Last September, Let Her In organised an international event in Reus, Spain, at Espai Boule, an open education centre. The meeting brought together representatives from 21 organisations from 13 countries, including Spain, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Cyprus, Portugal, Croatia, Romania and Lithuania. The event was another important step in the journey of Let Her In, an international network of organisations working for equal and full participation of all people in society, regardless of their gender, origin or abilities.

Let Her In is driven by a vision of a world where diversity is valued and gender equality is the norm in all aspects of life. Their commitment spans various fields including education, employment, politics, social life, civic participation and human rights. With unwavering determination, they work together for gender mainstreaming by strengthening the voices, knowledge and interests of all genders. Their mission is rooted in the pursuit of social justice and embraces people of all races, ethnicities, genders, ages, sexual identities, abilities and socio-economic backgrounds.

One of the highlights of the event was the presentation of the T4T project by DomSpain, a member of Let Her In. The presentation called attention to the aims of the project, its progress and the final steps needed to make it a success. It also showed up the positive impact the project has already made, especially through six highly successful webinars that were very well attended.

The international Let Her In event in Reus, Spain, demonstrated the commitment and determination of organisations such as DomSpain, Artied, Edupro, MyArtist, SAN and VIOne to strengthen education and promote inclusion.

The T4T project event in Greece took place at the Research Centre – Tsitsanis Museum in Trikala. The event focussed on presenting the project results to educators and discussing the impact of digital tools in distance learning. The venue, a cultural and research centre, provided an ideal setting for this informative event.

The event began with a presentation of MYARTIST and its role in the T4T project, followed by an in-depth discussion of the T4T modules and practical exercises. A keynote speaker presented insights on the impact of remote working and the integration of digital tools in education, sparking a lively Q&A session. Participants discussed the implementation of the guidelines and practical exercises in their teaching practise.

After the presentations, the educators and keynote speakers had the opportunity to further discuss the results and perspectives of the project during a dinner hosted by MYARTIST in the museum’s cafeteria. The event was attended by 35 educators from public and public schools, and local authorities were also represented. An online survey was conducted among 17 participants, who expressed a keen interest in the project’s tools.

The event was well received. The participants wanted to use the T4T tools and asked for more presentations and workshops in the future.

On 27 October, the T4T project event in Spain brought together teachers, students and various stakeholders from local and international educational institutions. The event, which took place at Espai Boule on the DomSpain premises and was streamed online, aimed to familiarise participants with the T4T project, its objectives, results and the partnerships it has fostered. It also provided an excellent opportunity for networking and potential future collaborations.

The event started at 10:00 am with registration and a warm welcome to the participants. This was followed by a general presentation of the T4T project with an overview of its objectives and activities. After that, Professor Vicent Villena gave an insightful presentation on “Classrooms for the Future”, which captivated the audience. This was followed by an interactive workshop entitled “T4T – How to master effective online group dynamics”, in which participants were able to put the results of the project into practise. The workshop was very well received and demonstrated techniques for improving group dynamics in online settings.

After a Q&A session, there was a coffee and refreshment break where participants were able to have informal conversations and socialise. Later, there was a discussion round on the topic of “T4T – Promoting cross-sector collaboration”, during which participants were able to exchange ideas and experiences. The event ended with a summary and a discussion on the next steps for the project.

The event was carefully organised and great efforts were made to reach out to educators and relevant university research groups. The event was promoted via social media such as Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to reach a wide audience. The venue, Espai Boule, provided an ideal setting, complemented by coffee and snacks and a dedicated coffee break area. Virtual participation was made possible by a Zoom stream so that those who could not attend in person could also take part.

The event attracted a diverse group of participants, including educators, pedagogues, pedagogical professionals from universities, adult education professionals, trainers of other adult educators and psychologists working in education and instructional technology research groups. Participants provided valuable feedback via a Google form on their reasons for attending and the benefits they gained from the event.

The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Participants unanimously enjoyed the event, learnt about the key aims and outcomes of the project and improved their knowledge of engaging learners in an online environment. They also appreciated the new practical digital tools and methods that were presented and expressed great interest in the T4T project.

Notable new insights gained by participants included innovative digital tools and teaching methods, student engagement techniques and useful tools for online teaching. Many found the project’s activities and practical exercises particularly interesting and expressed interest about implementing these new approaches in their own educational environment.

There were few suggestions for improvement for the future: Participants called for more practical examples, additional workshops and more time for networking. Some also suggested encouraging more group discussions to strengthen the collaborative aspect of the event.

To summarise, the T4T project event in Spain was a resounding success. With a total of 38 participants attending in person and a further 15 registering online, the event exceeded expectations in terms of attendance and engagement. The dynamic atmosphere allowed for active participation, meaningful discussions and valuable networking opportunities. The positive feedback and genuine interest in the T4T project underlines the effectiveness of the event in fostering innovation and collaboration in the field of online education.

