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GLOBAL excursion D3.4. Final report on ViSH integration experiences GLOBAL excursion – 283686 Page 1 of 36 European Commission Seventh Framework Project (Research Infrastructures Activity – Grant Agreement No. 283686) D3.4 Final report on ViSH integration experiences 28.02.2014 Final V 1.0
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Page 1: D3.4 Final report on ViSH integration experiences€¦ · Title: Final report on ViSH integration experiences Workpackage: 3 Status: Final Level of Dissemination: Public Date: 28.02.2014

GLOBAL excursion D3.4. Final report on ViSH integration experiences

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European Commission Seventh Framework Project (Research Infrastructures Activity – Grant Agreement No. 283686)

D3.4 Final report on ViSH integration experiences

28.02.2014 Final V 1.0

 

   

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 DOCUMENT CONTROL

Deliverable number: 3.4

Title: Final report on ViSH integration experiences

Workpackage: 3

Status: Final

Level of Dissemination: Public

Date: 28.02.2014

Author(s): Fermín Serrano

E-mail: [email protected]

AMENDMENT HISTORY

Version Date Author/Editor Description/Comments

0.1 6.02.2014 Fermin Serrano Creation of first draft

0.2 27.02.2014 Barbara Kieslinger Sue Murket

Feedback on general outline, analysis of national feedback sessions and user survey; contribution to conclusions; contribution to reflection on implemention experiences

0.3 28.02.2014 Enrique Barra Arias

Description of ViSH functionalities for e-Infrastructure integration; general feedback

1.0 14.3.2014 Fermin Serrano Executive summary, layout and formatting issues

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CONTRIBUTERS

Name of institutions

ZSI ZENTRUM FUER SOZIALE INNOVATION

UPM UNIVERSIDAD POLITECNICA DE MADRID

EUN EUN Partnership AISBL

UNIZAR UNIVERSIDAD DE ZARAGOZA

UCAM THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

MTA SZTAKI

MAGYAR TUDOMANYOS AKADEMIA SZAMITASTECHNIKAI ES AUTOMATIZALASI KUTATO INTEZET

ASSA AGORA SYSTEMS, S.A.

Legal Notices The information in this document is subject to change without notice. The Members of the GLOBAL excursion Consortium make no warranty of any kind with regard to this document, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The Members of the GLOBAL excursion Consortium shall not be held liable for errors contained herein or direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material. GLOBAL excursion is a supporting action funded by the European Commission under the Research and Innovation Infrastructures programme of FP7. This report 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.

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INDEX

EXECUTIVE  SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... 5  

1.  INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 6  

2.  E-­‐INFRASTRUCTURE  RESOURCES  INTEGRATED  AND  VIRTUAL  EXCURSIONS ................. 6  

3.  VISH  DEVELOPMENTS  AND  ENHANCED  FEATURES  CREATED ............................................ 8  

4.  VISH  USER  FEEDBACK  AND  SURVEY  RESULTS ..................................................................... 10  4.1.  VISH  USER  SURVEY ...................................................................................................................... 10  4.2  NATIONAL  FEEDBACK  SESSIONS ..................................................................................................... 13  

5  REFLECTIONS  ON  IMPLEMENTATION  OF  E-­‐INFRASTRUCTURES ...................................... 14  5.1.  GENERAL  REFLECTIONS  ABOUT  DISSEMINATION  AND  OUTREACH ...................................................... 14  5.2.  VISHUB  SPECIFIC  ISSUES .............................................................................................................. 15  

6.  CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................................. 16  

ANNEX I. SURVEY RESULTS ..................................................................................................... 17  

ANNEX II. NATIONAL FEEDBACK SESSION ......................................................................... 33  

ANNEX III. NATIONAL FEEDBACK SESSION ....................................................................... 36      

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Executive  Summary  

In   the   last   year   of   the  Global   Excursion   project   efforts   have   been   oriented  mainly   to   foster  community  engagement.  We  have  addressed  new  users  awareness  and  the  integration  of  new  e-­‐infrastructures  training  resources.  The  ViSHub  Competitions  resulted  to  be  a  very  effective  way  of  dissemination.  As  a  result,  the  current  number  of  virtual  excursions  accessible  at  this  moment   in   the  ViSH   is  466.  Most  of   these  contents  have  been  created  by   teachers,   students  and  scientists.  

The  project  team  has  also  covered  the  technical  part  dealing  with  the  software  developments  required   to   ease   further   integrations   and   impacts.   Instead   of   considering   the   tools   as  something   done   and   fixed,   we   have   adopted   a   combined   cycle   of   analysis-­‐design-­‐development-­‐evaluation   in   order   to   continuously   improve   our   system   based   on   user’s  feedback.  The  following  functionalities  have  been  specifically  designed  to  help  scientists  with  providing  their  e-­‐Infrastructures  and  resources:  Smartcards  (Flashcard,  vritual  tour,  enriched  video),   integration   of   full   web   pages,   Web   apps,   SCORM   files,   promoted   resources   and  Tutorials  which  can  be  found  on  our  Youtube  Channel.  

Finally,  we  have  also  conducted  virtual  surveys  related  to  the  ViSH  and  the  live  events  as  well  as  face  to  face  sessions  to  collect  experiences  from  our  users.  By  doing  this,  we  have  identified  the   features   required   to   improve   the  experience  of   the  scientists  or   resource  providers  and  the   teachers   and   students.   The   different  models   of   participation   is   high   and  we   have   faced  some   challenges  out  of   the   scope  of   the  project  when  building  up  a  wider   community  of   e-­‐infrastructure  providers.  Nevertheless,  we  have  solved  most  of  the  key  issues  identified.  And  overall,  the  responses  regarding  the  current  features  and  the  future  use  of  the  ViSH  have  been  very  positive    and  encouraging,  with  most  of  the  users  planning  to  visit  the  ViSH  at  least  once  a  month.  

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1.  Introduction    This   document   describes   the   efforts   made   during   the   final   project   period   in   terms   of  integrating  additional  resources  to  the  ViSH.  It  also  reports  on  the  findings  from  a  user  survey  that  was  conducted  amongst  all  ViSH  users  and  draws  some  important  conclusions  from  the  feedback  gathered.  

The   final   project   period   of   the   GLOBAL   excursion   project  was   dedicated   to   broadening   the  user  base  and  community  building  activities  for  the  ViSH.  In  addition,  some  adaptations  were  made  to  the  platform  in  order  to  improve  the  services  and  to  attract  further  users.  Since  there  is   no   additional   deliverable   for   WP2,   these   final   developments   are   also   included   in   this  document   (and   in   deliverable   D5.4   Report   on   final   dissemination,   exploitation   and  sustainability)   with   a   special   focus   on   features   that   allow   an   easier   integration   of   e-­‐Infrastructures  and  other  content  resources.    In  addition,  this  document  critically  reflects  on  the  difficulties   in  attracting  e-­‐Infrastructures  outside   the   consortium.   General   reflections   as  well   ViSH-­‐specific   reflections   are   drawn   and  discussed   in  Chapter  5  and  have  been  useful   for   feeding  deliverable  D6.2  Stakeholder  Policy  Recommendations.    

