Watch a Canva video by Finnish students with presentation of their country and studies which is sent to VET students in the two other participating countries.
This is an example of one of the videos produced in the EU project called “Globe@Home – Strengthening Global Competencies Through Advanced Internationalization at Home Practices” which was a part of the EU category of “KA210-VET Small-scale partnership in vocational education and training (VET)”.
For two years the Erasmus+ small scale partnership project ”Globe@Home” has linked VET students from 3 countries – Finland Denmark and The Netherlands – doing online activities across the borders during 2022 and 2023.
The teachers and project steering group
Teachers from Finland The Netherlands and Denmark have participated in this project to discover the possibilities and challenges of VET students communicating online as part of their education as well as for cultural enrichment and English language training.
This was no easy task. The heart and mind were in the right place – but the circumstances were challening. As mentioned in the first 3 dissemination articles about this project we outlined the scheduling challenges with the students not attending school simultaneiously due to work placement periods etc.
The solution was developing videos as an asynchronic exchange with ’mystery pen pals’. The guide to producing these videos is explained in a manual that is published free of charge. Please check Globe@Home manual (pdf) and feel free to use it!
Here are some of the many valuable experiences with online VET student exchange:
- It has proven almost impossible to schedule different students/groups from different countries to meet simultaneously online. Hence the system where videos are made and ‘sent out’ to be responded to later. We would recommend using a cloud service like Google Sheets or similar collaborative platform to store the links and keep a tab of what videos and whose are sent/viewed where instead of mere emails. It creates a possibility for students to send videos later in the year when courses in the Netherlands Finland and Denmark do not take place concurrently.
- Make sure the assignment is clear for the students but do not give them too many restrictions. It is nice to see the creativity of the students flowing.
- Emphasize the importance of the length of the video. We use a maximum of 1- 2 minutes per video. This is because of the concentration of the students who have to watch the video but also because we were facing difficulties uploading longer videos.
Connecting Beyond Borders
At the end of this project Rezvan Zonoubi from Finland has contemplated about the subject matter: “In the realm of education there are projects that go beyond textbooks and classrooms opening doors to a world of cross-cultural collaboration and shared experiences. The ”GLOBE at Home” project stands out as one such endeavor bringing vocational college students from Finland Denmark and the Netherlands together in a unique and enriching exchange. The core objective of ”GLOBE at Home” was simple yet profound: to foster meaningful communication among students and teachers while they remained in the comfort of their own countries.”
“As we reflect on the achievements of projects like ”GLOBE at Home” we are reminded that education is not merely about acquiring knowledge within the confines of a classroom. It is a dynamic and evolving process that thrives on innovation adaptability and the embrace of global perspectives. The forward-thinking nature of projects like these paves the way for an educational future where geographical distances are no longer barriers but opportunities for connection collaboration and shared learning experiences.”
The project’s steering group thanks all the participating teachers and students from Finland Denmark and The Netherlands!