On 11 October 2023, the Local Multiplayer Event in Bulgaria took place at the Sofia Innovation Laboratory (SofiaLab) in Sofia. This event was an important milestone for the dissemination of the T4T project. It served to present the objectives, results and achievements of the project and was enthusiastically received by local educators and education professionals.

The keynote speakers, including Mariana Petrova, Milka Botcheva, Elly Georgieva and Zhenya Kutevska, gave comprehensive presentations on various aspects of the T4T project and the Erasmus+ programme. The event highlighted methods for improving group dynamics in online learning environments and included detailed presentations on the objectives of the T4T project, the guidelines developed and the resource library.

Participants took part in interactive small group activities where they demonstrated exercises to enhance group dynamics. They also shared their insights and experiences on applying the guidelines and diversifying their teaching approaches. The event was well publicised on various platforms and attracted 38 participants, mainly educators, who gave overwhelmingly positive feedback. The feedback forms showed a high level of satisfaction and interest in the project’s tools to engage learners online.

In conclusion, the event successfully achieved its objectives and established a network of education professionals committed to improving online learning environments.

On 27 September 2023, the T4T project event in Lithuania took place at EDUPRO headquarters to introduce the T4T project and its practical applications to educators there. The event, led by EDUPRO representatives, included presentations, practical exercises and an interactive discussion on maintaining group dynamics in online environments.

Ieva Rodė began by introducing EDUPRO and its initiatives. Participants were given detailed explanations of the T4T project’s objectives, guidelines and resource library. The participants did practical exercises, including warm-up, wrap-up and energiser activities, where they got to know the project’s tools first-hand. At the end of the event, participants completed an evaluation form using Survey Legend to receive immediate feedback.

The event was attended by 31 people, including social workers and adult educators. The positive feedback emphasised the practical value of the exercises and the interest in using these tools in future educational activities.

In conclusion, the event was very successful and participants expressed great interest in the project’s tools and a desire for further collaboration.

At the T4T project event in the Netherlands, an enthusiastic group of educators and education experts came together to learn about the project’s main objectives and results. The event provided detailed insights into the achievements of the project, including the guidelines and practical exercises developed to improve group dynamics in online learning environments.

Participants were unanimously positive about the event and reported a positive experience. They were particularly satisfied with the content presented, with each respondent giving the highest rating for understanding the key objectives and activities of the project. In addition, all participants confirmed that they had learnt about the key outcomes of the project and almost all rated their understanding at the highest level.

The event proved to be very educational as all participants reported that they had improved their knowledge of engaging learners in an online environment. In addition, all participants stated that they learnt new practical digital tools and methods that they can use in their work. Interest in the T4T project was consistently high and all participants expressed their enthusiasm for the project after the event.

Several new and valuable insights were emphasised by the participants. They found the guide and the new, easy-to-use, practical training approaches particularly useful. The individual modules and the feedback and experiences of the participants were also important takeaways. The exercises on creative dynamics in an online environment and the resource library were frequently mentioned as useful. Participants appreciated the tips on improving learner engagement through artistic and creative activities, and many pointed to the benefits of the group exercises for collaboration.

Suggestions for future improvements were minimal, reflecting the success of the event. Participants expressed a desire for more events and training of this type and emphasised the value they see in the current format. One suggestion was to introduce participants at the beginning of the event to facilitate networking.

In conclusion, the T4T project event in the Netherlands was very successful. The participants praised the content, the organisation and the practical applications presented. The event not only achieved its objectives, but also generated a great deal of interest in the T4T project and its tools for improving online education.

On 11 and 12 September 2023, partners from Greece, Spain, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Lithuania and Poland participated in the last transnational partner meeting in Šiauliai, Lithuania. The meeting was hosted by the Lithuanian partner EDUPRO. The meeting was organised in a mixed format.

During the meeting, the partners discussed the results achieved – guidelines for effective group dynamics in an online learning environment and practical exercises.

A very important topic of the meeting was also the dissemination of the project. The Greek partners provided valuable insights into the current status of the project efforts and outlined strategies for wider engagement.

Special attention was given to the exploitation of the project and its sustainable impact. In an extremely productive discussion, the partners jointly defined the necessary steps to ensure that the project results continue to have a positive impact after the project is completed.

All partners are very satisfied with the result they achieved in two years and hope to work together on future projects as well!

We are delighted to share the exciting news that our cycle of international webinars, which took place throughout May and June, has been a great success. Over the course of these two months, we conducted a total of six webinars, each focusing on diverse topics:

• “Keep students engaged during an online language class”
• “Gathering your ideas! Being an entrepreneur & the Boss”
• “How can we engage students while teaching environmental topics?”
• “How to use artistic & creative activities for boosting online teaching creativity and learners’ engagement?”
• “Practical exercises suitable for People with Disabilities”
• “Keep Your students active during online ICT training”

Our main objective in organising these webinars was to pilot practical exercises in the partner countries and to enlarge the network of educational experts. We have exceeded our expectations in both aspects because more than 180 participants from various fields, including teachers, adult educators, and NGO representatives, actively took part in these webinars. 