 

2.  e-­‐Infrastructure  resources  integrated  and  virtual  excursions  

We  have  integrated  the  scientific  infrastructures  planned  in  the  project’s  description  of  work,  from   the   focus   areas   (nanotechnologies,   biotechnologies,   volunteer   computing   and   life  sciences)  which  are  being   accessed  by   the   end  users.  We  have  performed  virtual   visits   and  interactive   experiments,   improving   the   educational   resources.   Once   we   had   this   set   of   t-­‐infrastructures  working  we  used   them  as   success   stories  when   trying   to   get   involved  more  researchers   and   e-­‐infrastructure   providers   from   these   areas   and   from   other   fields   of  knowledge.  We  could  not  get  the  impact  expected  but  we  have  gained  a  valuable  experience.  The  reasons  to  this  low  acceptance  and  our  vision  are  pointed  in  the  Chapter  4  and  5  of  this  document.   Said   that,   since   D3.2   (1   year   ago)   some   e-­‐infrastructures   have   been   integrated,  including   influenza   monitoring   system   based   on   contributors,   CERN   facilities,   3D   anatomy  atlas  dissection  lab,  Solar  activity  (SalsaJ  software)  or  the  Robotic  telescope  (Eudoxos)  among  others.    

The  ViSH2013  Competition  organized  in  the  last  months  of  the  project  has  shown  to  be  very  effective   to   enlarge   the   user   communities   and   to   increase   their   engagement   as  well   as   the  content  pool   and   the   increased   the  number  of   excursions  beyond   expectations.  Most   of   the  content   on   the   ViSH   has   been   uploaded   by   teachers   or   non-­‐scientists.   Those   resources   are  mainly  multimedia,  games  and  references  to  didactical  material.  

The  number  of  virtual  excursions  accessible  on  the  ViSH  is  currently  466.  Here  we  would  like  to  give  only  a  few  examples  of  attractive  and  pedagogically  valuable  excursions:    

 

 

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1.  The  Higgs  Particle  Excursion  by  Andreas  Valadakis  (http://vishub.org/excursions/560)  provides   a   brief   history   of   Higgs   particle   discovery   through   ideas   and   experiments:   An  excursion  from  the  origin  of  the  Universe  to  the  Large  Hadron  Collider  at  CERN.  It  is  targeted  for  students  of  14+  and  its  educational  objective  is  to  see  how  reality  suggests  ideas  about  the  origin  of  the  Universe  and  how  these  ideas  are  checked  by  experiments.    

   2.   The   identification   of   minerals   via   QR   code   (http://vishub.org/excursions/515)   is   an  excursion  jointly  developed  by  a  school  class,  the  2º  Bac  IES  David  Buján  from  Spain,  who  use  mobile  devices  for  scanning  the  QR  code  they  included  in  the  excursions  to  identify  and  obtain  specific  information  about  common  minerals.  The  excursion  is  in  Spanish.    

       

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3.  Development  of  the  global  population  by  Jörg  Haas  (http://vishub.org/excursions/564)  is   an   excursion   German   for   the   age   group   of   15+   and   is   an   example   ofa   cross-­‐disciplinary  excursion   as   it   covers   aspects   of  Maths,   Computer   Science,   Ethics   and   Social   Sciences.   This  excursion  is  in  German.    

     These   excursions   are   just   a   few   examples   of   the   variety   of   educational   resources   available  now  on  the  ViSH.      

3.  Vish  developments  and  enhanced  features  created  Having  experienced  the  very  limited  take  up  of  the  ViSH  by  the  science  and  e-­‐Infrastructure  community   the   consortium   decided   to   add   a   few   specific   functionalities   to   the   ViSH   that  would  allow  an  easy   integration  of  new  scientific  resources  and  infrastructures.  The  ViSH  is  now  prepared  to  easily  integrate  new  e-­‐Infrastructure  in  the  future.  

The  following  functionalities  have  been  specifically  designed  to  help  scientists  with  providing  their  e-­‐Infrastructures  and  resources:    

1.  Smartcards  Smartcards   are   different   visualizations   of   the   virtual   excursions.   Currently   three   different  types  of  smartcards  are  available  on  the  ViSH:    

1. Flashcard:  this  was  the  first  that  we  created.  The  user  can  link  slides  with  points  in  a  

background  image.  (example:  http://vishub.org/excursions/83)  

2. Virtual   tour:   the   user   can   link   slides   with   points   in   a   map.   (example:  

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http://vishub.org/excursions/343#2)  

3. Enriched  video:   the   user   can   link   slides  with   timestamps   in   a   video.   This   feature   is  

very  new.  Here  is  a  ink  to  an  example  http://vishub.org/excursions/784  

 

2.  Integration  of  full  web  pages    Any   external  webpage   can   be   integrated   in   a   virtual   excursion   or   to   the   repository   on   the  ViSH.  So  any  resource  that  an  e-­‐Infrastructure  has  online  can  be  inserted  in  a  e-­‐excursion.  We  implemented  this   functionality   in  the  very  beginning,  but  we  have  improved  it   for  the   latest  release  as  we  have  seen  that  there  is  no  standard  for  simulations  or  virtual  laboratories  and  most  of   them  are   integrated   like  web  pages.  The   improvements  now  offer   the  possibility  of  zooming  in  and  out  (so  you  can  show  the  full  page  or  resource  if  it  does  not  fit  the  screen)  and  to  show  only  a  part  of  the  web  page,  so  you  can  show  a  specific  experiment  or  simulation  that  is  in  the  bottom  of  the  external  web  page.    

3.  Web  apps    With   this   functionality   anyone   can   upload   a   zip   package  with   a  web   app   developed   in   any  language  (it  only  has  to  contain  an  index.html  file).  We  ensure  the  security  inserting  this  web  app  in  a  special  iframe,  so  no  harm  can  be  done  to  the  ViSH  user  accessing  the  app.  This  way  virtual  experiments,  simulations  and  remote   labs  can  be  easily   inserted  even   if   they  are  not  provided  via  an  external  web  page.    4.  SCORM  files    This  kind  of  files  can  be  imported  now  in  the  excursions  and  similar  to  the  external  web  pages  the  content  of  the  SCORM  package  will  be  displayed  inside  a  slide  and  the  users  will  be  able  to  interact  with  it  in  the  ViSH  editor.      

5.  Promoted  resources  When   uploading   a   new   resource   to   the   repository   users   can   suggest   it   to   be   a   “promoted  resource”.   After   that   the  ViSH  board  will   receive   an   email  with   the  proposition   and  will   be  able  to  mark  it  as  a  promoted  resource,  if  appropriate.  In  the  interface  of  the  ViSH  Editor  this  promoted  resources  have  more  visibility  and  are  promoted   for   the  users   to   include  them  in  their  excursions.  This  functionality  is  very  useful  for  e-­‐Infrastructure  resources  to  add  their  resources  and  give  them  visibility  among  the  thousands  of  resources  in  the  repository.    

6.  Tutorials  on  Youtube  Channel  Since  most  of  the  new  ViSH  features,  although  intuitive,  are  not  known  to  the  users  we  have  started  to  create  a  series  of  tutorials  on  the  ViSH  Youtube  channel:      http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo-­‐73n6eZBWNBs2gvKLyBhQ      

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These  tutorials  are  short  videos  showing  step  by  step  how  to  use  the  different  features  of  the  ViSH  and  should  support  scientists  in  providing  their  resources  in  the  future.    

 

   

4.  ViSH  user  feedback  and  survey  results    

4.1.  Vish  user  survey  

In  order   to   improve   the  ViSH   for   the   future  and   to  provide  optimum  services  we  asked  our  community  to  give  us  their  feedback.  An  online  questionnaire  was  prepared  and  sent  out  with  a  request  for  participation  to  all  ViSH  users  in  January  2014.  In  total,  we  had  31  responses  for  the  14  questions,  which  included  open  and  closed  questions.  The  whole  online  survey  results  are  available  in  the  Annex  I  of  this  document.  In  the  following  we  will  present  and  discuss  the  main  outcomes  from  the  survey:    

Who  answered  the  survey?  

