Abstract:

SMASH (Success in Math and Science at Home) is a Grundtvig “LifeLong Learning” Programme of European Union (230071-CP-1-2006-1-CY-GRUNTVIG-g11PP) titled “Helping Parents to Help their Children in Excel in Mathematics and Science”. This project is product of the International Cooperation and networking of six Universities disseminated around Europe and a Association about School for Parents.
SMASH is developed in response to the need for reaching out to parents and informing them about new developments in mathematics, science and new technologies. The project aspires to enrich European children’s learning of mathematics, science for learning in, with and over the use of new technologies.
More specifically, the project has the following objectives:
• Developing, pilot testing and distributing an intercultural parent-training training course for School for parents’ educators, that prepares them through combined use of e-learning and physical meetings.
• Design, developing and assessing a multilingual knowledge base to support and promote the program’s activities and objectives.
The achievement of these objectives have different levels and environments for learning in, with and over the use of new technologies:
• SMASH Consortium members are involved in the development of a Portal of the “EU Grundtvig SMASH Project” (http://projectsmash.net/) that it is used by consortium members as a vehicle of communication and dissemination of the project outputs. In includes a link to (Open eClass-Course Management System http://ecourses.projectsmash.net/) for the on-line delivery of parent training utilizing the knowledge base and blended learning pedagogical methodologies. For the adaptation and assessment of this educational content management services of a eLearning platform two other technological tools have been developed: an on-line questionnaire (http://ecourses.projectsmash.net/questionnaire/) and a new “Babel” translation application to translate Platform messages to multilingual use of SMASH eCourses (http://guru.gunet.gr/babel/ )
• SMASH Grundtvig Course. Parents’ educators participating in the SMASH Course receive training combined with the use of e-learning. Parent trainers are familiarized with the course and its objectives, and with the facilities offered by the SMASH eCourses Management System. The ICT-mediated instruction using the project knowledge base, where parent educators have to customize all the tools and resources developed by the Consortium members for parent training in the School of parents. In order to share content, ideas and instructional strategies, online moderated discussions to forum and wiki SMASH eCourse will be used.
• School for parents. During the school for parents meetings, parent will be using the SMASH eCourses customized for them and learn about principles of child psychology and math and science learning, computer-supported teaching and learning, math, science and new technologies curriculum issues, principles of adult education. They will also assess the parent education programs by using on-line questionnaires.
• Home: Parents and children are the end-users of all the technological tools and resources developed by Consortium members, Grundtvig course participants and School for parents’ educators. Children in interaction with parents thought project, inquire, case, scenario based learning in home environment use new Technologies as Google Earth, Internet resources, O.D.R.E.S software, Excel, …

Keywords:

innovation, technology, research projects.