E-Bulletin by Luís Gonçalves

Content About Project........................................................................................................................................... 4 What is dıgıtal storytellıng? ..................................................................................................................... 5 Why should teachers know and use Digital Storytelling tools and strategies? .................................. 5 The DS Process .................................................................................................................................... 5 Briefing ............................................................................................................................................ 6 Writing ............................................................................................................................................. 6 Recording......................................................................................................................................... 6 Editing .............................................................................................................................................. 7 The Storytelling Circle.......................................................................................................................... 7 Setting up the environment ............................................................................................................ 7 The Games ....................................................................................................................................... 8 The DS process, step by step ............................................................................................................. 11 Mobilities – I year .................................................................................................................................. 14 Spain .................................................................................................................................................. 14 Partner School ............................................................................................................................... 14 Tasks .............................................................................................................................................. 14 Mobility ......................................................................................................................................... 14 Turkey ................................................................................................................................................ 16 Partner School ............................................................................................................................... 16 Tasks .............................................................................................................................................. 16 Mobility ......................................................................................................................................... 17 Greece ............................................................................................................................................... 18 Partner School ............................................................................................................................... 18 Tasks .............................................................................................................................................. 18 Mobility ......................................................................................................................................... 19 Italy .................................................................................................................................................... 20 Partner School ............................................................................................................................... 20 Tasks .............................................................................................................................................. 20 Mobility ......................................................................................................................................... 21 Norway .............................................................................................................................................. 23 Partner School ............................................................................................................................... 23 Tasks .............................................................................................................................................. 23 2

Mobility ......................................................................................................................................... 24 Mobilities â&#x20AC;&#x201C; II year ................................................................................................................................. 25 Portugal ............................................................................................................................................. 25 Partner School ............................................................................................................................... 25 Tasks .............................................................................................................................................. 25 Mobility ......................................................................................................................................... 26 Romania............................................................................................................................................. 27 Partner School ............................................................................................................................... 27 Tasks .............................................................................................................................................. 27 Mobility ......................................................................................................................................... 28 Poland ................................................................................................................................................ 29 Partner School ............................................................................................................................... 29 Tasks .............................................................................................................................................. 29 Mobility ......................................................................................................................................... 29 France ................................................................................................................................................ 31 Partner School ............................................................................................................................... 31 Tasks .............................................................................................................................................. 31 Mobility ......................................................................................................................................... 31 Mobility memories ................................................................................................................................ 33 Digital messages .................................................................................................................................... 37 Questionnaire results ............................................................................................................................ 42 Call for Europe ....................................................................................................................................... 43 Photo gallery ......................................................................................................................................... 44

About Project “I know only one thing about the technology that awaits us in the future: we will find ways to tell stories with it.” Jason Ohler The project “European Digital Stories” employs the method of digital storytelling to help participants in familiarizing with other European cultures and ways of life and to provide a strong foundation in many different types of literacy, such as information, visual, technology and media literacy. The students created their own EU digital stories, presented materials together in the mobilities, in this way the intercultural dialogue among EU members and the raise of civic keys were promoted. They worked on different subjects using digital storytelling which brought new benefits for skills improvement: English skills, ITC skills. Both students and teachers learned to organize plot of stories with pictures, using first person narratives, voice recording, editing the sound according to sequence of the event, add subtitles to the stories in English.

This e-bulletin collects digital stories, memories, results of European questionnaire and photographs from project “European Digital Stories”. Comenius activities were integrated into other curriculum areas such as language, mathematics, art and social aspects. Therefore, classes, schools and community as well as this document were used to display the final results of this process.

What is dıgıtal storytellıng? Digital Storytelling is the process of oral storytelling with multi-media elements. Digital storytelling

can become a wide movement and can gain more supporters. This is because of the strong positive effects people are seeing with the implementation of digital storytelling. The Digital storytelling will be a productive method to teach students/teachers of all ages, not only to develop skills in the use of a variety of digital tools, but also to voice their point of view, to enter a (virtual) discussion and to try and find mutual ways of communication with others. Digital stories allow individuals to give others an insight of their everyday lives, their convictions, their goals or their concerns, helping to create a common Europe. Storytelling has always provided a good means to share experiences, to distribute what’s new, to maintain tradition and to promote developments. Digital storytelling means that the boundaries between people disappear: It matters less where you are at the time you are telling your story.

Why should teachers know and use Digital Storytelling tools and strategies?          

To promote student creativity To inspire narrative writing To encourage learners to create and communicate in multiple media To model digital-age work To model respect for intellectual property using 21st century tools To help students share their local stories with a larger community/audience To promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness To engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources. To promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes. To model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.

The DS Process There is more than one model for the DS process. In simple terms, the DS process follows the path illustrated 1. Briefing → 2. Writing → 3. Recording → 4. Editing → 5. Sharing Let’s take each section in more detail here: 5

Briefing Often known as the gathering, where potential storytellers are introduced to the concepts, processes and some examples of DS. This is a chance for storytellers to mix with each other and with their trainers. The atmosphere should be collaborative and informal, efforts must be made to allay any storyteller’s fears about what lies ahead, and they should have the space to ask any questions about what is required of them. In this session it is important to demystify any issues surrounding DS, like the fear that their ideas for stories aren’t very good, or that their skills/ confidence are lacking. Important areas to cover in the briefing:     

Exploring the elements of a DS Clear explanation of the process and timescale involved Advanced notification of requirements for the coming sessions i.e. when to write a script, bring in photos etc. Basic but essential legal/ copyright advice Introduce the signing-off process

