The project is addressing the EU objective VET: Enhancing access to training and qualifications for all through the C-VET and horizontal objective Open and innovative education, training and youth work, embedded in the digital era.Research around Europe and our consortium experiences have shown that practicing teachers in VET organizations are not applying emerging technologies like Internet of Things, Cloud computing or remote robotics in their study process. Furthermore, in most VET organization teachers are even not familiar with these technologies. In the other hand this sector advances very fast and it is argued that next big leap in ICT is a merge of electronics / electrical devices and cloud computing which is know as Internet of Things concept. Europe faces drastic loss of expertise and skill in the future in global market if these technologies are not applied into VET school programs as soon as possible.However a teacher as a key persons for starting to educate today's students don't has good resources suitable for schools to start this process. The main objective of TrainIoT is to provide a complete kit for VET schools. Overall objectives of the project are as followings:Provide easy-to-use and easy-to-teach modular IoT kits for VET schools scaling also higher educational institutionsOffering an open IoT broker platform that can be hosted on premise. To this platform IoT components and web based services can be registered too, offering simple chains of conditional statements controlling other registered components / servicesincreasing the involvement of VET schools in emerging technologies by providing teachers training (blended learning through MooCs and presence) in IoTProviding open learning material for IoT education in class The project idea is to offer an innovative Internet of Things (IoT) teaching and learning package for vocational education incorporated with teacher trainings modules and an open broker platform.The project implementation is carried out by following activities:Research and analyse existing platforms, IoT trends and perspective solutions including other EU activities and project outcomesResearch and analysis of current situation and curricula in VET schools in terms of emerging technologies, like IoT solutionsDevelop the complete hardware and software solution suitable for VET organizationsDevelop unified teacher training curriculum module applicable for different countries in EUDevelop teaching and learning methodology and material as a open MOOCs course accessible by any interested individual or organizationCreate a strategic partnership between universities, VET schools and companiesProject intellectual outputs are foreseen as following:VET training curriculum modules An ECVET leant curriculum module for VET schools to apply teaching of Internet of Things to ICT educationIoT Teaching methodology and MOOC materialA massive open online course with educational material for teaching IoT in classIoT starter kit Microcontroller based hardware kit for teaching IoT related technologiesIoT Broker SystemA (cloud) computing based system to mediate IoT functionalityPublications about TrainIoT innovationsArticle published in open access journals about the results and outputs of TrainIoTThe overall project is organized by an IPMA and Scrum certified project manager and the methodologies for implementing the project are Scrum for the software and VDI 2206 for the hardware parts.Project consortium is carefully built up based on existing successful cooperation and to meet project objectives by covering all major areas of strategic partnership between different organizations. The partners and their main responsibilities are:Bochum UAS: Coordination, IoT MOOC, IoT broker systemit:matters: Assisting with coordination and IoT broker development, open educationITT Group: IoT hardware development and interfacingTallinn UT: VET training curriculum module, Web Application Development: IoT broker systemConsorzio Istituti Professionali: Pilot the IoT teaching package and providing feedbackGlocal Factory: Dissemination and network buildingThe project will have a huge impact on how IoT can be anchored in VET giving opportunities to work with emerging technologies while they are still higher educational topics.This will result in increased employability of VET students, Improvement of foreign language proficiency (IoT is dealing most likely with English), and significant better results in maths and science.
Technologies that are currently shaping the economy, such as the Internet of Things, cloud computing or robotics, must be better integrated into training in order to keep pace with the challenges of the job market. Unfortunately, many teachers in most VET organisations are not familiar with these technologies. However, if these technologies are not deployed in VET programmes as quickly as possible, Europe risks a drastic loss of expertise and competence compared to other nations on the world market. However, a teacher as a key person for starting the training of today's pupils does not have the appropriate resources in schools to start this process. For this reason, the project "Educate and Train emerging Challenges: Internet of Things" (Train IoT) aims to create a complete set of tools to address this dilemma. This set consists of: - An elaborated curriculum for the implementation of Internet of Things in the classroom. - Hardware components for use in class (IoT Kit "Raspberry Pi" and IoT Kit "ESP") - A so-called "IoT Broker" with a corresponding iOS app to make the Internet of Things tangible and experienceable in class. - A Massive open online course with videos for an easy introduction to the subject. The set has been extensively tested at several Italian schools of our partner "Consorzio degli Istituti Professionali" (CIP) and enables a cost-effective introduction to the topic of IoT, both initially in class and more complex projects in the sense of "project-based learning" to implement. The project was implemented by the following consortium: Universities: Bochum University of Applied Sciences (HBO, IoT Kit and IoT Broker Development, Curricular Content), Tallinn University of Technology (Taltech: Curricular Content) KMUs: WAPP GmbH (WAPP: programming of apps and websites, IoT integration), it:matters (ITM, project management, conception of IoT kit and broker, implementation), ITT Group (ITT: development of IoT hardware, IoT integration), Associazione Glocal Factory (GF: dissemination and publication) Vocational training organisations: Consorzio degli Istituti Professionali (CIP, intensive test of the set, requester) The set developed in the course of the project was extensively tested in class by our partner CIP with the schools connected to the network. Following (partly shortened) feedback from the involved partners: We would like to start with our teachers, who have contributed a very important part to the success of the project: Marcello Dessolis, Bassi Burgatti Cento: "Now I am planning to include some activities in the curricula of the third and fourth classes of the technology courses, therefore I could say that the TrainloT project has been very useful for me". Cesare Casirati, Ferraris Pancaldo Savona: "TrainloT Project is useful in helping to transform the students' approach to the world, using plug and play devices for data monitoring and usage; allowing to project and test connected devices designed to emulate the real world loT networks." Benedetto Coriale and Luca Pignagnoli, "Silvio d'Arzo" institute of Montecchio Emilia: "In our opinion the best result of this project is the participation, motivation and interest of the students" Benedetto Coriale and Luca Pignagnoli, "Silvio d'Arzo" institute of Montecchio Emilia: "The TrainloT project can be very useful for the Italian school, because it can lead students to acquire important skill in the framework of an innovative subject like Internet of Things. Moreover it can be seen as enhancement of ordinary didactic programming" Nicoletta Rossi, ITE G.B. Bodoni Parma: "In general, even if lot is perceived as something easy to use and learn, it is not. In fact, there is a need to teach lot in a simple, effective and (why not?) enjoyable way. Let's hope our work will help in this new challenge!" Further messages from the other partners involved: Dr. Sven Seiler: ITM: "We are very happy to have made a valuable contribution to our Italian partners with TrainIoT and the developed Iot starter kits! The positive feedback spurs us again and again on such projects in the field of vocational training to conceive and then successfully implement" Rosanna Rossi, CIP: "The proposal of the project has been useful on two sides. Firstly the didactic approach is very active and has a proposal that is winning and close to the experience of the students, it is very useful for motivation of students Secondly the project proposal is very useful for the revision of vocational curricula." Prof. Dr.-Ing. Carsten Köhn, HBO:“It is very important for young people to learn in a practical way the ideas behind modern research buzzwords like “IoT” (Internet of Things)” / “It was a pleasure to work with very committed Italien students and teachers.”