Slide 1 - ECDL Lietuva - Naujienos

Empowering IndividualsBuilding the Information SocietyEnabling Growth and Employability

Certification and Changing Technology

Frank MocklerProgramme Development Manager

Empowering Individuals > Building the Information Society > Enabling Growth and Employability

Annual Forum 2009


Relating Technology to Certification

What is changing in the technological landscape?

What is changing in how people are using technology?

How do people continue to best demonstrate their skills and knowledge?


Annual Forum 2009


Quantifying Change

Fast but not that fast!

Difference between “available technology” and “commonly-used technology

Distinction between method used and desired outcome

• Create a document? Or ?

Persistence of essential skills is a key characteristic


Annual Forum 2009


But things are not staying the same…In 1997, productivity in the office place came in box with a set of disks.

In 2009, boxes are still sold but… • There are more applications in common use among end users• Web technology has moved some functions (e.g. database)

online• Software as a Service is now establishing itself

• SaaS revenues in 2009 will be $9.6bn, up 22% on 2008 (Gartner 2009). Office suite revenue to grow by 375%!


Annual Forum 2009


Cloud computing evolves•Online applications are not new but are now increasingly being adopted by private and public agencies•MS Office Web Apps currently in Beta – “software plus services model”•Google Apps now with value-added services for business (e.g. General Electric, Proctor & Gamble) •Main concerns are still around security, but standards such as ISO 27001 are starting to address these•So what’s the status of desktop versus web?


Annual Forum 2009


Are web apps substitutes for desktop office productivity suites?

MS Office 2007 / OpenOffice 3.0

Google Apps – Q 1 2008

Google Apps – Q 3 2009

Zoho – Q3 2009

Word Processing

100% 53% 65% 82%

Spreadsheets 100% 61% 69% 73%

Presentation 100% 33% 43% 65%

e-Mail 100% 81% 86% 93%

Average 100% 57% 66% 78%

Percentage of selected ECDL / ICDL Syllabus 5.0 modules that can be executed with various application suites


Annual Forum 2009


Example 1: 4.4.2.2 “Use the logical if function”

MS Excel 2007

Google Appsspreadsheet

Zoho Sheet


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Example 2: 6.5.1.1 Insert an image in a slide.

MS Excel 2007

Google AppsZoho Show


Annual Forum 2009


Characteristics of these apps

•They are often free to the end user

•They are increasingly being offered adopted as business solutions

•They are being incrementally enhanced – no “big” releases•They currently lag in areas such as advanced functionality and integration features

•They are exploring new application areas e.g. Zoho’s CRM, Project


Annual Forum 2009


Implications for ECDL Foundation Certification Programmes•Develop structures for meeting a wider range of certification requirements e.g. modular combinations

•Some modules may require more frequent updates than others •Update modules when needed, guided by typical use – e.g. “Database” to “Using Databases”•Create new modules where typical usage demand them e.g. IT security•Ensure testing solutions are in place to support different / new applications


Annual Forum 2009


To conclude… What is changing in the technological landscape?

• More applications, cloud computing

What is changing in how people are using technology?• Some new patterns of usage, some new tools

How do people continue to best demonstrate their skills and knowledge?

• Provide certification modules appropriate to users’ and organisations’ needs that set a standard for proficiency and build on the credibility of ECDL / ICDL globally


Annual Forum 2009


Thank you…