The ByLinedu Association is a Valencian organization that works to help reduce the digital divide  with STE(A)M activities and projects for digital literacy and educational innovation. We explain some of their projects.

Learning and having fun using technology is the main motto of ByLinedu, which has been working for eight years on educational NGO projects that use technology as a tool for social transformation.

One of such projects is the CodeDojo Valencia, an international initiative that promotes the learning of programming for children and young people between 7 and 17 years old. With the motto “Be cool!“, this network is made up of more than 1,000 CodeDojos in 65 countries. It is an open and free initiative, where they seek to promote the training of minors (whom they call ninjas) with the participation of adults, whether they are parents or volunteer mentors.

In this dojo, the ninjas learn how to program, develop websites, mobile applications or video games using applications adapted to different ages: Scratch, AppInventor, Arduino, HTML, Javascript, etc, as well as different electronic elements. They also have a CoderDojo Girls group for the participation of STE(A)M girls. The children work through observation, quizzes, various worksheets and interest groups with different sessions where challenges arise. The participants are advised by the different mentors, who collaborate by transmitting their knowledge and experience.

Another of its projects is the European Erasmus+ Make In Class project, which aims to help STE(A)M teachers and educators to promote activities in the classroom based on maker culture to prevent school dropouts.

Related to this project, there is also an Erasmus+ STEAM-H, a programme improving STE(A)M learning in primary schools to support teachers and educators to improve student learning.

And since technology has to be fun, they have created the game Oca STEM, a game of the goose board in which men and women experts in different fields of STE(A)M knowledge are represented. The game aims to be inclusive so that people with functional disabilities can participate fully, integrating audio-video phrases, textured dice and / or Braille, as well as texts and multimedia elements.

In 2018 they finished the Parcheesi board for the Escornarbot robot,and this year it has received the 1st Spiral Award Trends in Perspective.

By Colectic

The initiative STEM School Label stems from Scientix, the community that since 2009 has promoted in Europe the collaboration between teachers and professionals in the STEM field. Coordinated by European Schoolnet, the project’s objective is to spread at the international level innovative practices in science education.

INDIRE is the organization in charge of disseminating the project’s results in Italy where, according to the international surveys, the situation is particularly negative. In fact, the tests ran by Pisa Ocse on mathematical skills shows that Italian 15 year-old teenagers have a delay compared to their peers in other industrialized countries.

The steps to follow to register a school are very simple: accessing the online platform www.stemschoollabel.eu, European schools can measure their results in the education of science subjects.

The self-assessment of STEM School Label is based on seven key elements that help teachers to evaluate areas of strength and weakness of their schools’ STEM programs, and that highlights the aspects that needs to be developed and improved.

The areas to focus on for an effective STEM education strategy are the following: education, curricula implementation, evaluation, staff professionalization, leadership, link between territory and local enterprises, school infrastructures.

Once the self-evaluation form is submitted, the school/teacher will receive a customized plan of action, based on the self-assessment results. Useful suggestions and resources will be provided to improve the schools’ educational offer on STEM subjects by identifying the lacking areas, so to provide the students with a better engagement and technical-scientific skills.

The project involves both teachers and students with various activities that include case studies analysis, participation to open and collaborative on-line forums, the study of good practices and exchanges between the participating European schools.

For more information: stemschoollabel@eun.org

By SGI

10 and 11 March 2021 were the two days of inspiration and important insights into the topic of school transformation in Germany. At the German “Dialogforum Schultransform”, experts discussed the ways in which schools are tackling the subject of digital transformation and the steps they are taking to implement contemporary learning. More than 80 online participants added to the contributions and discussions by asking questions.

The thought-provoking panels were moderated by Dr. Anja Hagen (Bündnis für Bildung) and Thomas Schmidt (Helliwood media & education at fjs e.V.), who delved into topics such as visions and goals for the future, awareness, leadership or personnel development, and professionalisation. Moreover, the panel discussion touched upon school equipment as well as teaching and learning outside the classroom, and experts highlighted a number of noteworthy aspects regarding the process of school transformation.

