Erasmus, Erasmus blogs, Projects

Photo and Video Making in your Classroom: The Educational Power of Multimedia

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Photo and Video Making in your Classroom: The Educational Power of Multimedia

May in Florence – doesn’t that just conjure up the most beautiful visions. Florence certainly did deliver. A picturesque and historic Italian city, blooming with flowers, alive with locals and tourists alike.

I visited Florence to attend a video-making course in order to learn some new techniques and ideas for our own school’s lessons. As I already create marketing and educational videos, I was really keen on finding out different ways to introduce video into our regular English lessons.

Our instructor was Riccardo, a young and technologically-savvy trainer, who taught us about different apps and special effects. My classmates were high school teachers from all over Europe, and we were all very interested in different methods we could incorporate into our own classrooms. Hearing about everyone’s teaching experiences really enabled us to understand the differences between our education systems, but also gave us an opportunity to connect over the similarities. I have made some great friends over this short course, and we keep in contact through social media. Some of them even follow our school now on Tiktok where we publish educational language videos.

Our course for the week in Florence was very hands-on and interactive. After some warm-up activities and introductions, we got right into shooting and creating our first video so that everyone could get familiar with cutting and editing clips.

The next day, after a fantastic tour of the centre of Florence, a paradise for art lovers, we made our own videos on Nearpod, a fantastic shared platform where teachers can post, share and utilise a great number of interactive videos, lessons and activities. We were given some great tips, like how to automate subtitling, how to simplify the editing process, and how to add quizzes and activities to our lessons. With such an abundance of content on this app, it will definitely be something to introduce into our own classes. Since most of our lessons are now online, it is only natural to expand our way of teaching and cross over more and more into the online world. Each of our teachers can create their own lessons, and then we can share content between ourselves, as well as any other teachers using the platform. It provides an array of ideas, many of which can be used in our own courses, and simplifies the way in which we create and share interesting lesson plans.

Kapwing was our next app, and although I had already used some basic Kapwing for some of my own videos, it was great to learn a few more tips from our trainer. Riccardo really helped us understand how and why to use special effects, stock photos, audio, etc.

On Thursday, we had a field day, trawling the streets of Florence during our ‘Goosechase’. We had downloaded this app which helps run real-world interactive experiences. Our trainer had marked about a dozen significant spots on a map of Florence, and we went on a treasure hunt, taking photos at the scene, and sending them back in real-time. We were competing against each other and had to find a tactic on how to reach every spot before the other teams. If one team reached a spot, we got a notification, which pushed us to speed walk back and forth across the Arno River and through the narrow streets in search of our next post. Florence is not so tiny – I think we walked over 7kms in those few hours! J Unfortunately, my team didn’t win the contest, but we had such a blast playing! This activity would be a fantastic addition to an outdoor learning lesson, which we could incorporate into our own lessons with our students. Not only would they learn more about the history and hidden spots of Zagreb and Split, but they would definitely enjoy the competitive nature of this activity.

Our last day focused on Claymation, the art of moving objects little by little, taking photos and creating videos from them. It is a very meticulous process, taking us nearly an hour to produce a video of only a few seconds. It was my first encounter with a stop-motion exercise, but saw that it could be a great activity for children, requiring a high level of concentration, energy and attention to detail.

Our final task was to make a video about Florence, utilising the skills we had acquired over the week. Some of us used a little stop-motion, some created an interactive quiz embedded in the video. We used our own footage and some online photos, and created mini-lessons as part of the video. This is a very dynamic way to teach any subject, and I think that it will enrich our own students’ learning experience, giving them different ways to immerse themselves in learning languages. As we all know, some of us learn better visually, some of us through audio, some of us with hands-on activities. I can’t wait to introduce some of these techniques into our lesson plans, giving our students a more colourful and proactive approach to learning.

Ema Barbir

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Erasmus blogs, Projects

Leadership and Management in Schools – Valencia Experience

The Teacher Academy training course 'Leadership and Management in Schools' held in Valencia in October 2022 was intended for members of educational establishments who wish to further their management skills and serve as leaders to their schools to the best of their ability.

The training participants were school principals and vice-principals, head teachers, and administrative staff from different European countries who have multiple years of experience behind them. Their passion and pride in being part of educational establishments that help elevate personal and social life was prominent in everyone.

