Training Course in Berlin-Germany, 26th -31st of August 2024.

Subject: STEM Education: Basic ICT Tools and Apps

Company provider is Europass Teacher Academy Berlin

Voigtstraße 1, 10247, Berlin

Mentor name is Francesco Molinari – he is the academic director of Europass Teacher Academy – Berlin.

The course started from 9-13.30 with two breaks for 15 minutes.

Based on the schedule, the course provided 5 days in class and 1 day for cultural activities. However, the result was, the cultural activities is divided into 2 times:

• 2 hours walking tour on Tuesday, 27th of August 2024. The tour started at 2.30 PM and finished about 4.30 PM. The destinations are Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, Holocaust Memorial, Hitler’s bunker, and Checkpoint Charlie. Almost all the participants joined this tour, only one person was absent.
• The cultural activities continue on Saturday to discover East Berlin and the Berlin Wall. The tours start from 10 AM – noon. This time 2 persons were not able to join due to their schedule to return to their country.

As this is the second chance to join the Erasmus, the preparation can make it a way better and smoother. The accommodation and the transportation was made in July 2024.

Daily Flow of Training Course:

DAY 1, Monday-26th of August 2024

The course was starting with the introduction of the school and the course, STEM is a new learning approach in the 21st century.

The reason for WHY STEM is because they connect to each other as subjects of teaching and combine things to solve problems. It refers to a bad set of acknowledgments, skill, habit and character that are critically important to succession in today’s world, particularly in colleague programs and common temporary careers and workplace. Implementing these pillars can help the student to solve the problems in their life and develop critical thinking.

• Learning Skill : critical thinking is a way to figure out a solution
• Creativity : innovation, thinking out of the box, figuring out other solutions to solve our problem in another way.
• Collaboration : working together to achieve the same goal using different objections as fundamental skills.
• Communications: the way of exchanging information and knowledge.
• Literacy Skills : Information is data, to identify from sources, and find correct data, Media nowadays it comes from the internet, books, and data basis, Technology literacy is using digital media properly
• Life Skills: Flexibility Is to adjust yourself to adapt to the situation, reach properly, to recognize where the learning process is wrong or no longer suitable, The challenge for flexibility as teachers is to adapt to the education system. Leadership: changes the environment, taking responsibility, supporting the environment. Initiative: idea, to take off new decisions. Productivity: stay focused, time management
• Integrated with different learning styles, for example : Visual Learner, Auditory learning, Kinaesthetic practical learner, Reading/writing learning.

Overviewing the Digital tools for STEM using interactive simulation PhET. PhET is a free platform for interactive simulation, Physics Education technology, Intuitive Design, and a Wide Range of Topics. The reason to use PhET is because Interactive, Visual, adaptable, and Accessible.

DAY 2, Tuesday, 27th of August 2024

Computational thinking in STEM Education: enhancing problem solving skills.

STEM Activity Worksheet: Designing an Interdisciplinary lesson using PhET Simulations. The activity is learning by choosing a title and link from PhET innovative simulation and explain the following points:

• Exploration of Simulations and Interdisciplinary Brainstorming by explaining what are the main concepts or phenomena demonstrated by this simulation.
• Listed the connection of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and interdisciplinary problems or challenges.
• Designed the chosen subject activity of STEM as an objective, description and assessment strategies.
• Describing a real word problem or challenges that can be addressed to the simulation, how does this problem require the integration of multiple STEM disciplines.
• Describing how to make students/colleagues understand the concept, What methods can be used to evaluate their problem-solving and application of STEM skills
• How to make an Integration of 21st Century Skills using the simulation to describe Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, Creativity and Innovation, Collaboration, Communication, Digital Literacy, Global Awareness and Responsibility.

Learning the basic coding using a program is Scratch for CS First: Creating a short story.

Coding is the process of writing instructions for computers using a programming language. These instructions, known as commands, direct the computer on what actions to take. This fundamental skill is essential for creating software, websites, and applications that power our digital world. Also can be a new way interactive for teaching or sharing the information for students/colleagues.

The understanding command of learning the program language and code are given by specific instructions which are the building blocks of any program. Complexity can be simple, like printing text, or complex, like sorting data or controlling hardware.

On this day, after the course finished, we went on a two (2) hours walking tour as the 1st part of cultural activities.

DAY 3, Wednesday-28th of August 2024

Introduction to Data Science and data visualization for STEM Education.

Data visualization is the graphical representation of information and data. By using visual elements like charts, graphs, and maps, data visualization tools provide an accessible way to see and understand trends, outliers, and patterns in data.

The benefit of learning this is:

• To be able to identify relationships, patterns, and trends that might be missed in raw data.
• Also, Visualizing data helps embed the information in long-term memory, making it more accessible for recall.
• Data visualization enhances the ability to remember and process information by presenting it in a visual context.
• Data visualization is also the learning process by active analytical thinking, and differentiated instruction.

Activity of the day is creating interactive dashboards for Data Visualization using a data wrapper program.

All the participants need to work together in a group to create a kind of data visualization presentation as maps or charts.Using the data sources in groups should identify relevant datasets from the suggested sources, including the United Nations, World Bank, NASA, UNESCO, OECD, IRENA, IEA, FAO, and the World Food Programme. Subject orientations are climate change impact, global education and literacy, renewable energy adoption, and global food security.

