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ED-U COLLEGE (PORT ELIZABETH) NPC BECOMING A MICROSOFT PARTNER SCHOOL

Imagine Academy Announcement – Press Release

For Release: 08:00 1st March 2018

Ed-U College Launches Microsoft Imagine Academy to Help Equip Students with 21st Century Skills for Success

Ed-U College today announced the launch of the Microsoft Imagine Academy program at their Port Elizabeth campus to provide students with real-world technology skills needed to thrive in the 21st century economy. Ed-U College joins more than 16,000 Microsoft Imagine Academies around the world. During the last year our educators have undergone intensive training so that they are all well-equipped with the latest technology that the Imagine Academy has to offer.

Mrs Lilian Niemann, CEO of Ed-U College says: “We’re committed to providing our students with the most up-to-date knowledge and skills so they can pursue higher education, and secure jobs that contribute to the economy and their communities. Our membership in the Microsoft Imagine Academy program enables us to provide a road map to technology proficiency and industry-recognised Microsoft Certification credentials keeping pace with what today’s employers are looking for and setting our students up for future success.”

Microsoft Imagine Academy is a comprehensive program that supports ongoing technology education for students, teachers and other education professionals spanning computer basics to high-level programming, along with cloud and infrastructure management using Microsoft technologies. The program’s resources include access to online learning content, Official Microsoft Academic Courses, classroom curriculum, and instructor tools.

“Microsoft is committed to empowering students and teachers around the world to reach their full potential,” said Alison Cunard, General Manager for Microsoft Learning Experience. “By combining education and cutting-edge technology, the Microsoft Imagine Academy helps enable success and prosperity in an evolving global economy.” Microsoft Imagine Academy will provide a convenient and flexible learning environment where students can get hands-on experience with the latest technology to gain a competitive edge in today’s job market or the next step in their academics. The Ed-U College teachers will be managing their academic resources and relevant administration using the tools provided by Microsoft. The learners get to experience interactive content and use the range of courseware made available to them in every day school life. The school has invested in state-of- the-art computer rooms so that learners get the best learning experience possible. The computer facilities are available to our learners after hours so that they can continue learning and exploring new software. These include coding and application development to the more basic fundamental programmes used in everyday life. Students are able to learn and take the official Microsoft exams if they wish and earn badges and internationally recognised certificates as they go.

The Eastern Cape is a small province and we’ll be embarking on a road show from March 2018 where we will be introducing the Microsoft Imagine Academy to the schools in the area so that learners from other academic institutions can learn about the offerings and join us after school, Saturdays and in school holidays. The great advantage of these programmes are that, with internet connection, you can work through this from home, the office or school. Similarly we’ll be making our venue available to the adult learners and educators who would like to share in this opportunity and uplift their skills too.

Ed-U Options (NPC)
For more information: Roxanne Stark 041 450 2550 or email: educol@iafrica.com

E-Square Education Enterprises (E-Square Group) comprise of:
  • Ed-U College (Port Elizabeth) NPC – Pre-Primary, Primary School and High School
  • Private Schools (Pty) Ltd (Saturday School)
  • Ed-U Options Academy (Pty) Ltd (Private College & Matric Upgrade), and
  • Ed-U City Campus (Pty) Ltd (Higher Education Institute)

The E-Square Group embarked on a digital teaching journey in 2015, starting with Ed-U College Primary School and High School, to equip teachers and learners with essential 21st century teaching and learning skills. The first focus was on Google and its related educational applications and research tools, mastered by learners and teachers alike. Mid 2016 we started concentrating on Microsoft Office 365 and its related Microsoft Classroom-application.

2017 marks a milestone in this journey as we are proud to announce that we have become a Microsoft Partner Institution, and will soon be a Microsoft Flagship in the Eastern Cape. Teaching staff received Microsoft Classroom training, as well as new-skills training, with applications such as Sway, OneNote, and OneDrive. These skills will, in the near future, be shared with schools in an Outreach Programme, as Microsoft Classroom provides a platform for co-teaching and sharing lessons and material.

For future learning and teaching at the E-Square Group, Microsoft Classroom and its affiliated Office 365 applications provide an integrated, streamlined solution within a blended learning model. Apart from our current computer lab offering and rotational blended learning system, teachers increasingly use laptops and projectors in the classroom; and devices such as tablets, laptops and mobile phones will, in future, be incorporated to facilitate next generation teaching and learning in the classroom.

Via Microsoft Classroom our learners are exposed to rich learning materials such as e-mail, video, audio, digital notes and worksheets, as well as to real-time surveys and instant teacher comments, feedback and reporting. Interactive teaching is supported using a Class Notebook, with its Collaboration Space for Cooperative learning activities, as well as a Content Library, in which teachers share material with their learners.

From 2018 onwards, resources, class assignments and School Based Assessment Tasks will be saved digitally. At the same time, learners will participate (with their teachers as the facilitators of the learning process) in creating their own digital text books in OneNote. Learners and parents will further benefit from Microsoft Classroom with its built-in calendar which adds homework and assignments for every subject in order to organise each learner’s studies.

Ed-U College is proud to be associated with Microsoft, and look forward to continue changing lives in the Eastern Cape in a big way.

CALL US NOW TO GET STARTED

Roxanne Stark 041 450 2550 or email: educol@iafrica.com