Innovation Profile 052

Education pioneers partner Industry innovators

When new technologies create new educational opportunities it is natural that there should be partnership between industry and education. Teachers need new skills to make effective use of new devices to aid learning. Companies producing innovative products are at the centre of the network of educators who pioneer their use.

How will this develop? Training for teachers in new skills that has only been available till now at education/industry centres of excellence in specific countries, may become accessible Europe-wide, online. A pilot experiment is exploring this.

Promethean (http://www.promethean.co.uk - or .fr, .de) have for some time worked with educators to establish Centres of Excellence in the skills to make effective use of whiteboards. The centres offer training at foundation, advanced and trainer level. Whiteboards are changing the learning dynamics in classrooms and there are educational as well as technical issues to be considered.

Both Promethean and the Centres of Excellence appreciate that training of this kind should be carefully devised and structured; 48 separate competencies have been identified which the training courses cover. They have also realised that when teachers put considerable effort into gaining new teaching skills, it is sensible that accreditation is also provided. It is right that competency in the use of ICT for learning should enhance teachers' careers and education leaders need to be confident of their capability when they appoint new staff.

Now for a limited period Promethean are experimenting with online training. At http://www.promethean.co.uk/centres_of%20_excellence/electure.htm pilot examples show what is possible. Promethean very much desire feedback from educators so that this approach can be further developed.

This must be the way ahead. Europe is a large place with millions of teachers. A company cannot instantly establish training centres to reach of all these teachers and there are many aspects of ICT-for-learning where new skills are required.

But if the innovative companies make materials available online to support development of new skills, how should this be complemented in your country, by involvement of your leading educators and educational institutions? Online approaches work best when blended with face-to-face training.

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If you know of examples of innovative use of ICT-for-learning that others would be interested in, please email innovations@eep-edu.org

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