The task of qualifying teachers goes hand in hand with networking in order to initiate a transformation process. As Ines Bieler from the University of Halle underlined, “Teacher qualification should be thought of as a network that spans multiple phases“.

A significant goal of school transformation is to prepare students for the challenges they will face in both their private and professional lives after leaving school. Thus, Prof. Dr. Uta Hauck-Thum (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität) emphasises that “School transformation means providing children and young people with real-life experiences that prepare them for current challenges.”

Some schools have already embarked on the path to transformation and recommend working holistically, involving colleagues, carrying out further training and demanding the necessary equipment from school authorities. More specifically, the process of moving towards contemporary learning, which is also relevant in STE(A)M-learning activities, can be successful through:

• Self-directed learning
• Interdisciplinary work
• Networking and cooperating with colleagues

Maria Kruse (Primary school teacher) appeals to the expectations teachers have of themselves and their motivation to provide good teaching by “enabling explorative learning for everyone, everywhere“.

The event was part of the German project “Schultransform”, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and conducted by Helliwood media & education at fjs e.V. and Bündnis für Bildung. The aim is to create an open and scalable platform through which schools and school authorities can evaluate their status in the digital transformation process and thus enter an exchange for further planning.

The implementation of the European STEAMonEdu project, for which Helliwood media & education at fjs e.V. is responsible in Germany, follows these approaches precisely. STE(A)M educators across Europe are currently networking on the STEAMonEdu platform and exchanging information on learning and teaching activities. The STE(A)M competence framework for educators in STE(A)M education, developed as part of the aforementioned project, offers a starting point for a contemporary qualification of educators.

By Helliwood

The first laboratory on collaborative robotics for students comes to life in the primary and secondary schools to enhance STEM education based on theoretical knowledge and applicable skills. It is called “Robo Lab” and was created by Assolombarda, Fondazioni Brigatti, Camerani, Pintaldi and Politecnico, together with the science partners Abb and iMage.

“Youth are our future and it is fundamental to invest in training paths which can develop the competencies necessary in the employment world and required by the enterprises”, states Assolombarda’s President Alessandro Spada. “The industrial automation sector in particular needs continuous update of training”.

The collaborative robotics E-Learning Centre is located in Monza: a unique laboratory in Italy, where students are taught about the collaborative robots, their potentials, how to programme and use them, in order to learn in a direct way the great digital transformation which is taking place all over the world.

The project “Robo Lab” is part of the Steam Spaces, a project by Confindustria, the objective of which is to promote laboratory based multidisciplinary education to attract students to the study of mathematics and science. This innovative project aims to contribute to the National reform of students’ orientation in school and of teachers 4.0 education.

In this project’s first phase, six schools in Lombardia Region are involved, involving a total of 1,200 students and teachers who have already started practicing at Robo Lab from 10 March March 2021. The project’s objective is to spread at a national level.

The lab provides three collaborative robots of the Yumi family, a state-of-the-art series that focuses in integrating and ease the work following instructions through software.

Their programming simplicity allows to teach easily movements and positions as well as the basics of off-line robot programming.

By SGI

The National Museum of Science and Technology, founded in Milan in 1953 by the engineer Guido Ucelli, was created with the purpose of promoting scientific communication, scientific and technical literacy and culture among young people in a country in transformation.

Combining the identity of the museum with the characteristics and needs of the contemporary era, aiming to be a leader in Italy and a centre of excellence in Europe for STEM education, have been the institution’s goal for almost 70 years. This effort was structured on a two-folded strategy: promoting education within the museum, including a variety of fields, such as sciences, science education, pedagogy, informal education, humanities and educational research, which is responsible for the conception, design, development and the direct delivery of all programs and activities that the museum offers to its public; on the other hand developing educational methodological research, which is the Research Center for Informal Education’s main task. Founded in 2008, this research hub keeps the institution up to date and open to change, ready to grasp stimuli and trends.

