|
On December 12, 2005, IBM and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports in Brandenburg, Germany announced a new Reinventing Education grant focused on raising standards of student achievement in Brandenburg schools and helping make the system more effective. Together IBM and the Ministry will introduce innovative technology solutions that will enable teachers to collaborate to improve the quality of their teaching and introduce personalized learning for students.
The Ministry of Education has initiated a promising education reform program that aims to personalize learning and enable each student to acquire the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary to participate effectively in the "Knowledge Society." IBM's Reinventing Education program will address this policy objective by offering selected teachers access to a sophisticated online platform called Teacher Workplace, developed by IBM researchers at the T.J. Watson Research Center, that will help them develop innovative teaching methods. Teachers will use these online tools to collaborate with colleagues from other schools, universities and colleges, exchanging experiences, developing new skills and competencies, and building a professional knowledge network across the State. This will be a brand new and highly motivating form of professional development that teachers can access anywhere, any time.
"We are convinced that through the use of innovative Information Technology, we can make a significant contribution to improving the German education system," said Johann Weihen, Country General Manager of IBM Germany. "In Brandenburg, we have gained a partner who openly embraces new technologies to improve the quality of education in their schools."
The State of Brandenburg and IBM have a history of partnership and have already collaborated on a number of education projects. Brandenburg is an ideal partner for Reinventing Education because of its forward looking education strategy and 'can do' approach. The online collaboration tools provided for teachers also will prove particularly valuable in spanning the distances of such a large State.
In the two-year project, both partners will contribute their expertise to make sustainable change in the education system possible. The Ministry of Education contributes its understanding of teaching and learning while IBM provides project management and consultancy on organizational change and technology. IBM's professional Change Management techniques will support teachers as they implement a broad range of innovative approaches to teaching and professional development, as well as personalized learning for students. Members of the project team include teachers, experts from the Ministry of Education and Teachers' Academy, as well as IBM's consulting and research community.
"We plan to gain acceptance of the project from principals, teachers, parents and students. Reinventing Education is primarily a chance for teachers to gain crucial experience in the ways they will work in the future to target individual students even more effectively," said Holger Rupprecht, minister of education in Brandenburg.
The IBM initiated worldwide project is already being implemented at 30 sites in the United States, Australia, Brazil, China, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, Vietnam and the United Kingdom. Since its launch in 1994, almost 100,000 teachers serving close to 10 million students have been involved worldwide. The Reinventing Education partnership with Brandenburg brings together IBM's focus on education and innovation, which are central to all of the corporation's community relations efforts.
|
