Creative use of Tablets in Schools

Course Introduction

Join us on this 5 week journey of exploration into the world of tablets in schools.

Tablets with their simple interface, portability, speed, affordability and their variety of apps are quickly moving into schools across Europe and a growing number of teachers are experimenting with tablets or are interested in doing so.

However, most of us are faced with the same questions: What rules do I need to set for the use of tablets in class? How do I deal with related administrative and technical issues? How can tablets support innovative approaches such as personalized or collaborative learning? This course does not only provide guidance on these topics but also provides a forum for you to exchange with your peers on these questions.

The course aims to inspire to use tablets to foster innovative teaching and learning. In four modules it provides a general introduction to the use of tablets in schools (Module 1) and then discusses how tablets can support new learning approaches such as content creation, collaborative learning, personalized learning and the flipped classroom model (Modules 2, 3, 4).

While the course will be in English, it will be supported by national course ambassadors who can provide support in your national language throughout the course. Please note that unfortunately there is not an ambassador for every EU country available. Take a look at their profiles further below to see if there is an ambassador for your country (click on their picture to see their profile).

The course will be followed-up with a briefing for policy makers from national Ministries of Education where your views and ideas shared on this course will be presented. The course will therefore be a great opportunity to provide feedback to policy makers on the kind of support teachers need to successfully integrate tablets in their teaching.

Successful completion of the course will be certified using digital badges and a digital certificate.

Enroll now and help us spread the news by tweeting #tabletscourse and joining our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/CreativeClassrooomsLab/

Course Timeline & Webinars

Below you will find the course timeline including all the key dates of the course.

There will be 4 live webinars during the course where teachers and experts involved in the Creative Classroom Lab project will present on a key topic linked to the course and answer your questions. More information about each webinar can be found by clicking on the relevant item in the timeline. Details on how to access the webinar is provided in the module that opens in the week of the webinar. All webinars will be recorded and made available as a Youtube video via the course. Make sure to reserve the dates and times in your diary.

The webinars are an optional activity for anyone who wishes to find out more about a topic and to ask questions directly to an expert on the topic.

You can click on the items in the timeline for further details.

UPDATE 03/05/15: PLEASE NOTE THAT THE DEADLINE FOR THE SUBMISSION OF LEARNING DIARIES HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO THE 13TH MAY 23:59H BRUSSELS TIME. DUE TO TECHNICAL REASONS THE DEADLINE ON THE DIPITY TIMELINE BELOW COULD NOT BE UPDATED. ALL OTHER DEADLINES REMAIN THE SAME.

Main Course Activity: Your Learning Diary

What is the Learning Diary?

The main activity across the whole course will be to create your own "Learning Diary" for the course. The learning diary should be a COLLECTION OF ALL ELEMENTS FROM THE COURSE RELEVANT FOR YOUR OWN CONTEXT.

The diary should include two things:

Your answers to the questions posed during the module (usually underneath the videos). These need to be in English!
Comments, ideas, resources from the course materials and shared by other course participants that you have found interesting or relevant for your own situation.

A good learning diary will display that you have reflected on the questions of the module and that you have engaged with the ideas of others on the course.

Why do I need to create a Learning Diary?

There is a lot of material on the course and there will be even more once everyone starts discussing and sharing ideas and resources. Not all of this will be relevant to your own situation so to counter getting lost, we ask you to create this learning diary. This should be a valuable resource for you should you want to revisit the topics of the course at a later stage and it is also required if you want to receive the course certificate.

In the final module of the course you will be asked to prepare a lesson plan and add this to your learning diary. You then need to submit your learning diary for peer review. The deadline for submitting your final learning diary is the 10th May [UPDATE 03/05/15: THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF LEARNING DIARIES HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO THE 13TH MAY]. As a final step you then need to provide some feedback to two learning diaries of other course participants. The deadline for this peer review is the 17th May. Only once you have completed these steps (as well as the module quizzes) do you qualify for the course certificate.

Oh and as a little bonus there is a prize scheme for the three highest ranked lesson plans submitted as part of the Learning Diary whose creators will receive a tablet sponsored by Samsung.

How do I create my Learning Diary?

You can create your Learning Diary in any way you like but make sure that it can be easily shared and is easy to understand. It is essential that the answers to the module questions on your learning diary are in English. We would strongly suggest that you use Padlet to create your Learning Diary and have provided you an example and instructions for setting up your own Padlet below. As we will be using Padlet also in other parts of the course, it will be useful to get familiar with Padlet early on.

Some rules to follow for your Learning Diary

Your first entry should briefly introduce yourself. Tell us a bit about who you are.
Your second entry should briefly introduce your teaching context. Tell us a bit about your school, classroom and what technologies you have access to.
All following entries should clearly identify which Module and which question the entry is linked to. The easiest way is to include the Module number and the question in the title of the entry (see the example below).
Make sure to include links, photos, videos, documents, etc. in your entries. These can be easily attached on Padlet.
Don't forget to add any interesting piece of content you come across on the course to your Learning Diary.

Created with Padlet

Samsung Award for Outstanding Learning Diary

Samsung is kindly supporting the course by offering an award for outstanding Learning Diaries submitted as part of the course. The winners will be determined via a crowd-sourcing activity where you vote for learning diaries that you have found particulary impressive. You will find an outline of what you have to do to participate below and the exact process will be explained in the final module.

The top 3 Learning Diaries will receive the brand-new version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Education (see below), to be released in June this year.

