The planned school partnership is an initiative going back to the „European CNC-Network“ established in 2006, a cooperation of more than 30 vocational schools in Europe. The most popular and probably most successful school project of our network was the Charlemagne Youth Price Award winning project in 2010, the „Train for EUROPE“. Within that school partnership „Train for EUROPE”, the participating 24 partner schools produced model locomotives and individual wagons displaying characteristic motifs by using computer-controlled CNC machinery. So, for example, the German wagon is showing a single printing letter framed by an open book in honor of Johannes Gutenberg and the Italian wagon is representing historic inventions by Leonardo da Vinci. By the end of the project, the project partners had exchanged the copies of their own wagons so that today every member of the project has got their own train with at least ten different wagons. These trains are displayed for the public in showcases within the school buildings and are put into operation at special events („open house presentations”). The planned school partnership´s objective is to link into the success of our „Train for EUROPE” by a digital upgrade. This follow-up project is putting its focus on the interaction of the described wagons by means of establishing a digital network linking the wagons using modern micro controlling technology and including the current demands of „Industry 4.0” as the future-related strategy. The defined project title is based on the widely spread „Digital Revolution 4.0” in industry, which – after the invention of the steam engine, the mass production in assembly lines and the computer technology having found its way into production – is seen as the forth step to a comprehensive and intelligent crosslinking between man and machine. The digitalized „Train for EUROPE“ exactly follows and meets these requirements as it offers a highly attractive training object in a sustainable setting and provides various learning materials for further educational use. As a first step, the motif of each wagon will receive electronic devices meant as a dynamic-upgrade based on the STE(A)M concept which may allow the integration of servo motors, audio-visual effects or installing speakers to play music. Apart from that, the showcases shall be equipped with modern touchscreen panels allowing interaction with interested students and visitors. By touching the panel, a radio-controlled impulse will be sent to a selected wagon and will activate the audiovisual moving effects at the wagon itself. At the same time, a video presentation on the screen will inform about the motif shown on the wagon and about the school that once built that specific wagon. By implementing a web-based network to the system, controlling wagons located at different schools in Europe shall be made possible. When using these new possibilities combined with an integrated webcam, Europe-wide remote interaction and monitoring of different animations will be made possible. The realization of this project idea is highly complex and demanding in view to the programming of the microcontrollers used for establishing the digital network, whereas all the needed goals and competences can be found in the national curricula for vocational IT-training. The students aged between 15 and 20 years will be supported by at least two teachers in each institution. These upgrades by implementing interaction and communication tools to the „Train for EUROPE” is to be seen as a pedagogical catalyzer motivating students to develop, shape and create multiple basic skills and advanced key competences. It will provide students with the chance and challenge to work and cooperate on a technically demanding task in an international atmosphere. In the foreground stands a solution-oriented peer-to-peer-learning approach. This will make students internalize not only the topic much more intensely as they need to develop and deepen the topic self-reliantly but benefit from one another by sharing and discussing results and values. Within the two-year running time of the project, six activities are planned. The focus of the different activities is closely linked to work progress in the project. The partner schools will take over different tasks within the project split in different work lines and separate work groups. Time between activities will be taken to fulfil the agreed tasks. Students will then communicate and discuss their suggestions and ideas via internet-based platforms such as eTwinning. The common work on this technical challenge will intensify the international and the mutual intercultural dialogue. Students will have to communicate in English as the project language and will actively develop their communicative competences. The common project work will inspire a common „European Spirit“, meaning that commonalities as well as the uniqueness of the individual project partners will become recognized.
The school partnership is an initiative of the „European CNC Network“, a consortium of more than 30 vocational schools from Europe that has been in existence since 2004. The most well-known and probably most successful school project within our network was the „Train for EUROPE“, which was awarded the European Youth Charlemagne Prize in 2010. At that time, the 24 participating partner schools, as part of the school partnership „Train for EUROPE“, collaboratively produced locomotives and individual wagons with characteristic motifs on a model train scale using computer-controlled machine tools. For example, the wagon from Germany displayed a letterpress encased in an open book in honor of Johannes Gutenberg, while the Italian wagon showcased historic inventions by Leonardo da Vinci. At the conclusion of the project, the participants exchanged copies of their own wagons among themselves, ensuring that each of the participating partner schools possessed its own train with at least ten unique wagons. These were displayed in the school foyers in glass cabinets and were used for special events such as „Open House“ days. The partnership described here directly builds upon the success of the „Train for EUROPE“ with a digital upgrade. The follow-up project focused on interactivity through the digital networking of the existing wagons using modern microprocessor technology, taking into account the current requirements from the „Industry 4.0“ future strategy. The chosen project title is based on the widely embraced industry concept, the „Digital Revolution 4.0“, which, after the invention of the steam engine, mass production on assembly lines, and the introduction of computer technology, is now the fourth stage advancing the intelligent integration of humans and machines in the digital transformation. Our „Train for EUROPE - Digital Revolution 4.0“ precisely adhered to these requirements and, in a sustainable learning environment, also provided an attractive training object for later instructional use. To achieve this, the existing motif wagons were digitally enhanced in the spirit of STE(A)M by incorporating servomotors, audiovisual effects, and other creative design elements. An interactive user web interface served as a gateway for interactions with visitors. Clicking on the control panel button generated a radio-controlled impulse, activating the audiovisual motion effects of the selected wagon. Simultaneously, the interested user received information about the respective wagon motif and the school that built the wagon. Through web-based networking, it was also possible to control wagons at other school locations. Users could thus operate from a distance across Europe and use an integrated webcam to observe animations at other schools. The complexity of the project idea posed high demands on the information technology implementation of digital networking, which was embedded in the students' regular curriculum. The students, aged 15 to 20, were supervised by at least two teachers at their school. The expansion of the „Train for EUROPE“ served as a „pedagogical catalyst“, motivating the development of fundamental skills and key competencies. It provided students with a complex action product, the opportunity to work on a challenging technical task alongside other European partners and learn from each other. Through action-oriented peer-to-peer learning, students internalized the subject matter much more intensively, as they independently acquired and deepened their knowledge, sharing and discussing what they learned with other learners. During the nearly three-year project duration, six project meetings were held. Activities followed the phases of project progress, with early stages being significantly influenced by Covid-19 restrictions. Responsibility for individual project tasks was distributed among the partner schools in working lines and groups. The time between project meetings was utilized to complete agreed-upon tasks and advance the actual project work. Students communicated and discussed their solutions regularly using appropriate web-based groupware platforms. The collaborative work on a technical challenge intensified the international and intercultural dialogue among the students. By communicating in the working language, English, students simultaneously experienced the development of their language skills. The joint project work fostered a „European Spirit“ that valued and respected both the commonalities and unique differences among the partners.