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Our Turkish partners made something special for us. We hope that this situation ends soon, so that we can travel and meet with our friends.
Till that time we are going to enjoy this scenes.
Both teachers sign the science paper "Treasure Hunt - Developing 21st Century Skills in International Teams through Erasmus + Projects".
The starting point for this work was the project "From game to STEM", in which the Gymnasium participates as a coordinator of project .
In the afternoon we had a trip to the waterfall and Side Ancient City. Side Ancient City is a historical and touristic area that attracts everyone visiting Side region. Side, besides its magnificent natural beauty, is a history and culture city which hosted many civilizations and it still carries the traces of these civilizations. Side Ancient City is the first known metropolis of history with aqueducts, agora, fountains, monuments, schools, temples, places of worship, bath, hospital and amphitheatre. The city, which lived during the Greeks, Lydians, Persians, Romans, Seljuks and Ottomans, is known as a trade and port city.
We have seen Side Ancient Theater, Nymphaeum Monumental Fountain, Side Museum, Athena and Apollon Temple. We have spent beautiful moments hanging out with new friends and we are ready for the hard work that awaits us tomorrow.
The statement of our host Onur Arslan:
Second day of mobility
The second day of mobility in Turkey was spent in a working atmosphere. We had two workshops: Arduino and 3D Design and Pint. The students did the following lessons from Arduino: How do traffic lights work?, Knight Rider circuit, Simple piano making using a buzzer, and Joystick making. From 3D Design and Pint they did: 3D design with Tinkercad, 3D printing of the designs made and Voltage measurement, soldering with a soldering iron, wiring, breadboard and jumper cable use.
The teachers discussed their impressions during the past days at the meeting, and everyone agreed that the organization is excellent, that the lessons are interesting for the students and that they are happy to solve tasks. Teacher Wojciech said that it is interesting for the students that when they writing a program, they can immediately see the result of their work and his application.
Statement of the project coordinator from Poland Marcin Hościłowicz:
The third day was also very interesting. In the morning, the students worked on Arduino and recorded short videos about their impressions during the past days on mobility. In the afternoon we had a brainstorming tour of Asdpendos, Duden Waterfall and the old town of Kaleici. During the break we had a working lunch with a discussion on ICT and STEM in the classroom.
Impressions of participants:
At the beginning of the fourth day, we had a surprise, a short play performed by the Black Theater. It was very interesting because most of the students had never seen anything like it before. Immediately after that, we continued with the workshops. As part of the Arduino workshop, students did the following lessons: Telling the Air Temperature (LCD using), Making Simple Parking Sensor, Digital meter making, Turning the lights on and off with the IR remote control and Engine control via Bluetooth. In the afternoon, the students did a workshop: Black Theater. During the break, the students had a great time, and they had brainstorming with "penguin dance”.
Here is what the students from Turkey said:
" I think, it was a very good project. The students were successful and we had fun. The goal was both to travel and to learn. I think we did both. "- Gökçe
"Of course, the project is something that contributes to everyone, it's a very good chance to discover new people, new culture, new places, and for example, you learn things you didn't know where you go." - Deniz
Statement of the teachers from Spain, David Piña Garcia & Luis José Rodríguez Gómez:
At the meeting with the hosts, the teachers analyzed the past few days and expressed their impressions. They discussed STEM and creative education and pointed out the importance and impact that ICT has for STEM and modern education.
In the end, the certificate was awarded to all participants in the mobility.
All partners arrived at the airport in Madrid. The kind hosts were waiting for us and we all headed to Baeza.
At the beginning, there was opening session and presentations of all participants. After that, students and teachers played the Kahoot quiz, "Fun facts about our countries" in which the teacher Mira from Bulgaria shone with her knowledge of the participating countries.
This was followed by the creation of international teams and getting to know the school through the game Treasure Hunt. They played various games through which all participants got to know and socialize better.
The second day of mobility in Spain was spent in a working atmosphere. We had two workshops: Chemistry test, chemistry of odors and Separation techniques: purification of olive oil. In the test, the students tested their knowledge of chemistry with the wish that it will be much higher at the end of this mobility.
In the afternoon we were visiting an oil press. Real life application of separation techniques in cooperation with El Alcazar Olibaeza. The kind hosts from the factory took us through the whole process of obtaining the oil. From the place where the olives are delivered to the final plant where the oil is packed in bottles and cans.
Third day of mobility
We visited Ubeda (UNESCO World Heritage Site). We visited the center for growing and producing olive oil. The students also learned what the highest quality olive oil is called and how to check the quality of olive oil. Testing olive oil was very interesting, in fact, few people guessed which oil was good. It is certainly a good thing that after the lectures and exercises we became real little experts in choosing a good olive oil.
On the fourth day, the students worked in groups and prepared Hard level questions for the game. After the break, the students played Escape Room in the chemistry lab.
