Online Meeting #7 March 4, 2023

This meeting was dedicated to discussion of the first testing phase of the modules FOOD and CULTURE. Teachers also talked about the functioning of the Facebook group and the need for greater engagement of the non-participating teachers already logged into the group, but only observing the proceedings.
At the end of the online meeting, there was a discussion on the next steps towards finalising the next Intellectual Outcomes. 

Online Meeting #6  December 20, 2022
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Many teachers participating in the Connected Learning Project met online on December 20th, 2022 to learn about the new tech tool that can be effectively used in the modules, namely EdPuzzle.

The training session was superbly led by Olga Grodniewicz, Business Development Associate for EdPuzzle. Olga outlined the features of the tech tool and provided examples of how to use it in the lessons for effective learning outcomes. 

The engaging tool will be used in subsequent modules.  

Online Meeting #5
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August 22, 2022

Preparatory meeting for the online training session conducted on September 7, 2022
ONLINE MEETING #4
8th of June 2022
Meeting number 4 of the teachers from “Connected learning - international and intercultural online students collaboration focused on 21st century skills” took place on Wednesday, the 8th of June, 2022.

The main focus was on:
1.     Ways of alleviating teachers’ fears and reluctance to undertake online/hybrid teaching and/or international collaboration.
2.     Revising the questions from the Analyzer and their validity.
3.     Sharing ideas on how to write an incentivizing introduction, so that the teachers are willing to answer the questions in the Analyzer.
 
At the beginning of the meeting all the teachers brainstormed catchy slogans that might be used in the Analyzer introduction to incentivize the teachers to answer the questions included in it. 

We discussed the ways of alleviating teachers’ fears and reluctance to undertake online/hybrid teaching and international collaboration. All the questions from the Analyzer were reviewed and analyzed in terms of their validity. The total number of the questions was also adjusted - some questions were merged, some removed and some added. Additional suggestions and tips were added to the remaining ones in particular segments of the Analyzer.

Once again the meeting went smoothly and the collaboration was highly productive. All the aims were achieved.
ONLINE MEETING #3
25th of May 2022
On Wednesday, the 25th of May, the team of teachers participating in the “Connected learning - international and intercultural online students collaboration focused on 21st century skills” project met for the third time.

The most important issue once again referred to the self-assessment tool for teachers who want to make better use of the potential of e-learning.

The agenda involved the following points:
1. Unifying the format of the Analyzer.
2. Working together on one exemplary part of the Analyzer to practice bringing unity to its format.
3. Unifying all questions in the Analyzer that assesses teachers’ and students’ readiness for online/hybrid learning.

The meeting started with a few PPT slides with information about our first mobility to Iceland in September. Then we moved to a discussion on the different ways the questions from the Analyzer may be organized and unified. The aim of this task was to pick one format for all questions in the Analyzer that will assess teachers’ and students’ readiness for online / hybrid learning.

This exercise allowed the participating teachers to work and adjust the remaining questions in the same unified way. It was a very active and efficient meeting which let us unify and systemize the questions as well as the answers in the Analyzer, making it more coherent and transparent. The group work as well as the break-out room sessions proved to be efficient and brought us satisfying results.
ONLINE MEETING #2
5th of May 2022
On Thursday, the 5th of May, the team of teachers participating in the “Connected learning - international and intercultural online students collaboration focused on 21st century skills” project met for the second time. The most important issue referred to a self-assessment tool for teachers who want to make better use of the potential of e-learning.

The agenda involved the following points:
  • An in-depth assessment in terms of the quality of hybrid teaching, 
  • Tips on possible improvements in the area of technical readiness,
  • Discussion of strengths to be determined in relation to online / hybrid collaboration

Through a deep analysis of questions previously prepared by offline input of the whole team, during the meeting we worked in subgroups to figure out the answers to the questions. 

The aim of the task is to design and fine-tune suitable and scalable answers to the questions in the Analyser that will assess teachers’ and students’ readiness for online/hybrid learning. 

This exercise is allowing the participating teachers to deeply think about the essential elements of the “kitchen work” behind designing successful online and hybrid lessons, modules or units – areas such as accessibility to hardware and software, as well as attitudes and mindsets of the students and the teachers that will be learning collaboratively across schools, cities, or countries.

It was a very active and efficient meeting which let us share our ideas, and thanks to group work, we have also become more familiar with each other. 
Overall, the first two meetings of the project team brought many benefits, both expected and unexpected, as a result of the online meetings. We look forward to further collaboration and creatively designing the Analyzer tool.
ONLINE MEETING #1 ​
26th of  Apríl 2022
On Wednesday, 26th of April, the whole team of teachers participating in the “Connected learning - international and intercultural online students collaboration focused on 21st century skills” project met for the first time to discuss our aims and to give short presentations on the background of our partner schools in Katowice and Kielce. Also, our commonly agreed norms of participation were established and we’re all excited to collaborate with each other, gaining knowledge and understanding, honing a variety of educational skills, and also having fun together!

After the introductory section of the meeting, the team was divided into the four task groups to brainstorm the main aspects needed to formulate an online Analyser – a tool that will allow teachers to assess their readiness for a change in their way of teaching, whether it’s online or hybrid. 

Our discussions focused on the following issues:
  • Technical readiness
  • Classroom management
  • Teacher’s technical and personal skills
  • Students’ responsibility for learning.

A few conclusions were reached before the session time ran out, and offline tasks were distributed to complete the preliminary input for further discussion at Meeting #2.

The exchange of experiences of teachers from different countries, representing various educational institutions, is undoubtedly an interesting experience, with MTR being a pioneer of hybrid education and innovative school structure. 

An important element of the project is also the exchange of good practices and creation of intellectual outcomes that will serve educators for many years. The changes experienced by the students, teachers and parents when learning moved to online or hybrid modes have forever altered the status quo of so-called “traditional teaching” and raised everyone’s awareness of what could be. 

We are excited to learn from the experts on online and hybrid learning from our partner school Menntaskólinn á Tröllaskaga in Iceland.