Course overview

Teaching languages in the 21st century is a rapidly changing and innovating process. New technologies and internet offer everyday new possibilities and tools to support student in their process of learning a language. For language teachers, it is crucial to learn and get trained about the best apps, web platforms and digital tools that could support them in their job and make it easier, more effective and engaging to teach a foreign or native language.
By taking part in this training course, teachers, trainers and education managers will gain an outlook on best apps, web platforms and digital resources to empower and support language learning. Through an hands-on approach and learning-by-doing methodology, participants will develop concrete ICT and digital skills that they’ll be able use in the classroom to teach languages.

Main objectives

This structured Erasmus plus course allows participants to improve their ICT skills in a practical and concrete way together with other participants and trainers throughout all Europe thus gaining as well a broader understanding of education in Europe and exchanging best practices and experiences. The general aim of this course is to foster excellence in education by empowering teachers, trainers, headmasters and other education staff to use the best apps, web platforms and ICT resources for teaching a first or second language.
The course has a flexible approach in order to adapt the learning outcomes to the particular needs and ICT profile of the participants.
Thanks to this Erasmus plus training course the participants will:

• Get an overview of the most important new technologies and of the growing trend on using ICT and digital resources in language teaching and learning;
• Get to know the best apps, web platforms and ICT resources for learning languages;
• Learn how to use digital flashcards to recap and extend vocabulary;
• Learn how to create and use multimedia content to teach a foreign or native language;
• Learn the basic concepts about web design, blended learning and e-learning;
• Learn how to create digital games to foster language learning;
• Learn how to digitally assess and recap vocabulary and grammar;
• Learn how to use ICT tools to make learning a first or second language more effective, motivating and interactive;
• Get a new perspective on ICT tools  and learn new ways and best practices to use them to teach a language;
• Exchange best practices and share experiences with participants and staff coming throughout Europe;
• Make contacts with individuals and organizations working in the education field in Europe through everyday cooperation and networking activities.

Courses planned

Bologna
14/06/2020 - 20/06/2020
04/10/2020 - 10/10/2020
31/01/2021 - 06/02/2021
02/05/2021 - 08/05/2021
07/11/2021 - 13/11/2021
 
Palermo
02/08/2020 - 08/08/2020
08/08/2021 - 14/08/2021
 
If none of these dates suits you please mind that if there are at least 8 participants interested we may organize an additional session ad-hoc for your school.

Target audience

This course is addressed to first and second language teachers, headmasters and managers of language schools.
This course is recommended for people with intermediate computer skills. If you consider yourself an basic ICT user we recommend you to enroll in our course “Making the most of New Technologies, Apps and Social Media in the classroom” or “Discover the best apps and tools for e-learning, distance learning and web design”.

Language

The course is held in English. For groups with at least 8 participants, we can organize an ad-hoc session in a different language. 
Please write an email to staff@ifom.info to get more information about it.

Standard daily programme

Please find below the standard indicative daily programme that will be personalized on participants needs and professional profiles. The course will be focused on the ICT tools more relevant for the participants ensuring that the knowledge learned is relevant and can be directly transferable into their work, so the programme below is only indicative and will be personalized based on the previous knowledge and on the participants’ expectations and previous knowledge
Our standard programme comprises 7 days, of which the first one is dedicated to networking, preparation and cultural immersion and the last one to follow up, specific needs and cultural activities. Please note that we always do our best to accommodate the specific needs of our participants in a flexible way, including but not limited to budget restrictions and travel arrangements. Participants can choose to arrive 1 day before the start of the course and/or leave one day after the end of it in order to enjoy a deeper cultural immersion in Italy. Upon specific request we can organize longer versions of this course.
For the courses in Palermo the cultural activities are slightly different and comprises visits to Palermo, Monreale or Cefalù.

