"We believe that the e-learning concept will only succeed if our human assets are fully prepared and motivated to apply the new ICT skills and abilities in the teaching and learning environment" - Dr. AbdulRahman Al-Muhailan, Chairman of Educational Holding Group
"E-Learning will only be fruitful is our teachers and educators are well trained in an e-learning environment, and only then will we be able to incorporate the concept in our pedagogy" - Mrs. Eman Al-Qattan, Director of the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) Project for Qualitas for Consulting and Training Company (QCT).
"We can build magnificent infrastructures, but if the human element is missing then the infrastructure will sit idle. The only success of any e-learning initiative is the teacher." - Mr. Jack Wills, Chair of the UK Steering Group for EPICT.
KUWAIT: Under the patronage of the Minister of Education and Higher Education, Dr. Moudhi Al-Humoud, Educational Holding Group hosted a conference on Tuesday, November 23, 2010 for teachers and educators under the title of "The Teacher in the e-Learning Environments."
E-learning has become a phenomena in the education sector revolutionizing the way we teach and learn. Ministers of Education and education specialists have modified their curriculums to adopt e-learning classrooms (virtual classrooms). This evidently made the learning process easier for both student and teacher, where students and teachers can work online in real-time anywhere Internet access is available.
Kuwait took this initiative a decade ago when it recognized the importance of including e-learning in the curriculums. Such initiative changed the classroom pedagogy where more and more academic institutions communicate with students via online portals. With this effort placed by the Ministry of Education and other education organizations, Kuwait will have a strong, strategic basis to competitively develop and be ready for future challenges.
Highlighting the importance of human capital training and development in an information-technology driven environment has motivated Educational Holding Group to consult and invite world-class leading organizations; that concentrate on the business of Pedagogical ICT teachers training and certification modules that will address all teachers and educators in Kuwait.
This initiative is also inspired by the Ministry of Education's recent investments in supplying schools with the latest online learning technologies. To enhance the investment, Educational Holding Group, an education investment group specializing in the entire educational life cycle, partnered with the European Pedagogical ICT (EPICT) program and the United States Atomic Learning to provide learning solutions and application methods for teachers and educators.
EPICT is the only leading international educator certification program which acknowledges that:
- Today's students should be exposed to the most modern teaching and learning methods in order to compete with a global workforce environment
- Educators and trainers can greatly enhance their performance through the application of ICT
- Only effective training and competency standards can ensure that investments in technology for learning are impactful
"This conference seeks to send an important message with respect to the success of rich and quality e-learning," said Dr. AbdulRahman Al-Muhailan, Chairman of Educational Holding Group. "We believe that the e-learning concept will only succeed if our human assets are fully prepared and motivated to apply the new ICT skills and abilities in the teaching and learning environment."
Likewise, the conference welcomed speakers like Mrs. Eman Al-Qattan, Director of the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) Project for Qualitas for Consulting and Training Company (QCT). Mrs. Al-Qattan shared her experience with an e-Learning school which did not succeed as a result of unprepared and unaccustomed teachers.
"Holding an ICDL certificate is not enough to equip our teachers and educators into implementing and working with e-learning technology," said Mrs. Al-Qattan. "E-Learning will only be fruitful is our teachers and educators are well trained in an e-learning environment, and only then will we be able to incorporate the concept in our pedagogy."
Additionally, the conference welcomed e-Learning experts from EPICT who have faced similar experiences in Europe and Scandinavia. Mr. Jack Wills, Chair of the UK Steering Group for EPICT license for teachers and the Chair of the South Wiltshire Economic Partnership, stated "we can build magnificent infrastructures, but if the human element is missing then the infrastructure will sit idle. The only success of any e-learning initiative is the teacher."
The conference was held at the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The opening ceremony was followed by a workshop for university faculty and school administrators, and in the evening another workshop was held for school teachers. During the workshops the certification was introduced and a brief lectures by local and EPICT speakers.
-Ends-
About Educational Holding Group
Educational Holding Group (edu) [KSE: 'EDU'] was founded in 1982 as an education investment company with a portfolio that covers the entire educational life-cycle, ranging from K-12, special needs, tertiary education and Human Capital Training. Educational Holding Group is well known for its major institutions such as Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) and the American Creativity Academy (ACA).
Press Contact:
Shaikha Al-Hashem
edu
shaikha.m@edu.com.kw
(965) 2224 0453 - Ext 356
© Press Release 2010
