CAVE ICT – Creative Approach to Vocational Education on ICT
Name of institution: Association Integration and Development (SIR)
Type of the organization: Thematic scope of the project: - Education and training
- Working in partnership
Problems to be solved (justification of the need of the transnational cooperation): The main problem to be solved is the inadequacy of education scheme at Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Vocational Schools in Poland. Both, hardware and software laboratories are not compliant the latest IT trends, hence students have no broad perspective to gain their up-to-date practical knowledge and enrich professional experience as well. In result they do not recognize the usage of latest IT inventions in business, what has a great impact on their professional carrier.
By and large our idea is to bring fresh and more practical sense to ICT Vocational Schools education system by creating a reliable relation with a foreign partner – another school willing to share its best didactic practices in the field of ICT, both for students and teachers. This relation may grow to a network of contacts and even to a scale of ICT Learning Cluster, if the project activities will be done successfully. We are open to Scandinavian partners from Finland and Sweden, since they are following the latest ICT trends and effectively linking them with business sector, through commercialisation inter alia. Nevertheless potential partners from other countries with having appropriate experience are welcome and will be considered.
Another problem is still average knowledge of English language among students, what also affect their professional effectiveness in particular in the field of ICT. Hence the everyday international activities foreseen in the project will bring them a new perspective and strengthen their language skills as well. Moreover, students will have the chance to compare their everyday learning results with their foreign colleagues, what is anther motivation and incentive to use the latest technologies available on market. A set of specific monitoring tools may be implemented for this purpose as well.
It is worth to underline that the main target groups concerned are ICT Vocational School students (under 25 years old), especially those from rural areas and deprived urban neighbourhoods, as well as teachers willing to improve their professional toolkit for improving their effectiveness of teaching.
Objectives to be achieved: a new ICT curricula developed bringing innovative didactic tools and methods, a series of internships organised for selected group of students (e.g. the most active in the learning process) in order to gain some practical experience related to the sector, a strong relation with international partner(s) established, in order to exchange best learning practices, a new lab implemented at selected Polish ICT School together with appropriate didactic materials, a new know-how in the wide educational context absorbed and implemented, teaching skills improved and new teaching approach developed, benchmarking and monitoring tools developed at schools participating in the project.
Main transnational activities (as provisionally planned, to be confirmed with partners): As for main transnational activities, at minimum 2 study tours are going to be organised in order to exchange foreign partner’s best practices in the field of ICT vocational education. An innovative hardware and software laboratories will be visited, as well as some technology parks giving students some broader perspective of applying latest IT technologies to the business. Moreover, a specific set of tools will be arranged, in order to enhance partners’ everyday communication and a proper flow of information in both ways (e.g. regular on-line Skype meetings, discussion groups, know-how exchange platform). Some extracurricular activities for students and seminars for teachers will be organised, in which the abovementioned transnational tools are also going to be widely implemented. The idea of initiating a competition for students from participating schools is also going to be considered. Some working groups will be created and teachers delegated to fulfil the coaching and technical assistance functions. The proposed aim would be to create an innovative IT project in selected category. The final session gathering and presenting all projects created by best working groups is recommended to be organised within one of the study visits. Nevertheless all further details and ideas will be discussed with project partners.
Planned deliverables & outcomes of TNC: an innovative perspective in the framework of curricula at Polish ICT Vocational Schools will be well implemented, a highly innovative hardware and software ICT laboratory will be developed in Polish ICT Vocational School following the latest trends observed during international study tours. Both teachers and students will be trained to make proper use of it, teachers will enrich their professional skills and knowledge, an international network of contacts will be initiated together with a set of communication toolkit sustaining effective flow of knowledge and collaboration in the future activities, a selected group of students (contributing the most to the project) will be invited to take part in internships gaining their professional carrier, a set of relevant benchmarking and monitoring tools developed, a final report presenting best practices at selected ICT Vocational Schools elaborated.
Target group: - Persons from deprived rural areas
- Persons from deprived urban neighbourhoods
- Young people (under 25 years old)
Stage of the implementation: Project Idea (projects in preparation phase without grant awarded)
Budget of the project in EUR: 400000
Budget of transnational activities in EUR: 200000
Duration of the project from (dd/mm/yyyy) to (dd/mm/yyyy): 01/09/2012 - 28/02/2014
Duration of transnational activities within the project from (dd/mm/yyyy) to (dd/mm/yyyy): 01/09/2012 - 28/02/2014
Contact person: Paweł Jamrozek
Phone: +48 41 3610492; +48 41 3610931
fp_association integration development.doc