Writing Normally the writing process starts with a ‘storytelling circle’. This session is designed to bond storytellers as a group and to tease out of them their innate powers of storytelling. The storytelling circle can be tailored to suit variable time slots between 2 and 4 hours. The ultimate goal is to get scripts drafted and finalised ready for voice recording. The three underlying principles of the story circle are:   

everybody gets involved (including trainers, technicians, observers etc.) nobody is allowed to apologise for their lack of understanding, ability or confidence what is said in the storytelling circle, stays within the room i.e. confidential

There are a number of activities involved in the storytelling circle and they are covered in the next section. These activities can be time-consuming, so trainers tend to pick a selection, depending on the time allowed At the end of the story circle, every storyteller should know the subject of their story and ideally a first draft should be typed up ready to read. In the case of any storyteller who has difficulty reading, there are alternative options to consider, like producing an interview-generated narrative. Once again, by the end of the story circle, these storytellers should be content with the method they will use and the focus of the interview. The final aspect of this phase is the creation of a storyboard for the piece. As an approximate rule, one image per sentence is recommended. This organises the storyteller and highlights any areas in the script where there may be missing images. Often storytellers find that in their mind’s eye they have all the pictures they need to tell a story, but the storyboard quickly tells them they may have several images to cover one sentence, and nothing to cover the rest of the film! Recording This is the point at which the technical aspects of DS begin. Both the technical quality and the ‘feel’ of the voice recording are vital to the success of a DS. Some skill and judgment is required by the trainer to pick the right room and to settle the storyteller ready for the recording. 6

Included in the ‘recording’ phase is the capturing of images and the gathering of any music track or sound effects. Many of the pictures used in a DS may only be available as photos, so they will need to be scanned, or photographed using a digital camera. It is becoming regular practice to download photos from the internet, from social networking sites and the like. There are two important considerations here: 1. the image sizes and resolutions 2. copyright Editing There are several forms of editing required to produce a DS:   

the recorded voiceover track needs to be gapped and mistakes removed photographs need to be edited, especially if they have been scanned the edited soundtrack, edited photos and titles are combined to create an edit of the DS.

It is easy to underestimate the amount of work that goes into an edit. It’s predominantly a technical process but the creative aspects are crucial to the production of a successful story. There are some magnificent moments during a DS edit, when the elements start to come together and tiny changes make massive improvements. Once the edit is finished, the DS is exported as a completed movie file, for sharing.

The Storytelling Circle An important part of any workshop is ensuring all participants are happy to share stories with others. The Storytelling Circle introduces story games which help break the ice for any new group and allow people to get to know each other. Some people come to a workshop with no real idea of the story they may tell, or perhaps feel they have nothing of interest to say. The storytelling circle and games are not only a fun way start to a workshop but also boost participants’ confidence and may provide them with an idea for their own story. For those participants that already have an idea for their own story, the storytelling circle gives them an opportunity to not only share their idea with the group but to also pick up ideas from other people’s methods of communication, thereby improving their own story. The key focus of this session is to arrive at a place where all the participants are able to finalise their scripts, ready to record their voices, so the clock is ticking and the trainer must be aware of this throughout. Setting up the environment It is important that the room used is fairly quiet and private, so that the participants can feel isolated from interruption. The Trainer should arrange the seating in a circle in the room so that everyone has an equal opportunity to participate. The Trainer leads and takes part in the story games, helps boost individual confidence and provides feedback at the end of the session. Everyone should be made to feel at ease and the atmosphere should not be pressurised. There should be no technology visible around the table; no computers, mobile phones (switched off), or digital recording devices of any kind. Props for the Storytelling Circle: The Trainer should provide: 

Pens and paper 7

  

A Flipchart (game 3) A bag containing household objects (game 4) A box of matches and a glass of water (game 9)

The Storyteller should provide:  

An object of significance to them – this may be a photograph, which could possibly be used to tell a story. A draft of a script for their own story, printed out.

The Games The word ‘game’ should be used with caution at the start of the storytelling circle, as some participants can feel intimidated, threatened or just turned off by the idea of playing games. Once the confidence of the group has developed, then the word can be introduced more. The first three activities below are ice breakers and a way for the group to start to get to know one another. They help conquer nerves and make people aware that everyone has a story to tell. All the games should be fun and not competitive. There are far more games below than are needed for a single storytelling circle, so pick a collection and give it a go! For example, the author recently ran a short storytelling circle for the Detales project and chose numbers 3, 6 and 10 from the list below. The activity had 13 participants and took 2 hours. 1. Interview the person next to you (ice breaker) This is a useful way of getting to know people within the group and helps provide more information about them than would normally be gleaned if people introduced themselves. It is easier to share information about someone else than it is to talk about yourself. This interview is a good way for the group to relax and feel confident enough to tell their story. 2. Remembering Names (ice Breaker) This game is particularly well suited for a younger age range workshop. One member of the group introduces themselves and provides one fact of interest they wish to share, the person sitting next to them then repeats this information and adds their own introduction and shared item. By the time the last person is reached there will be a lot to remember – the Trainer may choose this role for themselves. Example: John says “your name is Mary and you like golfing, you’re Pete and play the drums, you’re Janet and you make fancy dress outfits and my name is John and I don’t like spiders”. 3. Nonsense Word Game (ice breaker) This is a useful game for teaching people the art of creating a story out of a selection of non connected words. Each member of the group is asked to write a word onto a piece of paper – nouns or ‘naming’ words work very well. For those that struggle writing words, drawing a picture is equally effective. The Trainer then collects the paper and transfers all the words and pictures onto a flipchart. Each participant then creates a story using all the words on the chart which they then read out to the group. There will rarely be two the same. The quality of the stories is irrelevant, in fact, the 8