-­‐   55%   or   the   contributors   come   from   Spain,  which   reflect   the   high   impact   this   project   has  reached  in  this  country.  Various  factors  have  contributed  to  the  national  success  of  the  ViSH  in  Spain.   Amongst   the   7   consortium   partners   three   are   located   in   Spain,   which   resulted   in   a  proportionally  higher  dissemination  effort  in  this  country  compared  to  the  other  partners.  In  addition,  the  contracted  pedagogical  advisor  from  Spain  has  been  very  active  in  promoting  the  ViSH   in   the  Spanish   teacher  community,  where  he   is  a  well-­‐connected  member  with  a  wide  

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personal  network  of  contacts.      

-­‐   67%  of   the   contributors   included   science   or   technologies   as   their  main   area   of   expertise,  showing   the   lower   impact  of   virtual   environments   in  other  disciplines   e.g.   humanities.  This  reflects   clearly   the   initial   focus   of   the   project   on   specific   STEM   (Science,   Technology,  Engineering,  Maths)   topics.   In   its   initial   phase   and   actually   as   such  defined   in   the  DoW   the  project   was   offering   content   in   the   area   of   nanotechnologies,   biotechnologies,   volunteer  computing  and  life  sciences.  Only  at  a  later  stage  in  the  project  the  range  of  topics  offered  on  the  ViSH  was  expanded.    

-­‐   67%  of   the   contributors   are   teachers,   showing   the   lower   impact   of   the  project  within   the  scientific  community  and  the  rest  of  stakeholders.  This   is  clearly  one  of  the  shortcomings  of  the   project   and   will   be  further   analysed   below   in   chapter   5.   Although   the   project   was  originally   designed   to   offer   a   service   for   both,   the   teacher   community   and   the   e-­‐Infrastructure/scientific   community,   the   scientific   community   outside   the   consortium   is  clearly  underrepresented.      

Main  outcomes  

Usefulness  and  usability  -­‐  For  both  groups,  teachers  and  scientists/science  communicators,  all  the  features  from  ViSH  are  marked   as   important   or   very   important,   and   ViSH   and  MashMeTV   or   similar   tools   are  considered  very  important  or  rather  important.  

-­‐  For  almost  93%  of  the  teachers  the  ViSH  constitutes  an  important  addition  to  their  currently  available   teaching   tools.   Scientists/science   communicators   identified   the   ViSH   also   as   an  important   addition   to   their   science   communication.   Considering   the   low   number   of  participants  from  this  group  these  answers  do  not  give  any  statistically  relevant  insights  into  the  usefulness  of  the  ViSH  for  this  target  group.    

-­‐  All  the  learning  objects  that  can  be  created  with  the  ViSH  Editor,  namely  virtual  excursions,  Flashcards  and  virtual  tours,  are  rated  as  useful  or  very  useful.  The  virtual  excursion,  which  is  also  the  core  element  of  the  ViSH,  has  been  rated  slightly  more  useful  than  the  other  learning  objects.    

-­‐  The  usability  of  the  ViSH,  its  intuitive  design  and  the  flexibility  of  its  features  are  clearly  the  aspects  that  users  appreciate  most.  In  addition,  a  few  answers  stress  the  collaborative  aspects  of   the   ViSH   and   the   fact   that   excursions   can   be   easily   adapted   and   extended  with   a  mix   of  online  resources.    

Current  problems  and  barriers  -­‐   Regarding   current   problems   encountered   with   the   use   of   the   ViSH,   the   users   reported  surprisingly   few.   Actually,   many   contributors   to   the   questionnaire   said   that   they   had   no  problems  when  using  the  ViSH.  Other  reported  specific  technical  issues,  such  as  the  usability  on  smartphones,  problems  with  PDF  export   feature  and  other  minor  bugs.  These  have  been  reported  to  the  technical  team  who  took  care  of  solving  those  technical  issues.  

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-­‐  Regarding  barriers   of   use   some   important   aspects  were   addressed,   some  of  which   can  be  tackled   by   the   project   itself   while   some   others   have   to   be   solved   on   a   different   level,   e.g.  school  administration  or  national  curriculum.  The  most  important  barrier  for  using  the  ViSH  is  the  lack  of  time.  Many  respondents  said  that  they  do  not  have  time  to  prepare  excursion.  In  the   case   of   teachers   they   complain   also   that   their   curriculum   is   very   tight   and   they   do   not  have  much  time  for  alternative  activities.  In  the  case  of  researchers  they  similarly  lack  time  for  sharing   scientific   resources.   Participants   in   the   survey   criticized   also   the   lack   of   scientific  infrastructures  on  the  ViSH.  The  number  of  alternative  tools  and  platforms  already  available  and   the  need   for  more  publicity  of   the   tool   in   their   countries  have  been   listed  amongst   the  barriers.  And   finally,   another   barrier   for   teachers   still   is   the   infrastructure   in   their   schools.  Various   respondents   relate   to   the   fact   that   Internet   is   not   available   in   all   the   classes   or  schools.  

Future  use  Overall,  the  responses  regarding  the  future  use  of  the  ViSH  have  been  very  positive,  with  80%  of  the  respondents  planning  to  visit  the  ViSH  at  least  once  a  month.  

 Time  and  appropriate  infrastructure  seems  to  be  the  most  important  resources  for  teachers  to  make   use   of   the   ViSH   in   the   future.   An   important   suggestion   for   the   consortium  was   also  mentioned   repeatedly,   namely  making   the   service   of   the   ViSH   better   known   in   the   various  European   countries.   So   more   publicity   for   the   ViSH   and   information   campaigns   were  suggested  by  a  number  of  teachers.    

Finally,  the   Meet   the   scientist   sessions   should   be   organized   once   a   month   or   once   every  months,  at  least.    

As  previously  stated,  the  complete  survey  can  be  found  as  an  Annex  of  this  document.    

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4.2  National  feedback  sessions  In  addition,  specific  user  feedback  was  gathered  in  online  meetings  with  teachers  from  across  the  participating  countries.  These  national  feedback  sessions  were  all  conducted  via  MashMeTV  and  teachers  shared  their  experiences  with  the  latest  version  of  the  ViSH  and  made  suggestions  for  additional  improvements.  The  meetings  were  structured  along  the  following  questions:      

1.  Pedagogical  experience:  ·            How  was  the  experience  to  use  the  ViSH  in  class  and  for  which  specific  pedagogical  

scenarios  was  it  most  appropriate?  ·            Did  you  use  the  ViSH  for  any  interdisciplinary  teaching?  ·            Do  you  have  any  recommendations  for  teachers  to  use  it  in  the  future  in  class?  

2.  Technical  experience:  ·            Was  the  ViSH  functioning  properly  and  how  was  the  access  to  the  ViSH?  ·            How  do  you  like  the  new  version  of  the  ViSH?  Did  it  improve  from  the  previous  

version?  ·            Where  there  any  technical  difficulties  in  accessing  the  ViSH?  ·            Do  you  see  any  important  change  needed  in  terms  of  functionalities  or  design?  

3.  Content  on  the  ViSH:  ·            Are  the  resources  and  excursions  on  the  ViSH  appealing?  ·            What  would  you  like  most  to  have  as  resources  on  the  ViSH?  

