 |
|
 
  |  |
News365 schools offered ECDL for Educators in NorthantsNorthamptonshire County Council Offers ICT training to school staff with ECDL for Educators courseware Teachers and Learning Support Staff in Northamptonshire’s 365 schools are being given the chance to brush up on crucial ICT skills following the decision by ‘.ICT’ – Northamptonshire County Council’s training division – to implement the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) for Educators Courseware across the county. The program has been designed specifically for those in the teaching profession, enabling them to train for the ECDL benchmark qualification and develop core ICT skills that will allow them to improve efficiency and help to reduce their workload. Recognising the importance of continued professional development, Northamptonshire County Council has made Government School Standards Fund money available for those wishing to undertake the ECDL for Educators training through .ICT. Many school staff have already enrolled for the four-week programme, which is held in the central training suite at .ICT and includes a tutor led workshop, mock assessment, self-study time and final examination leading to the ECDL certification. The Council is supporting teaching assistants who want to attend the morning sessions by working with Head teachers to arrange suitable cover. Tracy Harris, Application Support Officer at .ICT, commented, “ECDL for Educators Courseware will give both teachers and learning assistants a broad knowledge of the applications that they encounter on a day to day basis in schools, furnishing them with the confidence to use ICT more efficiently in their given roles. Some candidates start the course feeling wary of computers and the ECDL for Educators exercises enlighten them. This training will benefit pupils and teachers alike as Learning Support Staff will be able to support the teaching of ICT in the classrooms and the teachers themselves will become more efficient in using computers as a teaching tool.” ECDL for Educators Courseware comprises seven modules with a classroom focus that provides teachers, teaching assistants and anyone working in schools with the core ICT skills based upon developing resources for the classroom. Creating lesson plans using a word processor, managing classroom data using a spreadsheet and searching the Internet for classroom resources are just a few of the very practical skills that can be acquired. Debbie Skyrme, Education Programme Developer, Aston Swann, explained, “We are delighted that Northamptonshire County Council has decided to implement ECDL for Educators Courseware for use by all of its school staff. The government funding provided for this purpose will see a worthy return on investment as more and more teachers feel comfortable embedding ICT throughout their lessons.” Contact us for more information |
