NOTES OF MEETING OF THE COMENIUS PROJECT TEAM HELD AT THE CARL ZEISS SCHULE, BERLIN FROM WEDNESDAY 12 TO FRIDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2008.
Present: Hans Joachim Rhode - Carl Zeiss Schule Berlin.
Christian Duntsch - Carl Zeiss Schule Berlin.
Thomas Schafer - Carl Zeiss Schule Berlin.
Christine Hertel - Carl Zeiss Schule Berlin.
Paola Aloi - Liceo Ginnasio Augusto Roma
Carlo Panizzon - Liceo Ginnasio Augusto Roma
Paul Kaufman - Furtherwick Park Canvey Island.
Norman Bambridge - Furtherwick Park Canvey Island.
WEDNESDAY 12 NOVEMBER 2008.
Delegates to the conference were met by Herr Rhode (Head of the Lower School) and Christian Duntsch (Project Chairman) who mentioned the School had a new Principal who supported the ideals of the Curriculum and Cultural exchanges and hoped this conference would be successful and continue the excellent work already achieved over many years.
Time was taken to discuss the agenda for the two main conference days and what topics would be actioned as regards ‘Climate and Energy’ which was the theme the conference would be developing with the aim of producing a ‘Video Handbook’ for publication onto the ‘web’ by the early Spring of 2009.
This pre-emptive task was to enable delegates to focus upon ideas in which to start the next two days conference sessions in a positive manner.
THURSDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2008.
The conference opened at 0900 hours.
Thomas Schafer introduced the session by again explaining the project requires the production of a ‘Video handbook’ and the time frame we had to have this completed.
The mornings session will look at what was involved in such a production and the issues or problems it would generate.
He gave a power point presentation on what he considered to be the main areas or issues and invited delegates to discuss these as they considered the implications or effects they raise.
In making a ‘Video Handbook’ its content would restrict the overall production to between ten and fifteen minutes and within that time frame it would need an introduction, content and summary.
The time restriction, although flexible between schools, recognised that in making any video for web upload, this had its own restrictions on time and quality through capacity.
However, multiple topics could be researched for presentation by having a ‘core’ group of say three students acting as (a) Interviewer (b) Interviewee and (c) Summariser.
Thereby, the topic summary could become the ‘vehicle’ for upload with links to the full version and the general consensus felt this needed a capacity time of between two and three minutes.
The general structure would be the Climate and Energy Video Handbook would have an introduction in English with national language summaries as options, or by national language sub-titles or a combination of both. It was also mentioned it may prove interesting to include a ‘hit counter’ for the site.
Delegates mentioned that already in existence is good product information particularly from this years Sustainability Project work and it has all the core elements for development into the handbook itself.
In reviewing the question ‘what is a Video Handbook’ it was concluded we would regard it as a ‘flexible but structured video presentation about the content already established through the Sustainability Project, still very current and at this point delegates viewed the Comenius Project Section website together with the excellent information already posted on the Roma website, see www.Liceoaugustoroma.it (Material Didattico – Aluni – GAIA)
The project needs to be taken back for the individual schools to analyse how the will commence work, which would appear to be by creating a script of questions generated from the work already undertaken, prior to filming any interview, but noting that where students from past projects were not longer at school they may either be available to record there involvement and give both experience and conclusions or observations.
Pre-emptive scripting also serves to ensure no time is wasted to in this short term project requirement and again this enables filming to be undertaken at any early stage.
This also had a ‘student progression’ link by allowing perhaps the more experienced student to be the ‘Summariser’ will others progressing by age (e.g. different year groups) and thereby ‘video handbook project sustainability’ into the next project (the conclusion being this process would be the same, regardless of project topic).
Christian Duntsch and Thomas asked other delegates if they could keep them informed of what and how individual schools would commence work for then the next intended meeting in March 2009 noting that the weeks of 11 and 21 March at Sintermeerten (if possible) looked potential options with a final production meeting between 15 to 20 June 2009 at Furtherwick Park School.
