Fun And Curriculum oriented Exercises for: Information Technology Erasmus Project

Project Title

Fun And Curriculum oriented Exercises for: Information Technology

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for Schools Only

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills; Teaching and learning of foreign languages; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

The goal of the project was the preparation, organization and creation of a mobile phone app for an international quiz of knowledge taught at all schools as well as general and civic knowledge. The participating schools were located in Germany, Greece, Poland and Spain (the Dutch quit). The quiz is available in the languages of the schools & in English. The coordinators analyzed the curricula & decided on similar topics for the quiz. Then the pupils had to create the questions & the answers for the quiz in project groups. The work there was done in group work mainly. The pupils translated all questions into English. The questions had to be written in complete sentences & dealt with the curricula of the 5 countries. So the pupils improved their skills and knowledge in the subjects of the quiz (e.g English, History etc) & improved their English language skills as well as their writing abilities in their mother tongues. The Greek school’s pupils could function as peer teachers teaching the other pupils how to create the app during the learning activities. During these activities the exchange pupils stayed in host families. In that way we inceased their intercultural competences. The pupils were prepared for their stays abroad in cultural preparation courses. Each school sent 16 pupils abroad. They were accompanied by one or two colleagues each time. We included pupils of fewer opportunities.

The past Erasmus projects of our schools had showed that pupils who took part in these activities were often the outgoing & extroverted ones. The pupils who are good at Science, IT or Mathematics are often the quiet, the brooding pupils who have difficulties in communicating in foreign languages. So we wanted to include these pupils and make use of their knowledge of IT, thus boosting their self-esteem. We used their enthusiasm for computers and mobile phones. There are many pupils who have great knowledge in this field but who are not very interested in school subjects. So we wanted to motivate them by utilizing their knowledge in the context of the curriculum.
The app is downloadable and can now be used in our classes after the project. During the project there were other results, too. During the activity weeks there were quiz-events at the different schools. Most pupils of the schools took part then. The pupils had to create a project logo, a “language survival guide” for travelling pupils and they prepared the mobilities with reports and presentations on their towns, regions and countries. There is a blog on the project, an instagram profile, a facebook site and a youtube channel. We used e-twinning for communication.

The target groups involved were the following: The pupils of the schools who created the app technically and who created the questions, the teachers, who supervised the participating pupils, all other pupils of the schools who took part in the locally organized “quiz show“-competitions, the other teachers of all schools who supervised the competitions and the parents who hosted the exchange pupils in their homes during the mobilities. The project strengthened the international orientation of the schools and helped to fulfill their internationalization strategies. These strategies were created during the project on the basis of the German version which serves as a template now for the other schools. By creating questions on general knowledge, European history and also cultural aspects of European life we fostered the European awareness of our pupils and created a mutual feeling of understanding amongst the young generation of the people of Europe while dealing at the same time with multidisciplinary and integrated content in English.

The international character of the project was important, as the pupils should learn cultural competences, tolerance & awareness for the history at home as well as abroad. This widened their horizon and shall boost their chances on the international job market later in life. The pupils were involved in the organization, creation & set up of the app. So their own initiative, their self-confidence & their motivation was stimulated. The groups were of mixed-gender and mixed nationality. The common language was English, so the pupils’ language skills benefited, too. The European idea and the implementation of the European unification process could be felt by the people involved. The schools now profit from the project as their publicity & attractiveness for (future) pupils & staff rose through the publicity reached by the project.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 89560 Eur

Project Coordinator

Staatliche Wirtschaftsschule Dinkelsbühl & Country: DE

Project Partners

• 1o EPAGGELMATIKO LYKEIO LECHAINON
• Zespol Szkol Ogolnoksztalcacych im. Adama Mickiewicza
• Frits Philips, lyceum-mavo
• IES COLONIAL