Mateja Pintar, Osnovna šola Dobje

Modern school strives for cooperation and participation of every individual pupil, encourages initiativity, creativity, activity, evaluation and reflexion. Formative assessment of knowledge, flexible lessons, rich store of information and constant qualitative feedback are the components of the open/modern school. In this article I present the beginnings of an open learning space initiation in the 3^rd grade. Mobile technology enabled the pupils for learning wherever, whenever, by whomever and by using different mobile devices. Pupils accepted diversity, because learning opportunity was given also to them. They were able to use a flexible, open and good ICT equipped classroom. The lessons were focused on individual’s development. Pupils were actively involved in the learning planning (what and how to learn, which tools and sources to use). Free researching was enabled to them; they developed reading literacy, observed the nature and accepted different feedbacks. They obtained the knowledge from life for the life. Pupils were able to motivate themselves for learning activities and they had the main role in learning process. They could find information and use mobile technology. I followed their learning as their teacher and adjusted it to the teaching claims. In this way pupils developed their creativity, independence and motivation for their work.

Iris Kravanja Šorli in Tatjana Božič Geč, Osnovna šola Martina Krpana Ljubljana

Lately, educational and social environment more often depends on the Internet. Pupils and teachers more often use Internet and they are becoming part of on-line social networks. School environment is spreading in virtual world in which pupils’ life is off limits for teachers.

School is a space where pupils get a lot of information and conquer knowledge in different fields. It is only correct for school to give them knowledge about safe use of Internet as well. Learning process can involve technical educations for pupils, teachers and parents and even more importantly increased sensibility of teachers and other school personnel. Abuse that is caused by other pupils must be as whole considered by school professional workers. Solving the originated problem must involve groups of pupils, class teachers, school consultative service, parents and sometimes whole classes.

In school, we came across a few Facebook abuses. Pupils were making fun of individuals. That is when we decided to make a wider survey about safe use of Facebook among pupils and teachers. The information we got was important part of preparing the strategies to address pupils to the safe use of Internet and mostly on-line social networks. Pupils suggested to create “class Facebook page” mentored by teachers. These are all different ways to the same objective, how to be safe on the Internet.

Romana Kolar, Katja Kastelic, Veronika Ciglar, Zavod za gluhe in naglušne Ljubljana, Srednja šola

Sign language is the first language of the majority of deaf people. Therefore the lessons at the Centre for the deaf and hard-of-hearing Ljubljana are conducted in the Slovenian Sign Language (SSL), either by the teachers who are fluent in the SSL or with the support of sign language interpreters.

The weakness of sign languages is that they cannot be easily notated on paper. Homework, written practice, tests and assignments usually require written records in the Slovene language. In our ICT courses/modules, we started a new project in which we exploit the strengths of new technologies and enable deaf and hard-of-hearing users of Sign Language to submit their assignments recorded in Sign Language. Following last year’s introduction of the Sign Language Glossary of computer terms in SSL we have made a step forward towards a common goal, to enable deaf people to communicate in their sign language wherever possible. In their on-line classroom, the students can find their homework instructions recorded in the SSL, and then using a camera on any mobile device, or through a web camera on their computer record their answers or assignments and submit them in the on-line classroom. The students have been interested in the novelty which has already resulted in a higher quality of their assignments. This method has also been used by other students who have difficulties in the area of writing skills. In the future, we want to be able to assess knowledge by video recordings in the Slovenian Sign Language instead of written tests.

Matija Lokar, Fakulteta za matematiko in fiziko, Univerza v Ljubljani

Electronic versions of textbooks (e-textbooks) are a hot topic in educational community. A good e-textbook should be quite different from the printed textbook. It should provide much more besides the obvious additions and improvements like interactivity, usage of multimedia, and easy navigation.

As the need for individual approach towards each student is becoming more and more emphasized, one of the crucial changes requires that e-textbook should allow customization and personalization which should be achieved on different levels: on a technical level (adaptation to different output devices, tools used in examples etc.) or (more important) on teh level of adaptation of the content. This customization will be one of the most important parts of the teacher’s work in the future. It is the teacher who is making the e-textbook suitable for the particular pedagogical situation. Therefore e-textbooks should be designed to be adaptable to the pedagogical situation and to the user, be it a learner and a teacher.

Hence e-textbooks should be quite different from the printed editions. In the talk we will show some concrete examples where some of the proposed ideas are already implemented and also a description of more concrete ways how should the others look like.

Maruša Bogataj, Katja Knific, Eva Traven, Branka Vodopivec, Osnovna šola Predoslje Kranj

In this school year our eight class students plan their work, value their knowledge and progress in an innovative learning environment  Mahara.  We are gathered together with 13 teams from 7 European countries in a collaborative research and implementation process, an international project EU-folio.

