201011_tenegen newsletter 8

8/8/2019 201011_Tenegen Newsletter 8

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November, 2010 8th issue

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held

responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Connect the TEachers to reach and teach the NEt GENerationLLP-LdV-TOI-2008-HU-016

WelcomeThis 27 month-long project is a collaboration of 11

partners from five countries. The "transfer of

innovation" will 'valorize' the results of two earlier

successful LdV projects: SLOOP and NETIS. The

SLOOP project (Sharing Learning Objects in an

Open Perspective) demonstrates key concepts in e-

learning 2.0; NETIS provides the philosophical,

sociological, and pedagogical basis to support new

paradigms of teaching and learning in the

Information Society. The aim of the TeNeGEN

project is to establish an European environment of

connectivism for VET teachers and trainers, toshow the significant advantages of being connected

to the n-Gen instead of simply 'delivering'

knowledge through virtual classrooms and learning

management systems.

TeNeGEN Team

http:/ / tenegen.prompt.hu

CONTENT

CONNECT THE TEACHERS TO REACH AND TEACH

THE NET GENERATION ............................................... 1

WELCOME ............................................................................ 1

TENEGEN EXPERIENCES ............................................ 1

ACTIVITIES ........................................................................ 1

NEWS ...................................................................................... 1

EVENTS.................................................................................. 2

PROJECT BASICS ............................................................ 3

This issue was published by:DEKRA Akademie GmbH, Germany

Editor: Ed MahoodCopyright TeNeGEN Consortium

TeNeGEN experiences

The TeNeGEN project is rapidly drawing to a close, and this is cause for both celebration and sadness. The projectconsortium has travelled a long, and sometimes difficult road due to the sheer ambition of this transfer of innovationproject. All of the course modules have been translated into English and the English pilot training has been

successfully completed. The English pilot has shown us, on the one hand, just how difficult it can be to get contentsuited for one language and culture into a form that well suits others. It is well known that different culturesapproach teaching and learning somewhat differently, yet the richness of diversity that this brings should never besacrificed to mere technical expediency. What the project has shown is that bridges can and should be built, for it isacross such bridges that we best grow together.

The TeNeGEN project is both forward-looking and highly ambitious. The project consortium has worked hard to notonly produce results, but also to understand the underlying mechanisms and factors involved in successful onlinelearning and teaching. There is, of course, still much to be done. One of the by-products of a project such as this oneis the identification of things that work well, of course, but also of what does not work so well, what could be donebetter, and what can be done differently. We, as a consortium, have developed a deeper understanding of the issuesinvolved and have identified a number of issues that can form the basis for future cooperation and work as well.

The DEKRA Akademie as work package leader for WP7 Evaluation is particularly pleased with the progress that hasbeen made over the past two years. We have seen a far-sighted and grand idea take on shape and form, and wehave learned a lot from our work, to be sure, but even more so from each other. And that, of course, is the cause for

sadness. Not only working relationships but also friendships have developed in this time, due to the closecooperation that is needed to make a project like this one succeed. It is a credit to all the consortium partners thatthey have been able to share a common vision and goals along with the generous contributions of each of theirindividual expertise. We can be satisfied with our accomplishments, and we can be hopeful for the future as well.

Activities

The Turkish pilot training is running and about to be completed. The remainder of the consortium is busy wrapping

up all the other loose ends for the final report due at the end of the year.

News

On 1-2 October 2010, the final conference with the Hungarian vocational-school teachers and interested parties was

held at the Szchenyi Istvn Secondary Grammar School in Pcs, Hungary. The conference was attended by around

80 participants over the two days, and it was divided into three main parts: a discussion of Web 2.0 technologies and

the Net Generation, as well as a recap and integration of project results, culminating in the awarding of certificates


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of completion to attending vocational-school teachers. All three parts of the conference were held against the

backdrop of actual classroom experiences that the presenters had made during the course of the project.

A number of oft-stated, but not soundly documented issues were raised in the first part of the conference, such as

the lack of native-language sites and the predominance of English as the language of the web, or the increased need

to have parents involved in their children's education. In addition, it became ever clearer how the role of the teacherhas changed with the introduction of the new technologies, but it was generally agreed that technology cannot and

should not replace the teacher in the classroom. The newer pedagogies associated with computer-supported, or

technology-enhanced learning are also placing increasing demands on teachers, a fact that has not been well

addressed in regard to the current contractual or legal requirements involving teaching personnel. Yet it was also

enriching to see the creative ways in which these new technological tools were being used, particularly by teachers

who were unfamiliar with them prior to enrolling in the TeNeGEN course.

One of the most interesting sessions of the conference was the presentation of a study on the net generation and

their use of media, including a lively, follow-on roundtable discussion. While the results of the study did confirm

some characteristics of those considered part of this generation, such as digital literacy, facility with mobile

technologies, and familiarity with audio and visual media, it became clear in the discussion that the gap between

teachers and students as far as learning with new technologies was not as great as many have maintained. In

particular, it was pointed out and here there was general agreement among almost all conference participants that the most difficult aspect of incorporating new media into the classroom is the finding of quality material. It is not

hard to find things on the web, that is true, but knowing how to sort the good from the bad, the worthwhile from the

worthless, that is, how to evaluate and assess the true value of what one finds is perhaps the most needed skill that

we need to develop in both students and teachers. In other words, we are finding out that the "how" of web

technologies can be learned relatively quickly, but the "why" is still going to take some time.

