Czech Republic - CELN (Czech Efficient Learning Node)
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Czech Republic
CELN is a non-profit organization associating more than 200 schools. The main objectives of CELN are:
- Support for IT based-methods of education in schools. This support consists of collaboration and coordination with government organizations, leading IT companies and EU institutions.
- Fundraising for IT projects in schools. Helping to organize sponsorship, donations, and project financing from various sources.
- Obtaining hardware and software components and transferring them to schools.
- Creation and dissemination of IT based tools, portals and other information sources useful for IT-based learning
- Evangelisation of modern e-learning methods in schools and other organizations
- Participation in EU and regional projects concerning e-learning and education
- Mediation of job opportunities for students leaving schools
- Organisation of meetings and special conferences concerning e-learning and modern educational methods
An aim of CELN is co-operation with the CISCO company to develop a network of Cisco Academies. CELN is the national coordinator of this network of CISCO Academies, bringing together 45 academies with aproximately 80 lecturers and 1200 students www.cna.cz, www.celn.cz. In addition, CELN co-operates in a long-term project for training of teachers of elementary and secondary schools, supported by Intel and which was been successfully applied in 35 countries. The project is based on a training theme: how to exploit ICT in teaching.
CELN is partner in the project Elefant under the EU Leonardo Progamme. The project co-ordinator of this project is the Czech Technical University in Prague, Department of Electrical Engineering. The main aim of this project is to help people from specific target groups, to find new employment opportunities through e-learning courses which provide participants with knowledge about state-of- the-art ICT.
CELN currently has 8 regular employees and more than 40 freelance co-workers. Its main organisational authority is a Board of Founders consisting of three private persons.