Mojca Pozvek, Osnovna šola Koseze, Ljubljana

Webby’s classroom for flipped learning (Slovene: Spletkova učilnica za obrnjeno učenje) is an e-classroom which provides flipped learning for younger students (the third, fourth and fifth classes of primary school). The classroom is designed for this particular age group. It does not contain only appealing artistic equipment but more importantly it ensures the appropriate font size on the didactic materials in the e-classroom. Before every topic and task, there are very clear and unambiguous instructions for the activation of presentation. The instructions are prepared especially for students who are not very skillful in terms of computers. Young students should visit the e-classroom for this type of learning at the weekends when they are free from additional extra-curricular activities and can completely devote to independent learning of a new school topic by the means of ICT.The adequacy of topics and tasks is reflected in a successful feedback given to the teacher. Such way of learning gives education in the lower-level classes of primary school a new dimension: school topics are refreshed and enriched with additional information. There is another important side of such way of learning – students start to take responsibility for their work at an early age.

Rafaela Kožlakar, Stanislava Polajžer, Maja Vičič Krabonja, Gimnazija in srednja šola Rudolfa Maistra Kamnik, Breda Gruden, Bernarda Trstenjak, Miška d.o.o., Viljenka Šavli, Srednja ekonomska šola Maribor

“Flipped” learning in its own way combines distance and live learning. Students come in touch with learning materials first at a distance: they process the learning content by watching the video lectures and other materials, prepared by the teacher. When the teacher and students meet together in the classroom, interaction in the form of practical work, mutual creation, consolidating materials, problem solving etc. on the topic takes place. Best practice learning has been demonstrated in collaborative work, which supports project, investigative mode of work and is based on authentic cases. In this process mutual exchange of experience and information between students is emphasized, while the teacher takes an active role of a mentor. The advantage of learning in this way is that it meets students’ needs for personalised way of working at a distance, not bound to time or place of learning. These facts have been confirmed in practice, too. Students have pointed out that it is an advantage to have their teacher available when they are solving problems or when they have questions regarding learning materials or working procedures.With this method of learning students develop 21^st century competencies and, in particular, responsibility and attitude to learning, which is a foundation for their lifelong learning.The “flipped” learning and teaching has already been tested in several schools. It is quite a challenge for teachers to prepare such lessons, indeed, but pupils and students have been especially satisfied with such an active way of working.

Janja Rakovec, Višja strokovna šola, Šolski center Kranj

In a vocational college program, part-time students are directed to experiential learning on their own through cooperation with various organizations. This year we started to use the social network Twitter to follow their work, exchange their experiences and opinions and their comparisons between theory and practice. We have created a joint account, through which students tweet on professional topics related to the study program, post their experiences and present a variety of projects. Each of the students takes over the account for the selected period of time and tweets under our common name, whilst others follow them.

We’ve chosen Twitter because of its simplicity of use and the short, limited message structure, thus promoting concise communication among students which requires reflection and creativity. Well thought-out tweets that are on topic, and know how to reach others, are rewarded by the followers in the form of comments, discussion development, shares and likes. This way, the students get immediate feedback on what they’ve written and what kind of experiences or opinions their classmates have about it. The professor also participates to ensure that the discussion stays focused on the program-related topics. This type of learning is motivational, it allows students to actively participate in choosing the course content and the methods of giving and receiving information, while encouraging peer-to-peer learning and collaboration.

Simona Zobec, IV. osnovna šola Celje, Ivanka Federnsberg-Turinek, IV. osnovna šola Celje

The project work “The Tree in Three Seasons” used to be conducted during natural science classes by collecting observation notes and putting them into folders. However, in the school year 2013/2014 the notes and feedback records are made electronically in the EUfolio project. In the e-portfolio learning platform, students note, draw and store photos they make during their observation of the selected tree throughout three seasons (autumn, winter and spring). They enrich their knowledge of natural sciences using IT and also form critical friendships with their classmates and teachers. In this way, students can follow their work, but also have the possiblitiy for a quick feedback, self-evaluation and self-regulation. First, students were given general written instructions on how to observe their selected tree throughout the seasons. Then, they were shown how to work with the e-portfolio, which some students liked and others did not. The students who adopted the form of work easily and were excited about it helped other students, thereby becoming the project’s co-creators and collaborators.

Students’ participation in the project acquainted them with experiential and cross-curricular learning, team work, critical friendship, formative assessment and self-evaluation. The learning goals of each student are to get acquainted with the characteristics of their selected tree, to understand the changes in different seasons and to observe, analyse and evaluate the changes that have occurred. Their awareness helps them recognize the principles of events happening in the nature. The selection of the tree was followed by making the tree’s identity card, weekly observation of changes, continual note taking, drawing, photographing, entering data into the e-portfolio and evaluating one’s own work.

Janez Černilec, Srednja ekonomska, storitvena in gradbena šola, Šolski center Kranj

In this article, we will focus on making a website for practice firm with Google website. In Slovenia, we have practice firmes for over a decade now. After reviewing the register of Slovenian practice firms, we can find out that only 18 % of Slovenian practice firms have their own websites and some of them don’t work.We can make a good website with the Google websites. Website can have a suitable content and design regarding to our needs. When we create a website, we use buttons, which we have on the Google sites. We can repair or add the html code, if, for example, we want to set up the table in the middle of the site etc. We can also insert maps about our location, Google documents, forms etc. On the Google website we can make and save our own template or we choose the available template on Google.If we want that students make good websites for practice firms, we need a proper didactic approach. If teacher prepares video guides which show the students how they have to make the website on the Google website, they can make website independetly. In this case teacher only helps students when they need a suggest.