On the final day of the conference, in addition to further interesting presentations, there was a general assessment

and feedback round on the TeNeGEN course itself. While the participants were all thankful for the opportunity to

participate in the project's round of training, they had a number of suggestions for future versions of the course. All

were in agreement that there is a very high volume of information in the course. Consideration needs to be given to

focusing the content, or perhaps breaking the material down into a beginner's and advanced course. Teaching full

time and following a course such as this one, on the side, makes great demands on the teachers' time and energy.

What the technology can deliver, however, is a more highly structured, focused course, and it is this that the

teachers would like to see in the future. Another interesting observation was that many teachers would have liked a

preliminary course that dealt specifically with general IT topics and techniques, so that they would be better

prepared for the TeNeGEN course as a whole.

The true value of conferences such as these is in the feedback that the project team gets from real-life participants.

In this regard, the conference was an outstanding success. As mentioned above, TeNeGEN was a demanding and

highly ambitious project that has not only met its established goals, but which has gained a wealth of experience and

received excellent and constructive feedback that could well serve as the basis for follow-on projects as well. The

project has delivered a solid foundation upon which to build. Continued effort and collaboration is envisioned, and it

has become very clear that there is still a lot of work to be done in building a sound, solid, useful, and worthwhile

technology-enhanced platform for the future.

Last, but certainly not least, special thanks goes to the staff of the Szchenyi Istvn Secondary Grammar School whodid more than just provide a venue for the conference, but who went far beyond the normal call of duty to provide a

constructive and cooperative atmosphere for the meeting, and who extended to all the conference participants such

heartfelt hospitality that we all could not but feel very much at home.

Events

The ONLINE EDUC BERLIN 2010, the 16th International Conference on Technology Supported Learning & Training,

will be held from 1-3 December at the Hotel InterContinental in Berlin, Germany. Program background and

information, as well as the possibility to register online, can be found on the event website (www.online-educa.com)

in English, German, French, and Spanish. This is the premier online-education event in Germany, and this year

promises to be another high-quality conference. The TeNeGEN project will be represented, of course, so come and

visit us! We would love to meet you in Berlin.


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Project basicsAcronym: TENEGENTitle: Connect the Teachers to Reach and Teach the Net GenerationDuration: 1.October 2008 30 September 2010, extended till 31 December 2010

Action type: Transfer of InnovationProgramme: Leonardo da Vinci LLL Sub-programmeCountries: Hungary, Italy, Germany, TurkeyWebsite: http://www.tenegen.euContact: Mria Hartynyi, Prompt-G Educational Centre for Informatics, Hungary

email: [email protected]; skype: hmaria718

PartnershipPROMPT Prompt-G Educational Centre for Informatics, HU (Co-ordinator)CNR National Research Council - Institute for Educational Technology, ITISERG Information Society Education and Research Group University of West Hungary, HUCAPDM CAPDM Ltd,.UKDEKRA DEKRA Akademie GmbH, DEBUNI Balkesir University, TRJSZIGK veges Jzsef Vocational and Grammar School, HU

NIVE National Institute of Adult and Vocational Education, HUBJMSZ Bottyn Jnos Vocational Secondary School, HUKGYGIVSZ Krdy Gyula Secondary School, HUSZIGSZ Szchenyi Istvn Secondary Grammar School, HU

Target groups teachers and trainers in vocational education; trainers in adult education; school-leaders (headmasters) in VET schools and the staff of higher education institutes; students of vocational schools; university students; policy makers; European e-learning providers.

Objectives

elaborate a pedagogical model of networked learning and 'connectivism'; develop an online repository of Open Source Learning Objects; develop a TENEGEN networked learning environment based on open source LMS; elaborate and implement five training modules in three languages (HU, EN, TR); establish pilot training courses for teachers and trainers; validate and verify the results in VET schools; disseminate the results all over Europe.

Work-packagesWP0 Project managementWP1 TENEGEN System Analysis and Design based on pedagogical and sociological outcomes of NETISWP2 TENEGEN Systems Analysis and Design based on the SLOOP conceptWP3 Content development, review, translationWP4 Implementation of TENEGEN networking platformWP5 E-learning - the school of the future - Pilot course I.

WP6 Pilot course in VET schoolsWP7 EvaluationWP8 Dissemination and valorisation

Planned resultsOnline further training programme for teachers and trainers in five module in three language (HU, EN, TR),implemented in a Moodle virtual learning environment, and piloted in three countries (HU, EN, TR). The Consortiumintends to deliver the new paradigm of network learning to the teachers and trainers in vocational education andtraining, to help them "reach and teach the Net Generation".

201011_tenegen newsletter 8

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