more off the wall the better! This game is good for loosening up the participants and making them all feel that they can make a valued contribution. Example: Apple, glasses, clock, long, car, pink, wood, shoe. Mrs Wood glanced at the clock and was relieved to see that she only had another ten minutes before the school bell rang. She was eager to eat the pink lady apple that she had found rolling around in the back of her car along with the shoe she’d lost earlier in the week and her purse that unfortunately had no money in it. She looked at the apple and wondered how long it had been there for. She was starving and with no money had little choice but to eat it. “Perhaps the time has come for a trip to the opticians” she said to herself, “maybe I need glasses”. 4. Mystery Objects Each member of the group is asked to randomly choose an item from the memory bag provided by the Trainer. They are then asked to share the memories or feelings that the object conjures up. If a member of the group cannot think of anything to say, choosing something different may make things easier for them. The Trainer should provide help and encouragement when needed so that everyone is able to connect with the item. Objects may include: a toy car, a remote control, a watering can, a tin of soup, a train ticket, anything that may evoke memories. The Trainer should point out which parts of the story work well and asking questions may help to reveal themes of interest that the storyteller may wish to explore. Example: The storyteller chooses the train ticket from the bag. “This reminds me of a trip I made to Edinburgh when I was little. I was excited about going because I’d never been to Scotland before. We spent a lovely day visiting the Castle and watching tartan cloth being made. My Dad ordered Haggis at lunchtime because it was a Scottish delicacy but he didn’t like it”. The Trainer asks questions about the visit and how they got home. The storyteller is able to add: “We got the train home but were very delayed because the man in the seat opposite became ill and had to be taken to hospital. My Dad and I stayed with him on the journey because he was travelling alone. Our trip toScotland lasted longer than we thought”. Careful questioning by the Trainer reveals a more interesting aspect to the story. 5. A childhood toy or game This can reveal a lot about the storyteller. Allowing them to dwell on childhood helps expand the memories and emotions that were important in shaping the way their lives have become. It may

show a rebellious streak, a passive nature, the adventurer, the leader of the pack or perhaps illustrate that for the older generation toys were not that easy to come by and so were very precious. Example: “My most precious possession as a child was my bike. It was my means of transport, my ability to escape and explore and it represented freedom for me. It wasn’t new when I first had it, my Mum and Dad bought it at an auction and it had been well used. It didn’t have gears and the chain was a bit loose but it didn’t matter I loved it because it was mine. I would spend hours fiddling with it, adjusting the brakes and pumping up the tyres, and it was cleaned very regularly. I remember spending the whole of one day repainting it dark blue, and it looked fantastic. I was only eight when I had that bike but we had some brilliant adventures together. A bottle of water and a bag of crisps, my friend Clare and I regularly used to ride twenty miles to town. If my Mum had known she would have had a fit. But like Clare my bike was a good friend, it never shared my secrets”.

6. Personal Photographs Photographs are very personal items and for an individual tell a story all of their own. It is useful if storytellers bring significant photographs to the workshop, and swap with another person in the group so that they have an image that is new to them. The Trainer should encourage everyone to write a story relating to the photograph in their hand. When everyone has made up and narrated their fictitious stories, the owner of the photograph then tells their own story. It is an interesting exercise that highlights different perceptions of certain images and allows storytellers the freedom to explore a world they are unfamiliar with. 7. Make Your Mind Up Participants are asked to write about a time in their lives when they made an important decision. They are free to describe it as they wish, but they are limited to exactly 50 words. This game fulfils two purposes. Primarily it looks at the theme of important decision making in life and the resulting feelings that were created. Secondly, it attempts to instil in them the value of tightly edited text. 8. The First Time The storyteller spends 10 minutes writing about an occasion when they did something for the first time and how it made them feel and the impact it possibly caused for others. The story is then shared with the rest of the group. 9. The Match Game

The Trainer should ensure that the use of matches in the room will not trigger the fire alarms and that each storyteller holds a glass of water for the match to drop into before it burns fingers. This game is good for focus, clarity of speech and the ability to say what matters within a very short period of time. Give the storytellers 10 minutes to prepare a story about passion. This could be about a person, an issue, a place or anything that they feel passionate about. Each storyteller then takes it in turn to tell their story but they only have as long as it takes the match to burn to the end before they have to stop. The burning match helps concentrate the mind on getting to the heart of the story straight away. 10. Love/Hate Each participant creates a list of 10 things they love and 10 things they hate, and they read these out to the others in the group. This is useful as the list may produce a topic for a potential story and allows the Trainer to explore the themes more fully. The Trainer then encourages them to re-read the list with emotion and feeling assisting with the range of tones and inflections in their speech which will be useful when it comes to recording their story. 11. Three Objects The Trainer asks each participant to list three objects that sum up what is important to them. Example: A car, a kite and a handbag (the storyteller is a car mad kiting enthusiast who collects designer handbags) The storyteller is then asked to choose the object that means the most to them and write a story around that theme. And Then: With the assistance of the Trainer one of the themes explored as a result of playing about three of the above games could be expanded to become the basis of their own Personal Story. Finally The participants are invited to read out their first drafts to the rest of the group. Feedback is given by the trainer and supporting comments given by the other participants. The storytelling circle can catapult the quality of the final stories to a new level, emphasizing the need to incorporate a few simple tricks and techniques to produce a strong final script.

