The twenty-first-century challenges – globalization, information overload, rapid changes, virtualization – leads to more and more requirements for learners and educators. The skills that learners need to contribute effectively to society are in constant change. Yet, our education systems are not keeping up with the fast pace of the world around us. Professional development, at all points in a teacher‘s career, is necessary to keep up with changing research, tools, practices.
Most institutions and training organizations look much the same today as they did a generation ago, and educators/trainers themselves are often not developing the practices and skills necessary to meet the diverse needs of today’s learners. They see the necessity to enter e-learning market and change their profile but they are often afraid of such change -especially mature educators- or the training available do not offer the clear move to e-learning with a simple explanation, good tasks, examples, exercises and comprehensive for trainers knowledge necessary for DL.
The project is a response to the lack of programs that offer new skills to the trainers/educators/mentors who work in a traditional way and would like to acquire new skills connected with e-learning and DL. The trainers/educators/mentors with experience usually are afraid of entering new areas and using new tools that require IT knowledge.
The project will reach mature people who are trainers/educators/mentors who work in a traditional way and would like to acquire new skills connected with e-learning and DL.
Main aims:
• Enhancing the quality training of trainers/educators/mentors in DL
• Exchange of best practices of partners org in DL
• Fostering the provision & assessment of trainers’ key-competences: DL and e-learning training abilities & digital skills which will be included in curricula
• Introducing, developing & promoting innovative methods & tools in training by supporting personalized learning approaches for trainers/educators/mentors, teaching them ICT in an accessible way offering OER via platform, open & flexible learning, virtual mobility by introducing e-learning platform open to all trainers
• Promoting cross-border cooperation in education & learning via e-learning as all partners will work on DL and e-learning
• Enhancing the professional development of persons working/active in education by offering them new competencies & ability to work on-line by changing their professional profile
• Increasing quality & range of training, ICT-based methodologies & use of OER– by introducing new methods, tools, e-learning, personalized teaching
The project target group is mixed-agee trainers, mentors, and educators who will increase competences in training/ teaching, increase the level of digital competence – ability, and skills to work as DL trainer, educator or mentor. Till now they work in standard classical form – with a group of listeners in the classroom environment. They have doubts connected with entering new technologies in teaching as they are not very good at IT, they do not know DL methods and rules, they are afraid of new methods of teaching via the internet.
In the project we will prepare a training program for trainers/educators/mentors/teachers to teach/educate on-line (DL – distance learning) using IT devices, existing platforms and we will test it during pilot trainings.
We will increase the competencies and skills of trainers/educators/mentors/teachers and prepare them to teach on line in DL systems. In each partners org a group of app.10 trainers/educators and mentors who are professionals but have little experience with training on-line will get new skills and qualifications.
- The result will be training these trainers (70h per group) and preparing them to work in e-platforms and DL systems. Each partner will train 10 trainees during the pilot training
- We will work out training materials, curricula for DL Trainers Development Path Training Program and sets of scenarios with materials – each partner will prepare a set of scenarios of training. Printed and on line.
- The guidebook and toolkit will be prepared by partners, translated & printed in number of copies necessary for distribution among trainers + digital version
- The Joint staff event – 3 persons of staff will participate in two 5 days coaching sessions in Greece, exchange experiences, discuss the new methods of on-line teaching, present their sample trainings.
- Interactive website of the project with E-resources, materials available for visitors, who want to improve qualification, gain new skills. Partners will prepare materials, we will contract a basic Interactive module to website that allows interactive use and e-learning functions
- Multiplier events – each in the partners. country– dissemination of the results, materials, guidebook to the trainers/teachers and organizations.
- Creating International DL Trainers Development Path Training Program which will be open to persons who want to develop or acquire skills. Each edition – it ‘ll be average10 participants in each partner org, 70 h of training. We’ll test and improve it.
- E-learning interactive website of DL Trainers Development Path Training Program which will allow to learn how to work as an educator/trainer in DL on their own as DIY program based on detailed instructive tasks. With the guidelines the trainers/educators will learn how to operate it.
- 3 transnational meetings– 2 pers from each partner x2 days
- Promotional materials leaflets, posters, gadgets with info about the project and logo
Outputs
O1 – Creation of curricula and scenarios for DL Trainers Development Path Training Program, pilot course
O2 – Guide and toolkit for DL trainer/mentor/educator/teacher
Multiplier
E- 2 Workshops – introduction to DL Trainer Development Path – on average 20 participants
Stowarzyszenie Aktywni.eu (Poland)
Association for Education and Development of Disabled People (Grecee)
Plungės suaugusiųjų švietimo centras (Lithuania)
DIRECT Association (Rumania)
