TICC

The Project - TICC 2018-1-PL01-KA201-050763

The role of the teacher, has begun to change, in line with unstoppable progress in new information and communication technologies. In the 21st century classroom, teachers become facilitators; their role is to get students´ attenntion and help them understand the material and the best way to do this is to engage them in the process of learning as much as possible. One way of doing this is to use didactic materials that include elements of interactivity. Interactive content comes in many forms such as presentation, video materials, simple game, tests or even text documents. It is any digital file that allows for interaction with the content. It si widely accepted that individual approach is the key to success, hence teachers also needd to create of their own didactic materials. TICC project is based on these two crucial assumptions and the project was created to elaborate a new teaching approach that puts the focus on teachers as developers and facilitators.

By implementing the TICC project, the partnetship aims to equip teachers with digital skills enabling them to create their own interactive contents by providing them with an innovative space. This space will serve as a point of reference; a repository of modern and stimulating resources and a place for exchange of both ideas and ready-made educational ineractive content. Our objectives are also to prmote the concept of IC in teaching languages among relevant stakeholders and to test est ways of implementing them in teaching.

The Target Group

The project's target group are language teachers and trainers, but it will also involve, at various stages of implementation, their students, students' parents, and other relevant stakeholders including educators, language methodology experts, teacher training providers and associations, and policy makers. In order to develop high quality results and adequately evaluate the approaches and promote the conept, the partnership is made up of public schools (primary and secondary), a language school, a school inspectorate, a training provider that specializes in digital media and an IT company experienced in e-learning solutions.

The main aim and other objectives will be achieved through the development of the following outputs:

Intellectual Outcome 1 - IC Teachers' Resource Set:  a guidebook and a collection of didactic materials, including an introduction to interactive content and a manual on the preparation process. Additionally, it will include a database of free software for creating IC, video tutorials presenting step-by-step processes, and methodological tips. This output focuses on collecting and streaming the most modern digital solutions for teaching.

Intellectual Outcome 2 - TICC Space: a repository of interactive language materials. This will be a complex tool for teachers that incorporates three components: Compendium, Content Box and ICC Community. It supports the needs of all willing teachers to start creating IC.

Intellectual Outcome 3 - Interactive Content in Education - Best Practices Study: an indicator both for teachers and relevant stakeholders showcasing the new trends in created indiviualized didactic materials with elements on IC and an evaluation of the effectiveness of this approach.

In sum, the TICC project will create a fresh outlook on the role of teachers and the use of digital materials. It will show them how they can enrich their professional workshops and make them more adjusted to the needs of their students - digital natives.

Joint Staff Training Week in Faro

From September 16th to 20th, we visited our partners in Faro, Portugal for a weeklong training on creating digital teaching resources. This training invited teachers from each partner´s organization to come together and gain knowledge on implementing digital resources in our classrooms. Our partner from Faro, ETIC - a school for technology and digital innovation, led the training with workshops each day. We learned how to make original content using Socrative, Kahoot, Quizziz and Prezi. The workshops continued with practical exercises and presentations on using social media in our classes. On Thursday, we had a workshop on video creation and YouTube. We wrapped the week up with a feedback and conclusions session, which are used as testimonials for the newsletter. Of course there was also time for cultural events to take in the beauty and sun in Faro. Our week in Faro was very informative and productive and we´re ready to bring our new knowledge back to our schools. The next step is creating original content to enhance the Teacher Resource Kit for TICC´s intellectual outputs.