4.  Students’  experience:  ·            What  was  the  feedback  from  the  students?  ·            Did  they  like  it?  What  did  they  prefer?  What  did  they  criticise?  

5.  Organisational  aspects:  ·            How  was  it  to  integrate  the  ViSH  activities  into  the  regular  school  curriculum?  ·            Do  you  have  recommendations  for  national  curriculum  developers  or  other  

educational  policy  makers  (e.g.  school  principal)  in  order  to  be  able  to  use  the  ViSH  in  the  future  in  class?  

 

Overall,  the  feedback  from  the  teacher  community  with  the  new  ViSH  release  has  been  very  positive  and  encouraging.  Teachers  liked  the  new  design  and  found  it  much  more  intuitive  and  easy  to  work  with.  Some  requested  additional  features,  such  as  the  download  as  PDF  of  an  excursion  and  some  others.    

Regarding  the  usage  as  part  of  their  teaching  the  experiences  differed  across  countries.  While  some  teachers  were  using  the  ViSH  in  class,  others  were  exploring  it  on  their  own.  Some  teachers  performed  interdisciplinary  teaching  and  confirmed  that  the  ViSH  is  supporting  such  teaching  as  long  as  enough  content  is  available.  Some  even  appropriated  the  ViSH  in  new  ways,  e.g.  for  homework.    

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Teachers  were  rather  critical  with  the  content  available  at  the  ViSH  during  that  time.  They  requested  more  quality  content,  a  cleaning  up  of  useless  resources  and  an  better  classification  of  the  content.  These  suggestions  have  been  taken  up  by  the  developers  and  more  content  was  achieved  via  the  competition.    

The  networking  features  of  the  ViSH  amongst  teachers  seem  to  be  important  and  teachers  want  to  exchange  their  experiences  with  their  peers.  Technical  infrastructure  at  school  is  still  a  problem  for  some  countries,  as  it  seems.    

A  more  detailed  summary  of  the  national  feedback  sessions  is  provided  in  Annex  II  of  this  document.      

5  Reflections  on  implementation  of  e-­‐infrastructures    Unfortunately,   it  has   to  be   said   that  we  never   really   succeeded   in  WP3   to  attract   the  wider  scientific  community  and  scientific  infrastructure  providers  to  participate.  In  the  following  we  will   provide   a   critical   analysis   of   why   we   think   that   the   project   was   not   as   successful   as  expected  in  this  respect.    

5.1.  General  reflections  about  dissemination  and  outreach  

Many  researchers  understand   that   it   is   important   to  explain  what   they  do   in   their   research  and  why   it   is   good   for   others   and   for   the  whole   society.     The   University   of   Cambridge   for  example,   and   especially   its   science   departments,   has   a   good   reputation   for   working   with  schools  and  has  two  large  events  every  year  for  access  to  schools  and  teachers.    One  held  in  March   called   the   Cambridge   science   festival   and   one   in   September   called   Physics   at   work.    Both  events  are  very  popular  but  are,  of  course,   face-­‐to-­‐face  events  where  visitors   listen   to  talks   and   have   direct   access   to   selected   researchers.    Both   events   are   voluntary.    There   are  many   initiatives   within   the   UK   to   encourage   STEM   learning   in   schools   and   things   have  changed  here  slightly  with  more  students  taking  up  their  final  school  exams  in  these  subjects.    Cambridge   is   now   starting   to   embrace   the   MOOC   and   the   Department   of   Physics   has   a  recently  funded  large  project  in  this  area.  A  similar  situation  can  be   found   in  many  scientific   institutions  across  Europe.  Despite   there  are   some   incentives,   such   as   community   awareness,   for   scientists   to   communicate   and  interactive   with   a   broader   public,   including   schools,   there   are   no   formal   recognition  mechanisms  in  scientific  career  or  in  appraisal  or  tenures.  Many  of  the  researchers,  who  often  also   have   teaching   duties   at   universities,   express   the   feeling   that   dissemination   is   a  mandatory,  but  “low  level”  activity,  time  consuming,  and  with  uncertain  funding.  The  dialogue  between   researchers   and   society-­‐students   is   mostly   done   via   intermediators,   such   as  journalists  or  specific  science  communicators.      

There  is  a  shared  concern  about  the  work  done  in  the  lab  and  how  it  can  be  communicated  to  the  public,  as   it  does  not  seem  to  be  “sexy”  enough  and  needs  some  pimp-­‐up   in  order   to  be  attractive  and  gain  attention.  Idiom,  documentation,  social  media,  adapting  the  message,  etc.  are  key   issues  that  require  preparation.  Whenever  publishing  a  work  for  the  general  public,  feedback  is  a  must  and  bi-­‐directional  dialogue  should  be  ensured,  which  is  again  highly  time  consuming.  Addressing  language  issues  correctly  is  required  as  well.    

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When   trying   to   attract   scientists   to   share   their   resources   on   the  ViSH   the  project   team  has  been  faced  with  this  set  of  challenges  and  some  more  specific  issues  as  explained  below.    

5.2.  VISHub  specific  issues  It  has  proved  difficult  to  persuade  researchers/scientists  to  contribute  to  the  ViSH  for  several  reasons.    First  of  all,  the  ViSH  did  not  work  properly  initially  as  it  was  still  in  its  developmental  stage.  Its  underlying  concept  was  not  trivial  and  the  usability  still  had  to  be  improved.  In  the  beginning  it   was   e.g.   not   easy   to   upload   resources   and   thus   some   of   the   researchers   who   were  approached  probable  at  a  too  early  stage  were  put  off  at  the  start  when  trying  to  upload  their  resources.    Maybe  in  hindsight,  it  would  have  been  worth  sorting  out  the  issues  first  so  we  had  the  optimum  version  before  asking  people  to  contribute  to  it.    The   following   statements   summarize   input   received   from   scientists   when   asked   about   the  current   shortcomings   of   the   ViSH   to   be   used   as   a   dissemination   channel   towards   a   school  audience:      

• Too  time  consuming  to  produce  the  materials  is  not  really  their  “job”  • There  are  often  restrictions  as  to  what  researchers  can  put  into  the  public  domain  and  this  has  to  be  carefully  monitored  often  by  their  respective  institutions    

• Little   guidance   as   to  what   is   involved   i.e.   what   do   the   teachers  want/need   for   their  lessons  especially  as  curricula  vary  hugely  from  country  to  country.    

• e-­‐Infrastructures   and   e-­‐science   are   some   of   the   most   complex   issues   of   mankind.  Complexity  and  specialization  of  science   is  creating  a  wall  among  scientific   fields  but  also   between   researchers   and   society.   The   alignment   of   these   concepts   with   the  educational  model  is  not  clear  and  further  feedback  from  the  teachers  and  educational  experts  is  required.    

• Some  groups  presented  some  reluctance  considering  ViSH  as  yet  another  resource.  The  are   other   channels   to   perform   communication,   training   and   outreach   with  funding  opportunities  and  this  was  not  the  case  of  Global  Excursion  projects,  except  the  case  of  the  subcontracted  Doñana  infrastructure.  