The museum offers spaces for learning and active experimentation, methodological research and contexts result of the harmonious integration of contents, methods, resources and space. Aiming to nurture a new generation of innovators through 21st century with skills development and a positive relationship with STEM, the museum works in building scientific citizenship and in making the museum live as a place that belongs to everyone, a place for personal growth and community well-being.

Maria Xanthoudaki,  Education & CREI Director tells Artribune.it that the museums has an audience of over half a million people (in 2018), to 4,500 school groups per year, or to a community of 3,000 teachers who follow the training work or special projects.

An important part of its education programs is the “Tinkering” methodology, a frontier educational approach that the Italian museum first imported from the United States to Europe through the collaboration with the Exploratorium in San Francisco. The second main focus of the educational activities is Public Engagement, which includes creating a dynamic dialogue between the research community and the citizens, and the numerous collaborations with other museums and educational and research institutions at a national and international level.

Devised by the Tinkering Studio of the Exploratorium of San Francisco USA, Tinkering has become a worldwide philosophy and practice. The Tinkering Studio programme follows six main strands of work – research and development, the Tinkering Studio itself, collaborations, public events, publications, professional development. The process aims to inform and inspire the design of all activities in order to fuel creativity, generate new ideas and solutions, and the mothodology is designed to inspire youth, parents and educators to be easily applied to home activities or in other institutions.

The uniqueness of this pedagogical approach lies in its innovativeness. It addresses people of all backgrounds and paths of life, focusing on the active engagement with materials, the intentionality of action and the conscious desire to learn how to learn. From simple to complex, the activities start with putting objects together or apart, to making machines moving, flying. Moreover, the learners are engaged in designing, exploring materials, mechanical elements or electricity to create original artefacts, sewing circuits together to make jewels, constructing ever lasting chain reactions or interacting with digital platforms like Tinkercard, which allows creating 3D models by choosing shapes, or Lego or Minecraft blocks.

“It’s fooling around directly with phenomena, with tools and materials. It’s thinking with your hands and learning through doing. It’s slowing down and getting curious about the mechanics and mysteries of everyday stuff around you. It’s whimsical, enjoyable, fraught with dead ends, frustrating, and, ultimately, about inquiry. ” (Wilkinson & Petrich, The Art of Tinkering, 2014)

Milan National Museum of Science and Technology has now gained quality expertise and a high level of experience in this practice and in the research of innovative methods for science education. Among the projects directly inspired by the “Tinkering” methodology, in which the institution has taken part, there are:

• Tinkering EU: Building Science Capital for all, a project funded by the EU Erasmus+ Programme, uses Tinkering pedagogy to develop scientific capital of young people in difficult situations and to improve science education in schools.
• Future Inventors, a pioneering project developed with the support of the Rocca Foundation, with the aim of developing a new approach that contributes to the transformation of STEM education at school through the creation of programmes and resources on the theme of digital culture.
• STEM * Lab, a national project supported by the Conibambini Foundation, aiming to reduce educational poverty by helping to overcome personal, cultural, social and behavioral vulnerabilities through the creation of an open school environment that uses innovative methodologies and resources for STEM education.

By SGI

According to the European Union’s Digital Economy and Society Index DESI, Romania ranks 27^th out of 28 EU member states in terms of human capital, and its position has stagnated compared to the previous year. Basic digital skills and basic software (content handling) skills are ranked 27^th among EU Member States. Less than one-third of people aged 16 to 74 have basic digital skills (58% EU-wide), while only 35% have basic software skills (compared to an average of 61% in the EU).

This situation is also reflected in the score Women in Digital, in which Romania ranks 27^th in terms of women’s digital skills.