The DS process, step by step 1. Briefing: As a trainer, you will be busy delivering information about the forthcoming experience and sharing stories to inspire storytellers during the briefing. But what will your storytellers be thinking? It is vital to be sensitive to any concerns that storytellers may have at this stage and if this is overlooked, some of the group may not appear at the next session! Some of the common issues to look out for are listed here: ď&#x201A;ˇ

Fear of not being able to produce a story of a high enough quality 11

  

Lack of confidence or ability to read and write, or not feeling ‘clever’ enough to complete the project. Fear of asking for help if they don’t understand. Confusion over what is being expected of them.

It’s not necessarily a gloomy picture! There are many methods to avoid these issues and to deal with them if they arise. Advanced written information sent to storytellers before the workshop can tell them what is to be expected and can include answers to frequently asked questions. A simple skills and confidence audit questionnaire can be also very useful to find out about your storytellers. Another useful method is to cover these areas in your briefing session, setting out clear ways to give and receive feedback and give examples of how others have overcome their own fears. 2. Writing: During the storytelling circle activity, it’s crucial to watch all the storytellers closely to see if they are struggling with anything. We rely on their openness to find out if they have any literacy or confidence issues, but it is always possible that a storyteller may have tried to hide the issue and the storytelling circle can be very revealing. These groups are usually highly supportive, so most issues can be easily resolved, but a calm, positive and supportive approach from the trainer will help keep storytellers at their ease. The level and type of input required from the trainer during script writing varies from group to group. The role of the trainer is to collaborate with the storyteller for the good of the story itself. Here a balance must be struck between interference and neglect! The trainer should try and keep each story within the ds framework parameters, whilst guiding the storyteller in the content of their story. 3. Recording: For many storytellers, reading the voiceover is the most nerve-wracking experience of all. In order to overcome this, the trainer must inspire confidence in the storyteller and make them believe in themselves enough to deliver a ‘natural performance’. Practice makes perfect and storytellers should be encouraged to read through their scripts several times at home before the recording session. Simple guides, like large text and double line spacing are useful in making a script easily readable. Click here for a downloadable script template. Try and avoid common mistakes, like storytellers speaking too fast (or too slow), monotonously or as though they are ‘reading a story’. Rehearsals are invaluable and honest but carefully phrased feedback from the trainer should give rise to best results. 4. Editing: It is difficult to predict how confident a storyteller is in using word processing and media software. The aim with ds is to produce a story using software, rather than to learn how to use the software. Sometimes, storytellers don’t even know how to use the basic functions of a computer, so auditing of storytellers’ skills beforehand is vital to gauge the level of support needed for storytellers. Older learners tend to struggle far more than younger generations, but with the right tuition and support, stories can be effectively produced by anyone. It is always useful to have extra support on hand to help with editing, as one trainer and ten storytellers can be too demanding for the trainer and too frustrating for the storytellers, waiting for help. The beauty of ds is that they are relatively simple to edit, providing the correct steps are taken and the storyteller takes an organised approach. Always make sure the storyteller uses a storyboard and makes a rough cut edit, before adding any titles, music or special effects.

5. Sharing: This is truly a celebration of hard work done, by everyone! In order to pay due respect to the storytellers, it is worth putting on a show. Everyone should be able to clearly see the screen and hear the stories without distraction. The screening room could also be arranged to create a special ambiance i.e. tables dressed, room blacked out, drinks provided etc. Sometimes, family and friends are invited to share the spectacle with loved ones. Storytellers should be offered the chance to say something about their films before being screened, this can be discussed before the event or announced during the screening. Storytellers should be praised for their work and information should be given to them about what happens next. i.e. where and how the films will be shown, whether storytellers can enrol on follow on projects, when they will receive copies of the finished stories. Trainers can now breath a sigh of relief, the job is done! 6. Sharing: Storytelling is a multidirectional process, so every story should be shared. Some DS are too personal to be put out to a wider audience but the rest, which accounts for the absolute majority should be made available for people to see. Three ways to share stories are:   

Burn a DVD and show family and friends Put them on a website, like Detales, Vimeo or YouTube Hold a screening event for a batch of stories and invite guests to marvel at your work

Mobilities – I year Somethig about mobilities

Spain Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain, is a sovereign state located on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe. Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with Gibraltar; to the north and northeast by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the west and northwest by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean. Along with France and Morocco, it is one of only three countries to have both Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines. Spain's 1,214 km border with Portugal is the longest uninterrupted border within the European Union. (wikipedia.org)

www.forbes.com

Partner School San Viator School, Diocesan owned since 2003, was founded in 1953. Since then, school has been keeping up with the changes in the modern world and trying to fulfill the necessities of modern education using its physical and technological facilities. The school has about 200 students aged 6-18. Education is carried out in different levels: Primary School, Secondary Schools and Bachellor (they prepare their university entrance exams). The goal is to make them socially and academically equiped. It is also a section for mentally disabled students, who are completely integrated in the school routine and life. Tasks Specific task for the first mobility in Spain was organizing a kick off meeting.