• MashMeTV   is   appealing   to   the   scientists   for   the   direct   access   to   the   teachers/school  children.   Volunteers   were   easier   to   find   but   in   the   case   of   UCAM   some   technical  features  within  MashmeTV  did  not  work  properly  at  the  early  stages  and  the  scientists  became  embarrassed  and  frustrated  and  did  not  want  to  repeat  the  exercise.  However  the  programme  of  the  session  was  revised  and  access  to  the  scientists  restricted  to  text  questions   only   and   this   worked   better.   Feedback   from   the   scientists   was   that   they  would  not  be  willing  to  take  part  unless  the  technical  issues  were  fixed.  

 

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6.  Conclusions  From   the   experience   of   this   30-­‐months   of   EC-­‐funded   project   duration   GLOBAL   Excursion  succeeded   from   an   educational   point   of   view   in   attracting   a   community   of   teachers   and  engage  them  in  using  the  ViSH.  Clearly,  more  dissemination  and  publicity  work  is  needed  even  after  the  official  project  ends  in  order  to  attract  even  more  teachers  and  expand  the  user  base  with  community  services.    

Some  activities   targeting  specifically  at   this  main  user  group  are  already  planned,   such  as  a  teacher   training   workshop   in   Austria   in   April   2014   in   collaboration   with   ODS   and   the  NanOpinion  project.  Presentations  to  teacher  communities  in  other  countries  are  foreseen  via  EUN   network.   In   addition,   the   Spanish   partners   have   initiated   a   dialogue  with   educational  policy  makers  at  regional  level  to  promote  the  ViSH  in  Spanish  schools.  Furthermore,  the  next  “Meet  the  Scientist”  session  is  already  planned  for  March/April  2014.    

Regarding  the  scientific  and  e-­‐Infrastructure  provision  on  the  ViSH  the  project  has  identified  its   main   shortcomings,   namely   the   lack   of   time,   efforts,   incentives   and   motivation   from  individual  scientists  and   institutions  (e-­‐Infrastructure  providers),  who  have  been  addressed  outside   the   consortium.   The   lack   of   standards   for   e-­‐Infrastructures,   as   described   in   D6.2  Stakeholder   Policy   Recommendations   has   proven   to   be   an   enormous   hindering   factor   in  technical  terms  for  the  integration  of  such  e-­‐Infrastructures  in  the  ViSH.    

In  the  final  period  the  developers  of  the  ViSH  have  implemented  specific  features,  such  as  the  integration  of  web  apps  in  order  to  allow  an  easy  integration  of  simulations  and  remote  labs  to   the   ViSH.   Additional   tutorials   explaining   these   features   for   easy   integration   are   being  prepared   and   need   to   be   promoted   and   disseminated   towards   the   specific   scientific  communities.    

One   strategy   for   promoting   the   ViSH   further   is   to   address   institutions   that   have   a   strong  interest   in   promoting   their   resources,   such   as   science  museum  and   science   communication  units,  scientific  societies,  etc.  and  move  away  from  the  individual  researcher,  who  is  limited  in  their  time  and  resources.    

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Annex I. Survey Results Global excursion- ViSH feedback

1. In which country are you working?

Answer Options Response Percent

Response Count

Austria 0,0% 0

Belgium 3,2% 1

Bulgaria 3,2% 1

Croatia 3,2% 1

Czech Republic 3,2% 1

Denmark 0,0% 0

Estonia 0,0% 0

Finland 0,0% 0

France 0,0% 0

Germany 3,2% 1

Greece 6,5% 2

Hungary 6,5% 2

Ireland 0,0% 0

Israel 3,2% 1

Italy 3,2% 1

Lithuania 0,0% 0

Malta 0,0% 0

Netherlands 0,0% 0

Portugal 3,2% 1

Republic of Macedonia 0,0% 0

Romania 3,2% 1

Slovakia 0,0% 0

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Spain 54,8% 17

Sweden 0,0% 0

Turkey 0,0% 0

United Kingdom 0,0% 0

Other (please specify) 3,2% 1

answered question 31

skipped question 0

2. What is your main area of expertise?

Answer Options Response Percent Response Count

Art 6,5% 2

Astronomy 6,5% 2

Biology 6,5% 2

Chemistry 0,0% 0

Citizenship 0,0% 0

Classical Languages 0,0% 0

Computer Science 9,7% 3

Cross Curricular education 3,2% 1

General culture 0,0% 0

Economics 0,0% 0

Educational administration 0,0% 0

Environmental Education 0,0% 0

Ethics 0,0% 0

European Studies 0,0% 0

Foreign Languages 3,2% 1

Geography 3,2% 1

Geology 0,0% 0

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Health education 6,5% 2

History 0,0% 0

Home economics 0,0% 0

Law 0,0% 0

Literature 0,0% 0

Mathematics 0,0% 0

Music 0,0% 0

Natural Sciences 3,2% 1

Philosophy 0,0% 0

Physical Education 0,0% 0

Physics 6,5% 2

Politics 0,0% 0

Psychology 0,0% 0

Religion 0,0% 0

Social sciences 0,0% 0

Technology 16,1% 5

Telecommunications 3,2% 1

Other (please specify) 25,8% 8

answered question 31

skipped question 0

3. What is your profession?

Answer Options Response Percent

Response Count

Teacher 67,7% 21

Scientist 16,1% 5

Science Communicator 3,2% 1

Other (please specify) 12,9% 4

answered question 31

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skipped question 0

4. The ViSH can be used for different activities. Which of the following ones are the most interesting to you? On a scale from 1 (most important) to 4 (least important) please rate the importance of the following items by ticking one box per each record

Answer Options 1: Most important

2: Important

3: Quite important

4: Least important

Rating Average

Response Count

4a. For Teachers - Usage of the ViSH to … Browse for existing excursions and present them to pupils in class.

20 9 2 0 1,42 31

Create new excursions and present them to pupils in class. 20 10 1 0 1,39 31

Get in contact with scientists via the Live-Sessions on MashMeTV.

14 11 6 0 1,74 31

Involve my students in the creation of excursions on the ViSH.

13 8 9 1 1,94 31

Find new resources and teaching ideas and then move to another platform to present this content.

12 13 3 3 1,90 31

Use the ViSH to get in contact with other teachers. 12 9 9 1 1,97 31

Other (please specify) 1

answered question 31

skipped question 0

4b. For Scientists/Science Communicators – Usage of the ViSH to …

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Answer Options 1: Most important

2: Quite important

3: Important

4: Least important

Rating Average

Response Count

Create excursions about our research work. 11 5 1 0 1,41 17

Upload resources from our research work. 8 6 2 1 1,76 17

Providing access to our scientific infrastructure, e.g. remote lab, microscope, webcam, etc.

7 8 2 0 1,71 17

Present our area of research during a live session with teachers and pupils on MashMeTV.

6 4 7 0 2,06 17

Follow teachers’ interest in our area of research. 5 6 6 0 2,06 17

Other (please specify) 0

answered question 17

skipped question 14

5. Please rate the usefulness of the following Learning Objects that can be created with ViSH Editor. *Flashcards are resources presented as an image background with arrows on which the user can click to see additional contents. (eg: http://vishub.org/excursions/83) *Virtual Tours are presented as interactive maps with map pins on which the user can click to see additional contents. (eg: http://vishub.org/excursions/343)

Answer Options

1: Not Useful

2 3 4

5: Very Useful

Rating Average

Response Count

Virtual Excursions 0 0 1 10 19 4,60 30

Flashcards 0 0 3 10 17 4,47 30

Virtual Tours 0 0 1 12 17 4,53 30

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answered question 30

skipped question 1

6. What do you like most about the ViSH?

Answer Options Response Count

31

answered question 31

skipped question 0

1. The excursion creator Tue, Feb 4, 2014 10:42 PM 2. The excursions Sun, Jan 19, 2014 9:02 PM

3. Usability. Sharing. Tue, Jan 14, 2014 5:16 PM

4. simplicity, easily available excursions Mon, Jan 13, 2014 8:39 PM

5. I like that I can create complex applications in that can be included several ICT tools.

Mon, Jan 13, 2014 11:30 AM

6. You can create attactive presentations easily. Mon, Jan 13, 2014 11:25 AM 7. The usability Mon, Jan 13, 2014 10:36 AM 8. The creator of Virtual Excursions Mon, Jan 13, 2014 10:29 AM 9. Easy to use Sun, Jan 12, 2014 8:46 PM 10. the virtual excursions Fri, Jan 10, 2014 9:16 PM

11.