In this context, our project partner EOS Romania Foundation continues the programme to support women for careers in technology and complements the offer of courses dedicated to women. Digital Women project is developed in partnership with INCO Academy – Work in Tech program.

The Digital Women project aims to support 755 women to take the first steps towards a career in technology. The project targets unemployed women or those working in jobs at risk (imminent layoffs due to factory automation, Coronavirus pandemic, increased need for high-level digital skills).

The training programme will be hosted on the Coursera platform, and the 755 beneficiaries will follow the IT Support Specialist course developed by Google. Because the IT Support Specialist Certificate course is conducted online only, EOS will develop a support programme related to it – with sufficient flexibility to allow it to be conducted face-to-face, through hybrid learning or exclusively online.

More information about the project can be found on the  Digital Women project website.

By EOS Romania

3D printing refers to the process of additively building a three-dimensional physical object from a digital model data (Computer Aided Design or scanned object) file by depositing and forming successive layers of material under computer control.

“The disruptive nature of 3D printing” from the Digital Transformation Monitor from the European Commission (2017) reports that by 2021 the 3D printing market could be worth €9.6 billion. 3D printing presents new business opportunities as well as new entrepreneurial models based on transforming digital data into physical objects in remote locations, independent of centralized production and industrial areas by using “printing hubs”. 3D printing as a tool can also motivate, enable and empower with a greater impact on the wellbeing, fostering creativity innovation, DIY “maker mentality” that can be employed in both entrepreneurial and industrial settings.

It is an increasingly popular technology, and its application in education, especially in the STE(A)M education, is growing as well.

With 3D printers, industrial companies can produce customized objects with affordable prices, satisfying customers’ request in having a personalised product. At the same time, 3D printing technology, or Additive Manufacturing (AM), is a disruptive technology and approach to production thanks to the revolutionary design to fulfill social, geopolitical, demographic, and economic environment. Within this context, innovators, inventors and visionaries can produce their proposed designs, adding the artistic value to the STEM approach of 3D printing.

In education, 3D printing also means DIY approach, where students can explore their innovative instinct, experiment, and create with a STE(A)M approach.

3D printers can work with recycled plastic and with gel, especially for medical implants, and using this technology can introduce innovative approaches within education, especially with young targets. A good example would be the case from Pakistani Educational Institutes where the introduction of 3D printing technology has impacted both educators and students.

STEAMonEdu partner ALL DIGITAL participates in the 3D-Print project which is developing a training course for educators to promote employability and entrepreneurship within this innovative field.

In the 3D-Print project, partners have investigated the delivery of 3D-printing courses, outlining the adopted training approaches and the impact of the described learning courses and face-to-face workshops, to provide an overview of the pedagogic approaches that have been used for the teaching of 3D printing for teachers.

This desk research points out that most available 3D printing courses are offered in the form of MOOCs and (fee-based) short introductory courses and workshops by most vocational and higher education institutions (except for some classes on manufacturing technologies). It might be because 3D printing is not (yet) an established field of science and technology (such as robotics or mechatronics).

In terms of the pedagogical approach, online courses tend to rely on visual representations and videos primarily, whereas face-to-face courses adopt a more practical approach. And in the classroom, 3D printing fits neatly with STE(A)M education approaches.

Read a more comprehensive and detailed analysis and examples in the Desk research on pedagogic approaches for teaching 3D printing report to gain a full insight.

3D-PRINT partners are developing an entry-level, easily accessible course for adults to deliver training in 3D printing.

For the latest updates from the 3D-Print project, please check its website.

by ALL DIGITAL

Image by Zmorph

The CEB (Barcelona Education Consortium) is an instrument of co-management and decentralization, within a framework of institutional collaboration, which represents the will of the Generalitat of Catalonia and the Barcelona City Council to work together to improve services in school education and citizenship through a single educational network. Our project partners from Colectic spoke with Susana Navarro Jiménez, a leader of educational innovation programmes in the STE(A)M and sustainability areas of the CEB, and Rosanna Fernandez, director of the innovation, programmes and training area on the strategic lines and STEAM initiatives that are promoted in the city of Barcelona.

