about the training of teacher trainers at the University Training Centres (UTCs)...

The training of teacher trainers is part of the action “In-Service Training in the Use and Utilization of ICT in the Educational Teaching Practice” that concerns the in-service training of teachers in Greek primary and secondary schools in the utilisation of Information and Communication Technologies for classroom teaching. In particular, the Action includes two types of training that are interrelated:

1. The in-service training of 27,500 educators in the principles of the educational utilization and application of ICTs, and in the acquisition of skills, according to their individual teaching domain for the pedagogically sound use of educational software and generic IT tools. You may read more information on teacher training here
2. The training of approximately 760 teacher trainers, including school counsellors, whose participation due to their institutional function is considered of very high importance to the viability of the specific educational Action. These trainers, along with the existing trainers in the B-Level Teacher Trainer Registry, will provide the in-service training and will support the in-class educational use and application of the skills and knowledge that the B-Level training teacher trainees will acquire.

In particular:

Training of teacher trainers takes place at the University teacher training centres (UTTCs). These UTTCs are Higher Educational Institutions or unions of Higher Educational Institutions that were selected through an open competition, so that all of Greece would be geographically covered. During the first training cycle of teacher trainers (May-December 2011), the following centres of higher education participated (the links below are provided for those with a knowledge of the Greek language, as the websites are currently only in Greek):

UTC of Eastern Macedonia & Thrace	Kavalla Institute of Technology
UTC of Central & Western Macedonia	Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University of Macedonia, University of Western Macedonia
UTC of Ipiros, Kerkira, Lefkada	University of Ioannina
UTC of Thessaly	University of Thessaly (Volos)
UTC of Peloponnisos Western Greece Kefallonia & Zakynthos	University of Patras, University of the Peloponnese
UTC of Attiki & Central Greece	Piraeus University, University of Athens, School of Pedagogical & Technological Education
UTC of North & South Aegean	University of the Aegean (Rhodes)
UTC Crete	University of Crete (Rethymnon)

Each Teacher Trainer training program has a duration of 350 hours. Of these, about 160 hours centre on general knowledge and skills, irrespective of the particular knowledge domain or classification of the teacher trainee, while 190 hours concern specialised knowledge and skills that correspond to the specific knowledge domain or teaching classification of the trainee. In general, training covers 15-20 hours per week (for roughly 6 months) and takes place during the evening, after school hours. Extra hours are also foreseen for practice teaching by the trainees, both in a school classroom environment and at a Training Support Centre. Usually, about 20 trainees participate in each Training Program.

The particular subjects covered during the training of teacher trainers are:

• Basic principles in the utilisation of ICT (learning theories with respect to ICT, basic teaching concepts, creation of educational material, etc.)

• Teaching specific knowledge domains (according to teaching classification)

• The Pedagogical use and application of the Internet (theoretical background, educational portals, etc.)

• Adult Education Methodology

• Blended Learning Methodology

• Pedagogical use of generic tools

• Pedagogical utilisation of Web 2.0 tools and services (blogs, wikis, podcasts, RSS Feeds, social networks, 3D Virtual Environments, e-portfolios, etc.)

• Functional features of interactive teaching systems and their efficient use in the school classroom

• General issues of educational software (features, categories, general design principles, etc.)

• General principles for the development of educational activities and teaching scenarios

• Learning the pedagogical utilisation of specific software (according to teaching classification)

• Processing multimedia material

• Development of educational activities using educational software or other digital tools for teaching school lessons (according to teaching classification)

• Development of small educational applications (applets)

• Use and educational utilisation of Learning Management Systems and of Asynchronous Distance Learning Systems

• Best Practice Teachings and Practical Exercises

• Elements for the Technical Support of School Labs

After the successful completion of their training, the teacher trainers are invited to take part in the certification procedure, in order to be included in the B-Level Teacher Trainer Registry. The candidates who are certified and entered into the Registry are those who successfully pass various certification tests, which according to the action are carried out centrally. Some of the elements that will be subject to evaluation, for each candidate teacher trainer, are taken from their participation in the educational programs and the practice teaching foreseen at the Teacher Training Support Centres (teacher training) and at the schools (interventions using ICT in a classroom with students).