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ICT Excellence Awards invite NI schools to showcase their innovative use of technology
Capita Managed IT Solutions and C2k have announced the opening of the annual ICT Excellence Awards. For the third year running, schools across Northern Ireland have been invited to enter the awards for a chance to win up to £2,500 to invest in technology for pupils and teachers.
The awards were introduced in 2015 to celebrate the innovative use of technology in schools across Northern Ireland and the positive impact this has on students. Over the past two years, entries have showcased ‘best in class’ examples of how IT can be applied to prepare students for the future and improve educational outcomes.
For the first time, in 2017 the awards will be handed out by school classification, with schools competing in three groups: primary, post primary and special schools. The new structure will ensure schools are competing against similar establishments.
The judges will be exploring how schools have transformed teaching and learning by the introduction of innovative ICT and how technology has improved the engagement and motivation of students and staff. The winner in each classification will be awarded £2,500 in technology products from Capita’s Education catalogue, with runners’ up awarded £1,000.
Ed Brown, managing director for Capita Managed IT Solutions, said: “Capita and C2k are delighted to announce the launch of the awards for the third year running. The awards not only provide schools with a great opportunity to review their ICT best practice, but also allow us to acknowledge how schools are using technology to transform the teaching and learning environment of their pupils.”
He continued, “The last two years have been fantastic – but this year we wanted to do something different. The new structure will mean schools are competing against others at their level, making sure everyone has an equal chance to take home a prize.”
Tim Matchett, head of C2k managed services, added: “I would encourage every school in Northern Ireland to apply for these awards – it’s a brilliant opportunity for them to show off what they’ve achieved.
We run the awards to recognise the great work going on across Northern Ireland, and to reward those schools that go above and beyond. I’m always so proud to see how innovative our schools can be.”
Mary-Jo O’Carolan, ICT Co-Ordinator, St Columb’s College Derry, runner up in 2016, said: “St Columb’s has a long history in developing excellence in ICT to enhance teaching and learning. Consequently we considered it would be valuable to benchmark our work in order to see how external scrutiny would assess its impact.
Mary-Jo continued, “The judges, experienced educationalists and practitioners, were very focused on attainment and how we assess the impact of ICT on teaching and learning. We qualified for the final stage and we were absolutely delighted.”
Registration for the awards closes on Tuesday 28th March 2017 and submissions are due by Friday, 26th May, with winners and runners up recognised at an event in November 2017.