years. That’s how I felt in Intel teach which showed me and my colleagues that we have two choices either we stay the same or to work hard to change ourselves, the students, and the school environment. That’s what I decided to do, “Change the world from my class”. The last unit plan I implemented was a lesson about flying to students in the 10th grade. I teach English which aim to enhance 4 skills. The unit was about the different parts of the airplane and how it flies and land. The students submitted powerful reports after data search and a visit to the airport and the engines department in industrial school. The conducted interview with pilots and engineers in English, they did talk in English while they were constructing a plane by meccano toy .the student enjoyed working with each other they had so many teachers from real world I was their as a facilitator most of the time, planner and evaluator from time to time. This project has been submitted by the school to the ministry and won the first place on the PBL 2011 competition.

One of the key moments in my professional development was learning from the Intel Teach Essentials Course («Design activity in the information educational environment of the XXI-st century») .The big thing, I consider, is the leading idea of the Program - effective use of information and educational technologies. Technologies which we practiced using during the course, I now use effectively in my pedagogical activity. Intel Teach has allowed me to understand this success: inner confidence that my pupils will live in life with values, knowledge and the skills that really are necessary for the person in the 21 century. It also is the most important thing - achievement of internal success, satisfaction and the professional work. The lessons of the Intel Teach course is an open door in new understanding at higher level of life, a new educational system, overall objectives and problems.