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The course “Preventing conflicts and tackling Early School Leaving”, which took place in Bologna from 03/10/2021 to 09/10/2021, was attended by 8 participants from Spain and Romania: Lucía and Margalida from IES Calvia, Rosalía from IES Cavaleri, Ana, Daiana, Giorgaina, Petru and Ioan from Technological High School of St. Dimitrie Teregova and Alexandra from Școala Gimnazială Porumbacu De Jos. Early school leaving is a widespread problem across Europe and being in a European context, participants got the chance to explore different perspectives at the national level. On the first day, they focused on defining what Early School Leaving means and on identifying the main risk factors. This allowed the participants to draw and share a realistic picture of their school experience with Early School Leaving, starting from the underlying causes, and finishing with the potential consequences. From the assessment of participants’ expectation, the most relevant expectations that emerged were “promoting a positive and innovative learning environment” and “learning new methodologies to enhance students’ motivation”. To address them, the course focused on four major prevention approaches: connecting to our students, fostering conflict management skills, establishing an environment of collaborative learning and battling negativity in the classroom. We started from the assumption that in order to develop a early school leaving approach, we deeply need to connect to our students, to be closer to their interests and their feelings. The participants engaged in hands-on activities to learn about the importance of active listening and emotional intelligence in creating social connection. The participants went on discovering the conflict management topic. First, we dedicated some time for a perspective change. With the support of an inspirational TED Talk, the group who initially associated the idea of conflict to something essentially negative, realized afterwards how conflicts provided in their life unique opportunities to improve their relationship, communication and understanding. Afterwards the group practiced some non-formal activities to reflect the importance of membership and collaboration. Strategies for collaborative work and peer-education were analysed.
The key word of this week training course was “transformation”: we learned how to change perspective on conflicts, how to transform the strong and sometimes negative energy of some students into something positive and productive, how to change our mindset from fixed to growth, how to transform a group of people into a team. To quote the words of one of our participants... “the course helps you to improve your communication with students and to realize that conflicts help to improve relationships”
Why it is important to integrate innovative teaching methods in the educational context? |
 | On the other side, visual strategies and teambuilding games showed the power of Non-Formal Education. In fact, starting from the activities, we explored the Kolb’s experiential learning cycle and we learned how it allows to pass from reflection to conceptualization and application, giving the student an active role in the learning process. |
Discovering the city of Bologna with an urban trekking App was a very funny way to deepen the power of Outdoor Education in an urban environment. Some of the benefits of OE that emerged during the debriefing are on the one hand the increasing of motivation and creativity, on the other the improvement of the psychophysical well-being thanks to the contact with the nature and the consequent reduction of the stress.
| Finally, we explored innovative teaching methods with ICT: Mentimeter, Edpuzzle and Thinglink are some of the tools we practiced in class, finding out new ways to engage students, assess and display a lesson. | |
During these intense days of training, held in Bologna from 3 October to 9 October, participants coming from different parts of Europe discovered the beauty of Bologna, Florence and Ferrara, having the chance to network, teambuilding and foster an intercultural exchange.
The last day has arrived and it’s time to say goodbye: now it’s up to you to use all the new tools discovered in your school context. The rule is only one: be creative.... and have fun!
The last day has arrived and it’s time to say goodbye: now it’s up to you to use all the new tools discovered in your school context. The rule is only one: be creative.... and have fun!
September 18th-Puerto De La Cruz, Tenerife: a new group of teachers is ready to begin a new fantastic adventure. This week week we had the pleasure of hosting participants from three different schools: Liceul Teoretic Stefan cel Mare, Ramnicu Sarat from Romania, Istituto Professionale di Stato per i Servizi Enogastronomici e dell’Ospitalità Alberghiera G. Falcone from Italy and Zespol Szkol Salejzanskich w Lodzi from Poland.
The topic of the week was Innovative teaching methods for education and the group was enthusiast to begin on the first day. As usual, the morning starts with some activities to break the ice and getting to know each other: our courses are first of all meant for networking with other cultures!
