In my previous post I wrote about preparing for the forthcoming ECER 2019 (beginning of September in Hamburg). For a conference of educational researchers one needs to work with research papers and related presentations - that is obvious. However, later in the Autumn I will have two TACCLE project meetings for which I have had to prepare from another perspective. The two parallel TACCLE projects are working to promote digital competences of practitioners. The TACCLE-VET project focuses directly on teachers and trainers in the field of vocational education and training (VET). The TACCLE-CPD project shapes models for continuing professional development (CPD) in different educational sectors (general education, adult education, VET). I have been working only in the latter project - but as responsible for the sector of VET. Now, at this point, it is high time to share experiences between the two projects and to present some interim results for the neighbouring project.
To be sure, I have worked a lot and produced a lot. That all has contributed to the research paper, powerpoint presentation and ePoster (as a wider digital resource). BUT now it is necessary to prepare materials that support continuing professional development of practitioners - teachers and trainers - and related planning in their organisations. Indeed, I have written of challenges with digital learning culture and on different innovation paths - that all gives food for thought. But now it is not just about delivering text and presenting it in attractive packages. What is also needed, is the inspiration and encouragement to take new challenges and try something hitherto unknown. And it is this spirit that I hope that we can grasp from our predecessor projects - the earlier TACCLE projects and the Learning Layers - and their training activities. Below I want to illustrate this with two videos.
Training in TACCLE3 project - Brussels meets Dillingen
The video "Unplugged coding in Dillingen" gives an impression, how three TACCLE trainers engaged the participants during their training visit. With such an approach the working with digital tools is brought into lived practice. (Many thanks to Angela Gerrard for sharing this video! And our deepest respects to Jenny Hughes who played an important role in this event as well!)
Putting digital competences into practice after Multimedia training - the Carpenters' blog takes off
The other video demonstrates, how a full-time vocational trainer (working in a training centre of construction sector) made rapid use of his newly acquired digital competences. In a couple of weeks after the training session he had developed a remarkable resource base powered by a WordPress blog. In the Learning Layers project this was a major step forward in developing digital learning culture.
In both videos we can sense the joy of learning and of becoming owner of one's new competences. In the Learning Layers project this interim phase was crucial to push the co-design process further - to the phase in which the Learning Toolbox (LTB) became a toolset for trainers and learners.
It is this creative spirit that we want to promote with our projects. Let us see what we can achieve in the coming time.
More blogs to come ...
