Improving Digital Education to Apprise of the Surroundings

<< Background >>While environmental protection and digitalization are important components of the curriculum in Turkey and the improvement of English skills also play an important role, for Portugal, in addition to the promotion of these two skills, the promotion of digital skills and the promotion of innovative teaching methods were decisive for participation in this project. The latter was also a motivating factor for Italy, as was the development of social skills. The fight against climate change was particularly important for France, especially due to the associated threat to endemic animal species on Reunion Island. In addition to strengthening European values and goals, Austria also focused on the expansion of green energy as a motivation for participation. << Objectives >>The development of digital skills and the promotion and strengthening of awareness of current environmental problems among learners and teachers were the two main components in the realization of the project. Not only was content-related knowledge imparted, but also interest was awakened among the participants to further deepen this knowledge and to sustainably search for solutions and new approaches in the digital and environmental area in the school context as well as on an individual private basis and to integrate these into everyday life. In the digital field, this included, for example, the proper use of hardware and software, including working with Canva, PowerPoint and Adobe. Specialized skills include the use of drones and 3D printers. Regarding the environment, active research assignments on the threat to animal species were planned, for example. However, knowledge in developing creativity, aesthetic sense, deepening communication skills, especially speaking skills in English, as well as empathy, tolerance, team spirit, critical thinking and constructive criticism were also developed through the implementation of this project. << Implementation >>The aforementioned objectives in the implementation of the project were achieved through the following activities, among others: the creation of a digital album of the project as well as lesson plans for the production of Prezi-presentations, posters and campaigns. Wall calendars on the subject of environmental protection were also created to raise awareness of various environmental issues. Various workshops were also held at the schools, including a creative painting workshop on the subject of water pollution, image editing and video editing, with integrated interviews and support from image and sound recording sets. The project also offered a variety of cultural, ecological and educational activities outside the school premises, in order to benefit not only in terms of content, but also on a cultural level, through an encounter of the topics on site. The participants were able to get in touch, for example, by exploring the different environments in the form of joint excursions, partly with the support of digital QR code-based questions, but also non-digitally supported, by experiencing environmentally protected natural spaces.<< Results >>Turkey coordinated the topic of climate change. Presentations and videos were created and posters and slogans for a campaign on marine pollution were also produced as part of workshops focusing on animation. France also successfully carried out all activities and research tasks on endangered animal species took place as part of the project activity. Interviews were also conducted, and project videos were made. The latter primarily served to raise awareness and spread the word about the topic. To consolidate graphic design skills, a workshop was held in Italy to create campaign posters on the topic of marine plastic pollution, as well as presentations and videos on the topic of recycling. A logo competition was also organized, and the evaluation was carried out using Google Forms surveys to assess the individual mobilities for learners and teachers. In Portugal, posts were created for Facebook and storytelling activities were organized on the topic of water pollution. While workshops on web design took place in Romania and wall calendars were produced, in Austria there was the opportunity to take a closer look at video editing and to present green energy through reels.