The first topic we introduced was non formal education, with the aim to guide participants through the possibilities offered by the emerging trend of integrating non-formal working methods in formal education pathways. A small hint of theory and then everyone was ready to test some games which can be easily introduced in the classrooms. Each activity was followed by a small debriefing or reflection, in order for the group to understand why each game was implemented. Many of the activities were tried outside, to allow the group to enjoy the sun ad the sea breeze. In fact, when there is the possibility, it is always best to be outdoors!
The topic of the week was Innovative teaching methods for education and the group was enthusiast to begin on the first day. As usual, the morning starts with some activities to break the ice and getting to know each other: our courses are first of all meant for networking with other cultures!
The first topic we introduced was non formal education, with the aim to guide participants through the possibilities offered by the emerging trend of integrating non-formal working methods in formal education pathways. A small hint of theory and then everyone was ready to test some games which can be easily introduced in the classrooms. Each activity was followed by a small debriefing or reflection, in order for the group to understand why each game was implemented. Many of the activities were tried outside, to allow the group to enjoy the sun ad the sea breeze. In fact, when there is the possibility, it is always best to be outdoors!
The next topic was project based learning. The class explored three key challenges related to the implementation of PBL: how to establish effective collaboration among students, how to facilitate student-driven activities, and finally how to assess PBL in the classroom. They delved into the topics of driving questions, 21 century skills and many other. In order to better understand the topics, the teachers had the possibility of testing some practical activities in small groups.
The third topic that we explored was outdoor education and was greatly appreciated by most of the participants, which were deeply glad to had the change of enjoying the sun. In fact, it is important to remember that not only does Outdoor Education help students become in tune with their surroundings and gain an appreciation for the natural world, it also plays an important part in bringing what they learn in the classroom into real life through application and observation and highly contribute to their personal and social development. Outdoors, the group had an opportunity to brainstorm on the benefits of outdoor education and exchanged ideas and best practices. We also discussed on the way different countries deals with outdoor activities and which are the main obstacles of its implementation for the teachers. Again, we tested some activities aimed at proposing new ways of teaching.
The third topic that we explored was outdoor education and was greatly appreciated by most of the participants, which were deeply glad to had the change of enjoying the sun. In fact, it is important to remember that not only does Outdoor Education help students become in tune with their surroundings and gain an appreciation for the natural world, it also plays an important part in bringing what they learn in the classroom into real life through application and observation and highly contribute to their personal and social development. Outdoors, the group had an opportunity to brainstorm on the benefits of outdoor education and exchanged ideas and best practices. We also discussed on the way different countries deals with outdoor activities and which are the main obstacles of its implementation for the teachers. Again, we tested some activities aimed at proposing new ways of teaching.
The final topic of the weeks was the implementation of ICT tools into the classroom. The group gained an outlook on best practices and concrete ways to use ICT to empower and support education. In particular we explored 3 different application which can be useful to support the lesson and can also be used by students to prepare presentations and to assist them in their study.
The last day came and I thought: which is the best way to recap all the topics of the week? Well, testing an outdoor, non formal activity which is done through a technological tool, of course! And there they went, exploring the city by means of a fun urban treasure hunt.
It was difficult to say goodbye to this group, it was an amazing experience both for me and for the teachers...as one of the participants wrote: “Are you ready to learn in a fun way about innovative teaching methods? So ELA is the way!”
The last day came and I thought: which is the best way to recap all the topics of the week? Well, testing an outdoor, non formal activity which is done through a technological tool, of course! And there they went, exploring the city by means of a fun urban treasure hunt.
It was difficult to say goodbye to this group, it was an amazing experience both for me and for the teachers...as one of the participants wrote: “Are you ready to learn in a fun way about innovative teaching methods? So ELA is the way!”
During the training week held in Bologna from 19 September to 25 September we had the opportunity to explore different kinds of non-formal teaching methods and strategies, and to discover their potentialities in enhance education effectiveness.
What is non formal education?
Non formal education is “any organised educational activity outside the established formal system – whether operating separately or as an important feature of some broader activity – that is intended to serve identifiable learning clienteles and learning objectives” (Philip Coombs, 1973).
In particular, we discovered:
In particular, we discovered:
- visual strategies
- storytelling and role-playing games
- teambuilding activities
- debate and speaking games
At first, we started exploring visual strategies. Using art and creative thinking in making collages or drawing some topics, the participants tried to stimulate their expression with the use of metaphor. Thanks to different visual activities, we discovered together how art can be an easy way to discuss some topics and to express difficult concepts.
 | Then, we learned together how role-playing games and storytelling can be used to understand implications of a particular behaviour in a specific context and how it helps to analyse the contribution that each person can give in a particular role position. |
We also learned the importance of team building and team working in education: collaborating with other team members can be very productive and it gives each member the opportunity to give their contribute inside the group.
Debate and speaking games are another kind of non-formal educational activity: these types of games are useful for enhance cooperative learning and to develop a dialectic approach. Competing in the Oxford Debate, participants fostered creativity in finding non-conventional and persuasive arguments and experienced how to behave in order to collaborate with the others.
After having analysed together the different tools and the various strategies of non-formal education, each participant had the opportunity to autonomously develop a new tool, to use in their own school context. Thanks to the creativity and the effort of each participant, at the end of the course we collected new practical and creative tools ideated by the teachers.
In conclusion, during these days the participants had the opportunity to experiment innovative methods in a safe and stimulating environment, enhancing skills like teamwork, empathy, and critical thinking, and had the occasion to create new and unique non formal tools!
In conclusion, during these days the participants had the opportunity to experiment innovative methods in a safe and stimulating environment, enhancing skills like teamwork, empathy, and critical thinking, and had the occasion to create new and unique non formal tools!
In the third week of September together with teachers coming from Poland, Greece, Germany and Latvia we've explored the world of soft skills and emotional intelligence. During the week we had the chance to explore many of the most important soft skills from communication and public speaking to leadership, from conflict management to emotional intelligence and empathy.
The participants had the chance explored the broad concept of Soft Skills, the interpersonal skills which allow us to interact with other people. By investigating the topic with activities and exercises, the group discovered that Emotional intelligence and in particular empathy plays a crucial roles in developing our interpersonal skills. We analysed the most important Neuro-Linguistic Programming principles and discussed the importance of going out of our comfort zone. Furthermore, one of the aims of the training was to recognize the different communication channels (verbal, paraverbal and non-verbal) and to be able to manage them productively.
Another topic that was analysed during the training days was how to lead a classroom and a team. Through practical examples we’ve investigated the 6 leadership styles identified by Daniel Goleman. The participants challenged each other to associate leadership styles with different situations, discovering that each context requires different leadership skills.
The participants had the chance explored the broad concept of Soft Skills, the interpersonal skills which allow us to interact with other people. By investigating the topic with activities and exercises, the group discovered that Emotional intelligence and in particular empathy plays a crucial roles in developing our interpersonal skills. We analysed the most important Neuro-Linguistic Programming principles and discussed the importance of going out of our comfort zone. Furthermore, one of the aims of the training was to recognize the different communication channels (verbal, paraverbal and non-verbal) and to be able to manage them productively.
Another topic that was analysed during the training days was how to lead a classroom and a team. Through practical examples we’ve investigated the 6 leadership styles identified by Daniel Goleman. The participants challenged each other to associate leadership styles with different situations, discovering that each context requires different leadership skills.
Participants had the chance to discuss and practice the differences between aggressive, passive, passive-aggressive and assertive communication, getting acquainted with the principles of the latter. The participants created a vademecum with the main verbal features of each communication styles (aggressive, passive and assertive), in order to be able to use this tool in the classroom to define the communication guidelines.
