In WP2 and WP3 we developed a number of scenarios of new ways of teaching and learning with new technology. One of them is the Outdoor Study Project (see the video below).
In one of the partner schools of the project, the Oulu Teachers Training School, they have a tradition to organize “camp school” for the sixth-graders with hiking in Lapland. This year the hike was also an iTEC pilot, precisely trying out some aspects of the outdoor study project scenario.
According to the teachers of the school, hiking includes a number of educational objectives related to sciences, such as geography, biology, geology and environmental questions in general. In addition to these another objective is also to practice and develope such skills as team work and community building. As part of the iTEC the school attempted to use ICT to document the studies, and to share them with students who remained in school.
In school the main gathering point to follow and discuss about the hiking was an interactive whiteboard. To provide information to the student in the school, the hiking students and their teachers were carrying a number of devices. The devices with the hiking group were:
4 x iPhone
4 x water resistant bags for mobile phones
4 x external battery charger
2 x external battery charger
4 x Picassa uploader App for iPhone
The Picasa service was used to share images and videos, and GPS location (Google Maps) and a simple App for uploading the media. Audio files were sent to the school server via email straight from the iPhone Voice Recorder.
We recognized that there are many obstacles to organize outdoor study projects involving number of teachers and various educational and learning objectives. We must further research the activities of the school in Oulu. Here is the scenario video:
