On 4-6 October 2022, Taalim-Forum Public Foundation conducted the Digital Pedagogy Lab in Bishkek, which was attended by more than 100 people. Among them were school teachers, university faculties, and graduate students from 17 higher educational institutions. They took part in the workshop to learn how to use innovative digital programmes such as Voyant Tools, TAPoR, and HathiTrust in teaching and research. They also had an opportunity to attend an open lecture by Dr. Sabzalieva (UNESCO IESALC, Canada) on the topic “Digital Future? Virtual Academic Mobility and Prospects for Change in Higher Education in Central Asia.” Using examples from a UNESCO study analyzing the experience of 73 universities in 38 countries during the pandemic, virtual student mobility was discussed from a global perspective.
Other practical exercises included training on the organization of educational space and processes through the integration of information technologies and innovative solutions. Participants of the Digital Pedagogy Laboratory received basic skills and valuable knowledge on how to find information and knowledge on the Internet and how to organize and apply it in their teaching activities. Associate Professor at Nazarbayev University (Kazakhstan) Dr. Duyshon Shamatov, in his lecture, discussed the lessons learned from educational Initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kyrgyzstan and the next steps in strengthening teachers’ information and communications technology capacities. The lab ended with the roundtable “Changing the role of the teacher in the context of digitalization” dedicated to the competencies of school teachers in the era of digitalization of education. The participants reflected and summarized the lessons learned to find answers to modern challenges in the field of education, which require developing new educational strategies in Kyrgyzstan.
Within the current project's framework, there are plans to hold similar seminars with teachers from Mongolia and Tajikistan.
