Training

Aimed at enthusiastic educators who would like to create their own educational video materials, this week-long residential course organised by ATiT combines theoretical and practical elements and will raise your awareness as to the value video can bring to teaching and learning. On the summer course which takes place from 2-7 July, you will work in a small team to produce your own educational video programme and this process is interchanged with theoretical sessions and visits. The course culminates with a public showcase of the videos produced by the different teams to an invited audience.

Funding under both the Comenius and the Grundtvig programmes are available to cover the costs of this training course as part of the in-service training grant offer. Grants cover the cost of the course, travel and full accommodation.  If you are interested in the July course then apply to your national agency before 16 January. More information about the course and how to apply for funding is available from the ATiT video training course site

The second 2011 MEDEA2020 workshop entitled 'Webinar as a new Media Use Example' is taking place this week in Warsaw and is organised by MEDEA2020 partner Fundacja Obserwatorium Zarządzania.

This workshop is managed by Anna Jaruga and is being led by Piotr Maczuga and Krzysztof Zielinski. It also includes input from Nick Newman from CareersInfo, UK, Deborah Arnold, Universite Nancy 2, France and Mathy Vanbuel, ATiT, Belgium.

During the workshop, participants were introduced to how best webinars can be used to support training which included a review of best practices. Participants are then taking part in practical hands-on sessions using Adobe Connect were they are learning how to prepare and deliver successful webinars. This includes writing and reviewing scenarios, recording and trouble-shooting.

About 30 people are taking part who come from a variety of different education and training backgrounds.

Course participants from Spain, Romania, Ireland and Italy took part in ATiT's week-long training course on creating and using video to support teaching and learning held 4-9 July in Leuven. Working in groups, they produced a series of 3 minute video clips about the city of Leuven which were presented to an invited audience on Friday 8 July, including the Education Alderman, Mohamed Ridouani.  For more information about these courses visit our website.

On Tuesday 31st of May and Thursday 2 June 2011 the first 2-day MEDEA2020 workshop took place alongside the annual EdTech conference organised by the Irish Learning Technology Association (ILTA). This conference took place in Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT).

This workshop on animation took place over 2 days. The first part, aimed at beginners, provided an overview of different animation techniques and included hands-on practice with different tools. Topics covered getting started with animation as a way of engaging learners, different types of animation for example 2D, 3D. The session continued with hands on sessions with different software tools (Flash and Animate) for the creation of animation. Participants carried out the first steps in creating an animated movie, and explored in that way the principles of animation.
Winning examples of animation from the MEDEA Awards were presented by Deborah Arnold from Videoscop Universite Nancy2 (France) and invited guest Yannick Mahé from CNDP (France) who is the director of award winning educational media Evolution of LIfe. Demonstrations and presentations were followed by discussions with all participants.

The second part of the workshop, aimed at more advanced users, took place as part of the EdTech programme on 2 June. On that day, examples and explanations on the use of animation in a pedagogical context were discussed: how was it produced and what is the impact on learning. How can animation motivate and stimulate the learner and aid understanding of complex abstract concepts. Also on the second day, there was a hands on session on the creation of scenarios that continued where the first day ended based on the scenarios created during day 1 from an educational and media production perspective. The workshop showed the participants clearly the first steps in the development of a short animated movie plus discussions.

The tutors on this workshop were Deborah Arnold from Videoscop, France; Yannick Mahé, from CNDP in France, Philip Penny from IADT, Ireland and Mathy Vanbuel, ATiT, Belgium. Altogether 30 participants attended the workshop over part or whole of the two days.

The next MEDEA workshop will take place in Poland in July and will cover the topic of Webinars. More information soon on this site and on the MEDEA Awards site.

The annual assembly and conference of the European Society for the Systemic Innovation of Education (ESSIE)  took place on 27 May in Leuven and attracted about 100 researchers from different parts of Europe. Peter Sloep from the Open University, the Netherlands set the tone for the day in his inspiring keynote presentation entitled 'Networked Learning, a Paradigm Shift'. A presentation from ATiT which elaborated on the role of educational media in general and video in particular in the new digital culture described ways in which video can contribute to innovative learning practices. This was also an opportunity to promote  various initiatives where educational media is nurtured and supported including the MEDEA Awards and the Media & Learning community.

Two week-long residential courses combining theory and practice are taking place in Leuven later this year. The first takes place on 4-9 July and the second on 24-29 October. Places are still available for these courses which provide participants with the necessary basic skills to create and share their own educational video materials.

During these courses, participants work in teams to produce their own educational video programme and this process is interchanged with theoretical sessions and visits to ensure a good balance of work. The number of participants is limited to 20 and the course culminates with a public showcase of the videos produced by the different teams to an invited audience.

Find out more from this site which includes information about how you can apply for funding to take part.

The first 'Using Video to Support Lifelong Learning' course was held in the Irish College in Leuven from 14-19 February. 12 participants took part from 9 different European countries. As part of their practical work, course participants created educational video clips in small teams and presented them to an invited audience on Friday 18th Feb which included Renilde Reynders from EPOS, Belgium and Schepen Mohamed Ridouani. The next course takes place from 4-9 July, for more information, go to the video course pages.