Tag Archives: EUN

Games in Schools MOOC starting soon (@eu_schoolnet)⤴

from @ OllieBray.com

 

I am delighted to announce the 3rd round of the EUN Games in Schools Course with new content, activities, webinars and subtitles in French, Italian, Greek and Romanian will be starting on the 18th April 2016. The course takes into account some of the more recent developments in the area of games-based learning including virtual and augmented reality, a bigger focus on mobile games for smartphones and tablets, as well as the newest games and hardware available on the market.

The course will examine the opportunities but also challenges offered by integrating games into our teaching and learning and will provide practical examples of gaming tools and activities to use in your daily teaching practice. We will be learning through a mix of video, interactive activities and discussions as well as sharing of resources.

The first question we will explore is, why use computer games in schools? We will then look at a range of games which do not necessarily have an educational purpose but can be used nicely for thematic learning on topics such as gravity, planets, construction, and many others. However, we will also explore games that have an explicit pedagogical focus and are designed to help students learn anything from Maths to Languages. Game mechanisms can be powerful motivators to succeed at a task, so we also ask the question, what can we learn from games for our teaching. And rather than just have students using games we will introduce a range of tools that you can use to get your students to design games, learning important skills such as coding, design, and creativity along the way. Finally, we address why it is important to teach about games, highlighting issues such as privacy, safety but also the cultural impact of games.

The course is being run jointly by European Schoolnet and ISFE (The Interactive Software Federation of Europe) and is entirely free. It is open to anyone who is interested in the topic but is primarily aimed at practising teachers.

Join us already in the Games in Schools Facebook Group or share your ideas about the topic using #gamescourse

Games in Schools MOOC starting soon (@eu_schoolnet)⤴

from @ OllieBray.com

 

I am delighted to announce the 3rd round of the EUN Games in Schools Course with new content, activities, webinars and subtitles in French, Italian, Greek and Romanian will be starting on the 18th April 2016. The course takes into account some of the more recent developments in the area of games-based learning including virtual and augmented reality, a bigger focus on mobile games for smartphones and tablets, as well as the newest games and hardware available on the market.

The course will examine the opportunities but also challenges offered by integrating games into our teaching and learning and will provide practical examples of gaming tools and activities to use in your daily teaching practice. We will be learning through a mix of video, interactive activities and discussions as well as sharing of resources.

The first question we will explore is, why use computer games in schools? We will then look at a range of games which do not necessarily have an educational purpose but can be used nicely for thematic learning on topics such as gravity, planets, construction, and many others. However, we will also explore games that have an explicit pedagogical focus and are designed to help students learn anything from Maths to Languages. Game mechanisms can be powerful motivators to succeed at a task, so we also ask the question, what can we learn from games for our teaching. And rather than just have students using games we will introduce a range of tools that you can use to get your students to design games, learning important skills such as coding, design, and creativity along the way. Finally, we address why it is important to teach about games, highlighting issues such as privacy, safety but also the cultural impact of games.

The course is being run jointly by European Schoolnet and ISFE (The Interactive Software Federation of Europe) and is entirely free. It is open to anyone who is interested in the topic but is primarily aimed at practising teachers.

Join us already in the Games in Schools Facebook Group or share your ideas about the topic using #gamescourse

Developing Digital Skills in our Classrooms MOOC starting on the 14th September [#eSkillscourse]⤴

from @ OllieBray.com

Cropped-header-graphic

Join me on this exciting European Schoolnet Academy Course covering the hugely important topic of developing digital skills in our classrooms. Digital skills are already an essential requirement for young people to succeed in an increasingly digitized society. Not only are these skills demanded for an increasing number of jobs, they also are a requirement and a right of citizens, if they are to be functional in today’s society. 

EUN Academy BadgeSchools and teachers need support to work with their students to develop a wide range of digital skills that ensure young people leaving school have the skills required by the labour market and by an increasingly digitized society. 

The course aims to guide teachers in how to develop a range of digital skills and to introduce them to the tools and resources that are available to them. At the end of the course, teachers should be able to design lessons that focus on a range of digital skills, make use of innovative tools to assist their own and the students’ work in this area. 

