This project is a student and teacher based two-year project addressing the specific objectives of the European Commission new opportunities on innovative practices in digital era. The main objective of this partnership is to develop students' and teachers' skills and competences in the field of online and distance teaching and learning using digital technologies and to develop teachers' ability to teach students these skills. The aim of the project is to prepare both our teachers and our students for the demands of the 'new normal' in these unpredictable times and to make the most of this kind of teaching and learning. Hence, the ultimate aim is to equip teachers with the useful and innovative digital teaching methods that are necessary nowadays to reach their goals and give interesting and motivating lessons using digital technology. After experiencing online teaching, we have become aware that the more engaging learning methods are ones that are more interactive, and that face-to-face learning is better than online learning, however we also have to be aware of the fact that blended learning can draw on the best of both worlds and create a better learning experience. As a result, teachers have started to innovate and experiment with these online tools, they are looking to other teachers as well as trusted sources to help select high-quality online learning tools and it is time for exchange of good practices, and one of the things teachers can do now is draw on what others are doing and share their teaching materials, and make things a bit easier so that we can all benefit from this.
The partnership consists of schools ranging from vocational schools providing very varied courses to general secondary schools where the main focus is on academic achievement, from small rural schools to large urban schools, from socio-economically deprived areas to developed areas. However, we are completely aware that all the schools, more or less, face the same challenges which need to be addressed and tackled. The problems we all face are that there are real risks as many teaching approaches can be very solitary and didactic and students only watch videos, read documents online, or click through presentations, students struggle to focus and stay motivated with online school and the general feeling is that they do not learn as much as during tradiotional lessons, teachers may be unsupported to do their jobs well or they might lack knowledge on digital technologies.
The target groups of this project are primarily the students and the teachers that participate directly in the project, all the other students and teachers of the participating schools, the local communities, other schools at local and regional level, educational authorities, families and the students and teachers from other schools in Europe.
With respect to the objectives and the target groups and needs to be addressed, the partnership aims to reach the following objectives:
- to equip teachers and students with skills and knowledge on the use of digital tools so that they are all encouraged and motivated to participate effectively and constructively in the lessons
- to increase their digital competence and strengthen teacher's skills based teaching practice through transnational cooperation and by adopting innovative, effective and new methods and tools
- to increase their level of foreign languages, boost their communication and social skills and collaboration/teamwork
- to use creativity and innovation, critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making approaches
- to make most of exchange of good practices and peer-learning
- to take personal and social responsibility in unpredictable situation like pandemic of covid-19
- to boost their cultural awareness and intercultural learning
- to promote a sense of European dimension, create interest in other countries and tolerance towards different cultures.
The participants will gain knowledge of different perspectives of digital technologies and will have enriching personal encounters which will provide them with first-hand experiences of the skills required in in 'new normal' era.
Transnational cooperation is a vital part of the project and necessary to achieve the primary objectives of the project, which are to equip the teachers and students with new and innovative digital skills that will encourage them to participate effectively and constructively in both face-to-face and online teaching. The aim is to strengthen teachers' digital skills based through transnational cooperation and by adopting innovative, effective and new methods and tools in order to bridge the gap between traditional and online education.