There was a sense of togetherness bound by the love of our job, but also a sincere curiosity for others' experiences and feedback, as everyone there had surprisingly different school organisation, approaches, and roles inside the school system.

This diversity made the program more enjoyable, as it proved the point that there is no one (perfect) way of managing a school. Flexibility, adaptability, creativity, and compassion for the needs of others are all crucial skills for a good manager. It isn't always just about logic and chasing goals.

We were also lucky enough to have a representative of the praised Finnish school system among us, whose take on student integration and the challenges coming from the current political events were highly educational and thought-provoking.

Setting goals and overcoming differences 

The program touched upon the methodologies of setting goals and their completion. A well throughout, measurable, and relevant goal is half the success. We were given tools, e.g. Trello, that are a practical representation of the lessons learned.

The majority of the material was focused on working with people, understanding the differences in personality, character, and the general sense of work dynamics and culture. We discussed possible managing styles and their perceived outcomes. Every new topic fell back on introspection and defining our identity as a leader now and the ideal we strive for.

Taking the time to get to know your team properly and being aware of their weaknesses and strengths, establishing quality, open communication lines helps tremendously in proficient work assignment and execution. To achieve that, we discussed possible meeting tactics, negotiation, and conflict resolution principles. One interesting and fun activity was taking the 16 personality test, which led to some surprising results.

The week-long training on leadership and management in schools gave us a lot to think about and further explore in the future. The culturally rich, welcoming, and architecturally breathtaking city of Valencia made the whole experience that more enjoyable.

Mobility of course participant is enabled within the project "Step up", code number: 2021-1-HR01-KA122-ADU-000018329. 

The project is funded by the European Union. 

Erasmus +: Enriching lives, opening minds.

Monija Škriljevečki

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Gamification and game based learning- How to get lost in Italy!


Article avaliable also on EPALE.

Now February tends to be one of those months that never ends. Christmas is a vague memory and spring seems like it will never arrive- what better way to put a shine on this dull month than an immersive week playing games, solving riddles and exploring the riveting world of game based learning and gamification in the beautiful, ancient city of Bologna.
I arrived on the evening of the 5th after a slight mishap which saw me re-routed through Milan (tough life! :)) The sun was beginning to set and as I disembarked the train, the smells of charcuterie and fresh focaccia hit me in the food capital of Italy. Dinner was the first port of call, after which it was time to grab my first sleep in Italy and prepare myself for an exciting week.
The first day started with an ice-breaking exercise, my new colleagues and I had to write three facts and one lie about ourselves and then as we made our introductions, we had to guess one another’s lies- this set the mood for the entire week. This was followed by a tour of Bologna and a fantastic dinner. The next day the “serious” work started, Sara our trainer explained how things were going to work, the week was organized into a big game, first we had to create our player “avatars”, and then as we were separated into our respective teams the game began. Time for level 1!

We were first introduced to the differences between Gamification and Game based learning (GBL).
To keep it brief, introducing gamification into the classroom meant using techniques such as; timed challenges, point earning tasks, and other “game inspired” motivational techniques to engage students. On the other hand,” GBL” is the use of actual games in the class to promote the same goals, for example “matching crosswords”. We also delved into the pedagogical value of playing, how it promotes the acquisition of soft skills and stimulates problem solving, encourages experiential learning and increases the motivation of students.

Of course, behind all of the fun and games there exists theory, do students benefit from this type of learning? Can gamification and GBL really influence the classroom experience positively? Here we looked at the “Octalys method”, a study that looked at the motivations of the different types of players, their core drives and some real life examples. Level 2!

Level two delved into the extrinsic motivators and intrinsic motivators, how we could use “white hat” and “black hat” motivators to immerse students in their tasks, and encourage them to move through the game and accomplish their goals.

Games such as “Lupus in Tabula” were used to highlight these types of players, goals and motivations.

Level 3 started with an introduction to more traditional games and web-games that could be used in the class. From here, it was time to start the “10 quest challenge”- we were separated into teams, and each team was given the same set of “quests” to complete i.e. singing a song for 3 minutes, memorizing the core motivators etc. The benefits of this game were:

  • To enhances group atmosphere and energy
  • To create choice-based lessons and learning pathways that are both personalized and differentiated
  • To break down topics/assignments into a menu of choices, mission-sty
  • To give learners a sense of agency or autonomy!
  • To provide a simple way to gamify learning

In level three we looked at, and played many games “Battleship”, “Omars game”. These games are intrinsically connected with enhancing creativity and imagination, promoting positive atmosphere and energy and providing multiple and inclusive ways of expression.

