Introducing and running retraining courses on IT and its multimedia application is a strategic necessity in all technical teacher training institutions because hundreds of teachers and trainers have not been prepared for using the new teaching and learning technologies.

The study outlines the content and methods of the retraining courses for technical teachers.

The development of information technology has entirely changed the scope of communication skills. The new communication skills can be efficiently developed only by teachers, who are capable of using IT applications themselves. Therefore, there is a great need for retraining courses at technical teacher training institutions.

The Technical Teacher Training Department of Bánki Donát Polytechnic has been involved in preparing graduates to be teachers and trainers of technical secondary and vocational schools for 28 years. Without institutional support, only a small number of these teachers and trainers were able to keep pace with the rapid changes.

The retraining programme of teachers is supported by state budget in Hungary. Recent legal regulations require teachers to take part in retraining courses once in every seven years. Technical teacher training institutions must develop retraining courses so that they will satisfy the sudden needs.

The staff of the Bánki Donát Polytechnic is open to respond to the technological challenges. Beyond the traditional technical teacher training courses a B.Eng. and B. Ed. degree courses on information technology were introduced at the polytechnic six years ago. Retraining courses can be based on the experience of the full time courses.

Laboratory facilities and staff of technical teacher training institutions provide a firm foundation for implementing retraining courses. The content and methods have to be planned with great care to raise the motivation of participating teachers, who are adult learners and may have achieved high esteem in other professional areas.

CHANGES IN THE NATURE OF LEARNING RESOURCES

- Previously the teacher was the main resource for knowledge. Teachers are highly interactive sources of knowledge, but they can be used only at a given place and a given time. They place strong constrains on learners, somewhat reducing the interactivity. The possibility for asking questions and getting answers is limited. The most essential questions often arise after the teacher has left.

- Books and lecture notes serve as reliable resources for knowledge. Written materials can be used at any time and any place, but they are not interactive and become outdated rather soon.

- PC courseware or learning programmes can exploit all the features of multimedia to include video, animated 3D graphics and sound. The software necessitates sophisticated hardware, which is costly. Interactivity can be realised according to various patterns but the scope of the patterns is restricted.

- Computer networks allow for virtual presence from remote site, allow presenting course material in highly interactive form and allow presenting questions and get answers within minutes. Both the teacher and the learner can enjoy the privacy in their home environment.[2]

- INTERNET due to the World Wide Web provides cheap and easy access to information sources of immense diversity. Interactivity is offered at a large scale and variety.

In the near future all these forms will be integrated in the best practice making transitions between computer simulation, e-mail, video conferencing and database access.

It can also be predicted that PCs and later personal laptops for all teachers and learner will be available with integral phone, fax, and Internet and tool software at home and at school.

Most learning materials will be obtainable in both electronic and paper-based form, including books and materials downloaded from web.

In addition to tools, technology will provide drill and exercises for basic skills, interactive simulations to teach concepts and data logging for laboratory use.

CHANGES IN TEACHER ROLES

In the new type of teaching and learning process teachers can not control access to knowledge any more. This encourages and also forces a shift towards a facilitation role for teachers. This role includes not only the provision of the adequate learning environment (hardware and software) but also the offer of adequate learning methods.

Since the majority of the schools are 'revolutionary' regarding the general development of IT culture, teachers have to 'go with the grain'. [4]

The speed and navigability in web is improving and the socialising function of the school entails the necessity to prepare the learners for the overall changes in the methods of communication.

Since the learners will never have enough time to take all the thousands of entries within a program, teachers need to play an intermediating role suggesting bookmarks, strategies when it is necessary.

However flexible the programs are, the teachers also have an interpreting role if parts of items are not understandable for learners.

On the other hand there is an opportunity for teachers to shift balance of activities from laborious tasks to higher level tasks. It is inevitable that teachers 'scaffold' the learning process.

CHANGES IN LEARNING STRATEGIES

Some of our learning involves apparently random behaviours: trial and error. They result in reinforcement and punishment. However, much of our learning seems to be guided by strategies and patterns, as well as by recognition of order and meaning. [1]

The organisation of information and planned interactions in learning programmes require new learning styles and strategies. Handling the information is part of the active participation in the teaching-learning process. IT enables autonomy in learning therefore learners take more responsibility for learning.

Interactive software assists with scaffolding the learning process. Technology is part of complex interactions: providing ideas and resources for enquiry and supporting creativity.
The noticeable change in the learning strategies is that there is a move from sequential to an organic structuring of learning. Previously teaching materials e.g. textbooks suggested a linear path for learning even if some tasks required repetition or survey.

There is some similarity in this area to the differences, which exist between verbal and visual presentation. Verbal communication is possible only in a sequential order while visual representation provides information simultaneously which contributes to a sudden insight into concepts or problems. [5]

On one hand new technology has the potential of being able to match structure to the nature of the learning text and to individual learners' needs. On the other hand there is a phenomenon, known as 'getting lost in hyperspace'.