Communication is not only about what we say, but also how we say it. To further work on this topic and on improving public speaking skills the participants delivered a 2-minutes public speech that later was analysed by the whole group with the support of the trainer. This activity gave the participants the chance to receive personalised feedback in order to improve their public speaking skills.
Last but not least we address the topic of conflict management. Through brainstorming, group activities and simulation we investigate the definition of conflict, the different types of conflicts (goal, cognitive, affective) and we identified which kind of words and phrases instigate a conflict and, on the other side, which kind of words defuse it. In fact, being aware of the consequences of “positive” and “negative” words is the first step in speaking responsibly. We discussed the negative and positive aspects of a conflict and we identified the 3 keys to manage a conflict effectively.
Puerto de la Cruz in the north-western part of Tenerife was the ideal location for our course since it created the most relaxing atmosphere. This combine with the cultural and networking activities organized fostered a strong group sprit, (as you can see from the photos below ;) ).
Communication is not only about what we say, but also how we say it. To further work on this topic and on improving public speaking skills the participants delivered a 2-minutes public speech that later was analysed by the whole group with the support of the trainer. This activity gave the participants the chance to receive personalised feedback in order to improve their public speaking skills.
Last but not least we address the topic of conflict management. Through brainstorming, group activities and simulation we investigate the definition of conflict, the different types of conflicts (goal, cognitive, affective) and we identified which kind of words and phrases instigate a conflict and, on the other side, which kind of words defuse it. In fact, being aware of the consequences of “positive” and “negative” words is the first step in speaking responsibly. We discussed the negative and positive aspects of a conflict and we identified the 3 keys to manage a conflict effectively.
Puerto de la Cruz in the north-western part of Tenerife was the ideal location for our course since it created the most relaxing atmosphere. This combine with the cultural and networking activities organized fostered a strong group sprit, (as you can see from the photos below ;) ).
Have you ever asked yourself how to make your lessons more interactive, engaging and attractive for your students?
This week, together with 13 teachers from different schools in Romania, which decides to participate in our course Integrating ICT and new technologies into teaching and education, we tried to answer this question by exploring a vast range of technological tools which, without doubt, helped to make their classroom more enthusiast.
We had a look at the most simple, yet quite efficient tools to edit pictures and video which can be used to prepare engaging multimedia, sum up or introduce a subject or challenge the students to create their own work of art. The teachers also learned how to energize their students and get their attention thanks to a extremely effective tool which helped them to create video presentation.
But there was more: are you wondering how to easily create a website in very few steps? Our group learned to do that thanks to our class, where they had the chance to experiment the easiest drag and drop tool to build their school website.
Since during this very difficult year the teachers had to manage online classes, it seems inevitable to explore some applications to conduct a virtual lesson: the participants therefore delved into the world of virtual whiteboard to create engaging and captivating distance lessons and to create collaborative learning experiences.
The journey into the universe of technology continues with another tool designed to organise presentations, social media graphics, info graphic, flyers, posters, collages, CVs, banners and much more. Our group had plenty of time to put the theory into practice and unleash their imagination!
The following day starts with a game: the group had to test their abilities in Italian, Florence knowledge, famous monuments and animals roars! That’s right, we are talking about an application designed to create quizzes and flashcards to monitor and support student learning and to help them memorize and revise concepts. The students will not resist to the fascination of learning by playing J
We then explored an award-winning educational technology platform, which allows both students and teachers to easily enrich images, videos and virtual tours by inserting information, multimedia content and links. Our teachers did not miss the opportunity to immediately try it out and test its million possibilities.
Other day other game: it was time to test the group’s knowledge of Bologna with the perfect app for classroom engagement. Again, thanks to the time dedicated to the practice, the participants explored the many benefits and possibilities of the tool and learned how to monitor student learning to provide ongoing feedback.