Mobility th

Period: 13 -15 November 2013

Place: Sopuerta

First meeting was held in Spain. We clarified our tasks and these tasks are listed below:  We clarified the roles of each partner.  We presented our schools’ presentations prepared by students.  We put the exact dates for the mobilities. 14

        

We selected the logo (contest). We shared the pedagogical good practices. We created the working plan. We learnt basic things about digital story telling. We discussed the second mobility and handed out some useful documents. We took our homework for the second mobility in Turkey between 17th-22th January: Creating website – Norway Bringing personal things, photos in order to start their own digital story (all partners) We established the compulsory visits for the students

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Turkey, is a parliamentary republic largely located in Western Asia with the portion of Eastern Thrace in Southeastern Europe. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest; Greece to the west; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Iran and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the south. The Mediterranean Sea is to the south; the Aegean Sea to the west; and the Black Sea to the north. The Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles (which together form the Turkish Straits) demarcate the boundary between Thrace and Anatolia; they also separate Europe and Asia. Turkey's location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia makes it a country of significant geostrategic importance. (wikipedia.org) www.thealluretravel.com

Partner School Havza Anadolu Imam Hatip Lisesi is the coordinator school in the project. It is located in Havza, which is a small district located in Samsun in the north of Turkey with its about 23600 habitants. In Havza, students, especially girls are under the risk of dropping out in education and cannot access secondary education due to cultural obstacles and needs of girl’s sheltering. Therefore students' parents living in villages are unwilling to send their daughters to secondary education even if they have chance to join an academic school. In lots of nationalities live together we have Albanian, Kurdish, Circassian and Georgian immigrant students. Our school is an academic and religious based school with 305 students aged from 14 to 20 and 23 teachers. As language, Arabic and English are taught in classes during the 4 years. Besides, language classes, students learn theoretical and practical knowledge on Islam. It was built in 1983.The school has got a dormitory for boys. Therefore, we have students coming from far villages, other districts of Samsun.Some little part of them have to use the means of transport. Most of the students come from the low-middle income families. %30 of Parents have official jobs and 65% of them are farmers and only 5% of the families are economically well-being.

Tasks The most important task for Turkish partner was to coordinate all project activities. Also they organized workshop-1 “digital storytelling” and gave information about DST to the teachers.

Mobility th

Period: 16 -21 January 2014

Place: Havza

Objectives of mobility: Teachers:       

to attend the Digital stories workshop for teachers ( creating a digital story using Windows Live Movie Maker)- technical and theoretical inputs ; to identify different personal objects representatives for their digital story; to create the first digital story ( teachers); to see the Turkish teaching environment (class assistance); to discover important elements of Turkish history, identity, traditions and culture; to create an exchange of good pedagogical practices; to arrange the third project mobility ( Greece).

Students:          

presentation of each partner school national cultural stand ( students); to see the Turkish teaching environment (class assistance); to take part at the students show: Presentation of each country: traditional dances performed by students to increase students’ knowledge about the European Union; to increase students' motivation for learning; to develop students team spirit and their sense of belonging to common European space; to develop/ improve the students English skills; to develop new social and intercultural skills ( students); to discover important elements of Turkish history, identity, traditions and culture; to observe the turkish people daily life by sharing different experinces with the hosting famillies;

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic and known since ancient times as Hellas, is a country located in southeastern Europe. According to the 2011 census, Greece's population is around 10.8 million. Athens is the nation's capital and largest city, with Thessaloniki being the second largest and referred to as the cocapital. Greece is strategically located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Situated on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, Greece shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, the Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north and Turkey to the northeast. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of the mainland, the Ionian Sea to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Greece has the longest coastline on the Mediterranean Basin and the www.startmaps.com 11th longest coastline in the world at 13,676 km in length, featuring a vast number of islands (approximately 2,000, of which 227 are inhabited). Eighty percent of Greece is mountainous, of which Mount Olympus is the highest peak at 2,917 m. (wikipedia.org) Partner School 1st EPAL of Thessaloniki, is situated in the Centre of Thessaloniki. It is a Vocational Senior High School that specializes in technical subjects. The subjects are distinguished into general knowledge, theoretical vocational education, mixed subjects and subjects with two or more cognitive objects. The number of the students is about 230 and the number of teachers is about 40. Pupils attend many lessons in different laboratories, according to the specialization they have chosen. The Sections of Specialties in that grade are the following: 1. Mechanical, 2. Computer Science (informatics), 3. Economy and Administration, 4. Health. When students graduate, they acquire two diplomas: The first is a certificate of their special Vocational knowledge and the Specialty they have attended. The second one has the same value as that of the Senior High School and they have the same opportunities to enter University after National Examinations.

Tasks The Greek partner task was to train students in Digital Story Telling.

Mobility rd

Period: 23 -28 February 2014

Place: Thessaloniki

Objectives of mobility: Teachers:      

to see the Greek teaching environment (class assistance); to discover important elements of Greek history, identity, traditions and culture; to learn how to use the project communication platform; to coordinate students activities and to offer the necessary support during the digital story process; to create an exchange of good pedagogical practices ( peer learning); to arrange the fourth project mobility ( Italy).

Students:          

to attend the international Digital storytelling workshop in order learn how to use Windows Live Movie Maker programme and to create their first digital story; to present a personal object; to take part on different social activities together with the other students involved in the project; to fill the newsletter questionnaire; to increase students’ knowledge about the European Union; to increase students' motivation for learning; to develop students team spirit and their sense of belonging to common European space; to develop/ improve the students English and ITC skills; to develop new social and intercultural skills ( students); to discover important elements of Greek history, identity, traditions and culture;

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a unitary parliamentary republic in Southern Europe. Italy covers an area of 301,338 km2 and has a largely mediterranean climate; due to its shape, it is often referred to in Italy as lo Stivale (the Boot). With 61 million inhabitants, it is the 4th most populous EU member state. Italy is a highly developed country and has the third largest economy in the Eurozone and the eighth-largest in the world. Since ancient times Etruscan, Magna Graecia and other cultures have flourished in the territory of present-day Italy, being eventually absorbed by Rome, that has for centuries remained the leading political and religious centre of Western civilisation, capital of the Roman Empire and Christianity. During the Dark Ages, the Italian Peninsula faced calamitous invasions by barbarian tribes, but beginning around the 11th century, numerous Italian city-states rose to great prosperity through shipping, commerce and banking (indeed, modern capitalism has its roots in medieval Italy). Especially during The Renaissance, Italian culture thrived, producing scholars, artists, and polymaths such as Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo and Machiavelli. Italian explorers such as Polo, Columbus, Vespucci, and Verrazzano discovered new routes to the Far East and the New World, helping to usher in the European Age of Discovery. Nevertheless, Italy would remain fragmented into many warring states for the rest of the Middle Ages, subsequently falling prey to larger European powers such as France, Spain, and later Austria. Italy would thus enter a long period of decline that lasted until the mid 19th century. salmonriverresources.com

