Sofoklis Sotiriou Pavlos Koulouris Ellinogermaniki Agogi

1. ‘From MUSE toNEMED, ZEUS, and RURAL WINGS’ Distance in-service training for multigrade school teachers Sofoklis Sotiriou Pavlos Koulouris Ellinogermaniki Agogi

2. Main points • Multigrade schools: an important role in providing access to ‘Education for All’ in remote and disadvantaged rural areas. • Our focus: support and in-service-training opportunities promised to the multigrade school teacher by developments in educational technologies. • Current and emerging tendencies of broadband access provision for multigrade schools (e.g. satellite network services). • The potential for catalysing change and development in the school and in the local community more widely.

3. Provision of in-service training to teachers working in remote rural schools: • a need • a challenge (geographical, organisational, socio-economical reasons)

4. MUSE: MUltigrade School Education (Socrates / Comenius 2.1)

5. The partnership Chydenius Institute (Fi) University of Aegean (Gr) Pedagogical Institute (Gr) Ellinogermaniki Agogi (Gr) Cadiz University (Es) Institute of Education (UK) Plus 4 multigrade schools (pilot sites) in Greece, Finland, and Spain.

6. Aims and objectives • To develop a programme of in-service training for teachers in multigrade schools. • To enhance teachers’ professional skills, including their ability to develop lesson plans in accordance with the specific needs of their work environment. • To develop an innovative dedicated web portal supporting the provision of continuous in-service training and support to the teachers. • To encourage and support communication between the isolated remote school environment and the wider educational community.

7. Training programme

8. NEMED: continuing the MUSE • A network, aiming to support further exchange of knowledge, experience and good practice, in the framework of Socrates / Comenius 3. • Partners: • UNIVERSITY OF AEGEAN (Greece) • ELLINOGERMANIKI AGOGI (Greece) • INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION- UNIVERSITY OF LONDON (UK) • CHYDENIUS INSTITUTE (Finland) • UNIVERSITY OF BARCELONA (Spain) • UNIVERSITY OF LISBON (Portugal) • UNIVERSITY OF CYPRUS (Cyprus) • UNIVERSITY OF LECCE (Italy) • POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF BUCHAREST (Romania) • EOTVOS LORAND UNIVERSITY (Hungary) • EUROPEAN DISTANCE EDUCATION NETWORK (UK) • ORIENTE (Austria)

9. Satellite data communications: • an advanced and reliable channel for broadband access to the Information Society in geographically disadvantaged and isolated areas • a promising way out of the problem of multigrade school teachers’ isolation.

10. Let’s exploit the broadband possibilities offered by satellite telecommunications in order to afford richer, multimodal online learning experiences that would not be feasible through the standard terrestrial connectivity nowadays usually available in remote areas.

11. ZEUS Funded by the e-Learning programme of the Greek government (GSRT)

12. The partnership UNIVERSITY OF AEGEAN OTE HELLAS SAT Q-PLAN ELLINOGERMANIKI AGOGI INTRACOM

13. Advanced telecommunication channels are used, such as satellite systems, for the provision of high quality training to multigrade school teachers in the Greek countryside. Training is piloted in a network of ten schools, situated in remote, both insular and mountainous, areas of the country.

14. ZEUS System Architecture

17. A multitude of training material formats: • Video • Presentations • Study texts • Websites

18. Let’s explore the potential of such initiatives to reach beyond the individual teachers receiving the training, by fostering digital culture among all rural citizens and thus bridging the digital divide. • Let’s go ‘global’ (i.e. beyond Europe)

19. RURAL WINGS: Wings for a rural Information Society Argentina Belgium Canada Chile Colombia Cyprus Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Israel Peru Poland Romania Spain Sweden Turkey UK USA FP6-Space

20. The partnership

22. Overview • Strategic objectives addressed: End-to-end satellite telecommunications systems for tele-education applications • Developing an advanced learning platform through satellite DVB-RCS access technologies, promoting a user-centred methodological approach.

23. Main aims • To support the creation of a new culture in rural communities promoting digital literacy and reducing resistance to the use of new technologies • To offer stimulating and creative learning environments to support vibrant user communities • To attempt an extended implementation in dozens of pilot sites in 18 countries worldwide • To catalyse satellite broadband take up in Europe and beyond • Ultimately, to transfer knowledge and adjust these practices in different knowledge spaces (at school, at work, at home) as a mean for interaction between user needs and technological developments.

24. Innovation Technology: • Both upload AND download link Content: • Learning@school • Learning@work • Learning@home Methodology: • Emphasizing guided self-initiative by users / trainees

25. Satellite coverage

26. Country # of pilot sites Greece 30 Spain 10 Sweden 10 France 5 Romania 10 Cyprus 5 Estonia 7 Finland 10 Poland 10 UK 10 Israel 6 Canada 10 Chile 10 Colombia 10 Argentina 10 Peru 10 Turkey 5 S. Africa 10 TOTAL 168

27. RURAL WINGS in relation to previous projects TECHNOLOGY PUSH The project will push the current boundaries further by providing a platform that integrates contextual information into new learning settings. The geographical coverage of the project will help bring together experiences from different countries and cultures. BARRD RURAL WINGS TWISTER RIA SCHOOLSAT ZEUS VERDI RCST MUSE USER DEMAND

28. Satellite network DVB-RCS hub Remote area LAN Satellite terminal PLATFORMS LEARNING HUB WIRED AND/OR WIRELESS LAN @ INTERNET backbone CONTENT END USERS terminals • TWO WAY EXCHANGE OF DATA • FDW LINK DVB/MPEG2 DATAFORMAT (45Mb/s) • RTN LINK USING MULTI-FREQ.TDMA (2Mb/s) System Architecture

29. Learning hubs • The Learning Hub will provide a ‘lab’ where innovative ideas can be tried out

30. Learning community (wi-fi local network) • Establishment of a wireless (Wi-Fi) communications infrastructure. • The new technology facilitates flexible interpersonal communication patterns. • Project evolvesto“learning networks and communities”

31. Main Results An in-depth knowledge and modular development of the DVB-RCS technology how it needs to be configured to provide the standard of service that customers demand, expect and are willing to pay for. Greater awareness amongst the general public of the possibilities satellite systems provide promotion of the DVB-RCS technology and awareness of its suitability for bridging the digital divide An exciting and compelling range of educational tools that make the full use of broadband characteristics (speed, interactivity, personalization, always-on etc) Representing a significant value added service that could help drive the uptake of satellite broadband.

32. Rural schools could function as places of lifelong learning for the whole community, providing the local labour force and citizens of all ages with fast Internet access to opportunities for knowledge and creativity. • The rural teacher would then take on an extra role, as an agent of change and catalyst for the penetration of the Information Society in the remote rural communities.