 

The course is organized around thematic areas of digital skills that are relevant at all levels of primary and secondary schooling. In 6 modules it explores the definition and role of digital skills generally and then looks at specific skill areas and how to address them in the classroom. The focus of these modules is on how pedagogically the skill area can be addressed and what tools there are available to help the teachers and students.

At the end of the course participants are required to prepare a final lesson project which can be submitted as part of the eSkills for Jobs Awards competition. The course is part of the eSkills 4 Jobs campaign by the European Commission where you can also find additional resources about the topic.

Enroll now and help us spread the news by tweeting #eSkillscourse and joining our Facebook group here.

The course starts on 14th September and runs for 7 weeks.

ENABLE Project (European Network Against Bullying in Learning Environments) #EnableEU⤴

from @ OllieBray.com

ENABLE LOGO

Through my work with the-learning-crowd I’m involved with ENABLE, an EU Funded project that aims to develop social and emotional learning skills as a means of building resilience in young people so that they can better understand and become more responsible and effective for their online and offline social interactions.

ENABLE stands for European Network Against Bullying in Learning Environments.

In the beginning of July, the project consortium launched the ENABLE Hackathon to encourage young people to work in teams with a mentor to reflect on bullying (what it is, the consequences, how it can be stopped, positive actions against bullying, etc.) in an environment geared to improving their online skills whilst celebrating their problem solving skills and creativity. You can read more about the Hackathon here.

As well as the Hackathon one of the most exciting aspects of the project will be the development of educational resources based around SEAL (Social & Emotional Aspects of Learning) as well as considering how they can be integrated into curriculum across Europe curriculum. Part of this resource development will include a comprehensive teacher support back and advice on national implementation.

Dr Jenny Thomas and I are acting as advisers to the project and also have a role in external evaluation. 

For more information on the ENABLE project visit the website

The Project partners are listed below (we have assembled quite a bunch!) -

European Schoolnet The Diana Award Partners in Learning (Croatia) Cyberhus (Denmark)
For Adolescent Health (Greece) Vodafone Facebook Liberty Global
Twitter ask-fm  SWGfL

Games in Schools MOOC [for @eu_schoolnet Academy]⤴

from @ OllieBray.com

Games in Schools Logo

I've had a long established relationship with European Schoolnet and ISFE (The Interactive Software Federation of Europe). A couple of years ago we ran a Games in Schools Course for about 100 teachers across Europe. On the 27th October 2014 we are starting a new course that has been adapted into a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) for The European Schoolnet Academy.

It is is entirely free and is open to anyone who is interested in the topic but is primarily aimed at practising teachers. We have over 1000 teachers already signed up to the course so it is shaping up to be quite a journey!

Details below (and here) - hope to see some people in the discussion forums. 

 

“Computer games are the most powerful learning tool of our age.”

[Professor Henry James, MIT]

Join us in this exciting MOOC for teachers exploring the potential of games-based learning in schools. The course will examine the opportunities but also challenges offered by integrating games into our teaching and learning and will provide practical examples of gaming tools and activities to use in your daily teaching practice. We will be learning through a mix of video, interactive activities and discussions as well as sharing of resources.

The first question we will explore is, why use computer games in schools? We will then look at a range of games which do not necessarily have an educational purpose but can be used nicely for thematic learning on topics such as gravity, planets, construction, and many others. However, we will also explore games that have an explicit pedagogical focus and are designed to help students learn anything from Maths to Languages. Game mechanisms can be powerful motivators to succeed at a task, so we also ask the question, what can we learn from games for our teaching. And rather than just have students using games we will introduce a range of tools that you can use to get your students to design games, learning important skills such as coding, design, and creativity along the way. Finally, we address why it is important to teach about games, highlighting issues such as privacy, safety but also the cultural impact of games.

The course is presented by Ollie Bray, a former teacher and current school principle who has received numerous awards for his work in the field of technology enhanced learning. For more information about Ollie, click on his picture on the right.

The course is being run jointly by European Schoolnet and ISFE (The Interactive Software Federation of Europe) and is entirely free. It is open to anyone who is interested in the topic but is primarily aimed at practising teachers.

Join us already in the Games in Schools Facebook Group or share your ideas about the topic using#gamescourse