El poder generar actividades expositivas e interactivas para aplicar en mis clases

Fri, Jan 10, 2014 11:25 AM

12. el poder añadir másica y páginas web en directo Thu, Jan 9, 2014 6:30 PM

13. The apresentation Thu, Jan 9, 2014 1:22 AM

14.

Su fácil manejo y las posibilidades que ofrece para llevar al aula los contenidos.

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 10:01 PM

15. It is for teachers and we may ask for the tools we need. Wed, Jan 8, 2014 9:01 PM

16.

It could be a very useful instrument to create, show and share works. Anyway, it's compatible with Moodle, which is being used in our IT project (Technological Secundary Schools Project of the Comunidad de Madrid). Finally, Vish can be used to develop a more creative way of learning,

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 8:54 PM

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based in cooperative, scientifical and practical works.

17. All the different tools and resources that are available Wed, Jan 8, 2014 5:45 PM

18. It's encourage creativity Wed, Jan 8, 2014 5:27 PM

19.

I like very much possibilities to put on one slide more information as using of Flashcards and Virtual Tours..

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 5:22 PM

20.

The variety of items that can be embedded (picture, video, text, quizzes, online resources)

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 2:58 PM

21.

Finding new and interesting ressources and the possibility to adapt the excursions to the local curricullum!

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 2:42 PM

22.

Wide range of information on various subjects the use is easy

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 1:58 PM

23.

you can create and edit online, and the Flascard and virtual tours.

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 1:22 PM

24. easy to use, simple for me and students Wed, Jan 8, 2014 1:20 PM

25. Full availability on-line Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:56 PM

26. I like that is focused only in learning content. Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:53 PM

27. Sharing ideas. Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:37 PM

28.

The Meet the Scientists lessons and the access to things like the Lynx in Donana Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:36 PM

29. The usability Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:20 PM

30. Access to scientific resurces in an organized repository. Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:17 PM

31. Intuitive, easy to use Wed, Dec 4, 2013 2:47 PM

7. What is the biggest problem that you have with the ViSH?

Answer Options Response Count

31

answered question 31

skipped question 0

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1. Nothing Tue, Feb 4, 2014 10:42 PM

2. Nothing Sun, Jan 19, 2014 9:02 PM

3. To use it in some devices as smartphones. Tue, Jan 14, 2014 5:16 PM

4. You can not edit content (increase the image, add a contingency contents).

Mon, Jan 13, 2014 8:39 PM

5. I have no problem with creating applications on the platform , but with on connection on the platform. Were days when I could not connect on any platform.

Mon, Jan 13, 2014 11:30 AM

6. I couldn´t include a background in one slide. Mon, Jan 13, 2014 11:25 AM

7. fewer features than most used programs Mon, Jan 13, 2014 10:36 AM

8. Lack of scientific infrastructure resources Mon, Jan 13, 2014 10:29 AM

9. I have no clear how to use some features. Sun, Jan 12, 2014 8:46 PM

10. no problem Fri, Jan 10, 2014 9:16 PM

11.

Adaptar las posibilidades de la herramienta a los resultados que yo pretendía conseguir, pero esto no fue muy problemático, de momento.

Fri, Jan 10, 2014 11:25 AM

12. wallpapers Thu, Jan 9, 2014 6:30 PM

13. Work with applications of ViSH Thu, Jan 9, 2014 1:22 AM

14. No tuve problemas importantes. Wed, Jan 8, 2014 10:01

PM 15.

There are problems when I upload some few pdf files and some videos.

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 9:01 PM

16.

I miss some flexibility in the moment of organize the information into each slice.

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 8:54 PM

17.

upload slides from presentations (I don't like exporting them into pdf to be able to upload)

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 5:45 PM

18.

When the excursion ready for use, it's static and you cant change it anymore....

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 5:27 PM

19.

I had a problem when wanted to improve my excursions. I like to know more how to do excursions by Flashcards and Virtual Tours.

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 5:22 PM

20 Not any problem in particular, except for the basic text processor Wed, Jan 8, 2014 2:58

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. and a few bugs, such as the position changing of the items inside the slides (but it was solved).

PM

21. Integrate JAVA-simulations was not possible?

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 2:42 PM

22. no serious problem

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 1:58 PM

23.

There is not a recorder to add an audio file synchronized with the slides.

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 1:22 PM

24. lock of time for creating excursions Wed, Jan 8, 2014 1:20

PM 25. NA Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:56

PM 26. Communication between users. Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:53

PM 27. Pages are too large to fit in screen. Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:37

PM 28. Still wonder its advantage over PowerPoint Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:36

PM 29. few applications Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:20

PM 30. None. Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:17

PM 31. I don't have time to use it Wed, Dec 4, 2013 2:47

PM

8. What do you see as current barriers that hamper the use of the ViSH for you and your peers?

Answer Options Response Count

31

answered question 31

skipped question 0

1. No time to share our scientific resources. It is very time consuming. Tue, Feb 4, 2014 10:42 PM

2. No, I don't. Sun, Jan 19, 2014 9:02 PM 3. To have to create new contents. Tue, Jan 14, 2014 5:16 PM 4. Teachers in our country know little about Vish. Mon, Jan 13, 2014 8:39 PM 5. A barrier for me is the time limit, never I don't have enough Mon, Jan 13, 2014 11:30 AM

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time to do what I suggest, time flies very fast.

6. I don´t see any barriers. Mon, Jan 13, 2014 11:25 AM 7. other commonly used programs Mon, Jan 13, 2014 10:36 AM 8. Lack of scientific infrastructure resources Mon, Jan 13, 2014 10:29 AM 9. There are a lot of platforms and we must find the diference Sun, Jan 12, 2014 8:46 PM 10. time to create content Fri, Jan 10, 2014 9:16 PM

11.

El disponer de suficientes medios informáticos y/o con una buena conexión a internet, sumada a la formación en TICs de una buena parte del profesorado.

Fri, Jan 10, 2014 11:25 AM

12. anything Thu, Jan 9, 2014 6:30 PM

13. Motivate Thu, Jan 9, 2014 1:22 AM

14.

Están sin elaborar aún los materiales curriculares, debido a que es una herramienta reciente y no suficientemente divulgada.

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 10:01 PM

15.

I do not have barriers because I am relentless. My peers prefer to teach in the traditional way (only talking, using notes, using books, some use Internet for images or some information, others use Moodle) . They do not want to use these new tools. Some of them say proudly they only need to speak to teach (even the Headmaster in the staff meeting)

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 9:01 PM

16.

Due to the crisis, the Consejería de Educación of the Comunidad de Madrid is increasing the pupils ratio per classroom. So, teachers barely have time to learn, prepare and apply new tolls and material.

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 8:54 PM

17.

that it is necessary to be connected to internet. Internet is not available in all the classes/schools

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 5:45 PM

18.

I don't see any barriers, barriers are the sign that teachers don't want be "open mind" for new ideas.....

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 5:27 PM

19.

One of barriers for me was lack of time to learn how to use more effective ViSH. Maybe will be nice of we can have FAQ.

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 5:22 PM

20.

The lack of infrastructures inside the classroom and the time difference.

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 2:58 PM

21. - Wed, Jan 8, 2014 2:42 PM

22.

The speed and access of Internet connection at school Only a few lessons fo using it, due to national (also school) curricua for exra materials

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 1:58 PM

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23. none, just it is time-consuming Wed, Jan 8, 2014 1:22 PM

24. new technologies give better motivation for students Wed, Jan 8, 2014 1:20 PM

25. awareness in the academic environment Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:56 PM

26. Maybe the platform is not known enough Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:53 PM

27. Access to the internet Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:37 PM

28. Not possible to download into power point format Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:36 PM

29. Other programs (.ppt) than most people use actually Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:20 PM

30. None. Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:17 PM

31. Time Wed, Dec 4, 2013 2:47 PM

9. ViSH Usage for

Answer Options 1: Very important

2: Rather important

3: Neither important nor unimportant

4: Very unimportant

Rating Average

Response Count

9.a. Teachers: Do you think that the ViSH and MashMeTV, or very similar tools, are an important addition or not to the teaching tools you have available?

16 10 1 1 1,54 28

9.b. Scientists/Science communicators: Do you think that the ViSH and MashMeTV, or very similar tools, are an important addition or not to science communication you have available?

7 7 4 0 1,83 18

answered question 31

skipped question 0

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10. How often do you plan to visit the ViSH in the future?

Answer Options Response Percent Response Count

Once a week 38,7% 12

twice a month 25,8% 8

once a month 16,1% 5

once every two months 0,0% 0

less often 12,9% 4

I don’t know 6,5% 2

answered question 31

skipped question 0

11. How frequently should we organise “Meet the scientist sessions”?

Answer Options Response Percent

Response Count

Once a week 6,5% 2

twice a month 12,9% 4

once a month 35,5% 11

once every two months 22,6% 7

less often 6,5% 2

I don’t know 16,1% 5

answered question 31

skipped question 0

12. Would you need any specific support from your organization or policy makers in your country in order to use the ViSH more in the future? What kind of support would that be?

Answer Options Response Count

31

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answered question 31

skipped question 0

1. Introduce dissemination in the agenda, let/obligue us dedicate time to it

Tue, Feb 4, 2014 10:42 PM

2. Economic support. Sun, Jan 19, 2014 9:02 PM

3. Maybe some place for institutions like science centres, in order to have more visibility. Tue, Jan 14, 2014 5:16 PM

4. The competition was a great way to promote ViSH and encourage teachers. Mon, Jan 13, 2014 8:39 PM

5.

I don't need support to use the platform, but rather that a teacher of TIC I have to use all tools ICT everything that's new, every resource , but I have problems with the computers that are from physically and psihic exceeded.

Mon, Jan 13, 2014 11:30 AM

6. I don´t. Mon, Jan 13, 2014 11:25 AM 7. more advertising Mon, Jan 13, 2014 10:36 AM 8. ... Mon, Jan 13, 2014 10:29 AM 9. ? Sun, Jan 12, 2014 8:46 PM 10. no Fri, Jan 10, 2014 9:16 PM

11.

Necasitaría básicamente apoyo desde mi centro escolar para poder disponer de equipos informáticos suficientes y de una buena conexión a internet

Fri, Jan 10, 2014 11:25 AM

12. no... only e-mails often Thu, Jan 9, 2014 6:30 PM

13.

Yes, I need more support. The lack of time for organize other work with my students.

Thu, Jan 9, 2014 1:22 AM

14.

En primer lugar que no me echen del sistema educativo, ya que la nueva ley de educación pretende cargarse las materias que imparto en la actualidad (básicamente la tecnología). En segundo lugar, superado el punto anterior, se necesitan aulas suficientemente dotadas de equipos informáticos optimizados y bien mantenidos por personal cualificado.

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 10:01 PM

15.

They have to publicize and make visible the work we are doing. Otherwise it is something else that it is developed and nobody uses.

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 9:01 PM

16.

Nowadays, we have 11 digital classrooms thanks to an important economic effort. In addition, we can develop virtual classes using Moodle, but we have got it after four years of training and learning. So I really think we could join ViSH into that project to make it better. We need investment and time to

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 8:54 PM

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do it.

17.

most teachers don't know about the existence of ViSH in Italy...

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 5:45 PM

18. no Wed, Jan 8, 2014 5:27 PM

19.

No, I don't needs to any support. I can use it personality at my classes.

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 5:22 PM

20.

In Greece we have freedom inside our curricula to use resources outside the official school program or develop school cooperation with other schools inside or outside our country. On the contrary, school environment (buildings, classrooms, labs, free space, student-friendly space) is incompatible with these really modern and progressive ideas, like ViSHub, new cross-curricular programs. So, our policy makers and government should proceed to brave and realistic decisions and not only change the philosophy of learning in papers and laws, but simultaneously prove that they can implement and build infrastructures that can support the programs that already exist in the papers and books!!! In few words, give money to schools and not only words...

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 2:58 PM

21. No. Wed, Jan 8, 2014 2:42 PM

22. We can not affect them :( Wed, Jan 8, 2014 1:58 PM

23. About the Meet the scientist sessions Wed, Jan 8, 2014 1:22 PM

24. no Wed, Jan 8, 2014 1:20 PM

25. No Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:56 PM

26. I don´t think so. Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:53 PM

27. Access to the internet Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:37 PM

28. don't know Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:36 PM

29. videoconferencing include Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:20 PM

30. None Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:17 PM

31.

advices from the pedagogical experts when creating a new excursion

Wed, Dec 4, 2013 2:47 PM

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13. Do you have any additional comments for the team behind the ViSH and MashMeTV?

Answer Options Response Count

31

answered question 31

skipped question 0

1. Good work Tue, Feb 4, 2014 10:42 PM 2. No, I don't. Sun, Jan 19, 2014 9:02 PM 3. Great job! Tue, Jan 14, 2014 5:16 PM 4. Thank you, we are all delighted with the award at school. Mon, Jan 13, 2014 8:39 PM

5. No, I don't have any comments , But I wish all teams, many congratulations to the management platform.

Mon, Jan 13, 2014 11:30 AM

6. I don´t. Mon, Jan 13, 2014 11:25 AM 7. is a good tool Mon, Jan 13, 2014 10:36 AM 8. Good work Mon, Jan 13, 2014 10:29 AM 9. Thank you Sun, Jan 12, 2014 8:46 PM 10. no,thanks. Fri, Jan 10, 2014 9:16 PM

11.

Me parece una iniciativa muy interesante y que puede generar una actividad creciente en el futuro y que puede ser muy creativa para los profesionales de la enseñanza.

Fri, Jan 10, 2014 11:25 AM

12. no I love it Thu, Jan 9, 2014 6:30 PM

13. No. thanks Thu, Jan 9, 2014 1:22 AM

14.

Sólo tengo palabras de elogio para las personas que me hicieron conocer esta herramienta y me enseñaron las herramientas básicas para su utilización. Felicito al equipo investigador de la universidad que trabaja en este proyecto, por el bien del sistema educativo.

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 10:01 PM

15.

