SEETA Projects Corner

EU project - Simple Web2.0 platform for educators – Web2.0ERC

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 08:47:06 GMT

by Joel Josephson.

Web2.0ERC is an European Union education project to help educators who find ICT and Web2.0 confusing and difficult to access.

The project has built a simple web site and a set of the most popular tools (Wikis, Blogs, communications, Social Networking etc.) with clear guides on:
• How to use the tools
• How they can be used in education

The project is providing a simple and secure environment to use ICT for educators in their work and in their classes. The project is also looking at other Web 2.0 tools that can be used to create content, share the content and communicate.

The EU project Web2.0ERC platform has been piloted with educators at every level and is now open for exclusive use by educators. On the platform you will find guides, videos and examples of how the platform can be used autonomously. You can register on the platform at: http://platform.web20erc.eu/login/index.php

To ensure only genuine educators use the platform to make courses a verification process will take place:
1. Register on the platform (create account).
2. ‘Apply for teacher privileges’ from the Help menu (complete the brief form)
3. You will receive an email when approved
4. You will see the, ‘Create a course wizard’ in the Courses menu.
It is highly recommended that you read the Help for teachers in the Help menu as there will be no additional support.

In addition, a large number of resources on the use of Web2.0 tools in education have been gathered and are available on the website. These include video tutorials, academic papers, best practices, case studies and use case scenarios, and user contributed ideas (see http://www.web20erc.eu/deliverables )

Disabled Access Friendly - how to get involved.

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:52:48 GMT

by Katie Quartano.

The Disabled Access Friendly campaign (www.disabled-accessfriendly.com) aims to sensitise students to issues affecting people with mobility disability. We reach young people through the teaching of English as a foreign language. Our website provides teachers, of all levels, with free online material. This can be used as additional material, project work and examination practice, but at the same time provides students with the information necessary to allow them to put themselves in the shoes of someone with a mobility disability, and stimulates them to understand others and to think how others feel.

Although based in Greece, the project is equally accessible by and relevant to ELT teachers worldwide, as it is not culturally bound. It is internet based, uses the English language, and the teaching material provided has no expiry date and can be used over and over again for new classes of students.

The campaign’s website also provides foreign language centres and schools with information explaining how they can make small changes to their premises to facilitate people with moblility disability, as well as a forum to share experiences.

You can become part of this project in a number of ways :

By spreading the word

Show your colleagues the Disabled Access Friendly website
Share teaching material you use from the site with your colleagues
Suggest to your colleagues that they join us on Facebook
Post information about the campaign on your own Facebook wall
Post information about the campaign on relevant sites
Suggest to your colleagues that they e-mail us so we can add them to our mailing list
Inform us of forthcoming events where we could distribute information

By contributing teaching material

You could send in a simple idea, suggestion, worksheet or contribute a full lesson-plan with activities. We would welcome any kind of contribution from teachers or other interested persons - you do not have to be a materials writer to contribute. We can all make use of our teaching or life experience to suggest ideas for a lesson or a particular text that could be used. You can send in an idea, an outline, or material which you think would make a good lesson at any level and for any age group. Every little bit helps. If necessary, we would then develop your idea into a more fully fledged lesson or worksheet.

By involving student teachers

If you are a teacher trainer then you might be able to get student teachers involved. Student teachers could write a lesson or worksheet that helps raise awareness, with the incentive that perhaps it will be uploaded to the Disabled Access Friendly site and used by teachers globally.

By sharing your own experience

In the section “Tell Your Story” there are personal accounts from people’s experiences either with or as a person with physical disabilities. Many people have at some time in their lives been touched by an issue to do with disability that they would like to give voice to, to help raise awareness. We would also welcome short accounts of what policies member schools or institutions have regarding the inclusion of students with mobility problems.

By using our material

Our material not only builds language skills and provides exam practice, but also raises awareness about people with mobility disability and the challenges they face, and about different aspects of human diversity and how social integration can be an enriching experience for all. The material encourages students to notice their own and others’ behaviour and attitudes towards people with mobility disability and to become more sensitive, positive and supportive where necessary.

By becoming an ambassador

If you are attending an ELT event, either as a participant or as a speaker, maybe you could consider helping to spread the word by:

Distributing leaflets or making these available at the event
Putting up a poster
Talking to colleagues about the campaign
Or even giving a short presentation.

These activities need the advance permission of the event organisers and you should contact us first.

“The best schools have always done more than just prepare students for tests. They raise awareness of the world in which we live and try to make it a better place.”

www.disabled-accessfriendly.com

MIRACLE Project: Teaching/learning units on the topics migration flight, social justice

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:57:21 GMT

by Meike Jens.

European further training course for teachers on‚ political-cross-cultural competences' and learning material for pupils

The increase of global migration is one of the phenomena of modern times. Within the EU, the number of foreign-born residents is over 64 million, accounting for almost one-third of all immigrants. This also poses new challenges to educators, who have a crucial role in helping citizens in general and especially young people, to understand the complexity of issues related to migration. Teachers also aim to equip them with skills to avoid cultural discrimination and eventually create societies that can benefit from migration.

The international MIRACLE consortium/Comenius project “MIRACLE” (Migrants and Refugees -- A Challenge for Learning in European Schools) has therefore designed learning material for pupils which cover topics like flight, migration, multilingualism and social justice (available free of charge here: http://www.miracle-comenius.org/results.html).

A training course for elementary school teachers working in a multicultural class environment entitled "Civic-Cross-Cultural-Competences - A Practical Approach" was also designed by the MIRACLE consortium.

The following topics are part of the five day course:

How do you handle heterogeneous classes appropriately?
What do the concepts of "culture" and "integration" actually imply?
What are suitable exercises for pupils concerning migration, human flight and social justice?

The course will be offered for the second time in Berlin/Germany in September 2012, all costs can be covered by national agencies. In January 2012, the exact dates and further information will be published on www.miracle-comenius.org/training-course.html.

One may also register one’s interest in taking part in the next course by contacting the course organiser Meike Jens (University of Hannover) on e-mail address info@miracle-comenius.org.

Environmental projects

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 22:27:15 GMT

by Vesna Novicic.

Hi all,

My school is taking part in an international competition in the organization of WWF and ERSTE Foundation. The project is called ESFALP 4 ( European Schools For A Living Planet ). It gathers 9 countries participants of the South Eastern European countries.The main goal is to choose a problem and spend 5-6 months in a creative way of solving it. The problem should be something that is relevant for the community,not too expensive,interesting and fun while solving it. Since it is the school project, teachers should only coordinate but students should be creative,find solutions,objectives of how to achieve the main goal. Our goal is motivating other people to take responsibility for saving nature and decreasing our footprint,our impact on nature.
If anyone has an interesting idea of what actions we could do to make people aware and involve them in preserving our environment,please write here.
*Be the change you want to see in the world.*

All the best,

Vesna

ipads vs Galaxy Tabs vs PC Tablets

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:58:03 GMT

by Paul Ashe.

Hi all
I hope this is the correct place for this question - if not please correct me.
Our school is embarking on an action research project comparing the effectiveness of ipads, galaxy tabs and pc tablets as a teaching tool. The conclusions may well decide the school's policy for the future. We're already coming up against hardware problems. I would be very interested in comparing notes with anyone who has tried out this hardware in class. We aim to start the project in January for the start of the second term.
Thanks!
Paul