Partner School Italian organization is a Science-Technological and Commercial high school. Students are aged 14-18 years old. It is situated in a suburban area of Milan ,with a 30% of students coming from foreign countries (migrants from Northern Africa, South America and Eastern Europe). The school prepares students both for university education and for employment. After 5 years study they have a school-leaving examination. The aim is to give students a good technological and scientific background and create the right conditions to interact with the quick changes in the working context, offering a massive use of ITC.

Tasks The task for Italian mobility was to compile the questionnaire results and publish e-booklet.

Mobility st

Period: 01 -05 April 2014

Place: Milan

Teachers: During the first workshop teachers worked on the questionnaire about the European Union, which they had already prepared in their own countries as homework following the instructions given by the coordinator. The questionnaire has five topics: European history, European identity, European enlargement, European mobility, European citizenship. We discussed the questions for each topic and then we selected the suitable questions for the final questionnaire. During the second workshop we discussed how to publish this questionnaire on-line and we decided to publish it on the Project Website “http://eustories.eu”, which has been created by Norway. Teachers will send their e-mail addresses to Norway in order to create accounts for both aimed participants: teachers and students. Teachers and students will log in the website and answer the questions. During the third workshop we decided that we will use the results of the online questionnaire for the production of the e-booklet, which is our future task. The e-booklet will also include the comments of the students about the European Union. Norway showed and explained us the website and its different parts and instructed us how to use the “itslearning” platform. During the fourth workshop Norway showed us how to improve digital stories. We talked about Norway mobility in May and we established our future homework:  collecting e-mails and sending to Norway;  Norway will prepare the accounts and publish the questionnaire on the Website;  Answering the questionnaire;  collecting the data and comments (France task);  preparing the e-booklet (Italy task) Students: Students had different activities: they worked on the Comenius Hymn, which they performed all together during the European Comenius evening. They attended Italian classes, they did different sports activities (such as gym, archery and “Comenius games”), practised and prepared some products in the Chemistry lab of our school. They also had the chance to observe and live the Italian culture thanks to the hosting in Italian families.

Common activities: Common activities were prepared for both teachers and students such as observing classes, cultural events (visiting the city and some of its monuments) and feeling the Italian atmosphere through different gathering events/meetings.

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a sovereign and unitary monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula plus Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. The Antarctic Peter I Island and the sub-Antarctic Bouvet Island are dependent territories and thus not considered part of the Kingdom. Norway also lays claim to a section of Antarctica known as Queen Maud Land. Until 1814, the Kingdom included the Faroe Islands (since 1035), Greenland (1261), and Iceland (1262). Norway has a total area of 385,252 km2 and a population of 5,109,059 people (2014). The country shares a long eastern border with Sweden (1,619 km www.123rf.co long). Norway is bordered by Finland and Russia to the northeast, and the Skagerrak Strait to the south, with Denmark on the other side. Norwaym has an extensive coastline, facing the North Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea. Partner School Møllehagen school centre from Stavanger, Norway offers education classes for students (aged 6 to 18 years old.) who have some kind of need for an adapted education. A part of them have different diagnosis like: ADHD, Cancer, Anxiety, Eating Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress or Reactive Attachment Disorder, etc. The reason why students’ families opt for the school varies from the pupil who is at the hospital, in a psychiatric unit or because of problems that is linked to child care. Additional to these groups, there are pupils who attend Møllehagen just because the teachers’ staff has the knowledge to adapt education to this specific difficulty. A large number of the pupils at Møllehagen school centre have a history of domestic abuse and violence. The pupils living in child care institutions often have behavioral difficulties. These problems often come together with a school history with little or no participating. Mentally these pupils do not see themselves as such. The teachers’ task is to bring them back as pupils. At two units, Lindøy and MAS (Møllehagen Activity School) have extended the amount of activity as a method to bring these children back to the school classroom. Approximately 100 persons are working at Møllehagen. There are a lot of pedagogues, teachers and persons with education related to social care. At Møllehagen school centre the number of pupils with a foreign ethnic background is growing. That’s way, a large number of our teachers has specialized in the pedagogical challenges related to migration. Tasks In Norway partners prepared internal evaluation. Norwegian partner was responsible for the project website.