Now for the last level. Level 4!

  • Using game-based mechanics to engage learners and motivate to act and learn outdoor
  • Learn to create online Scavenger Hunts to be performed indoor or outdoor
  • Learn to create Digital Escape Room style experiences

This was by far the highlight of the week, Sara created an unbelievably fun and interesting outdoor treasure hunt of Bologna. She imparted her knowledge and taught us how to use various applications to create these interactive activities ourselves. The main goal of this type of activity is getting students to apply acquired knowledge to real life, and at the same time, increase focus, and create a positive and fun atmosphere. During the game, we were able to consider the different motivation factors that were introduced to this activity, and see how it pushed us to achieve the overall outcome. Winning!

As we moved through the “levels”, we learnt more and more about how we can introduce these methods into our respective classrooms, and how each game can be adapted to fit the needs of our students. I was particularly interested in the online quiz making tools, the “actionbound” treasure hunt and the google sheets “escape room” activities.

Now I know this all seems like “lots of work and no play” but aside from the fantastic, interesting educational adventures we had with Sara, another person deserves a special mention- Alona. Alona facilitated our city tours, helped drive the dynamic of the group in the classroom and out of the classroom and overall made the trip extra special for all of us.

A massive thank you to Inicijativa for organizing this trip, to Sara for creating and leading an unforgettable course, to Alona for guiding us from one beautiful, interesting site to another, to the wonderful staff of Camplus who made us feel welcome in comfortable surroundings, but most of all to the colleagues I met.


Manuel and Juan- the Spanish “cheers” will never be forgotten, Gruia- you exuded positivity all week and helped cohere the group with your good humour, Alexandra- a real tem player, Cristina and Andreea- the good witches, and Edyta, Paulina, Aneta and Gabriela- you all imparted your own special touch to the week.

I look forward to using these new acquired skills to help create fun and interesting activities that engage our students in Inicijativa and promote inclusive learning. Fun times ahead.

Mobility of course participant is enabled within the project "Step up", code number: 2021-1-HR01-KA122-ADU-000018329. The project is funded by the European Union. Erasmus +: Enriching lives, opening minds.

Stephen Breslin

Step Up – KA 1 Erasmus+ projekt
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Knowledge transfer and workshops – part of the ‘Take Initiative’ and ‘Step Up’ projects

Article also avaliable on EPALE

Our teachers – Adam, Maria and Tamara – participated in mobility activities through a course held in Bologna as part of the projects 'Take Initiative' and 'Step Up'. The projects were financed by the Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes through the Erasmus+ Programme.
Each teacher attended one of the courses, and through an array of interesting and interactive activities, they shared the experience and knowledge they had gained with our other teachers from Zagreb in in-house dissemination workshops held at Initiative on the 17th of December, 2021.

In a workshop focused on tools for encouraging creativity and critical thinking, the staff at Initiative actively participated in solving creative tasks presented by our teacher, Maria. The activities included drawing, interpreting illustrations with the aim of reflecting emotions, as well as tasks encouraging critical thinking. Maria transferred the following to our educators:

  • knowledge and tools for developing creativity
  • experience and techniques for encouraging critical thinking
  • tasks focused on problem solving
  • the importance or creative expression and strengthening critical awareness within the group

Teachers Tamara and Adam presented the application of innovative methods in education – using new technologies and online tools in education (ICT tools). The Covid-19 pandemic brought big changes in group work, which was still predominantly focused on online learning. The challenges of maintaining group interaction and the students' focus online could be solved by using the latest information trends while teaching online, together with continually developing knowledge and skills in that area. Our educators were shown:

  • ICT tools for creating content to be used in virtual teaching
  • ICT tools for maintaining and strengthening group interaction and student focus online
  • The advantages of using various online tools in a bid to make learning easier
  • The importance of continually developing knowledge and skills for using virtual aids in their work

The workshops were held with the aim of transferring experience and knowledge to our educators so they would be able to implement it during lessons with their groups and, subsequently, improve their own way of teaching, as well as for the whole group dynamic. The implementation of these valuable methods and tools aim to improve the experience of face-to-face and online learning for our students, as well as strengthen the personal and professional skills of our teachers.

This project was financed by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.


Dženana Kalamujić

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