Solving chemical problems, the students tried to find a way out of the room. It was very interesting and educational activity.
On the last day of mobility, we went to visit Granada. We visited the Alhambra and Palacios Nazaries. After visiting this beautiful place we had a working lunch at the center with the topic What can we do to make students more aware of the chemistry around them?
Later we visited a science park. The topic of this visit is to convince students that STEM can be fun. They just had a good time in the park and learned and checked a lot.
After all activities, all participants were awarded certificates.
LTT in Serbia
(22.5-28.5.2022.)
All partners arrived at the airport in Sofia. The kind hosts were waiting for the guests and they all headed to Zajecar.
Second day of mobility
We spent this day in Sokobanja, a place known for its fortress from Turkish period, mineral water springs and caves. The students were tasked with proving that STEM is all around us. That's how they answered the questions: How are math and physics involved in architecture - STEAM concept of Ramonda, why is the Rtanj mountain in the shape of a pyramid and how is it connected with the geographical location, what makes the water at the springs mineral, how the Turks built huge fortresses on top of the hill if they didn't have machines, how does physics affect huge rocks in caves and their centuries-old position, at one of the workshops they determined that mathematics and biology are closely related, even though it seemed incorrect at first. We examined balance and were tasked with using physics to explain the concept of balance.
Fourth day of mobility
From game to STEM and cooperation aiming to support the gifted
Presented science paper inspired by the project "From game to STEM"
Teachers of the Gimnazija Zajecar, Mladen Sljivovic, Dragana Sekulic Pilipovic, Natasa Stanojevic, Srdjan Stanojevic , presented their science papers at the international conference "Cooperation aiming to support the gifted" organized by MENSA Serbia from September 23 to 25 in Belgrade. Teachers sign the science paper "Application of gaming elements in learning, as a way of a support to the students". The starting point for this work was the project "Ecological footprint", in which the Gymnasium participates.
Erasmus days in Spain
During last Thursday & Friday (13th & 14th October), we have celebrated Erasmus Days in IES SANTÍSIMA TRINIDAD with different activities. During the break time, students who have participated in the different mobilities have carried out games and quizzes about the partner countries and have shared their experience with them. On 13th afternoon, an open house was held with the families who are interested in the future participation of their kids. We shared LTT’s experiences, clarified doubts and tasted local pastries.
The host school presented two of its projects, "From game to STEM" and "Ecological footprint". In addition to the Zaječar High School, 16 other schools presented their projects.
In addition to schools from Timočka Krajina, visiting schools from Slovenia, Hungary and Turkey also presented themselves. The entire gathering was organized by the Zaječar High School with the support of the Erasmus ambassador, Mladen Šljivović.
Suwalki, Poland
3rd-7th October 2022.
All partners arrived at the airport in Varsaw. The kind hosts were waiting for the guests and they all headed to Suwalki.
First day of mobility
Mobility in Suwalki, Poland was organized from the 3rd-7th. October 2022. On the first day of mobility, the presentation of all participants was organized, and then international groups of students were formed to participate in the game The Treasure Hunt – Explore The City. During the game, the participants, in addition to getting to know each other, also had the opportunity to get to know the host city.
A quiz was organized with questions from science and participating countries. Students are divided into international teams. Everyone had fun and learned a lot.
Second day of mobility
Tuesday the 4th October, we spent at Wigry Lake where students participated in activity Explore the Water in the Wildlife- the study of the invertebrates in the Wigry Lake and the life of the Forest.
The students were given the task to investigate the presence of invertebrates and Lake Wigry, which belongs to the national park of the same name. They got buckets, a sieve, a deep rectangular container and set off into the shallows of the lake.
They took water from the surface of the lake into a rectangular container, then they scraped the bottom of the lake with a bucket and strained it through a sieve, and put the sediment into the rectangular container. After that, they took out larger stones from the bottom of the lake and looked for larger invertebrates, which they also put in containers.
The students then went to the laboratory where they separated the invertebrates into Petri dishes with tweezers and spoons. They observed the invertebrates through binoculars and recorded the data in prepared tables.
In this way, the students went through the process of determining and concluding the purity of the water in Lake Wigry.
Another group of students caught insects in the forest, recorded species and examined the age of trees in the forest.
Students participated in the workshop What is hidden in thewater- The Water World.
During the workshop, the students examined the composition of the water in Lake Wigry by taking water from the surface of the lake, being careful not to take sand from the bottom, and then in the laboratory they performed purity tests by introducing various substances into the water samples.
After the workshop, we had the opportunity to visit the natural history museum, and then we visited the Camaldolese Monastery.
In the evening, a "Cultural evening" was organized, where each team presented itself with a dance and a song from its country.
Fourth day of mobility
The name of the activity was The water that created the Landscape. All mobility participants had the opportunity to visit the nature of the Suwalki region and the deepest natural lake Hanchy. We enjoyed the natural beauty of the region.