Jožica Tratar, Osnovna šola Šalovci, Breda Kerčmar, Osnovna šola Šalovci, Slavica Balek Haddaoui, Osnovna šola Šalovci, Sandra Vereš, Osnovna šola Šalovci

This paper presents the use of e-portfolio with pupils in the process of learning within a cross-curriculum connection of Geography, Slovene, Physics, Citizenship and patriotic education and ethics, on a chosen topic. By using ICT technology, pupils plan their learning process in a personal electronic learning environment. Pupils create their learning plan in the Mahara learning environment following the steps of formative assessment. They fill in tab page Moje učenje (My learning) where they identify their prior knowledge, set learning goals and incorporate them into a cross-curriculum, find strategies to achieve the goals, collect evidence, evaluate their work, give feedback to peers. Searching the web, they find appropriate data and design a travel brochure using text editing knowledge.

The advantages of learning by using Mahara and ICT technology are assistance in planning and monitoring pupil’s own learning path and progress. Findings and  artefacts are collected and uploaded in a personal learning environment and shared with other peers and teachers, making it possible for learners and teachers to access, use and evaluate the collected material. Such learning can take place during the lessons, after them, at school or at home.

Katarina Bizjak Slanič, Osnovna šola Janka Glazerja Ruše

Portfolio is a tool, which has the potential to enhance teaching and learning in a positive way. E-portfolio, an electronic collection, usually assembled and managed by a user on the internet, has in comparison to paper portfolio advantages and disadvantages.

Mahara is a new internet environment for e-portfolio, supported by National Education Institute of the Republic of Slovenia in the project EUfolio. One of the goals of the project is to plan and implement e-portfolio in the function of assessment and support of learning in the classroom.

In the first part of the paper we complementary use the qualitative and quantitative research methods to determine the effectiveness of teaching with EUfolio. User experience is presented from three perspectives. From the perspective of teachers, pupils and other school staff of Janka Glazerja Ruše primary school included in the EUfolio project. Today the technology in schools is no longer a question therefore we only ask ourselves which technology we are going to use. In the second part of the paper we investigate the efficiency of Mahara in comparison to other tools we use (Moodle, Microsoft Office etc.).

The results indicate that the user experience of various stakeholders of the project is different. Students do not differentiate between the different tools as much as the teachers. Among all the components there is an indication that the skill of teachers to use the tools seems to be the most important for positive user experience.

Magda Doberšek, Osnovna šola Dobje, Nataša Robič, Osnovna šola Dobje, Tina Zendzianowsky Čavš, Osnovna šola Dobje

One of our school’s priorities is encouraging the development of pupils’ creativity in all fields of work. Creativity is also the skill that we chose when we joined the project EUfolio. This skill is systematically developed in English, Slovene and folk dance lessons with a help of a web space called Mahara. Teachers thought at first that the image of this  tool isn’t attractive enough for the primary school students. But we were wrong. They are much faster on managing Mahara than we. Pupils accepted the web space Mahara with enthusiasm, because the part, where they can create their own profile, is similar to that on Facebook.

They wrote about themselves in English and, after checking the text by one of their school friends, they made a movie by using Movie Maker programme. In the world of Slovenian poetry, the students presented their creativity through creative writing or recreating. Folk dance served them as the basis to create their own choreographies and we also have videos of their work.

According to the success criteria pupils have followed their own development through e-Portfolio. They have become more responsible for their learning, and most importantly, they were very proud of their creations.

Boštjan Papež, Osnovna šola Bršljin

Collaborative and group learning is usually described as the work on the common product. In the primary school it is usually poster, joint presentations, joint problem solving or making learning material. In its physical form products of such work are stored in one location. Thus, they are not always available for students. Therefore, the usability of such products for learning, after they are made, is limited. For the task of making them, students have to be in the same room and have access to the same material, which is often limited. Therefore, it may take a long time to make them.By using tablet computers and some applications, we can get around these shortcomings. By using cloud services, material for the students can be prepared in advance: you can include links to online resources, images, audio and video material, using the camera on the tablet; you can add chapters or articles from books and magazines. Students are thus more guided in their research and material is equally accessible to all. For collaborative work we can use tablet applications or web-based tools that allow you to edit the same document in real time. Students can edit the product regardless of their location and time. The teacher has unlimited access to the work of students: he can monitor, direct and encourage it.

Anita Smole, Sonja Strgar, Osnovna šola Vide Pregarc

The aim of this article was to set up a virtual classroom for storing different documents created and often used during teacher’s work. For this purpose we created an e-portfolio Mahara which can be accessed via www.sio.si. E-portfolio contains several menus: performance evaluation (collection of evaluation sheets to evaluate public employee’s performance in observed period), annual interview preparation (files linked to annual interview with school’s management), and teacher’s work (past, current, and planned). The virtual classroom is shared by two teachers. Each of them accesses the virtual classroom with an individual user account and has administrator rights assigned by an individual group. Such cooperation enables us to share files, evaluate and plan teacher’s work, exchange ideas, and consequently build a social network. We plan to increase the extent of e-portfolio by adding new menus, while the teacher’s work field will be divided into several sub-menus since a comprehensive collection of documents has already been created within this field. By doing that we’ll improve the transparency and usability of this virtual classroom.