In order to participate in the competition you need to

submit your learning diary in final activity of the course
peer review two learning diaries of other course participants
nominate only one learning diary for the award
hope that someone else will nominate your learning diary
participate in the crowdsourcing activity that ranks all nominated diaries (you do this by comparing at least three pairs of diaries, voting for the better one, and based on everybody's votes an algorithm then identifies the ranking)

Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Education

For more information about Samsung's work in Education and their Galaxy Tab 4 Education range see below:

Samsung and Education:

Confidence, as opposed to simply access, is recognised as a greater predictor of teachers’ use and integration of technology in the classroom (European Commission’s ‘ICT in Schools Survey’, 2013). In light of this, Samsung has taken progressive steps to integrate teacher training into its Corporate Citizenship programme. Launched in 2013, this programme addresses the paradox of the digital skills gap and high level of youth unemployment in Europe. Through its two main initiatives, Digital Classrooms and Digital Academies, Samsung has been providing schools and higher education institutions across Europe with digital learning tools. In recognition of the fact the power of digital education lies not only in access to equipment, but a teacher’s individual confidence in using the technology available to them, Samsung is engaging in teacher training, both with existing and future teachers. So far, over 8500 teachers have been trained across 20 different countries in Europe.

Samsung knows however, that its expertise is in smart technologies and not education. Samsung has therefore entered into a partnership with European SchoolNet, with whom they have piloted a Professional Development Programme for teachers based around a Future Classroom Toolkit. This toolkit seeks to foster innovation in classroom practices using technology and help drive forward pedagogical change. If you are interested in learning more about what Samsung is doing in teacher training, please contact e.nicola@samsung.com.

Galaxy Tab 4 Education:

Designed exclusively for education, the Samsung Galaxy Tab® 4 Education enables students to work better, faster, smarter and discover limitless possibilities on the go. Demonstrating our commitment to engaging students in a new learning experience, the 10.1" tablet allows teachers and students to connect, communicate and collaborate while securing peace of mind for school administrators.

The Galaxy Tab 4 Education addresses the unique needs of classrooms, specifically; durability, manageability and access to digital learning resources. It integrates with Google Play for Education, which provides access to an ever-growing selection of teacher-approved content, and allows the purchase of apps and content with no credit card required. With its NFC technology, the Tab 4 Education allows administrators to set up an entire classroom of tablets in minutes, rather than hours.

Who you will be working with

Below you will find some data on your fellow course participants. As of 9th April we are a little more than 2650 participants! This means we are a group with lots of diversity in backgrounds and viewpoints which will be great for the discussions.

At the same time we need to be aware that school cultures are very different from one country to another. That means an idea which sounds like a great solution to us might be less relevant or suitable to you. It's important to keep this in mind as you go through the course and to think about how the ideas can be made relevant to your context. However, that should not stop us from sharing our ideas and experiences, because only by reflecting on how we teach and learn and by seeing how others teach and learn, can we truly develop our own practices.

It is great to see that we have a good mix of experience levels on the course and while most of us are working at secondary schools, don't hesitate to share your experiences if you are working at a primary school or even outside of school. It is important that we get a variety of perspectives on the issues we discuss.

If you haven't yet answered the survey, it takes only 5 minutes and you can access it here. You can of course also still add your marker to the course map by simply clicking the big + button on the map below (top right corner of the map).

Course Introduction Quiz

This is just a short quiz to confirm that you understand how the course is organized and what you have to do to complete the course successfully. You need to pass this quiz in order to continue on the course. However, you have unlimited attempts.

Test done

Your result in the test was: 71%

You have passed the test.

Your answers

If I have general or technical questions that are not yet answered in the FAQ section, where do I ask them?

On social media such as Twitter or Facebook

On the forum in the relevant category.

Via email

If I have a question about the course, how can I most likely and most quickly find an answer?

By sending an email to the Academy Email account

By posting in the Facebook group

By checking the FAQ section for an answer

What are the passing criteria for the quizzes?

Passing grade is 70%. You have 3 attempts.

Passing grade is 60%. You have 3 attempts.

Passing grade is 60%. You have 2 attempts.

What do I have to do to receive the course certificate?

Pass all the quizzes in Module 1-4; Prepare a lesson plan in Module 4 and add it to your Learning Diary; Submit your Learning Diary in Module 4; Peer review two Learning Diaries in Module 4

Pass all the quizzes in Module 1-4; Prepare a lesson plan in Module 4 and add it to your Learning Diary; Submit your Learning Diary in Module 4

Pass all the quizzes in Module 1-4

Participating in the live webinars is required to receive the course certificate

True, your participation is registered and forms part of your overall course record.

False, participation is optional and for those who would like to receive further insights into a module topic and ask questions to an expert.

What are the two deadlines on the course?

The first deadline is the 10th May 23:59h Brussels time. By this date I need to have completed all quizzes and submitted my Learning Diary.

The second deadline is the 17th May 23:59h Brussels time. By this date I need to have submitted the peer reviews for two Learning Diaries of other course participants.

There is only one deadline on the course, the 17th May 23:59h Brussels time. By this date I need to have completed all quizzes and submitted my Learning Diary as well as the peer reviews for two Learning Diaries of other course participants.

The first deadline is the 10th May 23:59h Brussels time. By this date I need to have submitted my Learning Diary (together with a lesson plan).

The second deadline is the 17th May 23:59h Brussels time. By this date I need to have completed all the quizzes and submitted the peer reviews for two Learning Diaries of other course participants.

What should you include in your Learning Diary?

Your answers to the main module questions as well as resources, comments, ideas, etc. that have been shared on the course and which are particularly interesting and relevant for your own teaching context. In the last module you are asked to add a lesson plan to your Learning Diary.

The scores you received on the quizzes, the reviews you will be doing of other participants' Learning Diaries and some feedback on the course.

Only the answers to the module questions as well as a lesson plan in the final module.