After returning from the trip, the students attended the What we know about water seminar, and then they were divided into five groups whose task was to make presentations. Each group was given a task.
- First group: Present endangered plant species of each country participating in the mobility (Serbia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Poland and Spain).
- Second group: Endangered animal species in Serbia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Poland and Spain.
- Third group: Invasive species of plants in Serbia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Poland and Spain.
- Fourth group: Differences and similarities in the life of aquatic animal species in Serbia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Poland and Spain.
- Fifth group: Plant life in the waters of Serbia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Poland and Spain.
In the evening, the hosts organized a gathering at the hotel where we were staying.
Fifth day of mobility
On the last day of mobility, the students presented the results of their research and the presentations they had prepared the previous day. After a short break, certificates were handed out, officially ending the mobility program in Poland. After that, the teachers continued socializing with each other, and the students spent another pleasant afternoon with their hosts.
The impressions of the Bulgarian team:
LTT in Bulgaria
(Troyan, 28.11-2.12.2022.)
All partners arrived at the airport in Sofia. The kind hosts were waiting for the guests and they all headed to Troyan.
First day of mobility
The beginning of the activity was facilitated by the president of the Troyan municipality, the school principal, as well as representatives of the project team from the school Vasil Levski. Each team introduced itself with a presentation and thereby introduced the participants to the school, city and country they come from.
The topic of this mobility is "ICT in gaming", so we started to play. After the opening ceremony, we were divided into international teams and given our first tasks. The idea was to get to know each other, to get to know Troyan and have fun. All tasks related to important locations in the city and interesting facts about them. First we read them all and then answered the questions. After a quick response, we received the following location. Before each logo, it was necessary for the entire team to take a picture and post the photo on the project's online platform.
After getting to know the city together with the participants of the project, they welcomed us to the school in traditional costumes with traditional customs. We got to know the teachers, students and school where we will spend the next week. We saw the offices where we will do the workshops and didn't waste time, we got the assignments right away.
Second day of mobility
After getting to know the city and socializing in the team, a workshop was organized in which it was shown what the algorithm actually means. Each group drew a "monster" and then in the algorithm gave instructions on how to make the monster. The exchange of algorithms by groups should have resulted in a monster made of plasticine. At the end, we compared the drawn and made figures. The conclusion is that a good algorithm always leads to results.
In the In the afternoon we made animations of monsters. We also used diodes, connected them to batteries and illuminated parts of them.
We visited the museum and discuss about similarities between codding and pottery. In fact, there are many actions that coincide, and tomorrow at the workshop we will see for ourselves.
After visiting the museum and the large number of exhibits we saw, we tried to make something similar ourselves. Use "coding" with brush and paint we enjoyed the workshop "Codding and pottery". We spent hours coding ceramic pots.
Third day of mobility
We participated in a workshop where we learned how to program a micro bit. Micro bit is used in regular classes in Bulgarian schools, so we learned how we could connect it with programming in our schools and how to make the best use of it. At the beginning, we got acquainted with the possibilities of the micro bit, and later we were given the task of making a figure that lights up in various colors.
Later, the project participants had the opportunity to see how a video game is made in the form of a quiz that can be used for the test. The questions were from various STEM fields, so the students enjoyed trying to be the fastest and win the game. They got acquainted with the program for creating such a quiz in the form of a game.
After hard work we visited the Troyan monastery. We enjoyed the hospitality of the local monk who explained the entire history of the monastery and patiently answered all our questions.
Fourth day of mobility
Project participants were introduced to the Skratch program for creating games. They learned to create an object, to start it and assign it various tasks.
The next workshop was in the chemistry laboratory. With various experiments, we discussed how we can use ICT in chemistry.
We visited the town of Veliko Trnovo. Place, where Saint Sava spent his last days, and is often visited by pilgrims. Veliko Trnovo in Bulgaria is also called the Bulgarian Holy Mountain, because it hides more than 100 Orthodox churches. The most famous building is the Tsarevec fortress, and each year they expect a million tourists to visit. Even though it was raining and snowing, we didn't mind walking around the fortress and seeing all the sights of the city.
We also visited "Small Bulgaria" where we saw models of all famous buildings from the whole country.
In the evening, a joint dinner was organized, which, with folklore and a DJ, went in accordance with the wonderful time we spent together.
Fifth day of mobility
We spent the last morning visiting the classes at the school. It was interesting and useful to exchange experiences with teachers and children. Students also had the opportunity to try their hand at solving math problems.
In the afternoon, a video game was presented, which is the final product of our project. Students had the opportunity to try out how the game works for the first time. The closing ceremony was attended by representatives of the municipality, teachers from the Vasil Levski school and teachers other schools. On that occasion, two more projects from other schools were presented. It was interesting to see their experiences in the field of Erasmus. At the end, certificates were distributed and a plan was made for further cooperation between all schools.
Impression of the Bulgarian students:
