With the project coming towards its close, and most tools and resources ready for launch, project partners held a series of multiplier events, to spread the word about the Fit4DigiLinE project and to encourage target groups to make use of the materials we have produced.
The first event was held on 23 March, with Italian partner EGInA Srl presenting project outcomes to 60 teachers and students in the conference hall of Palazzo Trinci, a beautiful historical building located in the city centre of Foligno, in Umbria. Participants came from Italy and abroad to attend. A keynote speaker, Paolo Russo from CRHACK LAB, gave an overview of Artificial Intelligence and its possible future applications, and then project officer Elisabetta Mei gave an introduction to the Fit4DigiLinE project and encouraged participants to try out the resources for themselves.
The Austrian event was organised by project partner ŐSD on 17 April at The Alpen-Adria-University Klagenfurt. The keynote speaker Dr. Manuela Glaboniat talked about Digitalisation in the Context of Education; Dr. Christina Glinik and Florian Nimmrichter then presented the Fit4DigiLine project and the tools and resources that have been produced. Participants then discussed their experiences of teaching in a workshop, tried out project content and enjoyed food and productive networking at ÖSD premises. The event was attended by around 20 teacher-training students, most of whom are already teaching German as a foreign language, and a further 10 experienced teachers or those working in education.
On 21 April, we had two multiplier events organised by our most northern and southern partners – Työväen Akatemia in Finland, and Babel Idiomas in southern Spain.
The Spanish event was held at the Chamber of Commerce in Granada and organised together with associate partners ACEIA (regional association of private language schools) and Exams Granada (Cambridge Exam Centre). A total of 55 language teachers, school owners and academic managers joined the event. The majority came from language schools in the Granada region, but we also had attendees from Almeria, Malaga, Seville and Cordoba. Babel’s Boelo van der Pool introduced the project and encouraged participants to try the Self Reflection Tool, before Miguel Mariscal focused on the Fit4DigiLinE online course and Mooc. After that, there was a short presentation by an expert from the Red Cross about well-being in online learning and teaching environments. The Keynote speaker from Cambridge University Press, David Bradshwaw, spoke about the future of ELT and Artificial Intelligence, and the event finished with a round table discussion on the future of online and digital language teaching, followed by time for networking over cocktails.
The Finnish event took place in Helsinki Adult Education Centre’s main building in the city centre. The programme consisted of an online keynote address by David Read from the University of Sheffield on “How will new technologies change language teaching and learning?”, followed by a presentation of the Fit4DigiLinE project and a chance for attendees to explore project resources. There were additional workshops in Finnish and English, plus sweet and savoury snacks and a chance to discuss with other teachers over a glass of wine at the end. The event was attended by about 60 teachers and managers working in the language education field; with many native speakers teaching their own language, there was a lovely mix of nationalities represented. Although scheduled to run from 13:00 to 18:00, the event eventually finished at 19:30, as many participants were keen to stay on and discuss in person with fellow teachers.
The Greek Multiplier Event was held on 28 April, in the conference room of the Athens Cypria Hotel, in central Athens. 53 people attended: language teachers and teachers of other majors, who wanted to enhance their digital teaching skills and learn more about Erasmus Plus, as well as some language learners and people interested in Erasmus Plus in general. The event was planned for 18:45-21:15, but people started arriving early and the event lasted longer than originally planned, from 18:15 until after 22:00. After a general introduction about the project’s idea, goals and results, each intellectual outcome was presented, and participants were given the chance to try out the tools and resources. The event ended on the terrace of the hotel, where participants had drinks & snacks and were able to discuss, with our team and with each other, about Fit4DigiLinE and Erasmus Plus.
Overall feedback from the multiplier events was very positive, with participants excited to find a dedicated platform of digital resources for language teachers, and very interested to try out the tools and materials it contains. They liked the fact that teachers’ needs were taken into consideration at each stage, and that our resources are all very practical and easy to use. Almost all said they would certainly use it, to improve not only their digital teaching skills for work, but their digital skills for their everyday tasks as well.
