What is Intel SFI & How Does it Play a Role in Education

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Intel Skills for Innovation (SFI) is a fresh initiative designed to equip educators and learners with the skills and tools that our technology driven future requires. By integrating technology into today’s diverse learning environments, SFI primes learners to attain their full potential through a technology-enhanced, skills-based approach.

By helping teachers integrate technology into their classes, Intel SFI aims to foster students’ social, emotional, cognitive, and technological skills. These four key skills are an intrinsic part of an increasingly technology driven 21st century workplace. Intel’s educational initiative establishes a learning environment where innovation and adaptability link traditional learning with the ever evolving needs of the technological environment.

If you’re an educator, administrator, or subject specialist, it will certainly behoove you to learn how Intel SFI can help prepare your students to be future ready. So, read on to discover all you need to know about Intel SFI, including its role in education, and, of course, how to sign up. Not only that, we’ll also discuss how Acer’s TravelMate B3 and B5 laptops are the perfect tool to integrate Intel SFI into your learning journey.

What is Intel SFI?

The philosophy behind the Skills for Innovation (SFI) initiative is to empower educators to deliver innovative learning experiences that equip students with essential skills for a world dominated by technology. SFI's vision is to integrate technology across modern learning environments: classroom, remote, and hybrid. By providing the right resources and tools, the SFI initiative empowers educators to incorporate digital skills into their teaching, preparing students for the future.

Intel SFI has an easily accessible framework to assist educators in understanding, testing, and implementing SFI in their school or college. The four categories of this framework are:

• Plan: Intel SFI Planning Toolkit empowers educational institutions to understand the skills required in the post-COVID world. By re-evaluating the role of technology in education, teachers can increase their skill sets.
• Experience: Intel SFI Starter Pack delivers pre-designed, tech-infused learning experiences to illustrate to educators how new technologies can be implemented in education. The Starter Pack also helps to verify viability and best practices for wider adoption in schools.
• Train: Intel SFI Professional Development Suite (Intel SFI PD) ensures that educators are up to date on the tech that they’ll be teaching! With 80 hours of e-learning and in person workshops, teachers can transition from being adapters of tech to mentors of innovation. With the correct training, educators will be equipped with the skills to adapt technology into all teaching environments to provide technology-integrated learning outcomes and skills to ready students for the 4th Industrial Revolution.
• Deploy: Intel Partner Ecosystem assists educators in adopting technology-focused, skills-centered learning models across their entire education system.

What role does SFI play in education?

Today’s classroom environment is drastically different from even ten years ago. We firmly believe that by integrating technology into all aspects of the learning journey, the students of today will be properly prepared for the workplace of tomorrow. With a focus on social, emotional, cognitive, as well as technological skills, traditional education can evolve in an increasingly dynamic, skills-based direction.

How to sign up for Intel SFI?

For US based teachers, administrators, subject and curriculum specialists, technology coaches, and other faculty, you can register for Intel Skills for Innovation here. For global educators based outside of the US, please follow this link to register for Intel Skills for Innovation. 

Wherever you are, simply fill out the required information, then you’ll be able to participate in the program, track your progress and accomplishment, and get involved in additional activities organized by Intel or partners.

How Acer and Intel are enhancing education

1. Intel-Acer-Epic starter pack: Fortnite Storm Shields 

Acer and Intel are collaborating to create starter packs that increase productivity in education. Fortnite Storm Shields are starter packs that gamify academic studies, greatly increasing the appeal of learning. Fortnite Creative, for example, is a sandbox game for middle school Geography students to create and save their very own island using the Creative toolset.

This collaborative effort between Acer and Intel gets students thinking about climate change and environmental awareness with Fortnite Creative. In the 120 min activity, students share their vision of how humans can protect coastal living from these growing challenges (Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action). 

2. Acer TravelMate B3 and B5: the revolution starts now

Acer’s ultra-durable school-ready laptops, the TravelMate B3 11, and TravelMate B5 14 are both devices that will set your students up to excel in their SFI integrated studies. Let’s see how each of these TravelMates can fast track learners to the brave new world of Intel Skills for Innovation. 

TravelMate B3 11 

This 11.6-inch screen laptop with Windows Pro represents a perfect balance of portability and performance. Delivering up to 9.5 hours of battery life per charge, students won’t have to worry about finding a power outlet during the hectic school day. Front cover battery and Wi-Fi indicators also let teachers know of any issues at a glance, letting everyone get on with SFI courses with minimal hassle.

Long hours sitting in front of a computer is an unfortunate reality for the children of the next generation. Thankfully, long term eye damage can be avoided thanks to Acer’s Screen Distance Reminder. This innovative technology informs users if they are too close to the screen. Screen Distance Reminder also notifies TravelMate B3 11 users to take regular breaks to reduce eye strain and lower stress.

TravelMate B5 14

With slightly more screen real estate than the TravelMate B3, the 14-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) TravelMate B5 14 is a high performance laptop ready to access Intel SFI and boost learning experiences across all levels. In common with the B3, the TravelMate B5 14 has U.S. Military Standard (MIL-STD-810H) certification. Both models also feature spill-resistant keyboards, reinforced IO ports, and shock-absorbent bumpers to safeguard against drops of up to 122cm (about 4 ft). So, no need to worry about the occasional accident, or spilled soda!

Educating students for the future also involves instilling them with the right values for a sustainable tomorrow. The TravelMate B5 14 is designed for sustainability, and features recycled materials as well as sustainable packaging and an energy efficient design. TCO Certified and EPEAT registered, both the B3 and B5 TravelMate models embody Acer’s Earthen initiative to reduce waste across the lifetime of a device.

The takeaway

We hope that you have enjoyed our journey into Intel SFI and the role it plays in education. Regardless of the subject and age-group you teach, SFI helps to integrate technology into all aspects of the learning journey. It's your duty to the students of today to properly prepare them for the workplace of tomorrow.

SFI provides educators with the tools and skills required to lead class-based, remote, and hybrid learning in a dynamic, skills-based direction. Future ready learning outcomes require innovative, high performance partners like the TravelMate B3 and B5 laptops. Head to Intel’s Skills for Innovation landing page to take your next step in innovation, and don’t forget to check out Acer’s TravelMate series. 

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