Increasing nanotechnology awareness at European Schools

<< Background >>The rationale for applying the project was to address the educational gap in nanotechnology at the school level and to promote understanding and innovation in this key technological area. This rationale came up from the idea that nanotechnology, which is considered not only a major source of innovation in technology, medicine, and other fields, is covered by European universities and vocational training programs, but not by schools.Nanotechnology is growing and its materials are utilized in our everyday lives. However, although the word nanotechnology is familiar to many high-school students, the subject is not widely taught in European schools. According to relevant research at the University of Crete, teaching Nanoscience and Nanotechnology is worthwhile even in primary education because it provides an appropriate context for the introduction of Responsible Research & Innovation in science education.Shortly, the level of a country will be the indicator of that country’s economic power and countries that are able to control nanotechnology will control industry, too. Because of this, the need that was addressed is the need for a labor force capable of using nanotechnology and contributing to production increases every day.<< Objectives >>By implementing the NANOWARE Project, we aimed to achieve the following:- Increase awareness of nanotechnology among European secondary education science teachers, to make students aware of developments in nanotechnology and its importance for society and our economy.- Raise awareness among educators and subsequently among students about Nano science and Nanotechnology, positively influencing their future career plans regarding this subject.- Enable young people to encounter nanotechnology at school and, through this initial knowledge, create awareness about its importance for our society.- Equip secondary education teachers to integrate NST activities into the teaching of science subjects.- Promote Minecraft as a digital learning space for providing problem-based learning experiences to students, which enhance key competencies and increase knowledge and awareness of subjects that are important for their future.We aimed to achieve the above objectives aligning with the goals of the European Union.<< Implementation >>Through the NANOWARE project, we implemented the following activities:- Designed the NANOWARE curriculum based on research and classification of NST materials suitable for secondary education.- Validated the design with the involvement of teachers before finalizing the structure and modules.- Developed the modules according to the validated design.- Identified prerequisite knowledge of NST terms for easier adoption of the package by teachers.- Discussed with teachers the necessary support for integrating NST activities into the teaching environment.- Developed and tested challenges in Minecraft, incorporating feedback from teachers.- Created the NANOWARE world in Minecraft, enriched with resources and NST challenges.- Produced educational materials and a guide for teachers with their help.- Validated the results under real conditions.- Established a skills and achievements framework (awarding badges) for the informal recognition of students' NST knowledge.- Prepared the virtual space NANOWARE Foundry for teacher support and future improvements.The involvement of teachers from the beginning of the project enhanced the sustainability of the results. Alongside these activities, promotional activities were also carried out, including the creation of the website, promotional materials, social media promotion, and multiplier events in all partner countries.<< Results >>To achieve the expected outcomes, the NANOWARE project accomplished three tangible results: the NANOWARE Educational Pack, the NANOWARE Educational Challenges in Minecraft, and the NANOWARE Foundry. To support the electronic education of these outcomes, the project created two online platforms: the Learning Management Environment (LME) (https://nanoware-lme.erasmusplus.space/) and the website (https://nanoware.erasmusplus.website/). The NANOWARE Educational Pack includes the Nanoware curriculum, the glossary, the online repository, and the NANOWARE Educators Guide. The NANOWARE Educational Challenges in Minecraft is a collection of educational challenges that include resource packs, mods for the challenges, educational material, and guides for parents and teachers. Specifically, three different educational Minecraft worlds were created: Nanotechnology in the Classroom, NanoLab, and NANO-X. The NANOWARE Foundry is a virtual space integrated into the project’s website aimed at guiding the development of the Nanoware package and includes a recommendations package for using the Foundry space and tools, as well as the NANOWARE skills and achievements framework for recognizing the knowledge acquired through NANOWARE. The NANOWARE Educational Pack is available on the LME. The NANOWARE Educational Challenges in Minecraft are available on both the LME and the website, and the NANOWARE Foundry is available on the website (https://nanoware.erasmusplus.website/nanoware-foundry).These tangible results were created for secondary education teachers and students to better understand Nanotechnology with the help of new technological tools. An initial version of the results was first tested internally, leading to the development of a subsequent version that was validated under real conditions with representatives of the target group, secondary education science teachers, and students.Simultaneously, significant collateral outcomes emerged from the project's finalization. Firstly, a Facebook account was created for the project to promote it to a broader audience (https://www.facebook.com/nanowareproject), and multiplier events were held in all partner countries, disseminating the project results to target group participants and increasing interest in the educational material. Additionally, schools were informed about the online platforms and the project’s learning content, and the necessary resources and tools were provided for teaching the learning material in the classroom. Moreover, primarily through the educational Minecraft game, student accessibility to knowledge became easier and more enjoyable, and educators realized they could integrate Nanotechnology into their teaching. In conclusion, the main outcome of the NANOWARE project was raising awareness about nanotechnology among European science teachers to familiarize young people with nanotechnology and its significance, incorporating it into their career plans.All relevant files for the Project results can be found here: https://www.digicult.team/repository/