• How do you work in STEAMCat projects on technologies for learning and knowledge?

The STEAMcat pedagogical innovation programme is an educational programme promoted by the Department of Education, which lasts for three years. This programme is deployed throughout the Catalan territory and, from the Barcelona Education Consortium, 8 centres participate, finishing this course after having participated for three years.

Also, in the city of Barcelona, there are other educational programmes and proposals framed in the STE(A)M field. These are of different duration and intensity, aimed at different educational stages and promoted by different entities. The supply has increased considerably during the last three years, as well as the demand from educational centers.

• Does the STE(A)M approach have to be transversal or have a specific specialization?

From the CEB, we consider that the ideal situation is to work in a transversal and global way, taking advantage of contextualized and real situations to work on Sciences, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics.

Competency learning aims for the student to be able to apply their knowledge to solve problems and challenges in different contexts of their life. Situations are never closed to a single field of knowledge, but the solutions to them are the result of different fields of knowledge. Helping our students to use their knowledge in a holistic way, under the benefit that it is global and multi-factorial, is one of the objectives of competency learning.

Along these lines, one of the main advantages of working on STE(A)M in a transversal way is that students can experience how they work in real life to respond to the challenges posed by science and technology: all projects of this nature They are developed from the work of a multidisciplinary team members that complement each other. The basis of their work is cooperation and knowledge sharing with the aim of achieving the same goal.

• What are the successes of the STE(A)M community in Barcelona? Can you comment on some indicators and challenges?

A few years ago subjects in schools were worked on separately, and it was not proposed to work collaboratively between the different disciplines. Many institutions, entities, administrations and universities began to offer new ways of learning through STE(A)M, but these arrived in a disorderly way and without coherence. From the CEB we saw the need to channel the offer, to analyze the needs, to take advantage of resources and to share language and meanings with the different institutions and administrations involved. For this reason, monthly meetings were organized with the different agents, to build a map of the city and create a global STEAM action plan.

The demand for educational centres has increased exponentially, and that is why our goal is to offer proposals based on real needs, such as working on scientific vocations in earlier stages, which is when vocations are defined.

• Are there training actions aimed at teachers who want to work on STE(A)M?

Yes. From the Department of Education there is a STE(A)M training line that began more than 10 years ago. To highlight the CTM training (Sciences, Technology and Mathematics) that was born with the aim of working the STE(A)M in a transversal way and by projects. The teachers of the Barcelona Education Consortium, as part of the Education Department, also had the option of taking this 3-year training. It could be said that the CTM training was the starting point for the design and implementation of many other training courses in this field of knowledge.

At the CEB there are two lines of STE(A)M training offer that stand out: one has to do with the fact that most of the educational programmes of the Consortium’s unified call for programmes offer training to the teachers responsible for implementing them in the classrooms. One of the areas of the unified call for programmes is the STE(A)M area, which today has an offer of 10 educational programmes for primary, middle and secondary schools. At the same time, the resource centres of the city of Barcelona offer training centres included in the STE(A)M field and tailored according to the needs and PEC of the educational center.

• How do Pedagogical Resource Centres work, and how do STE(A)M skills such as robotics, digital manufacturing, social networks or technological sovereignty work?

The main objective of the pedagogical resource centers is to accompany the educational centers in their improvement process towards the educational transformation of the centers. For years, digital culture seminars have been carried out in which robotics, collaborative work and the use of mobile devices have been worked on.

Also from the CRPs, programs such as the Science Congresss, aimed at primary school and where the focus is placed on scientific methodology and on the student body as the protagonist, have been energized. The key to this programme is the accompaniment of the teaching staff by the CRP technicians, as well as the link with the scientific community.

