Schiller Teachers Participate in Erasmus+ Course in Croatia

Garcio Mc Cauley & Joseph Hannon
Split, Croatia
19 April 2024

Digital tools and technology provide a myriad of approaches to innovative classroom instruction. In the sea of new apps and media, however, choosing and understanding the most effective and engaging tools can be a challenge. From April 13-19, 2024, English teachers Garcio Mc Cauley and Joseph Hannon, along with teachers from 19 other European countries, took part in an Erasmus+ teacher training course called “Using Technology in the Classroom” in beautiful Split, Croatia. Funded by the European Union, the course aims to help teachers develop new skills in digital classroom instruction.

The seven-day program introduced a range of topics, in which we gained practical experience using multimedia tools to create engaging and fun lessons. The course covered a vast array of media tools; in addition to a broad overview of the numerous digital and AI educational tools available, we also worked in-depth with specific apps and products, gathering inspiration for how these tools can be implemented and integrated into our classrooms and how students can use these tools for their creative projects as well.

Our Croatian instructors, who are also teachers themselves, provided helpful, informative, and practical approaches to various learning activities for students of all ages and school forms. Beyond merely learning the theory behind these apps in the classroom, we also tested out these tools in various locations throughout Split, for example through augmented reality quizzes with the Immersal app or a photo and video scavenger hunt with the GooseChase app.

Some of the projects we worked on in more depth include website creation using Adobe Express, video editing with Kizoa, digital book design with BookCreator, and interactive image creation using Genially. All of these projects were then then uploaded to our course’s Padlet page that all the participants could access, thereby providing further inspiration on how to better use the applications. A few of the additional tools we were briefly introduced to and want to explore more on our own in the future include Pixton for making comics, Storymaps for geographic concept mapping, PicPac, iMotion, and LifeLapse for stop motion animation, as well as Liveworksheet, Magic Animation, Wordwall, Pixaby, Giphy, Juxtapose, Piktochart, GooseChase, and more! The instructors and participants shared their own experiences using these apps and others in their schools, leading to lively discussions.

In addition to our coursework on digital tools, we also attended a presentation on the Croatian school system, tried out an innovative Danish educational game called Jump&Learn, and participated in a fun lesson on “What Makes a Good Teacher Great.” The latter provided practical examples on how to engage students, especially at the beginning or end of a tiring day. We all know how difficult the first and last lessons of the day can be, so we conducted a Brain Gym workout, using hand and finger coordination exercises to wake up our brains! A social program complete with sightseeing in the UNESCO listed Diocletian palace of Split and the nearby historic town of Trogir as well as a visit to the island of Brač rounded out the week. Networking events with the 100 participants of all the Erasmus+ courses in Split enabled us to gain insights into the challenges and innovations of many other European educational systems.

All in all, we can’t recommend this course enough, especially for teachers who may find working with technology a bit daunting. You may be familiar with or have used some of these media tools before, but we can guarantee that you – and your students – will greatly benefit from the experience.

This course was all about motivation. We learned how to motivate our students in class through the use of technology and how to motivate ourselves to get to grips with new technology and ultimately inspire everybody. If you are a teacher, sign up for this course! Learn how to further improve your lessons, and discover new ways to make them fun and engaging. We are very grateful to our colleagues who helped make our participation in this course possible. The experience was helpful and inspiring, and we can’t wait to try out all these different media tools in our classrooms!