The feedback we received from the participants was positive. They expressed that attending these webinars significantly improved their knowledge of engaging learners in a virtual environment. Additionally, they acquired valuable insights into new practical digital tools that they can readily utilise and adapt to their teaching practices.

The success of these webinars has further awakened participants’ interest in our project, and they have expressed their desire to stay informed about its ongoing implementation.

All webinars were recorded and you can access them on the project website –https://digitaltools4teaching.eu/results/webinars!

On 6-7 February 2023, all partners of the Erasmus + T4T: Tools4Teaching in Digital Education Settings project participated in the third international meeting in Lodz, Poland. The meeting was hosted by a Polish partner, the University of Social Sciences, on their campus. The meeting was held in hybrid mode.

During the meeting, the partners discussed how to improve online group dynamics in adult education. All important issues regarding the progress of the work on the project results, the next planned activities and the implementation phases were discussed in depth.

In the course of producing a guide for adult educators on how to better design effective group dynamics in the online learning environment (available on the project website in all partner languages), the consortium developed a set of practical exercises suitable for an online learning environment.

The partners developed 18 different energisers, warm-up exercises and follow-up activities suitable for different educational areas: Language, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Education and ICT, as well as artistic and creative activities and exercises suitable for people with disabilities. Soon, all exercises will be available as an interactive database on the project website.

The partners have also planned future webinars where all the developed activities will be tested with real educators. The trainers – experts in the field of adult education – will also present case studies and practical tools showing how energisers, warm-up and follow-up activities can be used in practise and directly applied in online courses and sessions.

The face-to-face meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss all relevant administrative issues such as project management, reporting, quality assurance and risk management. The consortium summarised dissemination activities and planned how to publicise the project in the coming months. The T4T project has an active presence on the discussion platform where teachers and other members can foster community, share good practises and learn about useful materials. You can join the T4T group here: https://www.discuss-community.eu/community/groups/viewgroup/82-digital-tools-for-teaching.html. If you don’t want to miss any more news, stay in touch and follow us on Facebook.

Another face-to-face meeting in Poland gave us the opportunity not only to work effectively on the project results, but also to meet our partners again. A common goal and a mutual understanding of tasks and responsibilities promotes group cohesion and strengthens efforts to deliver a high-quality project with many useful results.

Creating a Visual Exhibition as a tool of Hybrid Learning

The third Learning Teaching Training Activity (LTTA) for the EU-funded project “T4T – Tools4Teaching in Digital Education Settings” took place from 3-5 October in Athens, Greece. MYARTIST, an organisation with expertise and experience in various fields related to arts, culture, accessibility and inclusion, served as host for the mobility.

The aim of the LTTA was to enhance the practical skills and abilities of the participants in adapting their current online training activities to the proposed new approach and to provide a platform for the discussion of ideas and viewpoints among the participating adult educators and training experts.

Participants in the T4T initiative also had the opportunity to stroll through downtown Athens and view their surroundings through a different “lens”. With the invaluable help and guidance of the Emfasis Foundation, our participants had the opportunity to learn more about homelessness in Athens, the various outreach initiatives that the Emfasis Foundation currently manages, and the importance of the daily work of professional street workers. Through this activity, the group dynamic was strengthened and communication within the group was improved through a more vulnerable discussion on difficult topics.

On the second day, participants had the opportunity to work with more informal techniques taught and trained by psychologist and drama therapist Stamatis Paraskevas.

They created a six-part narrative introducing our protagonists and their goals, as well as the challenges they face or the support they receive. They drew their experiences on paper to be scanned later and added to our online exhibition.

After learning about automatic writing, they wrote a fairy tale together. In the process, they each had to say a word or phrase so that they could come up with something of their own as a group. They have to coordinate their efforts and look after each other. Then everyone had one minute to draw a scene from the fairy tale on a shared sheet of paper.

The participants also visited EMST Athens to see the different artworks and discuss the topics they had studied. They were lucky enough to visit the group exhibition “Statecraft (and beyond)”, which deals with issues such as race, xenophobia and nationalism. Through team discussions and visits to different places, they got to know each other better.

On the last day of the training, the participants were given time and space to reflect on their experiences so far. They created stories with words and colours, using their bodies and the method of automatic writing. The fact that they ventured out of their comfort zone was the most important factor.

MYARTIST showed the potential of a virtual exhibition. They discussed how to ensure and improve accessibility by doing simple but efficient activities. Canva served as their main digital tool. Participants uploaded their original artworks along with titles and descriptions. Finally, they recorded audio versions of the descriptions.

The fact that this event had a hybrid format is very important. This allowed the partners to explore how group dynamics emerge and change through different pedagogical approaches in mixed or hybrid learning environments. The team will release the finished product of the virtual exhibition soon for you to enjoy and be inspired by!