Our Project “SCAN YOUR CITY AND CULTURE WITH APPS” is an idea to join schools with similar characteristics and students but from different countries. The three partner schools are currently working on innovative methodologies:we have removed paper books to use digital devices, mainly tablets.It has changed the teaching-learning process, now, lessons are presented in a dynamic,attractive and personalized way.Also, the digital device allows us to use other new methodologies: cooperative work, flipped classroom,PBL, augmented reality, apps design... Moreover,thanks to this new methodology, pupils produce their own knowledge, teachers are supervisors of this learning process. Moreover, we have students in disadvantaged situations, they do not have opportunities to travel and know and respect other cultures, that is why we are working on their social inclusion. Consequently, being schools with similar characteristics but from different countries and educational systems, a transnational Project is a great way to continue growing in this new teaching-learning methodology. The main objectives of our Project are using a digital device –tablet- as an innovative and motivating means to learn and create useful materials;working on the inclusion of special needs students or students facing social exclusion to avoid early school leaving and absenteeism and to improve their results;improving the teaching and learning of languages and cultures; updating the teachers methodology through innovation and good practices exchanges; internationalization of the partner institutions;encouragement of the students and teachers mobility and spreading the Project results in other European educational institutions with similar educational contexts. The main goal of the Project is the students show their cities and cultures in an innovative and digital way.Pupils will be allowed to use other devices such as smartphone or laptop, however, the principal tool will be the tablet.The idea is that students show their cities to the other students, institutions and anyone who wants to make use of it, using innovative methodologies such as virtual and augmented reality,360 degrees videos,Chroma techniques, QR codes, apps for video editing,audio guides.At the same time, collaborative learning will take place while students prepare and carry out all the activities. The participants to whom the Project is aimed are the students from each country from 10 to 16 years old:primary and secondary, a total of aprox. 1616 and 136 teachers.They present the following necessities: a practical learning useful for their life putting it into practice;languages as tools for communication; motivating experiences towards learning;facing problems in real situations;ICT and education on entrepreneurship for their personal and professional future and experiencing values as collaboration,solidarity and equality. The project activities will help us to develop all the objectives we have planned. After the teachers’ meeting to work on the final arrangements,students will start the Project activities: Logo; introductions;“Digital walk around my city” to show their cities using the methodologies mentioned above,focusing on Art and History, relevant figures: artists, sportspeople…, leisure time:parks, typical dishes, recipes, etc;blog creation. Then, they will work on Fauna and Flora in our city;radio creation with interviews to relevant people (city mayor, sportspeople, students);advertising brochures and digital magazines; database to add all the apps and tools so that everyone can take advantage of it. Moreover, teachers and students will have the opportunity to meet, work and learn from the other participants during the mobilities throughout the Project. During these mobilities, each host country will organise activities for the students and teachers such as city tours, trips, workshops on digital or cultural topics or leisure time activities to improve languages. The expected results will focus on two areas. First, the activities and materials will be used not only by the participants but also by anyone who wants to make use of it since they will be shared on the Project blog, eTwinning or other social spaces. Secondly, students motivation and learning process. We expect to improve the motivation of the participating students and teachers and consequently an improvement of the inclusion level and a decreasing level of absenteeism and school dropout. Also, pupils will progress in foreign languages and knowledge of foreign partner countries. Teachers will get ahead professionally with new teaching methods and with a better linguistic competence thanks to the mobilities and exchange of good practices. In a long-term, this Project will help us to advance in an European dimension. The final impact of the Project will influence over our educational institution and the ones of our partners and over other centers and local, regional and international institutions.
Our project "Scan your city and culture with apps" had as main objective to work in the classroom in a more innovative way, using new technologies to show our cultures, cities and countries in a different and motivating way for students. Another objective of the project was the inclusion of students with special educational needs, avoiding absenteeism, as well as the improvement of skills and abilities in students. Also, the realization of exchanges of good practices between teachers to learn new educational methodologies. In addition, we intended to improve language learning and knowledge of other cultures, as well as open our schools to internationalization and promote mobility between different countries and educational systems. Finally, expand the results of the project to other institutions and schools so that they can make use of both the materials produced and the ideas in the project. The three participating countries: Spain, Italy and Latvia, were already working with new methodologies in the classroom: we use electronic devices, mainly tablets, instead of paper books; We use other methodologies such as cooperative work, augmented reality, flipped classroom, etc. In addition, we all work with students with special educational needs, trying to include them in the classroom in most subjects. Considering these similarities between the three schools, we saw a great opportunity to carry out this type of digital project and to continue growing in our teaching-learning processes and in the knowledge of new cultures and internationalization of our schools. The participating students have been secondary students (12-16), approximately 360 and about 100 teachers / staff of the center. All these students presented needs that we wanted to cover with the project: greater motivation towards language learning (use it in real contexts), greater motivation towards learning in general (using motivational methodologies), working skills and not just content (students put in practice, do and discover for themselves), improvement of digital skills (use of new ICT methodologies), improvement of social skills and respect and solidarity (through cooperative work and relationships with peers and those of other countries). Regarding the activities carried out, all of them have been digital activities using tablet or mobile apps and computer programs. In order to show their countries, cities and cultures (traditions, history, monuments, emblematic people, gastronomy, fauna and flora, etc.) students have used new digital techniques: Chroma technique to record videos, digital printing of the Salamanca Cathedral , 360º images, activities with QR codes, apps to edit videos about gastronomy or traditions, audio guides with the main monuments of their cities, creation of an App to translate into four languages, creation of virtual reality glasses, recording of podcasts with city news using a new app, etc. These activities have been carried out mainly during the two years of the project in several subjects and also during the mobilities with students. The results of the Project have been very positive since the students, in addition to considering it as an incredible experience, have improved their linguistic, digital, social, etc. skills. Students' motivation towards learning has greatly improved, since it has been an innovative and dynamic learning process for them and for teachers. The work of students with special educational needs has also improved, they have been more integrated, motivated and have felt more gratified when working with simple apps and cooperative work in which they have been able to move forward without great difficulties. Teachers have also managed to improve their digital and linguistic skills, thus growing in their teaching process. Finally, the objective of dissemination and use of project results has been achieved thanks to the fact that we have added all the activities to the project's WIX and Facebook as well as the Results Platform. Our goal is that this Project, with its materials, ideas and methodology, reaches many institutions and can make use of it. In the long term, this project will make us advance in the European dimension, since we all want to continue or we are already following with Erasmus + projects, so enriching for students and teachers. In addition, we will continue with innovative and digital methodologies, using everything we have learned in the classroom, so that, in the long term, both students and teachers will benefit. Finally, participating students will be more prepared for their future thanks to their improvement in digital, linguistic and social skills.