Social Media – Natural Learning Environment Erasmus Project

Project Title

Social Media – Natural Learning Environment

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 : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Health and wellbeing; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education

Project Summary

Objectives
Our project’s title is Social Media: Natural Lerning Environment, firstly because one of the most important objective was to prevent the excessive use of Social Media and other Internet tools, giving them the possibility to become aware of their habits and more responsible in using them in a more rational way, reducing addiction of Internet and technological tools. The project’s aim was to develop key competencies in order to face the modern world but with awareness and maturity because our students had to understand that personal and social well-being leads to a healthy lifestyle. Also, the personal, interpersonal and intercultural competences enabled them to participate more effectively in their social life in order to have a good base for their future career.
As teachers, we understood that the enthusiastic use of social media can be beneficial for educational purposes. The applications that can be used in the educational field are part of Web 2.0 tools. For many students, they represent a more natural learning environment than real school, it is an environment where they feel comfortable and get motivated to explore, discover, create and perform tasks. Secondly, social networks allow teachers to share best practices and cooperate more effectively with their foreign colleagues.

Participants
The countries involved were Bulgaria, Italy, Poland, Romania and Turkey. Every team choose 6 pupils and 2 teachers for mobilities C2, C3 and C4. The first mobility in Turkey was a staff meeting with three participating persons for each country, while mobility C5 was planned in virtual setting. Students involved were from 12 to 14 years. Students and teachers attended meetings in the partner countries and they worked in multinational teams, according to the previously planned activities. The partnership was a great chance for all to work, observe, compare, share experiences and learned in a multicultural environment getting to know a foreign country at the same time.
Final products:
One of the task of all the teams was to create a Digital Magazine titled “Alternatives”, in 4 numbers, which dealt with the activities realized in every school for the “Hobbies Clubs”, Clubs of different activities regarding Sport, dancing, reading, photo, cooking, theatre, drawing, in order to let students engaged with something to spend their free time in a different way. Along with this, students have been committed to accomplishing their Digital Portfolio about ” Me and Internet”, about different Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, Snapchat, Youtube), about the negative effects and dangers of Social Media and so many other digital products related to the tasks expected by every meeting.

Methodology
All partners took an active part in project meetings, working in multinational groups in planned activities, evaluating the project progress and impact, sharing experiences and good practices and plan the future activities.
Students were the main actors of all the activities, as to the creation of materials, the cooperation and communication with other students, the realization of their Digital Portfolios and the application of the acquired strategies. The project’s coordinator monitored accomplishment of the tasks, collaborating with the responsible people from all the teams.

Results and Impact
Impact on students:
-awareness and improvement of social media(SM)safe and rational use;
-awareness of SM addictions, dangers and relevant consequences
-social and civic skills, improving self-esteem, critical thinking and creativity
-acquisition of healthy and accountable alternatives to SM
-Hobbies exploitation for talent development
Teachers:
-professional portfolio improvement with extracurricular activities (competitions, shows, photo exhibitions, campaigns for healthy and responsible lifestyle)
-digital skills ’improvement-Web 2.0 tools
-developing native language and English skills
School:
-improvement of local, national and international school image
-increase of attractiveness, students’ number and competitiveness, implementing innovative teaching strategies
-introduction of new approaches to institutional development and resource management
-gaining experience related to EU projects
– diversification of extracurricular offer
-European meaning consolidation in education and active European citizenship promotion
Wider lifelong learning community:
-enhancement of other schools with innovative teaching strategies
-other schools’ benefits by using disseminated final products
-promotion of lifelong learning and school application for EU projects in other schools
Community:
-improvement of parents’ awareness of SM dangers and need to rational use of these tools
-promotion of local, national and international image
-improvement of school-community relationship and increasing community’s confidence.

Project Website

https://www.facebook.com/groups/180785762801861

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 129264,5 Eur

Project Coordinator

Istituto Comprensivo Lombardo Radice & Country: IT

Project Partners

• OU Dimitar Blagoev
• Szkola Podstawowa im.Ks.A. Chojnackiego w Zagorzu
• Scoala Gimnaziala “Tudor Vladimirescu”
• Ozel Oguzhan Ortaokulu