Social networks are becoming very prominent in educational discourse. The discourse centers on the role of social media and its utility in the teaching and learning environment. Several arguments have been made to support its use because they are highly collaborative, easily accessible, and provide opportunities to embed a variety of Web 2.0 tools such as blogs, wikis, and online chats. However, there is a dearth in research on teacher use of educational social networking sites (SNS) in Trinidad and Tobago. The purpose of this study was to explore how 35 secondary school teachers in Trinidad and Tobago participated in an educational online social networking site. This study utilized a mixed methods exploratory approach and allowed for the use of online data capture together with questionnaires and interviews. Combined data analysis revealed five different levels of site participation, with most teachers adopting the role of content consumer rather than of content producer. Barriers to participation were time, motivation, technology, and usability. The designed social networking site allowed teachers to make public their discourse on their practice while connecting with colleagues from other schools. The study was qualitative dominant, with the mixed methods research approach allowing for deeper exploration of teachers' participation on this social networking website, and was justified by the newness and transient nature of data from social networking websites.

“Up a creek without a paddle” explains teachers' views of the new one-to-one laptop initiative implemented by the Ministries of Education in Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Lucia. These new initiatives required teachers to change their pedagogy and to negotiate the digital divide that existed between themselves and their students. This study uses the phenomenological research methodology to examine the experiences of teachers in Trinidad and Tobago and in Saint Lucia in implementing one-to-one laptop initiatives. Six secondary school teachers, three from Trinidad and Tobago and three from Saint Lucia, were interviewed to explore the barriers or fences they had to negotiate in the implementation of the one-to-one laptop initiatives. Findings reveal that while some teachers have the competence to integrate ICT in the classroom, others, mainly digital immigrants, lack basic technological skills and/or the required pedagogical skills to engage their students, the digital natives. Discussion and recommendations focus on assisting teachers to obtain the paddle to navigate the creek by building on existing theoretical frameworks that support the use of technology to enhance learning and prepare students for the global economy.

The question of selection of students into secondary school is important for the education system in Saint Lucia. Education officials are faced with the arduous task to assign students to a particular secondary school based on merit and school choice. The paper explores St. Lucian Common Entrance teachers' perception of the changes in the eleven plus examination for students' advancement to secondary schools. A qualitative methodology was used to capture teachers' stories about the changing face of the eleven plus examination and their roles in the implementation of the new partial zoning initiative. Focus groups and individual interviews were conducted with teachers from the eight educational districts in Saint Lucia to give their opinion on the changing face of the Common Entrance Examination. Results reveal that the teachers were generally pleased with the changes in the CEE and welcomed the partial zoning initiative. Although they believed that the partial zoning would benefit the communities, they expressed reservations about the public awareness on the initiative and the preparation of secondary schools to handle the changes. Teachers recommended an effective public awareness campaign and intense dialogue with parents of children involved so that they would make informed choices on the matter.

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