Delegates then discussed the technical capability of individual schools and Paul Kaufman mentioned that Furtherwick Park School holds a Media and Arts status with technical and operational equipment including an equipped seventeen seated IT equipped bus and he would, post conference, discuss this with the head teacher about the final production June meeting to be held in England.
Paul Kaufman mentioned it was important that all schools use a common moviemaker system, which delegates need to confirm what they have or use currently and also to understand the safety protocols for such web use.
It was also noted that following e-mail contact between Christian Duntsch and Wim Horsch (Sintermeerten College, Heerlen, Netherlands, they had no delegate available for this conference but would have a new project team back together shortly.
On this point Norman Bambridge mentioned that Sintermeerten also had very good facilities in terms of IT and perhaps the next meeting could be arranged there which would engage them directly.
The chairman mentioned that he would need to seek advice from his national body on the point of the Comenius contract and those schools included, of which Furtherwick currently is not funded.
Delegates then discussed the issues of showing either photographic or video pictures of children under eighteen years of age with Paul Kaufman mentioning various options we have including parental agreements, non naming or forename use only or of course no direct naming. This will need to be considered in each national production.
All source information for the project will be uploaded to the Comenius Project - etwinning.org website.
The session closed at 1500 hours.
FRIDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2008.
The session opened with Christian Duntsch reflecting on the decisions or conceived structures and processes from yesterday, with some concerns requiring further discussion.
The handbook shows the structure of a ‘Video Handbook’
Were all delegates in agreement with presenting within the introduction, the following points or principles:
The introduction to GAIA is a three year Comenius project on Sustainable development undertaken with four partner schools of Germany, The Netherlands, Italy and the UK.
The current sustainability project deals with energy and alternatives and explores the possibly renewable energy sources of wind, solar and bio-mass, requiring students to consider practical examples of energy consumption and saving and environmental pollution requiring students to create their own individual sans collective environmental plans.
The main aim of the project is to make students aware they have an individual influence and responsibility for their environment.
The production of ‘Climate and Energy’ will include documents, photographic and video reports with videos created both in full length time production and linked shorter summaries as previously described.
The common product now required was for the individual schools to create an action plan including how the information will or has been gathered and analysed.
A ‘short spot’ of product presentation (e.g. the elemental processes intended or used)
Individual and collective (e.g. School) environmental plans.
Thereby for March, we should achieve a Common Project plan on Climate and Energy with four national video presentations.
On this point Carlo Panizzon mentioned how important it was also to ensure we communicate with each other as the work progresses to have commonality in approach.
The delegate overview was the video handbook concept and its processes would stand for all future projects and this was acknowledged by everyone present.
POST LUNCH SESSION ON NEW PROJECTS FOR 2009 TO 2011.
Christian Duntsch had previously circulated CZS idea for a future project on Urban Development in European comparison.
The subject may cover aspects of history, architecture, mobility, sustainability, social change in towns and cities and young people’s needs of urban space. It could further focus on the individual school needs in similar topics added to which may be geography political and social sciences art and natural sciences.
This discussion needed firstly to have general agreement of all contributors to undertake the project in order he could proceed with a funding application by the end of February for hopeful project commencement in September 2009.
Delegates agreed the project concept and Norman Bambridge suggested that whilst analytical comparisons of Cities was problematical, analysis between generic areas could inform of both the problems and the manner in which the city, borough or area was dealing with the problem which would highlight cultural differences potentially in three dimension of national area and local (i.e. the different way similar problems are tackled in each country).
He will provide a dimensional ‘data flow’ sheet of generic areas, potential topics and potential research outcomes to all the delegates within the next few weeks as an example of choices students could make for research.
Thus the project of ‘Climate and Energy’ could include Demography, Social Sciences, Political Sciences, History, Geography, Arts, Architecture, Future Plans, Diversity, Inclusion (Young People).
This may generate the need for a meeting in Berlin in order that Christian Duntsch could expand the suggestion by Paola Aloi that a school from Cagliari (Italy) and Athens (Greece) had made contact, wishing to be involved.
The conference ended at 1430 hours.
Norman Bambridge
Notes author.