Sunday	-  Participants arrival  -  Individual orientation and information about the venue and the city   -  Networking activities  -  Guided visit in Bologna (optional)  -  Welcome dinner
Monday	-  Course introduction -  Competences ex-ante evaluation -  How to easily create outstanding multimedia content -  Practical work: how to use photo editing apps to learn a language -  Practical work: creating an engaging video with Adobe Spark or PowToon -  Practical work: creating a language video lesson
Tuesday	-  The next era of presentations: how to impress and engage the audience -  Practical work: creating an interactive presentation with Prezi -   Practical work: using Mentimeter to interact with the students and brainstorm vocabulary -  The basics concepts of web design and how web design and blogging can be usefull to learn a language -  Practical work: creating your first website or blog with Weebly -  Cultural activities in Bologna and traditional Italian aperitif
Wednesday	-  ICT tools for a more effective and engaging classroom management -  How to interact and assess your students inside the classroom -  Practical work: assessing the knowledge and understanding of the students in real-time -  Practical work: how to digitally practice spelling and writing -  Practical work: digitally recapping vocabulary and grammar -  Guided visit in Bologna, Florence or another Italian city (optional)
Thursday	-  Introduction to e-learning and blended learning -  Focus on Edmodo as a social learning community -  Practical work: creating a basic e-learning space -  Learning language with Duolingo
Friday	-  How to create a lesson around a video -  Practical work: adding questions and audio note to a video -  How to us digital flashcard for learning a language and increasing the vocabulary -  Review of additional apps, web platforms and ICT resources for teaching and learning languages -  Tailored practice based on the participants learning needs and expectations -  Dinner in traditional Italian restaurant
Saturday	-  Space for discussion of future cooperation and planning follow up activities  -  Course roundup and final evaluation  -  Validation of learning outcomes and certification ceremony  -  Additional training session tailored to specific needs (optional)  -  Cultural activities or additional guided visit in another major Italian city (optional)  -  Participants departure

Other relevant facts

• Methodology
  
• Costs and Erasmus+ Funding
• Certification and Validation of learning outcomes
  

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We tailor the working methods based upon participants’ needs, attitudes and professional profiles in order to ensure high productivity, effectiveness and transferability into practice.
The standard methodology is highly practical and participative with hands-on approach that comprises real-job examples, case studies examination and simulations. We embrace collaboratively working methods that foster mutual learning and cooperation among participants. Our focus is on learning in an interactive and international environment knowledge applicable to the real contexts and/or in the classroom. The pedagogical methods that we use are based upon experiential training, group and peer activities, learning-by-doing and best practices’ exchange. They include visits with local schools and institutions allowing the participants to better understand the local education system as well as exchange ideas and contacts.
Morning Wrap-up and brief daily evaluations are foreseen to ensure quality of education and to adapt the learning programme to participants' needs better tailoring the education.
We organize optional social, networking and cultural activities in order to give participants the opportunity to know Italy as well as to exchange best-practice and establish professional cooperation and links.
The training and staff team is multinational thus giving a full European dimension to the course.

​Teachers, trainers, headmasters and any other staff of education organizations are eligible to receive an Erasmus+ grant covering all the costs to attend our training courses including travel, board and lodging, cultural activities and all fees. Our training courses are tailored to be fully funded by Erasmus+ and we offer different options to ensure that the Erasmus+ grant will be sufficient. Read more about Erasmus+ funding, shall you have any problem with your grant please let us know and we will see how to accommodate your needs.
 The most common option that we offer to schools and organisations costs EUR 1220 and includes course fee, certification and support fee, accommodation in single room, all coffee breaks, 3 meals per day, walking tour in the venue’s city and local transport during the training course. Based on your preferences and budget you can request different services, a less inclusive/cheaper package or you can choose to organize the board and lodging by yourself and opt to just attend the training course. Read more about how we take care of your subsistence.

At the end of the course, each participant will be awarded a certificate of attendance including a description of training content and as well as its starting and end date, together - if requested -  with the Europass Mobility Certificate.
We support the participants in every step of certification an d validation of learning outcomes with specific focus on European instruments and Erasmus plus requirements such as staff mobility/learning agreement, quality commitment and Europass mobility certificate.
We experienced that schools and education organizations may require additional documents to certify the competences learned or the presence in the training course. Upon request we can provide additional certification and reporting documents as well as we provide photos of the training course and a sum-up video that can be used for visibility and dissemination purposes.

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