The group was also interested in understanding how they could present a subject in a more interactive way and at the same time monitor the student learning. We could not listen to their request and we presented one of the most useful tool for education which had the power to leave everyone amazed and happy!
And then, last day arrived. Everyone loves YouTube right? But have you ever thought of transforming a simple video into an interactive and intriguing lesson? In our class we learned how to do so with two different tools which allow to personalise the lesson, making it more interactive.
Unfortunately the weeks finished: it was, again, a great experience which we will never forget. We hope that the group will be able and eager to go back to Romania with a luggage full of new skills, knowledge and of course wonderful memories of their time in Italy!
The trainer - Susanna Esposito
How to empower and support language learning in the digital era: a journey into new technologies
8/14/2021
The teachers who attended the course were very curious about the educational implications of new technologies to support language learning. The main goal was to explore the different functionalities of web applications to promote students’ motivation, empowerment, and learning.
The main expectations we gathered at the beginning of the course were the following:
The main expectations we gathered at the beginning of the course were the following:
“How to increase students’ vocabulary in a fun way”?
“How to improve students’ communicative skills”?
“How to improve autonomous work to improve language skills”?
“How to assess using ICT technologies”?
“How to improve students’ communicative skills”?
“How to improve autonomous work to improve language skills”?
“How to assess using ICT technologies”?
The use of Technology in language learning gives the students the opportunity to assume an active role in learning, to cooperate and to communicate with the class. The teachers explored and practiced different tools and analysed their usefulness in their classroom contexts. In fact, they discovered that some tools are perfect to wrap up lessons, to personalize learning, to assess in a formal and informal way, to break up lessons and make them more engaging, or to challenge students to produce something for the class!
The use of technology makes the students feel much more motivated and engaged on the one hand, on the other hand it’s the perfect solution to manage and monitor student progress.
In classroom we had fun competing on Quizlet “live”, and we found out how easy it is to create interactive language quizzes using this web application. In particular, the teachers found very useful Quizlet Flashcards to increase students’ vocabulary and spelling skills.
The use of technology makes the students feel much more motivated and engaged on the one hand, on the other hand it’s the perfect solution to manage and monitor student progress.
In classroom we had fun competing on Quizlet “live”, and we found out how easy it is to create interactive language quizzes using this web application. In particular, the teachers found very useful Quizlet Flashcards to increase students’ vocabulary and spelling skills.
Using Mentimeter and Prezi, the participants created interactive and attractive presentations about language, and they had the opportunity to presenting their works in a safe and motivating environment, with the aim of being able to use them in the real classroom context.
Teachers found Powtoon very useful for grammar presentations, and to outline and recap contents of the lesson. Participants also appreciated Socrative for the possibility to ask students quick questions and to monitor the attention in the classroom, especially for distance learning.
Ted-Ed and Ed-puzzle are two other educational platforms which are very useful for language learning. By exploring these two sites, participants practiced adding voice notes, questions, and voiceovers to educational videos, turning them into real lessons to use in school.
Other useful web platforms which we explored are Weebly, a website that allows you to easily customize webpage designs through useful tools, Magisto, a video editing app, and Google Jamboard, a suite rich of editing and creative tools to collaborate with students.
Teachers found Powtoon very useful for grammar presentations, and to outline and recap contents of the lesson. Participants also appreciated Socrative for the possibility to ask students quick questions and to monitor the attention in the classroom, especially for distance learning.
Ted-Ed and Ed-puzzle are two other educational platforms which are very useful for language learning. By exploring these two sites, participants practiced adding voice notes, questions, and voiceovers to educational videos, turning them into real lessons to use in school.
Other useful web platforms which we explored are Weebly, a website that allows you to easily customize webpage designs through useful tools, Magisto, a video editing app, and Google Jamboard, a suite rich of editing and creative tools to collaborate with students.
“What have we learned?”
Learning language is a challenge for students: a technological environment, in which it is easy to share, communicate, debate, compete and play, is a way to transform something difficult in an immersive and motivating experience.
