TEACHERS’ COMPUTER SUPPORTED CONSTRUCTIONS

WITHIN A EUROPEAN VIRTUAL COMMUNITY

COLLABORATIVE SPACE FOR SCIENCES EDUCATION

An Experience Achieved in a Multinational European Project

Maria Kordaki

Department of Computer Engineering and Informatics, Patras University, 26500, Rion Patras, Greece

Mihai Bizoi, Gabriel Gorghiu

Automatic Control, Informatics and Electrical Engineering Department,Valahia University, 130082, Targoviste, Romania

Keywords: Teacher Training, Computer Supported Education, Virtual Experiments, Blended Learning.

Abstract: This paper presents some essential considerations referred to the constructions performed by European

teachers in terms of virtual experiments and lesson plans within the framework of a Virtual community

collaborative Space for Sciences education. This framework was set up in the context of the Socrates

Comenius 2.1 European project: “VccSSe - Virtual Community Collaborating Space for Science Education”.

In this project, teachers from five European countries (Romania, Poland, Finland, Spain and Greece)

participated in blended learning courses aiming their training for the use of Information and Communication

Technologies in real teaching and learning practices. Within this framework, on-line training materials and

virtual experiments were created and developed. After the end of the designed courses, teachers were asked

to form their own virtual experiments and lesson plans and then to implement their products in the

classrooms. The analysis of the data shows that teachers who participated in the VccSSe Project encouraged

by the aforementioned blended course, expressed a favourable feedback related to the implementation of

their own virtual experiments in the teaching activities.

1 INTRODUCTION

Appropriately designed educational software can

catalytically affect the changes in the whole learning

context in terms of learning content, learning

activities and the roles of both teachers and learners

(Solloway, 1993; Noss and Hoyles, 1992; Jonassen,

Carr & Yueh, 1998). In particular, computers

provide wide opportunities for the construction of

various, different, linked and dynamic representation

systems such as: texts, images, equations, variables,

tables, graphs, animations, simulations of a variety

of situations, programming languages and

computational objects (Kaput, 1994). The use of

Multiple Representation Systems (MRS) is

acknowledged as crucial in encouraging the

expression of learners‟ different kind of knowledge

regarding the subject to be learned (Dyfour-Janvier,

Bednarz & Belanger, 1987; Janvier, 1987). In

addition, multiple and linked RS provide learners

with opportunities to study how variation in one

system can affect the other. In this way, each learner

can make connections between different aspects of a

learning concept and develop broad views about it

(Lesh, Mehr & Post, 1987; Janvier, 1987).

Appropriately designed computer learning

environments can also provide various tools

(embodying diverse learning concepts) which could

be used alone and in combination for the

construction of multiple solution strategies to the

tasks at hand (Kordaki and Balomenou, 2006). For

the construction of such multiple solution strategies

different learning concepts could be integrated. In

addition, appropriately designed computer learning

environments can provide opportunities for the

learners to actively construct their knowledge as

well as to develop their problem solving skills

(Dubinsky and Tall, 1991; Jonassen, Carr & Yueh,

349

Kordaki M., Gorghiu G. and Bizoi M. (2010).

TEACHERS’ COMPUTER SUPPORTED CONSTRUCTIONS WITHIN A EUROPEAN VIRTUAL COMMUNITY COLLABORATIVE SPACE FOR

SCIENCES EDUCATION - An Experience Achieved in a Multinational European Project.

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Computer Supported Education, pages 349-356

 SciTePress

1998). In addition, richly endowed computer

environments can embody powerful scientific ideas

which students can explore and reflect on as well as

conceptualize, and construct for themselves,

scientific concepts that has already been formulated

by others.

Most importantly, in the context of Information

and Communication Technologies (ICT), modern

social and constructivist perspectives of teaching

and learning can be realized (Papert, 1980;

Balacheff and Kaput, 1996; Noss and Hoyles, 1996;

Jonassen, Carr & Yueh, 1998). From these

perspectives, the need for training primary and

secondary level education teachers in the use of ICT

in education is of vital importance not only for their

integration into the modern social and educational

context created, but also for the integration of ICT

into education (European Commission, 1997). The

necessity of training teachers in ICT concerns the

acquisition of basic technical and pedagogical skills

related to the use of ICT so that they will be capable

of integrating it into the teaching and learning of the

subject-matter they teach (Davis and Tearle, 1998).

Blended learning is an approach suitable for

teacher training as it aligns learning undertaken in

face-to-face sessions with learning opportunities

created online (Littlejohn & Pegler, 2006). The aim

of blended learning is basically to join the best

points of classroom or face-to-face learning with the

best points of online learning as well as to

compensate the pitfalls and weakenesses of the one

type of learning with the benefits of the other type

and vice versa. On the one hand the opportunities

presented by online learning in terms of flexible

opportunities to learn anytime and anywhere as well

as to communicate and collaborate virtually

throughout the world (Harasim, Hiltz, Teles &

Turoff, 1995; Pallof & Pratt, 2004; Roberts, 2005;

Van Eijl & Pilot, 2003) are essential for teacher

training because teachers are adults with many

constrains in terms of time and space. On the other

hand, several constraints of online collaboration

such as: not appropriate perceptions about e-

learning, negative attitudes, luck of on-line

collaborative skills, not appropriate knowledge

about the basic technological skills needed for

participation in online learning and a sense of

difference between online learning and reality (Nel

& Wilkinson 2006) can be eliminated through face

to face sessions.

Based on the above, a blended teacher training

framework was formed in the context of a European

project: “VccSSe - Virtual Community

Collaborating Space for Science Education”,

(project number no. 128989-CP-1-2006-RO-

COMENIUS-C21). This 3 years project, started in

October 2006 and carried out by 9 partner

institutions from 5 different European countries

(Romania, Poland, Spain, Finland and Greece) has

as main purpose to adapt, develop, test, implement

and disseminate training modules, teaching

methodologies and pedagogical strategies based on

the use of ICT in terms of virtual instruments and

tools in teaching and learning of positive Sciences :

Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry. To this end, one

of the main targets of this project was to encourage

teachers to develop their own Learning Objects (LO)

consisting of specific constructions based on the use

of appropriate educational software - henceforth

called “Virtual Experiments” (VEs) - and

appropriate lesson plans, and then implement these

LO in their classrooms. Those learning objects are

uploaded in a virtual space frame named “Products

Matrix”, which is included in the VccSSe web-site,

being accessible via Internet, using the following

link: http://www.vccsse.ssai.valahia.ro/main/matrix.

In the following section of this paper the

previously mentioned framework for teacher training

is analytically described. Then, a presentation of the

“Products Matrix” including the teachers‟ learning

objects is demonstrated. Finally, a series of results

are discussed and conclusions are drawn.

2 TEACHER TRAINING IN THE

CONTEXT OF VCCSSE

The project team have implemented an e-learning

platform (Moodle) to support the course activities

and developed the e-Space, a repository of virtual

instruments to be used as examples in the frame of

the course. The course "Virtual Instrumentation in

Science Education" introduces the specific virtual

instruments concepts, pedagogical methods and also

particular and didactical elements for some very

used educational platforms: Cabri Geometry,

LabVIEW, Crocodile Clips and GeoGebra.

Teachers were supported to create their own

learning objects in diverse ways such as providing

training materials and realizing specific meetings

and various types of communications. In fact, the

teacher training process, in the context of the

VccSSe project, can be described in terms of: (a)

aims of the blended teacher training course; (b)

training materials used; (c) training procedure

followed; (d) educational software used.

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2.1 Aims of the Blended Teacher

Training Course

The blended teacher training course within the

context of VccSSe was designed with the aim to

contribute to the acquisition of the following

competences by the teachers:

(a) Familiarization with the use of specific

educational software (Cabri Geometry Plus,

LabVIEW, Crocodile Clips and GeoGebra - the last

one, in the second training phase of the project), in

the teaching and learning of positive Sciences. (b)

Acquisition of educational design abilities in terms

of design of both interactive constructions using the

mentioned educational software and appropriate

lesson plans referred to the implementation of the

constructions in teaching and learning in real

classrooms. (c) Construction of at least one learning

object by each teacher participated in the VccSSe

project. (d) Familiarization with the use of Moodle

platform.

2.2 Training Materials

One of the most important outcomes of the project

was to create and develop specific training materials

to provide teachers with basics about the use of ICT

in education using virtual instruments and tools.

These training materials were dedicated to in-service

teachers from all educational levels in the partners‟

countries.

The training materials consisted of: (i) Seminars:

In particular 3 seminars were prepared to present the

specific virtual instrumentation concepts; (ii) Labs:

Specifically, 3 labs were designed in order to

familiarize the teachers with the educational

software particularity and basic steps for VIs

creation; (iii) Familiarization materials - in

pedagogical and technical terms - with the

previously mentioned Educational software selected

for use. The aim of these materials was to

familiarize teachers with the main pedagogical

dimensions of the software as well the basic

technical skills needed for using this software

effectively; (iv) ready made specific VEs which are

dedicated to be used as examples to illustrate the

potential pedagogical features of the aforementioned

pieces of software. In fact, a number of 55 ready

made VEs were presented by the partnership, those

ones being accessible at the following link:

http://www.vccsse.ssai.valahia.ro/main/e-space; (v)

lesson-plan templates to assist teachers to organize

their teaching intervention using the appropriate

VEs.

Assessment tools were also constructed for the

evaluation of these training materials by the

participants in the blended courses performed in

each partners‟ country. All the presented training

materials produced for teacher training and the

assessment tools were initially designed in English

(http://www.vccsse.ssai.valahia.ro/main/outcomes)

and then, these were translated in all partners‟

national languages: Romanian, Spanish, Polish,

Finnish and Greek. It was considered that all the

training materials described above will constituted a

solid basis for the teachers to acquire the knowledge

needed for the creation of their own VEs.

2.3 The Training Procedure

The duration of the training sessions covered an

amount of approximately 42 hours, including the

evaluation through the projects‟ web-page. It is

worth noting that, the face-to-face teaching sessions

provided teachers with opportunities to clarify some

complicated issues related to the construction of VEs

using the selected educational software, to exchange

ideas about didactical issues using ICT, to be

motivated to construct their own VEs and implement

them in their classrooms, and most importantly to

overcome their fears and doubts about the

introduction of an innovation in real educational

practices. In fact, these face-to-face sections became

very serious to the teachers‟ progress in creating and

implementing virtual experiments in their

classrooms. Various type of communications also

helped teachers to make progress in their work such

as telephone calls to their tutors, e-mails to their

tutors and their colleagues as well as asynchronous

communications via forum and synchronous

communications via chat. Some teachers also

motivated to construct their own VEs by their

intention to try new ideas in their classrooms as well

as to improve their knowledge and be well situated

in the 21th century. After they have finished the

training course, teachers have implemented the new

learned methodologies in the classroom and this

activity involving children was evaluated.

The course was implemented in two editions and

started at different moments, depending on each

partner. This offered the opportunity to improve

some elements of the course, based on the partial

evaluation made at the end of the first edition.

TEACHERS' COMPUTER SUPPORTED CONSTRUCTIONS WITHIN A EUROPEAN VIRTUAL COMMUNITY

COLLABORATIVE SPACE FOR SCIENCES EDUCATION - An Experience Achieved in a Multinational European

Project

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2.4 Educational Software Used

2.4.1 Cabri Geometry II and Geogebra

Dynamic Geometry Systems, and specifically the

well known educational software Cabri Geometry II

(Laborde, 1990), and Geogebra (http://www.

geogebra.org/) offer a context where constructivist

mathematical learning settings can be supported. In

fact, the aforementioned software is highly capable

of facilitating the design of learning activities that

encourage learners to take an investigative and

exploratory perspective, to express their knowledge

and make self-corrections, as well as formulate and

verify conjectures (Straesser, 2001; Kordaki &

Balomenou, 2006). In addition, authentic,

meaningful, real-life learning activities can be

integrated within the context of this software. In

particular, Cabri and Geogebra provide students with

potential opportunities in terms of: (a) A rich set of

tools to perform diverse geometrical constructions

according to various concepts in Euclidean

Geometry; (b) Tools to construct a variety of

representations, both numerical and visual, such as

geometrical figures, tables, equations, graphs and

calculations. These representations are of different

cognitive transparency; consequently, students can

select the most appropriate to express their

knowledge; (c) Linking representations, by

exploiting the interconnection of the different

representation modes provided; (d) Dynamic, direct

manipulation of geometrical constructions, by using

the “drag mode” operation, enhancing their

knowledge about the issue at hand by dynamically

exploring the invariance of their constructions; (e)

The possibility of collecting large amounts of

numerical data. These data can be used by the

students to form and verify conjectures regarding the

geometrical concepts in focus; (f) Interactivity and

multiple types of feedback providing learners with

opportunities to form and verify conjectures as well

to be self-corrected; (g) Presenting information to

the students in various forms; (h) Capturing the

history of student actions to provide teachers and

researchers with a valuable amount of data for

further studies; (i) Extension. Certain operations

could be added as buttons on the interface of the said

software following the formation of specific macros.

2.4.2 LabVIEW

LabView (http://www.ni.com/labview/) is an

intuitive graphical programming language with

built-in functionality for simulation, data acquisition,

instrument control, measurement analysis, and data

presentation. This software is suitable for creating a

wide range of applications in different areas of

industries but also in education for Science subjects

teaching. The graphical nature of LabVIEW allows

users to focus on the theory being taught and not on

the tool manipulation and on the programming

nuances. The time to develop complex applications

is shorter than using a general programming

language. Due to the fact that LabVIEW is

specifically designed for engineers and scientists,

and it is used in a wide range of areas, the students‟

transition from school to industry is smoother

(Suduc, et al., 2009).

2.4.3 Crocodile Clips

The Crocodile Clips (http://www.crocodile-

clips.com/) simulation packages are developed

specifically for education and allow students and

teachers to recreate experiments, model

mathematical theories or simulate real life quickly

and easy. Crocodile simulators let students

experiment in a safe, accurate environment, and

come with a wealth of ready-made simulations and

models. Crocodile Clips includes four packages:

Crocodile Physics, Crocodile Chemistry, Crocodile

ICT and Crocodile Mathematics. In the frame of the

VccSSe project, the first two packages were

selected.

The main Crocodile Clips advantages are related

to the user-friendly interface and curricula focus

features for the primary and secondary school. In

order to easily learn how to use these tools, the

Crocodile Clips developers provide many useful free

training videos (Suduc et al., 2009).

3 RESULTS

A number of 363 in-service teachers involved in

lower and upper level of secondary education as

well as in primary education were trained through

the previously mentioned blended learning approach

about how to create, use and implement ICT based

lessons in their real teaching practices. These in-

service teachers - functioned on their background

and goals - were required to choose one of the

software environments for understanding its main

functions and creating at least one LO (that has to

include also at least one VE for students with a

significant level of interaction, for specific Sciences

disciplines: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry). Their

lesson plans - designed under the previously

mentioned specific Template – proposed explana-

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tions on the concepts to be learned. In the following

section, the components of the “Products matrix”

including those teachers‟ LOs, is presented. This

presentation reveals with the following essential

parts: (a) structure; (b) number of VE‟s; (c) partner

institutions involved; (d) searching; and (e) tools

included.

Table 1: First layer of the Product‟s matrix.

VccSSe Institutions

1st

Edition

Products

2nd

Edition

Products

Valahia University of Targoviste

Teacher Training and Educational

Innovation Centre Valladolid II

Teachers Training Centre of Gijon

Teachers Training Centre of Zaragoza 1

Warsaw University of Technology

Regional In-service Teacher Training

Centre "Wom" in Bielsko-Biala

University of Joensuu

Babes-Bolyai University Cluj Napoca

University of Patras

(a) Structure. The general structure of the

Product‟s matrix for all the partner institutions has a

three layer-structure. The first layer (see Table 1) of

the aforementioned structure is organized in a Table

demonstrating all partner institutions (see column 1)

and the number of VEs constructed by the teachers

in the 1st and 2nd edition of the course (2nd and 3rd

columns correspondingly) by each institution. For

example, in the 2nd row one can see that teachers

participated in the courses organized by Valahia

University of Targoviste produced 13 VEs during

the 1st edition of the course and 11 VEs during its

2nd edition. The second layer (see Table 2) of the

structure of the Product‟s matrix is dedicated for

each partner institution and has the structure

demonstrated by the 1st row of Table 2. To clarify

this structure, a specific example (see Table 3) of the

part of Product‟s matrix dedicated for the 1st Edition

of the course realized by the University of Patras is

demonstrated in Table 2.

To clarify the content of this Table, let‟s present

the content of its 1st row: Here one can see that, a

VE and the appropriate Lesson Plan was constructed

(see 7th column) to teach about „perpendicular line

in the mid of a segment‟ (see 1st column) that is

dedicated for „Lower Secondary school” (see 2nd

column), especially for the learning of Geometry

(see 3rd column). The name of the creator of this

VE and Lesson Plan is “Evagelos Stamos” (see 4th

column) in the school of ”Kato Achaia” (see 5th

column), while the keywords describing the basic

concepts are ”perpendicular line and the mid of a

segment” (see 6th column).

(b) Number of VEs included - First Edition: 86 VEs

were produced in total. Second Edition: 132 VEs

were produced in total. Data indicating relevant

number of products for each discipline/per partner

institution and in total is presented in Table 3. Here,

it is worth noting that, teachers designed a variety of

types of VEs supporting various learning activities.

For example, mathematics teachers designed VEs

supporting the following types of learning activities:

(i) Forming/verifying conjectures by focusing on the

alteration of an interactive geometrical construction

using the drag-mode operation; (ii)

Forming/verifying conjectures by focusing on the

numerical data automatically collected during the

alteration of a geometrical construction using the

drag-mode operation; (iii) Verifying a formula by

focusing on the numerical data automatically

collected during the alteration of a geometrical

construction using the drag-mode operation; (iv)

Multiple Representation-based activities; (v)

Constructions simulating real-life problems; (vi)

Black-box activities; (vii) A scenario-based

approach emphasizing the formation of networks of

learning concepts; (viii) Multiple-solution activities.

institutions were involved and specifically, the

number of VEs per institution is demonstrated in

Figure 1.

Targoviste Valladolid Gijon

Zaragoza Warsaw Bielsko-Biala

Joensuu Cluj Napoca Patras

Figure 1: Number of VEs per institution.

(d) Searching. One can search the content of

Product‟s matrix by realizing step by step the

following procedure: (1) Entering the main page of

VccSSe at http://www.vccsse.ssai.valahia.ro; (2)

Clicking on the link labelled as: “Product‟s matrix”.

In this way the visitor is automatically trans-located

to the 1st layer of the structure of the Product‟s

matrix that is allocated in the URL:

http://www.vccsse.ssai.valahia.ro/main/matrix

TEACHERS' COMPUTER SUPPORTED CONSTRUCTIONS WITHIN A EUROPEAN VIRTUAL COMMUNITY

COLLABORATIVE SPACE FOR SCIENCES EDUCATION - An Experience Achieved in a Multinational European

Project

353



Lesson Name

Level

Area /

Category

Teacher

Name

School

Keywords

Final Products

Perpendicular Line

in the Mid of a

Segment







Lower

Secondary

School

Maths

Geometry

Evagelos

Stamos

Kato Achaias

Perpendicular line,

mid of a segment

Perpendicular_MId

_point_segment.zi

Lesson_Plan.doc

Secants of a Circle



Upper

Secondary

School

Maths

Geometry

Dimitris

Kalogeras

1st Lykeum of

Nafpaktos

Circle, Secant, Upper

Secondary schools

Secants of a circle

Lesson Plan

The Theorem of

Circle's Secants





Upper

Secondary

School

Maths

Geometry

Dionisia

Kargioti

Private

Academy in

Patras

Circle, Secant's

theorem, Upper

secondary school

The theorem of

circle's secants

Lesson Plan

Table 3: Relevant number of products for each discipline and institution.

VccSSe Institutions

Math

Physics

Chemistry

Technology

Total

Valahia University of Targoviste

Teacher Training and Educational Innovation Centre Valladolid II

Teachers Training Centre of Gijon

Teachers Training Centre of Zaragoza 1

Warsaw University of Technology

Regional In-service Teacher Training Centre "Wom" in Bielsko-Biala

University of Joensuu

Babes-Bolyai University Cluj Napoca

University of Patras

Total Number of Products for Each Discipline

113

218

Here the visitor can explore the matrix demonstrated

in Table 1. The numbers included in the 2nd and 3rd

columns of this Table are dynamic that links

allowing the visitor to access the 2nd layer of the

structure of the Product (3) Clicking on the

numbers included in the 2nd and 3rd columns of the

Table For example, by clicking

on the number 11 which is included in the cell that is

allocated in the crossing point of (row: University of

Patras and column: 1st Edition) the visitor can

automatically trans-located to the URL:

http://www.vccsse.ssai.valahia.ro/main/matrix?org=

9&edition=1. In this place one could acquire an

image of the products performed by the teachers

involved in the 1st Edition of the course realized by

the University of Patras (see Table 3). The content

of the 7th column of this Table is dynamic and

automatically allocate the visitor to the specific VEs

and Lesson Plans constructed by each teacher. (4)

Clicking on the name of each specific VE included

in the 7th column of the Table illustrated in the 2nd

       , the

visitor can access the 3rd layer of the structure of

this matrix where specific VEs and their

correspondent lesson plans are allocated.

(e) Tools included. The tools included in the

Products Matrix are: (i) the Products Matrix

Updater - First Edition (PMU-1st) and (ii) the

Products Matrix Updater - Second Edition (PMU-

2nd). These tools are identical, except the fact that

each one serves as a tool to update the 1st and 2nd

Editions of the course correspondingly. Both tools

are located in the 1st layer of the structure of the

Products Matrix. By clicking on the Products

Matrix Updater- First Edition link, the system

automatically transfer the user in the following

location:

http://www.vccsse.ssai.valahia.ro/main/matrix-up

Here, the system asks the user for username and

password to trans-locate him/her to update the

second layer of the Products Matrix dedicated to a

specific partner institution. Accesses to this layer

have only the local coordinators. For instance,

considering Patras University, after entering the

appropriate username and password, the system

transfer the user in the following page:

http://www.vccsse.ssai.valahia.ro/main/matrix-up

Figure 2: The form dedicated to the adaptation of the

Products Matrix with information regarding teacher VEs

and Lesson Plans.

In the fields of the form illustrated in Figure 2

CSEDU 2010 - 2nd International Conference on Computer Supported Education

354

the appropriate information regarding each teacher

VEs could be recorded. After saving this

information, the user is provided with the

opportunity to upload the correspondent files

namely; the specific VI and Lesson Plan constructed

by the teacher.

4 DISCUSSION

In this section the “Products matrix” is discussed in

terms of appropriateness of its essential parts

referred to in the previous section, namely: (a)

appropriateness of the structure, (b) relevant number

of products for each discipline, (c) relevant number

of products for each partner, (d) usability of the

searching engine, (e) usability of the up-loader.

(a) Appropriateness of the structure. The structure of

Products Matrix is appropriate to save and provide

access to the VEs and Lesson Plans constructed by

the teachers. It is also simple, and easy to use.

Visitors can search the teachers‟ products in each

country and Edition of the course.

(b) Relevant number of products for each discipline.

More than half of teachers‟ VEs and Lesson Plans

related to the learning of Maths (113 VEs and

Lesson Plans; 52%). A considerable number of

teachers‟ VEs and Lesson Plans related to the

learning of Physics (81 VEs and Lesson Plans; 37%)

while some of teachers‟ VEs and Lesson Plans

related to the learning of Chemistry (16 VEs and

Lesson Plans; 7%). Finally, few teachers‟ VEs and

Lesson Plans related to the learning of Technology

(8 VEs and Lesson Plans; 4%).

considerable number of products were constructed

by all institutions (218 VEs and Lesson Plans) as

well as by each partner institution; Maximum: 71

VEs and Lesson Plans (33%) and Minimum: 13 VEs

and Lesson Plans (6%).

(d) Usability of the searching engine. It is very

convenient; just three clicks to visit a specific

teacher construct (a VE or a Lesson Plan).

(e) Usability of the up-loader. This tool is very

convenient; just six clicks to upload a VE and a

Lesson Plan constructed by a teacher followed by a

description in terms of: teacher name, school name,

lesson name, education level, key-words and

discipline.

5 CONCLUSIONS

This paper presented the diversity of LOs in terms of

VEs and lesson plans designed by the European

teachers who participated in a Virtual Community

Collaborative Space for Science Education

(VccSSe). At first glance, the results emerging from

this study show that teachers designed a variety of

types of LOs supporting diverse type of learning

activities but most importantly, these teachers used

these LOs in their actual classroom practices. By

performing such learning activities, students had the

chance to experiment, express their individual

knowledge, make interconnections with various

concepts, develop multiple perspectives regarding

the learning concepts in focus and also be motivated

to be actively involved in their learning process.

On the whole, the results of this study suggest

that teachers are able to design pedagogically sound

learning activities using ICT and also use these

activities in their teaching practices. More effort is

needed to ensure support in such communities for

teacher professional development and lifelong

learning as well as for the use of ICT in everyday

classroom practices. To this end, the integration of

ICT in the typical school curricula, the provision of

appropriate technical infrastructure in schools, and

the training of teachers through formal procedures

will constitute a solid background for the

introduction and exploitation of the benefits of ICT-

based teaching and learning in the every day

classroom of 21 century.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This work was funded through Project 128989-CP-

1-2006-1-RO-COMENIUS-C21 from European

Commission, Education and Training, School

Education: Socrates: Comenius. We thank to all the

partners and teachers for all their cooperation and

work.

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