Some classes will join those activities and students connected to the project will participate in cultural and group activities regarding Sustainable Development.
As a teacher of social studies, many times technology and its use may be seen as a threat. Not being in our area of expertise, its application can be scary sometimes, mainly because we also know our students are probably more savvy than us in handling technology. We know that, if our mobile phones are now an extension of our arms, in their age this phenomenon is a lot more real.
It's not possible to say, though, that we should exclude technology as a teaching tool. On the contrary, I believe the situation we are in and the way the world is evolving, make it urgent to use more and more different kinds of technology, not only as a teaching tool but as a motivation factor.
The several workshops performed in the Brakel meeting were quite enlightening in this aspect. Firstly we learned that it’s not really about the specific technological tools, it's about the ability to adapt them to several teaching learning processes and use them in a way that captures student’s attention. It can be more motivating to use a simpler tool used in key moments of a class, a tool that the teacher is absolutely comfortable managing and using, than a complex tool that the teacher cannot control or feels insecure about.
Adapting the objectives of the class, online or not, to the tools used is essential. We already know this and realize it’s not different when it comes to technological tools. It is also essential to adapt tools to the characteristics of students. To different audiences, varying in age, motivation, capacities, learning disabilities or even the awareness of the subject in question, we can adjust and insert digital tools with different purposes.
We also learned about several concrete digital tools and applications that are transversal to all subjects, such as Thinkercad, 3D printing and virtual reality games. Here we also focused on the importance of interdisciplinarity. As a VET school, our students are more oriented to practical activities, and the use of software such as Thinkercad and all the possibilities of application works in itself as a big factor of motivation.
As a final thought about all the things we learned, I believe that the key is to use technology in a confident though secure way. If we manage to use technology in our favor and make it work to accomplish our goals, instead of working in favor of technology, we’ll be able to close up the generation gap between teachers and students.
Patricia Lopes and Marta Lopes
Teachers of Social Studies – INETE
On the second week of February a group of teachers from Portugal, Island and Greece went to Brakel, Belgium, to participate in the ERASMUS PROJECT DIGI.R.E.DI.L, at GO Atheneum Brakel school, where several ways to use alternative learning techniques and methods to motivate the students were discussed.
On the first day, 7th of February, we made a school tour to understand how some classes are taught in the school. We learned some techniques used by some teachers and how they use the kids interests to motivate them in class, especially during the pandemic home stay.
On day two, 8th of February, it was utilized 3D printing program, TinkerCad, where we worked and learned some techniques and printed objects that ourselves had created.
On day tree, 9th of February, we visited Bruges, a mediaeval city. We made a tour, with a guide, that explained us the story and the landmarks of the city, especially Flemish and Maximiliano history. We made a tour by The Beguinage (Begijnhof), where the nuns and some widows live, and had a glimpse of the European movement of the Beguines in the Middle Ages. We also visited the Huisbrouwerij De Halve Maan museum, where it was explained how the beer is produced, packed and delivered.
On the 10th of February we returned to the school to learn how to use technology produced by other entities, as video games, in classes. The use of games has been shown as a good complement to add to books, especially in some areas that are very exploited and studied by game producers, like history, civilization and languages. With that in mind, we produced and played some games that could be used in class, with virtual reality glasses.
On February 11th, we learned some techniques of transformation from 3D to 2D, using TinkerCad, to produce our own VR-Glasses, with Laser-Cutting techniques, that could be assembled in 3D forms. We took a virtual tour of the school, a tactic that the school applied to introduce it to new kids and families. We also use a virtual App and posters (Curiscope t-shirt and curiscope multiverse posters) visualizing the 3D forms of planets and human organs and we talked about the several applications and matters of these techniques.
Catarina Correia
As teachers of social studies, many times technology and its use is
seen as
It's not possible to say, although, that we should exclude technology as
a teaching tool. On the contrary, I believe the situation we are in and the way
the world is evolving, make it urgent to use more and more different kinds of
technology, not only as a teaching tool but as a motivation factor.
The several workshops performed in the Brakel meeting were quite enlightening in this aspect. First we learned that its not really about the specific technological tools, its about the ability to adapt them to several teaching learning processes and using them in way that captures students attention. It can be more motivating a simpler tool used in key moments of a class, a tool that the teacher is absolutely comfortable managing and using, than a complex tool that the teacher cannot control or feels insecure about.
Adapting the objectives of the class, online or not, to the tools used is essential.
We already know this and realize its not different when it comes to
technological tools. It is also essential to adapt tools to the characteristics
of students. To different publics, varying in age, motivation, capacities,
learning disabilities or even the awareness to the subject in question, we can
adjust and insert digital tools with different purposes.
We also learned about several concrete digital tools and applications that are transversal to all subjects, such as Thinkercad, 3D printing and virtual reality games.
Here we also focused the importance of interdisciplinarity. As
a VET school, our students are more oriented to practical activities, and
the use of software as Thinkercad and
all the possibilities of application works in itself as a big factor of
motivation.
As a final thought about all the things we learned, I believe that the key is to use technology in a confident though secure way. If we manage to use technology in our favor and make it work to accomplish our goals, instead of working in favor of technology, we’ll be able to close up the generation gap between teachers and students.
Patricia
Lopes and Marta Lopes
Teachers of Social Studies – INETE