Obviously, this productive experience was enriched by the colours of the Arab-Norman Palermo, which added history and culture to this wonderful training week!
Obviously, this productive experience was enriched by the colours of the Arab-Norman Palermo, which added history and culture to this wonderful training week!
The training week held in Palermo from 8 August to 14 August was an opportunity to deepen the importance of digital tools in the educational context.
Teachers and educational staff from all over Europe discussed the use of technologies at school, comparing risks and potentialities. Integrating ICT into teaching and learning can be a challenge and approaching it without a proper guidance can be a time-consuming task. But despite this, these tools are a resource that allows teachers to motivate students, capture their attention and have fun in learning!
Teachers and educational staff from all over Europe discussed the use of technologies at school, comparing risks and potentialities. Integrating ICT into teaching and learning can be a challenge and approaching it without a proper guidance can be a time-consuming task. But despite this, these tools are a resource that allows teachers to motivate students, capture their attention and have fun in learning!
Digital transformation has given us useful tools that allow us to empower and support education: why not take the opportunity?
The main tools that we analysed and practiced are Magisto, Powtoon, Mentimeter, Prezi, Weebly, Quizlet, Action Bound, Ted Ed, Ed Puzzle and Google Jam Board.
The main tools that we analysed and practiced are Magisto, Powtoon, Mentimeter, Prezi, Weebly, Quizlet, Action Bound, Ted Ed, Ed Puzzle and Google Jam Board.
The participants found Weebly very useful for the creation of a website for the school, to publish the main activities performed during the day or to challenge the students to create their own website!
We also explored some tools for video-editing, like Magisto, which is very useful for the creation of multimedia material, to be included on web sites.
Ted Ed, like Ed Puzzle, showed his usefulness to assign homework and autonomous work after school, especially thanks to the functions that the application offers to create a video lesson adding questions and discussion prompts.
Presenting a new topic with Prezi or Powtoon is an idea that many participants liked: using these applications can be very appealing and engaging and it is useful to break the ice with short and captivating presentations, or to introduce a lesson with engaging and interactive content.
Mentimeter was appreciated for its usefulness to engage students and ask feedbacks during the lesson, and also to impress with interactive presentations.
Formal and informal assessment was a topic too! We discovered the various tools offered by application like Quizlet or Socrative, which are very useful to assess in a fun and interactive way!
Finally, we explored Google Jam Board, an educational tool that allows students and teachers to collaborate on a digital board, and Action Bound, a powerful tool for creating learning journeys similar to an escape room.
Some additional tools that have been suggested from the participants are Moodle, Edmodo, Jitsi, Genially, H5P, Redmenta, Exam net, Screencast, Flip grid, Plickers.
For us it is always important to collect teachers’ suggestions, in order to know more and more digital tools for teaching and learning and with the aim to add them in our training courses.
For us it is always important to collect teachers’ suggestions, in order to know more and more digital tools for teaching and learning and with the aim to add them in our training courses.
In conclusion, Palermo, Cefalù and Monreale, with their natural and cultural landscapes, have enriched our days, giving us memories of an unforgettable week!
Integrating web platforms, mobile apps and social networks into the education is a big challenge. On the other side, the digital transformation is nowadays playing an important role in our society and the social technologies, the web solutions and the interactive apps are an essential resource for teachers and educational staff.
To reach this goal, in the first week of August together with teachers coming from all over Europe we explored together the functions and features of several useful digital tools.
At first, we learned how to use some tools to edit photos, create collages and for video-editing, like Snapseed, a photo-editing application, Photogrid, a photo/video-editing application that enables users to collage photos, and Magisto, a video-editing application.
Some of the interactive and creative applications we discovered and practiced were Powtoon, a web-based animation software that allows users to create animated presentations, and Mentimeter, a web application that allows teachers to create interactive presentations to engage the students.
To reach this goal, in the first week of August together with teachers coming from all over Europe we explored together the functions and features of several useful digital tools.