The main intention of using the innovative learning environment is initiating modern approaches into learning and teaching process, assessment and evaluation of students, emphasizing the 21^st century skills. The main skill developing through the project EU–folio is self–regulation, an active process, where a student takes control of his own learning aims, planning, monitoring, evaluates his own learning, behavior and progress. There is a special stress on the skill of a critical thinking and giving an argument.

Our conference contribution is going to show the planning of students’ learnings in their own personal environment, how do they set up their knowledge and add some more information and new topics, how do they create their own learning aims and strategies to achieve them. They are monitoring their learning progress through the whole learning process and developing. There is a stress on a cross-curricular approach to learning. Students are recording their progress in their personal learning environmnet. The most important is the process of learning and not only the result or the product of learning. We can already see the progress in students’ thinking and awarness of their own responsibility for learning and their knowledge after a few months of working in this innovative learning environment. Mahara stimulates the collaboration between the teenagers and it stimulates critical friendships. Now it is not only the feedback of a teacher important to make a progress.

Dejan Čegovnik, MOJ TV d.o.o., Bernarda Hvala, Vrtec Ledina, Ljubljana

The contribution will show you possible ways to use video cameras and video playing and working in early childhood education. Children’s camera will be presented as a toy and a tool. Recordings that kids see, show them what they really are and how they are perceived by others. His performance presents an objective evaluator.

mag. Damjana Krivec Čarman, Škofijska gimnazija Antona Martina Slomška

The article presents the students’ and teacher’s activities for a countinuing development of the learning to learn competence in History lessons. The activites are aimed at the first year students of Grammars school and are based on developing reading strategies, graphic organizers and learning through drawing with the use of ICT technology.

Frančiška Hvalc, Osnovna šola Dobje

I present the use of tablet computers at Art and Design and Technology lessons. At the beginning of the use of tablet computers I asked myself how their use can enrich the lessons, what is the contribution to the quality of the lessons, is the knowledge of higher quality or at least the same, and about the impact of ICT on student’s motivation. Pupils used the tablet computer in various stages of the educational process: motivation, checking back, assimilation, revision, testing and evaluation. I will present two ways of use.In the lessons of Design and Technology (an expert and a parent group), pupils have completed topics about wood materials with the method of cooperative learning. Tablet computers helped them access to the school’s online classroom where they found instructions for work, worksheet, links to learning content and online classroom with e-materials for Design and Technology. At the end of cooperative learning the pupils checked acquired knowledge with a quiz about wood in the online classroom.

In Art lesson pupils assimilated a new topic Colour shades using a tablet computer (Painter). After that pupils set goals to solve artistic problems in e-portfolio, wrote down what pre-knowledge they have, strategies and after work they photographed the product and evaluated it. I found out that the pupils’ activity increased and prolonged in time, the quality of knowledge was the same, some pupils acquired even more knowledge, and the cooperation among pupils has increased.

Nela Bejat Krajnc, Bor Černec, Osnovna šola Pod goro Slovenske Konjice

The concept of work with gifted pupils suggests a different way of teaching and additional activities for pupils in order to develop their strong areas, taking into account the individuality and personal interests. This paper shows an example of the use of electronic classroom as a space for the development of digital competences of the learner. We have combined both learner’s interests in a foreign language and the use of ICT. The pupil had a teacher’s role in the classroom and he searched for e-materials, under the mentorship of a teacher. These were in connection to the current lessons and had a function to facilitate understanding of the content, revision, consolidation, and motivation. The learner added web links to additional materials, inserted video clips and prepared activities for other pupils to enable developing language skills. Thus, he has deepened his own awareness and knowledge of grammatical rules, chose relevant vocabulary and activities with the help and coordination of his teacher – mentor. The learner has broadened his knowledge of foreign language, while developing learning strategies with ICT, self-regulated his own learning and developed independence and responsibility. At the same time the teacher’s role has changed and shifted from traditional teaching style to becoming a mentor, who encourages the learner’s online research and learning, taking into account his individuality, specific needs and talents.

Simona Pustavrh, Šolski center Novo mesto, Srednja elektro šola in tehniška gimnazija

Within the Introduction and Implementation of E-Learning Contents and Services Project, teachers and the second year students of technical gymnasium (Secondary School of Electrical Engineering and Technical Gymnasium) received tablets which have appeared to be a very useful Math teaching tool. After successfully overcoming initial technological difficulties, students are now more or less regularly using tablets in Math classes. The article will introduce the influence of a new teaching tool on teaching and learning methods. The students have namely been participating in the educational process more actively because of the collaborative and experiential (inquiry-based) learning. However, the teacher continues to have an important role in class, but mostly as a mentor. Tablets proved to be most useful in experiential inquiry-based learning of mathematical functions with GeoGebra application. The article will introduce difficulties which were successfully solved, and some difficulties which haven’t been solved yet. Both, the teacher and students believe that using the new eaching tool in a class has resulted in more in-depth understanding of functions and lasting knowledge.