• The DiSTARS Summer School is specifically designed for teaching professionals in STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). It will introduce teachers to the concept of storytelling as well as inquiry-based science teaching techniques in order to develop, improve and enhance their teaching skills and practices. The overall goal of the course is two-fold:
• to acquaint participants with the significance and opportunities of storytelling using the DiSTARS digital storytelling platform;
• to enable teachers to successfully use, develop and support the creation of students’ stories using innovative, ICT based tools and techniques, including VR and AR, that will help students use their creativity to learn about science topics related to space exploration.

Learn how to use and embody digital storytelling in your teaching and curriculum!

Storytelling is a great way to support the development of students’ inquiry skills and help them gain initial scientific experience while at the same time enable to them to use the potential of the imagination and creativity. Students that have been exposed to scientific topics by creating and designing their own story lines and using techniques such as creating videos and/or animations, are more likely to develop a long-lasting motivation and interested in science topics.
Consequently, the specific objectives of the course are to:

• Introduce STEM teachers to the concepts and skills of storytelling
• Demonstrate its various applications in science learning activities by combining science learning with artistic and creative activities
• Familiarize participants with the DiSTARS storytelling platform as well as other educational digital repositories
• Develop teachers’ ICT skills through the use and application of the Stories of Tomorrow storytelling platform, tools and services
• Engage participants in preparing, uploading and sharing digital stories using learning resources and activities in the DiSTARS platform
• Foster the culture of collaboration among teachers of different science disciplines in organizing multidisciplinary activities.

Overall, the course has a significant and important European dimension: Participants from all over Europe will become part of an active and growing community of practice to exchange and share ideas, experiences, concerns and educational resources with fellow teachers across Europe and introduce them to on-line learning repositories, portals and educational metadata.

Find out more about the DiSTARS here: http://www.distars.eu

The DiSTARS Summer School is designed to be highly engaging, creative and interactive. Participating teachers will work in small groups and thus be able to collaborate with teachers from other countries, discuss ideas and exchange experiences in order to create a group activity which will encompass all the features of a successful storytelling inter-disciplinary science activity.

The course will last for 6 days, consisting in total of ca. 25 hours of workshop-based training, such as presentations followed by hands-on sessions (9 hours of lectures and demonstrations, 16 hours of hands-on workshops). The lectures and the demonstrations of the training course will be held in an auditorium equipped with a data projector and a laptop, whereas, the workshops will be held in a multimedia laboratory where each participant will have direct access to a PC with internet connection and will carry out planned exercises.

Throughout the duration of the course teachers will participate in activities from two different points of view:

1. as learners using and testing the storytelling platform and supportive applications,
2. as creators developing and implementing stories connected to e.g. space exploration.

Therefore, special sessions are dedicated to showcase and practice how to collaboratively experience and use the innovative tools and Stories of Tomorrow platform, as well as how to design storytelling educational activities using educational material from digital repositories. Participants will learn how to set up and work in the storytelling platform, how to personalize it, how to navigate through digital resources and how to assess students deeper learning in science.

One important aspect of the training activities is the collected feedback and the common discussion among participants. We will provide a platform to exchange ideas sand talk in detail about the requirements with respect to various aspects of the tools shown in order to facilitate their further development, maximize their efficiency and enhance the adaptation potential.

To ensure the proper preparation for the training course an online workspace will act as a main hub of communication and for sharing and distributing preparatory material with the participants. Through this website the participants will have access to all materials necessary for their preparation (suggested reading, relevant websites, guidelines etc.) and a common workspace. Moreover, all the information regarding the training course such as the course description, the programme, travelling and accommodation guidelines will also be accessible through the website.

Participants will familiarize themselves with the training topics as well as the course methodology by accessing the relevant resources, materials and tools. Based on their interests they will be invited to participate into one of the working groups each of which will have a different main topic of focus.

Support material
Workshop VI (15/07/2021): Potential landing sites on the Moon and Mars for my rover (instructions and data)

At the end of the course, following the presentation of their work on the last day of the course, participants will receive a training certificate that confirms the successful completion of the course and its objectives.

As members of the DiSTARS community participants will have access to support provided by the training team, and they will be able to communicate with other teachers in European countries, who have a common interest, share their ideas and experience and collaborate in joint activities.