At first, we learned how to use some tools to edit photos, create collages and for video-editing, like Snapseed, a photo-editing application, Photogrid, a photo/video-editing application that enables users to collage photos, and Magisto, a video-editing application.
Some of the interactive and creative applications we discovered and practiced were Powtoon, a web-based animation software that allows users to create animated presentations, and Mentimeter, a web application that allows teachers to create interactive presentations to engage the students.
We answered the question “How to assess in a engaging way?” practicing with some applications like Quizlet, a web-based application that helps students to learn through interactive tools, flashcards and games, and Socrative, a quiz-based, educational assessment tool with multiplefun and engagingfeatures.
We also learned how to use educational resources for teachers and students like: Ed-modo, a global education network; Ted-ed, a growing library of original animated videos, that inspire an international platform for teachers to produce in a creative way their own interactive video lesson; Ed-Puzzle, a platform for teachers and students that can be used to add voiceovers and questions on videos taken from Youtube or other sources, and to create interactive video lessons.
The participants also learned how to create their own engaging website on Weebly, practicing with the different tools that the platform offers, which allows users to add different pages, to give a structure to the web site, to add a photo gallery, to upload a video, to add a survey or a test in a website, etc.
We also learned how to use educational resources for teachers and students like: Ed-modo, a global education network; Ted-ed, a growing library of original animated videos, that inspire an international platform for teachers to produce in a creative way their own interactive video lesson; Ed-Puzzle, a platform for teachers and students that can be used to add voiceovers and questions on videos taken from Youtube or other sources, and to create interactive video lessons.
The participants also learned how to create their own engaging website on Weebly, practicing with the different tools that the platform offers, which allows users to add different pages, to give a structure to the web site, to add a photo gallery, to upload a video, to add a survey or a test in a website, etc.
How can we decide which tool to use? It is important to start from the context analysis to identify the most proper tools for the learning objectives. Another important thing to remember is that it is essential to promote the use of these tools safely, through an awareness of the risks that the use of these platforms can entail.
Another topic is the use of Social Networks for educational purposes. Connecting with students and parents is essential not only for distance learning, but also to support for face-to-face learning. Social Networks, like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube, can be usedto facilitate discussion among students, to connect and network, to findideas for activities that can be used inside the class, to share educational contents, and much else.
What can we add? There are many tools that the digital world offers that can be exploited in the educational context. Now it’s up to the teachers to choose which is the best for their context and goal!
Enjoy and have fun!
Another topic is the use of Social Networks for educational purposes. Connecting with students and parents is essential not only for distance learning, but also to support for face-to-face learning. Social Networks, like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube, can be usedto facilitate discussion among students, to connect and network, to findideas for activities that can be used inside the class, to share educational contents, and much else.
What can we add? There are many tools that the digital world offers that can be exploited in the educational context. Now it’s up to the teachers to choose which is the best for their context and goal!
Enjoy and have fun!
Nowadays, education is farmed in a multimedial and digital context, in which the technological and web tools are an essential resource to improve learning and to engage students.
How to create engaging multimedia content, web sites, blogs and e-learning platforms to support distance and blended learning?
During the one-week training course, which took place from 01/08 to 07/08 in Palermo (Sicily), the teachers and the education staff had the opportunity to learn how to create improve their skills related to e-learning, distance learning and web design.
Capturing the attention of students is a great challenge! Knowing how to exploit the potential of digital tools is a resource that we cannot underestimate, but that we must enhance it within school contexts.
The aim of this course was to improve the use of ICT in education by empowering teachers, trainers, headmasters and other educational staff to teach with the support of web platforms and technological tools.
The two main cloud-based web platforms that were explored to support e-learning and distance learning were Weebly and EdModo.
Weebly is a web platform that allows you to easily customize web page designs through useful tools. The educational staff learned how to create their own engaging website, practicing with the different tools that the platform offers. These tools allow the users to add different pages,to give a structure to the web site, to add a photo gallery, to upload a video, to add a survey or a test in a website, etc.