How to create and presenting data visualization:

• Open the data wrapper program and upload the database, it can be in excel or any other source.
• Create visualizations (e.g., bar charts, line graphs, maps)
• Customizing visual elements (labels, titles) to enhance clarity and impact
• Making a presentation that explains the process and potential classroom applications including the reflection on the overall process and the importance of data visualization in education.

DAY 4, Thursday, 29th of August 2024

Integrating STEM with Innovative Educational Apps using Tinkercad program.

Tinkercad is an interactive program and friendly user which can be used to create 3D shapes for beginners. The free application program helps you translate your ideas into prototypes, be it through 3D design, circuitry, or code blocks by allowing users to create intricate designs through drag-and-drop functionality. Beside the 3D models Tinkercad can also be used for electronics and coding in ways to be a global leader in design and make technology.

How to use the Tinkercad program:

• Open the Tinkercad application and start to create a 3D model from scratch or drag-and-drop the shapes or import the existing files.
• Preparing the model by checking the dimension and adding some support as necessary.
• Export the model as STL (the most common format in 3D printing and is compatible with most slicing software) and save it to the computer.
• Slicing the model using the special program for example cura, load the STL file, adjust the setting and generate G-Code ( G-code is the language that tells your 3D printer exactly how to create a model ).
• Transferring the G-Code using the USB card or cable or wifi. The safeties are using the USB card.
• Start printing. Printing the 3D model usually takes some time, depending on the model, the printer and the material used. For example, for a basic key ring with an alphabet on it, size 8 cm x 1 cm, it takes about 15 minutes.
• Post processing by carefully removing any support structures after printing patiently to avoid any damage on the model. For the finishing touches it is possible to paint and polish the object to greatly enhance the appearance and functionality of the 3D printed.

Short introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) AI in education to see the challenges and the opportunities.

The challenges of using AI in Education is availability of reliable data and the need for specialized technical expertise. The user needs to know the whole concept of the subject which they look for in an AI program.

The opportunities of AI in Education offer numerous advantages, including personalized learning experiences, increased efficiency, and enhanced student support and engagement. AI systems can also use gamification techniques to make learning more enjoyable and interactive. This can help students stay engaged and motivated throughout their learning journey.

DAY 5, Friday, 30th of August 2024

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education: practical activities and tips for using AI-based research in school education.

Chat GPT is an example of an AI product which possesses variable levels of competence across multiple languages, ranging from very advanced to basic.

Based on the variable languages in chat GPT based on the variable country of the course participants :

• English Proficiency is the most advanced language that can handle complex questions and give accurate responses.
• Second language is Italian Proficiency which is highly advanced. The ChatGPT has a deep understanding of Italian, including complex structures and cultural contexts, has a wide variety of topics, and gives strong accurate and contextually relevant responses.
• The third language is Spanish Proficiency as an advanced language. ChatGPT has a lot of knowledge of Spanish, supported by extensive data and user interactions, it effectively manages complex texts and can provide nuanced answers in Spanish.
• The fourth language is French Proficiency. ChatGPT has strong competence in French,though slightly less advanced compared to Spanish, It can handle a wide range of topics with good accuracy and detail in French.
• The fifth language is German Proficiency with Advanced understanding, solid, particularly in common and technical contexts. It is less advanced compared to Italian, Spanish, and French but still capable of handling a wide range of German topics with good accuracy.
• The sixth language is Polish Proficiency. Although there are limitations with more complex content in Polish, Chat GPT is still capable of handling the basic to intermediate questions and responses accurately in Polish.
• The seventh language is Hungarian Proficiency. It is a moderate level language and Chat GPT is handling the simple text only.
• The eighth language is Greek Proficiency. ChatGPT’s competence in Greek is at a basic level, It can understand and produce simple texts and responses in Greek but very limited.
• The ninth language is Bulgarian Proficiency. ChatGPT’s knowledge of Bulgarian is basic, straightforward texts and questions in Bulgarian are still possible handled by chat GPT.

Activity on this day is creation of an integrated STEM lesson plan, presentation and feedback.

DAY 6, Saturday, 31st of August 2024

Continue the cultural activities to discover East Berlin and the Berlin Wall. The tours start from 10 AM – noon. This time 2 persons were not able to join due to their schedule to return to their country.

The positive and negative sides of the course:

Overall the course was really good, interesting and useful.

From the first communication between both parties, the course provider and myself with guidance from our Erasmus coordinator were great.

The mentor was explaining the material in a good way, understandable and easy to remember.

The new programs/applications offered are really useful in the Education sector and applicable for teaching methods and non teaching staff as well.

There were 14 participants in this course with variable English levels. They are:

• A Physics teacher of English-Spanish High School and adult education from Seville Spain, The School’s name is IES Punta Del Verde.
• Three teacher from Greece, they are teaching in Math and Physics
• A Physics and math teacher in English-Polish secondary education from Poland
• A Math and Physics teacher from a private elementary school in Kampos Tsakistras – Cyprus
• Six teachers in math and Physics from Plovdiv Bulgaria
• And 2 persons from Avicenna

The class was really active with a lot of practice activity in groups and in person. Full of presentations.

Although the level of English of the participants is variable, half of the group is in B1 level and the rest is in B2 level, the group activities went well. The mentor spread the group so everyone is blended well into the group’s presentation activities.

The course went well as per schedule which was shared 10 days before start.

Sources applications/platform/program:

https://padlet.com/francescomolinari/stem-7x1u9vt20ko6l2zd

https://phet.colorado.edu/en/

https://www.tinkercad.com/

https://openai.com/chatgpt/

Written by: Csányi Tri Vera Indah

01. Sept. 2024