Our project responds to the identified needs, with the general objective 'Contributing to the modernization and digital transformation of education, enabling the creative use of digital technologies and strengthening technological literacy'. This will be achieved by developing coding and familiarization skills with the use of augmented reality and virtual reality in teaching-learning classes on the main topics of interest that we have established at the partnership level. The objectives set: O1. at least 80% of the project participants will acquire ICT, RC, AR skills O2. at least 80% of students will improve their creative, computational, analytical thinking O3. 80% of students improve their motivation to learn O4. at least 60% of the selected students will actively contribute to the creation of lessons using ICT, RC, AR O5. 100% of teachers will use the lessons created within the partnership O6. 100% selected participants improve their cooperation skills in a team, communication in English O7. 100% participants improve their intercultural awareness, tolerance, respect for other cultures This will be achieved by developing coding and familiarization skills with the use of augmented reality and virtual reality in teaching-learning classes on the main topics of interest that we have established at the partnership level. The main activity consists in training teachers and students on ICT, RC, AR. After completing the training, partners will be provided via eTwinning or other platforms to obtain additional information about ICT, RC, AR. Their students and teachers will create educational materials that they will promote in their school and present them to other partners during transnational events. Educational topics will cover - Science, Geography/Tourism, Cultural Identity, Foreign Languages. There are topics that cover the content of school subjects, areas of interest for students, which will become more attractive, personalized. Lesson plans will be implemented, feedback will be gathered to be improved for the final form and disseminated on the project site, eTwinning, EPRP and thus gain a wider audience at European level, so that more students and teachers benefit from these.
WHY WE APPLIED: The coronavirus period has turned our education system upside down, changed our teaching learning methods and even if we have adapted in the best possible ways, there are still many improvements that need tobe made in terms of educational approaches in realities from the 21st century. The new reality imposed social distance and the only method of communication remained through the internet, period, in which online lessons have partially replaced regular courses. Although we hope to eliminate this virussoon, we are convinced that the practices learned this year will continue to be used, and their development is necessaryto support teachers in the teaching process. IDENTIFIED NEEDS: With this project we address the needs of teachers as well as those of students. Based on the analyzes in the partner schools, we realized that teachers have faced the same problems in the last year, namely finding, applying the most attractive materials and resources to capture students'attention and extend the duration of students' attention to classes. We all consider it a priority to develop the professional skills and digital competencies of teachers, in order to meet the new challenges regarding teaching techniques and methods and increasing the student’s motivation in their own education. The following quotation and the given 3 explanations also emphasize the importance of the use of ICT, RC, AR in educational processes "If you have to make a choice, it's more important to learn to code than to learn a foreign language," says Apple CEO Tim Cook. 1. Coding enhances creativity, teaches people to cooperate, to work together across physical and geographical boundaries and to communicate in a universal language. (https://bit.ly/3vi8nKz) 2. Robotic coding (RC) strengthens skills in creative, computational, analytical and critical thinking. Children learn to think algorithmically and, in a design-based way. 3. "AR has been recognized as a technology with great potential for facilitating learning. Students are able to freely navigate in a virtual environment, observe the phenomenon from different perspectives, and interact with selected virtual objects. Visualization and interaction provided by AR have been successfully used to improve spatial abilities and to help learners to understand abstract concepts"(Ibáñez et al., 2014). (https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/205143/1/full-4.pdf) So, the project partners from Spain, Ireland, Romania, Finland, Norway, Netherlands, Turkey and Czechia decided to initiate this 2-year partnership to answer for these identified needs.