The summer school alumni will also become DiSTARS ambassadors and they will be given the opportunity to become trainers in the use of the platform themselves. Through the training sessions they will organize they will be able to further disseminate their work and inspire more teachers to use their activities and the DiSTARS tools and services.

In order to assess whether, and to what extent, the course has reached its objectives and expected results the participants will have to answer, during and at the end of the course, a set of relevant questionnaires that will be provided by the course providers. The results of the questionnaires/survey or a so-called evaluation report will be available to all participants of the course.

Course fee

The course fee for all ESIA Summer Schools is 420€ (70€/per day) and fully within the funding opportunities of the Erasmus+ Programme.

The course fee covers:

• Expert lecturers for lectures, seminars and workshops
• All materials and equipment needed for the course
• Participation in the social programme & excursions (e.g. Sunset and dinner at Cape Sounio, excursion to the Acropolis and visit to the Acropolis Museum and dinner in downtown Athens, traditional night and farewell dinner, etc.)

Subsistence & accommodation

The Summer School will be held at Golden Coast Hotel & Bungalows, an A-class/ 4-star sea-side hotel which stretches on the golden, sandy beach of the Marathon Bay, near the historic location of Marathon, at the outskirts of Athens.

ESIA has made special arrangement with the hotel and are happy to offer to all participants a single or double room with all-inclusive services (i.e. breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks and free of charge services for outdoors sports and recreational activities).

The costs for subsistence are also within the ceilings of the Erasmus+ programme for KA1 mobility actions.

The Summer School will be held at Golden Coast Hotel & Bungalows, an A-class/ 4-star sea-side hotel which stretches on the golden, sandy beach of the Marathon Bay, near the historic location of Marathon, at the outskirts of Athens.

It is the area of Marathon, that has hosted since the times of myths when Theseus killed the terrible bull of Marathon, to the times of the Persian wars and the Battle of Marathon, further on to our days and the marathon race and Marathon Run, the emblematic symbol of man’s quest for freedom and the will to defend his most noble deeds which constitute the foundations of the Human civilization. The plethora of natural, historical sites and museums of the area reveal in all details this unique historical voyage.

Participants are expected to arrive through the Athens International Airport, approximately 25 km (15,53 miles) distance from the hotel.

Learn More…

School Heads and Teachers participation in the summer courses can be funded by the ERASMUS+ Programme.

In case your school or organization does not have the funds to cover the costs of your participation in the Summer School, there is another option: you can apply to be funded by by the ERASMUS+ Programme.

Please note that the Erasmus+ KA1 application can only be submitted by the school or the organization – no individual applications can be submitted.

The deadline for application is 23 February 2022.

What is ERASMUS+?

Erasmus+ is the European Commission’s Programme for education, training, youth, and sport for the period 2021-2027. As an integrated programme, Erasmus+ offers more opportunities for the mobility of learners and staff and cooperation across the education, training, and youth sectors and is easier to access than its predecessors, with simplified funding rules and a structure that aims to streamline the administration of the programme.

Erasmus+ Key Action 1 (KA1) provides a unique opportunity for teachers, headmasters, trainers, and other staff of educational institutions to participate in international training courses in different European countries. Schools, universities, vocational education and training, and adult education organizations are all eligible to receive full funding to attend courses under a KA1 mobility grant. The Erasmus+ KA1 grant covers all the costs to attend teacher training courses: including travel, subsistence, and course fee.

For up-to-date information about Erasmus+ please check the Programme’s website. Your school will need to apply to your country’s National Agency, who is also the one who will evaluate the proposal. Therefore, your National Agency is also a very good point to start for more information.

Don’t forget to go through the the New Programme Guide and you will have all you need to know.

The steps to apply for an Erasmus+ KA1 School Education Staff Mobility grant are:

1. Fill in the registration form to our Summer School with your details. This is an individual registration form, so if there are more than one participant from the same school, each one will have to submit a separate registration form. This way you have reserved a slot in the course in case your application for Erasmus+ funding is successful!
2. Register your school/organization here: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-esc/index/ , if not already registered.
3. Check the compliance with the programme criteria
4. Check the financial conditions
5. Fill in and submit the application form
6. Respect the deadline
7. Do not forget to inform us as soon as you get notified from your National Agency whether your grant application is accepted or rejected.

You can find all related information about submitting an Erasmus+ Application HERE.

We will be happy to guide you through the process.