Mobility th

Period: 20 -24 May 2014

Place: Stavanger

Objectives of the mobility: Teachers:      

to see the teaching environment in Norway to discover important elements of history, identity, traditions and culture; to write the mid-term report collobrately to create an exchange of good pedagogical practices ( peer learning); to arrange the sixth project mobility ( Norway). To clarify technical aspects of Digital Story and web-site

Mobilities – II year Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country in southwest Europe. It is located on the Iberian Peninsula, and it is the westernmost country of mainland Europe, being bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east. Aside from continental Portugal, the Portuguese Republic holds sovereignty over the Atlantic archipelagos of Azores and Madeira, which are autonomous regions of Portugal. The country is named after its second largest city, Porto, whose name derives from a combination of Latin "Portus", and the Celtic place-name Cale. The land within the borders of the current Portuguese Republic has been continually fought over and settled since prehistoric times. The Celts and the Romans were followed by the Visigothic and the Suebi Germanic peoples, who were themselves later invaded by the Moors. These Muslim people were eventually commons.wiki expelled during the Christian Reconquista of the peninsula. By 1139, Portugal media.org established itself as a kingdom independent from León. In the 15th and 16th centuries, as the result of pioneering the Age of Discovery, Portugal expanded western influence and established the first global empire, becoming one of the world's major economic, political and military powers. Partner School It is a group of schools working together named Agrupamento de Escolas de Miranda do Corvo near Coimbra. Coimbra is a very important city in Portugal due to its University (One of the oldest Universities in Europe) and students’ traditions. Although the school isn’t situated in a disadvantaged socio-economic environment, there are students who come from poor families living in rural areas. Some of pupils are at risk of social exclusion who live in a social institution but fortunately they are very well integrated with the rest of the pupils who belong to traditional families. In fact the school is highly concerned with the future of these students and offers vocational courses to provide training which enables them to gain job entry skills and the tools needed for life long learning, as well as adult education courses to people who have completed their compulsory education and wish to find a second chance. There are also pupils with special needs to whom we provide special educational support. Tasks The Portuguese task was selection and compilation of digital message for Europe's new generation. 25

Mobility th

Period: 27 to 31 October 2014

Place: Coimbra

Objectives of the mobility: Teachers:  to see the teaching environment in Portugal  to discover important elements of history, identity, traditions and culture;  to choose the best digital messages created by students from each partner country  to compile the best digital messages into a e-booklet  to coordinate students activities and to offer the necessary support during the workshops  to arrange the seventh project mobility (Romania). Students:  to attend educational workshops in the school on different subjects: Video Editing, Art (painting), Creating Stories with Storybird, creating cartoons with Stripgenerator and creating a video using students’ digital messages.  to develop/ improve the students English and ITC skills;  to take part in different social activities together with the other students involved in the project or with the hosting families;  to increase students’ knowledge about the European Union;  to increase students' motivation for learning;  to develop students team spirit and their sense of belonging to common European space;  to develop/ improve the students English skills and to learn basic words/expressions in Portuguese (dictionary and word puzzles);  to discover important elements of Portuguese history, identity, traditions and culture;

Romania Romania is a unitary semi-presidential republic located in blog.perfect-tour.com Southeastern-Central Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Ukraine. It also borders Hungary, Serbia, and Moldova. It covers 238,391 km2 and has a temperate-continental climate. With its 19.9 million inhabitants, it is the seventh most populous member of the European Union. Its capital and largest city, Bucharest, is the sixth largest city in the EU. The River Danube, which is Europe's second longest river after the Volga, rises in Germany and flows southeastwards for a distance of 2,857 km course through ten countries before emptying in Romania's Danube Delta. Some of its 1,075 km length bordering the country drains the whole of it. The Carpathian Mountains (the tallest peak is Moldoveanu at 2,544 m) cross Romania from the north to the southwest. Partner School ŞCOALA GIMNAZIALĂ “ANTON PANN”, a secondary school, is situated in Craiova city, South-West of Oltenia region, Romania. With a tradition of 80 years in teaching, the school is attended by 670 students, whom it offers classes for pre-primary, primary and secondary level (314/15 years old). In order to combat the phenomenon of school drop-out (increasing in recent years) and to provide equal opportunities of education, since 2004, the school has developed and implemented classes of secondchance and secondary remedial education (pupils of 13-18 years old and older.) The educative process is performed by 46 teachers, of which 28 teach secondary school students. The school is located in close proximity to a neighborhood in the city outskirts, where all inhabitants belong to disadvantaged social groups. 90% of pupils belong to a community of Roma origin. Many of them come from poor families, marked by the migration phenomenon, with unemployed parents. Because Roma families are nomadic, often the students’ parents travel abroad for a long period of time, leaving their children to stake care holders (mainly relatives). These aspects have had negative consequences for students regarding their interest in education and social/civic development. With its didactic facilities and a varied educational offer, school assures equal opportunities to all, provides cooperation between ethnic groups, promotes tolerance and EU citizenship.

Tasks In Romania the Digital Story Contest was created.

Mobility th

Period: 27 to 31 December 2014

Place: Craiova

The seventh mobility in the Comenius Multilateral school project entitled “European Digital Stories” took place in Craiova, Romania. Between 1st and 6th December, Scoala Gimnaziala “Anton Pann” Craiova hosted 8 participating countries. The main aims of this mobility were the EDS- European voices contest (European Digital Story contest) including the presentation of two of the most voted students’ digital story presentation Objectives mobility corresponded to a part of the project objectives being met fully.

Objectives of mobility: Teachers:      

to see the Romanian teaching environment; to discover important elements of Romanian history, identity, traditions and culture; to discuss about EDS contest methodology; to elaborate the judging criteria; to create an intercultural perspective of folklore traditions and customs to arrange the eighth project mobility ( Poland).