The use of Weebly at school is essential for creating a website to share activities and materials with students and to encourage students to create their own website in relation to educational topics.
How to create engaging multimedia content, web sites, blogs and e-learning platforms to support distance and blended learning?
During the one-week training course, which took place from 01/08 to 07/08 in Palermo (Sicily), the teachers and the education staff had the opportunity to learn how to create improve their skills related to e-learning, distance learning and web design.
Capturing the attention of students is a great challenge! Knowing how to exploit the potential of digital tools is a resource that we cannot underestimate, but that we must enhance it within school contexts.
The aim of this course was to improve the use of ICT in education by empowering teachers, trainers, headmasters and other educational staff to teach with the support of web platforms and technological tools.
The two main cloud-based web platforms that were explored to support e-learning and distance learning were Weebly and EdModo.
Weebly is a web platform that allows you to easily customize web page designs through useful tools. The educational staff learned how to create their own engaging website, practicing with the different tools that the platform offers. These tools allow the users to add different pages,to give a structure to the web site, to add a photo gallery, to upload a video, to add a survey or a test in a website, etc.
The use of Weebly at school is essential for creating a website to share activities and materials with students and to encourage students to create their own website in relation to educational topics.
On the other side, Edmodo is a social learning community that provides educational resources for teachers and students. This platform allows to create a set of Classes that supports the teaching schedule and that allows teachers to organize the learning material online; once the teaching schedule is set up, it is possible to invite the students to join the classes, start to assess with quizzes and to engage with anonymous polls and collaborative discussions.
Therefore, using Edmodo , the participants learned how to set up and manage an e-learning platform and how to involve students and parents in the learning process, giving to education an extra dimension, more technological and motivational.
The teachers also explored the use of some tools for editing photos, for creating collages and for video-editing, like Snapseed, Photogrid, Magisto and PowToon. These tools are useful for the creation of multimedia material, to be included on websites or to be used for distance learning. In this way, the educational staff learned how to create and edit multimedia content which is useful to boost learners’ motivation through engaging and attractive materials.
Additional useful web platforms, apps and e-learning tools to enable distance and blended learning are Mentimeter, an online interactive and creative presentation software, Socrative, an app for classroom engagement which allows to monitor the learning, to assess, to wrap up the lessons and to create instant student feedback, TedEd and Edpuzzle, two platforms for teachers and students which can be used to create a lesson or activity around a video adding voiceovers and questions on videos taken from Youtube or other sources, and to create interactive video lessons.
Therefore, using Edmodo , the participants learned how to set up and manage an e-learning platform and how to involve students and parents in the learning process, giving to education an extra dimension, more technological and motivational.
The teachers also explored the use of some tools for editing photos, for creating collages and for video-editing, like Snapseed, Photogrid, Magisto and PowToon. These tools are useful for the creation of multimedia material, to be included on websites or to be used for distance learning. In this way, the educational staff learned how to create and edit multimedia content which is useful to boost learners’ motivation through engaging and attractive materials.
Additional useful web platforms, apps and e-learning tools to enable distance and blended learning are Mentimeter, an online interactive and creative presentation software, Socrative, an app for classroom engagement which allows to monitor the learning, to assess, to wrap up the lessons and to create instant student feedback, TedEd and Edpuzzle, two platforms for teachers and students which can be used to create a lesson or activity around a video adding voiceovers and questions on videos taken from Youtube or other sources, and to create interactive video lessons.
On the other side, through the cultural activities, which took place in the Arab-Norman sites of Palermo, in the ancient village of Cefalù and in the beautiful Monreale, the participants had the opportunity to know each other and create an intercultural network. In conclusion, it was a productive and stimulating week, and the integration of training and culture created a climate of development and growth, not only with regard to knowledge and skills, but also from a relational and personal point of view!
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