KINDERET: developing training for early childhood educators in information and communications technology (ICT) in Bulgaria,England, Portugal,Spain and Sweden

In the European context the continuing training of early childhood educators in terms of information and communications technology (ICT) remains limited and is in need of development. The KINDERET project has been funded through the European Commission’s Leonardo da Vinci programme aimed to identify and understand the theoretical and practical needs of practitioners and is developing course materials to support the development of courses (see www.eseb.ipbeja.pt/kinderet). The KINDERET project has therefore been structured according to five main objectives, namely to:

• identify and understand the theoretical and practical needs of kindergarten teachers with regard to ICT education;

• establish plans for the training of educators, in the application of ICT;

• develop interactive learning materials for educators in order to support the established plans for continuing training in ICT;

• implement pilot training schemes and promote transnational collaboration between tutors and students through the use of ICTs;

• evaluate the pilot training schemes.

In the framework of these overall aims set by the KINDERET project, this paper reports upon the joint work that was developed by the partnership as the first stage of analysis in the training needs of kindergarten teachers. The analysis of the information that was collected at this stage has provided an empirical basis for the development of the pilot training schemes.