The shortcomings or pitfalls of learning program are the following:
- it is easier to design software that provides low level tasks
- the overuse of standard authoring tools is boring
- teaching-learning program cannot replace teachers
- a face-to-face discussion is irreplaceable.

These shortcomings can be overcome if learning is organised in groups of learners to mix their experience in collaborative group work, which follows supervised independent study and small group teaching.

CONTENT AND FRAMEWORK OF COURSES

The changes in the world of learning outlined above call for retraining courses for technical teachers on new communication and IT skills and furthermore the application of new methods.
Bánki Donát Polytechnic is one of the oldest engineering schools in Hungary. Due to the long traditions in engineering training the staff inherited a methodology culture from their predecessors. Multimedia laboratories for teacher training provide a sound basis for workshop based courses. A large range of study materials is used on the computer network for the courses. Electronic mail for tutorial support is also planned. New models of teaching and learning with IT are being examined.

The Bánki Donát Polytechnic runs short courses, which can be built on one another.

1. The use of computers in the school (40 contact hours)
Objectives: to make the teachers familiar with WORD processing and to provide exercises in preparing school documents

2. Excel in school administration (40 contact hours)
Objectives: to teach how to apply the software for practical tasks such as the preparation of tables and graphs

3. INTERNET in the school (40 contact hours)
Objectives: to learn how obtain information from the network, strategies and methods

The main features of the short courses are as follows:

- flexible in content because of rapid unpredictable changes and recorded by credits

- open ended with no suggestion that learning has been completed, because any qualification requires continuous renewal

Our polytechnic also offers a 600 contact hour course, which results in a certificate after preparing a final work and passing the exams successfully.

4. Preparation and developing multimedia learning programmes. Objectives: to enable the teachers to use the IT learning environment in an active way to initiate progress in their schools

When planning courses we had to keep in mind the two categories, into which the individual learner has to fit:

- curriculum based qualification, when credit is only given if the learning can be shown to be relevant to an established course curriculum

- individually tailored curriculum, when the course participants may put forward their own learning plan as an alternative to any established course curriculum. The institution may consider whether the plan is of sufficient calibre, coherence and weight.[3]

CONCLUSION

Educational planners need to be aware of the fact that new technologies have as much potential for wasting time and money as they have for inducting progress.

Nevertheless we also have to keep in mind that 'we cannot afford not to go up this slope if everybody else goes up'-as C. Padfield said in the Budapest meeting of the Working Group on Continuing Engineering Education.

REFERENCES

1. Gagne, E.D.: 1985, The cognitive psychology of school learning. Boston, Little, Brown.
2. Henno J., P. Ruotsala: 1995, Computers and multimedia in lifelong learning, WCCEE conference, CD
3. Padfield, C., W. Schaufelberger: 1998, Lifelong learning in engineering education: a call to action, SEFI document No. 20.
4. Somekh, B.: 1998, New technology and learning: Policy and practice, University of Huddersfield.
5. Toth, A.: 1995, The nature of pictorial representations in mechanical professional training, in: ATEE Cahier 9.

The study has been prepared with PHARE Leonardo da Vinci project support.

CHANGES IN THE NATURE OF LEARNING RESOURCES

- Teachers are highly interactive sources of knowledge. They can be used only at a given place and a given time.

- Books and lecture notes are reliable resources.
They can be used at any time and any place.
They are not interactive.
They become outdated rather soon.

- PC courseware or learning programmes necessitate sophisticated hardware, which is costly. Interactivity is restricted.

- Computer networks are highly interactive. The learners can enjoy privacy in their home environment.

- INTERNET provides cheap and easy access to information sources of immense diversity. Interactivity is offered at a large scale and variety.

CHANGES IN TEACHER ROLES

They can not control access to knowledge any more.

There is a shift towards

a facilitation role:
- provision of adequate learning environment,
- offer of adequate learning methods.

an intermediating role:
- suggesting bookmarks, strategies,
- scaffolding the learning process.

an interpreting role.

CHANGES IN LEARNING STRATEGIES

There is a move from sequential to an organic structuring of learning.

New technology has the potential to match structure
- to the nature of the learning text
- to individual learners' needs.

Shortcomings or pitfalls of learning programs:
- it is easier to design software that provides low level tasks
- the overuse of standard authoring tools is boring
- teaching-learning programs cannot replace teachers
- a face-to-face discussion is irreplaceable.

CONTENT AND FRAMEWORK OF COURSES

Short courses:

1. The use of computers in the school (40 contact hours) Objectives: to make the teachers familiar with WORD processing and to provide exercises in preparing school documents

2. Excel in school administration (40 contact hours) Objectives: to teach how to apply the software for practical tasks such as the preparation of tables and graphs

3. INTERNET in the school (40 contact hours) Objectives: to learn how to obtain information from the network; strategies and methods

600 contact hour course:

4. Preparation and developing multimedia learning programmes Objectives: to enable the teachers to use the IT learning environment in an active way to initiate progress in their schools