Students:          

to give students the opportunity to develop team spirit by promoting EU citizenship; to provide facilities for students for creative exploration using art as EU statement of unity and diversity; to take part on different social activities together with the other students involved in the project; to develop students’ creativity, increase competition and team spirit; to increase students’ knowledge about the European Union; to increase students' motivation for learning; to develop students team spirit and their sense of belonging to common European space; to raise students’ awareness regarding the affiliation with the cultural spirit and the European identity; to develop new social and intercultural skills ( students); to discover important elements of Romanian history, identity, traditions and culture;

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine and Belarus to the east; and the Baltic Sea, Kaliningrad Oblast (a Russian exclave) and Lithuania to the north. The total area of Poland is 312,679 km2, making it the 71st largest country in the world and the 9th largest in Europe. With a population of over 38.5 million people, Poland is the 34th most populous country in the world, the sixth most populous member of the European 4imgs.com Union, and the most populous post-communist member of the European Union. Poland is a unitary state divided into 16 administrative subdivisions. Partner School Non-public school of ss. Cyril and Methodius in Bialystok is leaded by The Orthodox Fellowship of ss. Cyril and Methodius. Bialystok is 300.000 habitants city situated in Podlasie region - the north-east part of Poland. The school started running in 2007 and each year becomes bigger. It started with primary school, but since 2013 there is also secondary school. There are over 100 pupils in 6 classes. The school is exceptional in the region, because it brings together representatives of national minorities, such as Belarusians, Ukrainians, Russians. Tasks The Polish task was to create e-bulletin and preparing way of dissemination project’s results. Mobility Period: 16th to 20th March 2015 Place: Białystok The eighth mobility in the Comenius Multilateral school project entitled “European Digital Stories” took place in Białystok, Poland. From 16th to 20th March, Zespół Szkół Niepublicznych św. św. Cyryla i Metodego/Stowarzyszenie Bractwo Prawosławne św. św. Cyryla i Metodego hosted participating schools from 7 countries. The Greek partner didn’t join this mobility. The main aims of this mobility were to common work and publish first e-bulletin, which contains students’ memories and opinion about the project after 7th mobilities and to see multicultural and multireligious region of Poland. Objectives mobilities corresponded to a part of the project objectives being met fully.

Objectives of mobility: Teachers:      

to see the Polish teaching environment; to discover important elements of Polish history, identity, traditions and culture; to create an intercultural and interreligious perspective of folklore traditions and customs; to discuss content of e-bulletin and ways of dissemination the project ideas; to prepare next project for Erasmus+ programme; to arrange the ninth project mobility (France).

Students:      

to collect impression for previous mobilities in order to create e-bulletin; to take part on different social activities together with the other involved in the project; to give students the opportunity to develop international team skills; to develop students’ creativity, increase competition and team spirit; to discover important elements of Polish history, identity and culture; to increase students’ IT and publishing knowledge and skills.

France France, officially the French Republic, is a unitary sovereign state comprising territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean; France covers 640,679 km2 and has a population of 66.6 million. It is a semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris, the nation's largest city and the main cultural and commercial center. The Constitution of France establishes the country as secular and democratic, with its sovereignty derived from the people.

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Partner School Lycée Tézenas du Montcel was founded a hundred years ago and education is provided at secondary level (pupils from 11 to 18), at higher education level in the tertiary sector and one department is devoted to adult education. But in 2012, the school group has merged with a primary school (from 3 to 11), now offering a complete and wide range of the education course. The school is situated in St Etienne's town centre, a town of around 200,000 inhabitants. Located in the southern part of France, 60km away from Lyons and 500 km south of Paris, it offers easy access to the Alps (about 200 km) and the Mediterranean sea (300 km). Students come from modest backgrounds with grandparents or parents who came as immigrants to our town. The school is culturally diverse with students from different origins and religions. Tasks In France the “Call for Europe” flash mob was prepared and presented.

Mobility Period: 4 to 10 May 2015 Place: St Etienne th

The ninth and final mobility in the Comenius Multilateral school project entitled “European Digital Stories” took place in Saint-Etienne,France from 5th to 9th March, during the ‘’European Week’’ organized by the city of St-Etienne. Tezenas du Montcel school which hosted the participating schools from 8 countries also organized a “European week and exhibitions for this occasion. This mobility, entitled a “Call for Europe”, was aiming at finalizing this two year-project and concluding it by a commun show which turned to be a giant European flashmob in the city centre but was also to learn about the French culture and discover the Rhône_Alpes region of France .The objectives of this mobility were fully achieved. 31

Objectives of mobility: Teachers:     

to see the French teaching environment; to discover important elements of French history, identity, traditions and culture; to create an intercultural and interreligious perspective of folklore traditions and customs; to complete work on ways of dissemination of the project ideas; to write the final report

Students:         

to see the French learning environment; to discover important elements of French history, identity, traditions and culture; to experience an intercultural and interreligious perspective of folklore traditions and customs to take part on different social activities together with the other involved in the project; to give students the opportunity to develop international team skills; to develop English language skills to prepare and organize a common show and party. to rehearse for the European Flash mob, entitled “Hip Hip Hop Europe” and to communicate about the European Union.

Mobility memories

Digital messages

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9gt14eQC3dPdHdKTTZoR1NERmc/edit

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9gt14eQC3dPOFpzeF9GWlhFYWM/edit?usp=drive_web

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9gt14eQC3dPcGEzN09JbW5XcE0/edit

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9gt14eQC3dPUzNNNlFzTjZsV2M/edit

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9gt14eQC3dPY0FUUWJ3TFpLNms/edit

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9gt14eQC3dPZFhKVHB0SEtWNlk/edit

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9gt14eQC3dPbUFOVkQxY0k2dHM/edit

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9gt14eQC3dPUkFVQzRrTm5sWU0/edit

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9gt14eQC3dPRUxudlhWWnpXWEE/edit

Questionnaire results

Results of the questionnaire is available here: http://issuu.com/robertorivolta/docs/survey_s_results.pptx/1?e=12019322/13138802

Call for Europe

http://twinspace.etwinning.net/8514/materials/videos

Photo gallery

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission through the framework of Lifelong Learning Programme. This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.