Using technology to enable collaboration and break isolation barriers

Hosted by , contributed by Kyriaki_Vakkou on 15 September 2023

Dimension:

Connection with local/regional stakeholders

Stakeholders involved:

Local authorities

Universities

Main challenge:

The main problem addressed was the isolation of children from rural primary schools (1st to 4th grade) around Tomar, Portugal, during a festival that they have in their country called Festa dos Tabuleiros (Festival of Trays). These isolated schools with limited resources and few teachers found it difficult to integrate and participate in the cultural event which was a significant part of Tomar's heritage. Each of these schools has around 20 students and 1 or 2 teachers. As a result, the students and teachers from these schools missed out on the opportunity to be part of such an important cultural event in the region.

Action and initiatives:

Isolation was the first challenge to overcome. The LfE project given the opportunity to equipped these isolated schools with laptops and active panels to overcome their isolation and improve connectivity. To address the challenge of teachers not using the new equipment effectively, training sessions were conducted to ensure they could utilize the technology to its full potential. The new equipment allowed teachers from these five isolated schools to hold online sessions with all the students, facilitating collaboration and brainstorming for their participation in the festival. Online sessions were also used to share findings and works about the history of the festival, which is very important since it is connected to the history and culture of the region. Students from the isolated schools used mobile devices and QR codes to integrate cultural knowledge about the festival. Moreover, it allowed to interact with the schools in the city and the municipality to jointly prepare the festivity, enabling the isolated schools to actively participate rather than just being observers.

Main change/improvement/impact:

The main change was that teachers from the isolated schools found a way to overcome their isolation and actively participate in the festival through the use of the new equipment and collaborative project development. This established a regular practice where teachers and students could know each other, work together and create a community across multiple isolated schools. In this case, from 5 schools, each with 1 or 2 teachers and about 20 students covering 4 grades, they can get a community of 8 teachers and one hundred students. Additionally, this practice opened up new possibilities for isolated schools to actively participate in cultural events and collaborate with other educational institutions, breaking barriers of isolation and enriching the learning experience for both teachers and students.

More information: