have analysed the global market, aiming to identify possible new solutions. “We have a functional criteria of what we would like. But this has to be very open – because otherwise the innovative capacity of suppliers responding to our calls would be restricted,” says Wallin. This research has included very thorough needs analysis, aiming to identify what students and teachers actually require and how the market responds to those needs. “We’ve held surveys on a European level. Around 450-500 teachers of STEM subjects have responded to our questions,” outlines Wallin. “We also sent out another questionnaire asking which subjects primary and secondary teachers would need more support with in terms of individualised or personalised learning.” Many teachers needed support in maths, a subject which can have an important impact on a student’s motivation and commitment to learning. Subjects like maths and science are technically demanding, and students who struggle may be discouraged without support. “Access to support in maths and science at primary and secondary education is crucial in determining which students will drop-out of education early,” stresses Wallin. This is one of the key reasons why the project chose to focus on STEM subjects, bringing together procurers from Sweden, Finland, Germany and Spain within the IMAILE consortium, while the needs analysis also covered other European nations. “There are big differences between European countries in terms of how they look at technology in schools,” says Wallin. “We held quite an intensive study before the project where we held discussions and workshops among the procurers to try and find a comon picture of how we would like to work in the project.”
Needs analysis The views of teachers, procurers and students were included in the needs analysis, generating a clear picture both of what future PLEs should look like and how that can be achieved. One of the key findings was that students want greater dialogue in class and more studentcentred learning; the first stage in this is to secure the necessary investment and develop the infrastructure. “The first question to ask is about the infrastructure in each school. Do they have broadband? Do they have the means to procure SmartBoards, tablets, and computers?” says Wallin. It’s also important to consider whether teachers have the skills necessary
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to use these technologies creatively. “Some teachers are less familiar with new technology, and so use it as a substitute for exisiting methods,” continues Wallin. “The next step is to use technology in a different way, like in the flipped classroom, where students access material at home, and then come to school and ask questions of the teacher, so there’s more interaction between teacher and student.” This would be more like a university seminar than conventional primary and secondary education, where the emphasis has traditionally been on students absorbing information imparted by teachers. Wallin says this flipped classroom approach has been used in Swedish secondary schools. “Instead of giving classwork after the class, students get homework before. They listen to the subject matter, then they work in the classroom,” she outlines. Wallin believes that PCP is the ideal way to identify new products and services for this teaching model. “There are a lot of technological solutions on the market, but the teachers felt that not all of them fitted with their curriculum, or not all of them were developed to actually provide benefits in the classroom,” she explains. “They had a feeling that the ICT market and developers were telling them how to teach, instead of teachers saying ‘this is how we would like to teach, and we need this and this solution.’ So the project was almost a reaction to the presence of too many solutions on the market.” The project aims to create more dialogue between the suppliers and the schools to identify practical needs. This represents a significant cultural shift, as schools haven’t always been aware of the opportunities that technological development offers. “The PCP instrument is a great way of creating dialogue on a European level between the demand and supply sides,” says Wallin. The ultimate goal is to develop PLEs that enable students to take control of their education, which Wallin believes will bring significant benefits. “These environments should support all students in reaching their goals. This could be students with concentration problems for example, but it can also be the gifted students, those who need different kinds of exercises and tasks to remain motivated,” she continues. “The PLE should support teachers in planning lessons, help students get individualised tasks, and help to document and assess the learning process.”
At a glance Full Project Title Innovative Methods for Award procedures of ICT Learning in Europe (IMAILE) Project Objectives The overall objective of IMAILE is to use the PCP (pre-commercial procurement) process to identify new technologies and services which address the challenge of providing the next generation of Personal Learning Environments (PLE) in primary and secondary education within the subjects of Science, Math and Technology (STEM). Project Funding IMAILE (no.619231) co-funded by the European Commission, Seventh Framework Programme (FP7 – CP –CSA CALL 8.2.A) Project Partners Halmstad kommun (SE - Coordinator) • INNOVA ESZAK (HU) • Ministerium der Finanzen des Landes Sachsen-Anhalt (DE) • Konneveden Kunta (FI) • Oulun Yliopisto (FI) • E.N.T.E.R. (AT) • Varbergs kommun (SE) • INOVA+ (PT) • Otto-von-GuerickeUniversität Magdeburg (DE) • Ajuntament de Viladecans (ES) • Jyvaskylan Yliopisto (FI) Contact Details Project Coordinator Municipality of Halmstad (SE) Project Manager Ellinor Wallin T: +46 730 791862 E: ellinor@euprojektkonsult.se W: http://imaile.eu Please visit the CD Manual at http://www. imaile.eu/media/ http://www.imaile.eu/media/publications/
Ellinor Wallin
Ellinor has been working with high level EU projects and Innovations since 2008. Her specialist areas are access to finance for SME:s, Innovative procurement and the instrument PCP ( Pre commercial procurement), ICT and Education. Ellinor is currently contracted as speaker at events arranged by the European Commission, national innovation agencies and authorities in several countries.
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