• What is the pedagogical programme of the Manufacturing Athenaeums aimed at students and teachers?

The objective of the Educational Program of Manufacturing Athenaeums is to bring digital manufacturing closer to students and teachers through the use of it to solve real needs in their environment, focusing on the learning, design and manufacturing process rather than on the product.

Projects are developed that put into practice creativity, research, experimentation and meaningful learning for both students and teachers. It is committed to being interdisciplinary, offering students the opportunity to go from idea to object applying curricular content from different areas and personal and learning competencies that promote school success, educational innovation, technological competence and professional guidance.

• How do you imagine STE(A)M to be worked on in educational centres in the future?

We imagine that the centres work in a holistic and real way, therefore we would probably no longer talk about STE(A)M. The trend is work by skills, and not by subjects.

by Colectic

The Greek Ministry of Education and Religion has officially announced its initiative for collecting STEM and STEAM school projects through a public open call to all the Greek schools of primary and secondary education. The call is addressed to all Greek educators willing to share their prototype educational material in the context of implementing a STEM or STEAM school project.

Regional Directorate of Primary and Secondary Education of Western Greece welcomes and supports this initiative in its implementation which is actually bringing Greek Education a step closer to the preparatory actions for forming a concise and well-structured STEM or/and STE(A)M Educational Policy on the National Level.

The promotional material of those projects will be including students’ texts up to 300 words long, photographs (up to 5 photographs per project), videos (up to 2 videos per project with a link from an external channel) and art creations (up to 2 per project).

All the prototype material will be uploaded on the dedicated website in the category “Innovation”. Of course, the content should not be containing direct or indirect advertisements of private companies’ products or services. GDPR rules should be taken into account and of course, parents’ consent forms should be signed and collected in case students’ faces are shown in the photos or videos.

By RDEWG

Photo by Jeswin Thomas on Unsplash

Our Romanian project partner EOS Romania is currently implementing the program EOS DIGITAL ACADEMY, a program that offers a wide range of digital and software skills courses that correspond to the most sought-after jobs on the job market, courses as:

Basic digital skills course (IC3 – internet and basic digital skills)

Microsoft Office Productivity Skills Course (Word, Excel and PowerPoint, intermediate and advanced level)

Microsoft Technical Skills Course (Azure Fundamentals and Azure Ai Fundamentals, intermediate and advanced level).

EOS DIGITAL ACADEMY is a platform for learning, certification, and employment that supports people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic to acquire digital skills necessary to enable them to keep their current job or to apply for other jobs.

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Since 2021, EOS Romania Foundation – with the financial support of Microsoft, brings digital training programs closer to people who have lost their jobs due to the COVID pandemic19. Beneficiaries of the program will have access to:

• Initial assessment of skills and interests in order to identify the best career opportunities
• Personalized learning plans that will define the individual training needs as well as the courses that are needed to improve employment opportunities
• Training activities that will largely consist of courses offered by Microsoft and LinkedIn
• Testing and validating user training, skills, and experience through LinkedIn and Microsoft certifications
• Support in the process of identifying and applying for relevant jobs through mentoring and access to an assistance system for every job seeker.

EOS DIGITAL ACADEMY offers access to a number of resources, including the ones from Microsoft and LinkedIn portfolios. The resources provided by Microsoft and LinkedIn reach millions of people worldwide each year. These resources prepare interested people to look for and apply for new jobs. By accessing these tools, they can gain the confidence and the know-how they need to turn new digital skills into opportunities.

In addition to free access to resources, EOS DIGITAL ACADEMY offers to participants in the program a range of mentoring sessions in which the tools will be presented and explained to all those interested. Mentors in the program will ensure that by participating in the program, students will acquire skills and validate them, and they will be 100% ready for the employment process in a digital job (CV creation, LinkedIn profile, search, application, and interview preparation).

For more information, please visit the project website.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

By EOS