I do not understand why I can use properly (audio and video) skype in my android device with a wireless connection (1MB router at home) and I can not use properly (audio and video) Mash me TV in a new computer connected to a 50 MB fibber optic connection in the high school.

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 9:01 PM

16.

Thank you for your great work. I really think it could be a good way to insert technologies into education.

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 8:54 PM

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17. no one Wed, Jan 8, 2014 5:45 PM

18. ..... Wed, Jan 8, 2014 5:27 PM

19. I like it and started use at my astronomical classes. Wed, Jan 8, 2014 5:22 PM

20.

They can effectively help open and distance education and improve the quality of communication among people that are involved with education and e-learning.

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 2:58 PM

21. Good job! Congratulations! Wed, Jan 8, 2014 2:42 PM

22.

Nice job! Go on improving and advertising it! Wed, Jan 8, 2014 1:58 PM

23.

Please, add a recording audio possibility, I know you can link to a file but then it is not synchronized with the images or slides.

Wed, Jan 8, 2014 1:22 PM

24. no Wed, Jan 8, 2014 1:20 PM

25. No Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:56 PM

26. No. Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:53 PM

27. No Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:37 PM

28. Very nice the new version of ViSH Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:36 PM

29. more advertising for the school community Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:20 PM

30. None Wed, Jan 8, 2014 12:17 PM

31. Nop Wed, Dec 4, 2013 2:47 PM

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Annex II. National Feedback Session

Context The GLOBAL excursion consortium held a series of national feedback sessions with teachers using the ViSH during the month of September 2013. Feedback sessions where held in Austria/Germany, Belgium, Hungary, Spain and UK. In the case of Austria/Germany and UK the session had to be split up in 2 and 3 respectively meeting since not all teachers were available at the given date. The meetings were all held via MashMeTV and were recorded. A discussion guideline was prepared in advance defining the leading questions for the discussion. The guidelines are attached. A final version of the ViSH had been launched at the beginning of September and teachers were asked to base their answers on their latest experience with the updated version of the ViSH. Summary of feedback received

The feedback received can be grouped into the following topics: · New ViSH design

· Usage experience · Content

· Social network · Infrastructure in schools

In the following the different topics will be discussed in more detail: New ViSH design

The overall feedback regarding the new design and features of the ViSH has been very positive throughout. Teachers found the interface much clearer, it was easier to navigate and appealing overall. Teachers also experienced no technical problems in using the ViSH.

Some specific technical problems were reported, such as the problem with Flash animations. A few users requested specific features, such as the possibility to go one step back in the creation of excursions, to download excursions as PDF or to work offline. One group suggested that not all resources should go directly public but that the user could chose whether a certain resource uploaded to the ViSH should be available to all or just to the user. Regarding the features on ViSH some teachers kept making comparisons with other existing tools, such as LMSs and PowerPoint, and stress the importance that ViSH should define its uniqueness in terms of high quality content combined with social networking features.

Usage experience The usage experience differed across countries. While some teachers were using the ViSH in class, others were exploring it on their own. Some teachers performed interdisciplinary teaching and confirmed that the ViSH is supporting such teaching as long as enough content is available.

An interesting aspect regarding the use of the ViSH is its appropriation by the teachers. Most of the teachers were using the ViSH for homework. In some cases students were creating excursions collaboratively in class while other teachers asked their students to explore the ViSH for relevant

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resources as homework. Regarding MashMeTV one of the teachers also reported that she wanted to use it for teaching as she could reach her students at home. Whenever used with students, the feedback from their side was also positive. For some students, who are used to eLearning tools, there was no big difference to other learning support tools. Students liked the possibility to access ViSH via mobile devices.

Teacher stress the importance of having interactive elements in order to engage the students. Content

The currently available content on ViSH was the main point of criticism. There is not enough high quality content available on the ViSH and on the other side there is some useless content that should be removed. Teachers agree that the content has to be improved in terms of quantity as well as quality.

Apart from the low number of high quality content teacher also made a strong claim for a better classification of resources/excursions. Most of them were talking about some sort of catalogue that they could browse according to the typical school subjects. There seems to be some discrepancy regarding the format of the content. While some teachers prefer complete excursions as full learning units (made by other teachers or scientists), other prefer to have small content units such as links to webcams, etc. that they can ten integrate into their teaching style according to their specific needs.

Another claim regarding content on the ViSH is related to interactive elements. Overall teachers prefer to have more interactivity to engage the students. The live events were a good means to do so, since students could directly interact with the scientists, but for the excursion also more interactive elements, such as access to remote labs or microscopes, are requested.

Language has been mentioned in a few sessions as an issue, although again, not in a consensual way. Some teachers prefer to have everything in English in order for students to practice English while others prefer to communicate in their language and have content in their language. An interface with other learning resource repository LRE was demanded as well.

Social networks Teachers paid much attention to social networking and communicating with others. On the one hand, the majority of teachers stressed the importance of communication with their peers. It is important to communicate with others and to exchange experiences. Thus the social networking aspect could be even stressed on ViSH. One teacher suggested to make more use of social networking features similar to eTwinning. She stressed the exchange of experiences about excursions and how they have been used. In one of the sessions the networking with scientists and scientific institutions was mentioned as one of the most motivating aspects to use the ViSH. One of the teachers stressed the importance to get in contact with scientists and scientific institutions and explore what resources they can offer for schools. He wished that ViSH would be more perceived and used as a match-making platform between scientific institutions and teachers.

Infrastructure in schools A reoccurring topic in most of the sessions relates to the current technical infrastructure in European schools. The situation seems to differ strongly across countries and possible even within

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countries depending on the type of school, etc. While some teachers reported that they had very good technical infrastructure with laptop classes and good wireless Internet connection others were still facing big problems in that regards. In one case students had neither access to computers nor to Internet. In another country teachers reported that they had good equipment but poor Internet connection. While the ViSH was still accessible for most teachers more problems were reported regarding MashMeTV as this requires latest browser versions and consumes a lot of bandwidth. Thus teachers also expressed their expectations about the mobile apps of ViSH & MashMeTV, since students can then access directly from their mobile devices. Other structural barriers might have to be overcome then, since in some cases students are not allowed to use their mobile devices in class. Finally one teacher mentioned time as an important restriction for using the ViSH. The time to prepare their teaching material is very restricted as well as the time in class to do extra activities such as the use of the ViSH. This also relates to the scheduling of the live events. These should be announced at least 2-3 weeks in advance in order for the teachers to schedule it into their teaching plan.

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Annex III. National Feedback Session

Questions to be discussed during the meeting with teachers:

1. Pedagogical experience: · How was the experience to use the ViSH in class and for which specific pedagogical

scenarios was it most appropriate? · Did you use the ViSH for any interdisciplinary teaching? · Do you have any recommendations for teachers to use it in the future in class?

2. Technical experience: · Was the ViSH functioning properly and how was the access to the ViSH? · How do you like the new version of the ViSH? Did it improve from the previous

version? · Where there any technical difficulties in accessing the ViSH? · Do you see any important change needed in terms of functionalities or design?

3. Content on the ViSH: · Are the resources and excursions on the ViSH appealing? · What would you like most to have as resources on the ViSH?

4. Students’ experience: · What was the feedback from the students? · Did they like it? What did they prefer? What did they criticise?

5. Organisational aspects: · How was it to integrate the ViSH activities into the regular school curriculum? · Do you have recommendations for national curriculum developers or other educational

policy makers (e.g. school principal) in order to be able to use the ViSH in the future in class?


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