Handbook prepared by: Milan Petrović and Deniz Hoti Consultant: Olivera Todorović

Project Based Learning and

Distance Learning Handbook
Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 3
What is project-based learning and what is distance learning? ............................................. 5
Gold standard of project based learning ................................................................................ 6
The difference between projects and project based learning ................................................. 9
Preparation for the implementation of project based learning .............................................. 11
STEP ONE: Context ........................................................................................................ 12
STEP TWO: The idea for project based learning ............................................................. 15
STEP THREE: The logical framework of project based learning ...................................... 16
Implementation and monitoring of project based learning ................................................... 21
Evaluating student achievement during project based learning ........................................... 23
Tools for planning and implementation of project based learning at a distance ................... 24
Digital tools to prepare and organize project based learning and distance learning ............. 25
Digital tools to monitor and implement project based learning and distance learning .......... 31
Digital tools to evaluate student achievement during project based learning and distance
learning ............................................................................................................................... 39
Resources for planning and implementation of project based learning and distance learning
........................................................................................................................................... 46
Practical examples of project based learning and distance learning .................................... 53
Guidelines and advice for community networking and fundraising....................................... 61
Cooperation with civil society organizations ........................................................................ 61
Fundraising at the local level ............................................................................................... 62
Mass fundraising ................................................................................................................. 63
Afterword ............................................................................................................................ 66

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Introduction

This handbook has been a result of cooperation and experience of educators working in the
formal education system, educational policy innovators and representatives of the non-
governmental sector, who have been introducing innovations in education for years. It was
developed within the “Public-Private Dialogue for Development” project, implemented by
NALED in cooperation with the Public Policy Secretariat, and supported by the United States
Agency for International Development (USAID). The handbook was written during the crisis
caused by the Corona virus, which explains the authors’ focus on digital tools, and their
intention to put emphasis on those that are user-friendly and freely accessible. In the
handbook, we will provide advice as much as practically possible on how to start, organize
and evaluate project-based learning but will also briefly describe the advantages of this
form of teaching. We hope that this short theoretical introduction will adequately explain why
project-based learning is worth trying in classroom, as well as in distance teaching.

The history of the development of formal education has closely followed the industrial and,
more recently, the technological revolutions. The second Industrial Revolution, also known
as the Technological Revolution, which is dated between the middle of the 19th century and
the first decade of the 20th century, in addition to electricity, telephones and telegraphs,
brought mandatory primary and improved secondary education. However, the education
system was always created in accordance with the time and the needs of the industry of a
particular time. Thus, the second Industrial Revolution also strived to create an exemplary
citizen, but above all a lane worker. This in itself did not constitute evil, because the basic
goals of education were and remained the same: young people should be given the
knowledge and skills necessary for life and work; they should be helped to succeed and be
active members of society. The question is: does the education system that was adapted
to that time and the needs of such a labor market still meet the needs of individuals
living in the modern, digital age and being educated, not for the third, but for the
fourth Industrial Revolution?

The future brings general connectivity, smart cars, artificial intelligence and YES -
teleworking. How can we help our students (and why not all of us) prepare for the world in
which they will work and live? APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) and OECD
(Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) have agreed on what skills
comprise the 21st century skills. Economic experts have predicted the following abilities as
a prerequisite for success in this century:

• learning and improving the so-called 4C: critical thinking and problem solving,
creativity and innovation, communication and cooperation (critical thinking,
communication, collaboration and creativity);
digital, media and information literacy (usually abbreviated DMI - digital, media
and information literacy or MIL - media, information literacy as defined by UNESCO);

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 • career and life skills: flexibility, adaptability, initiative and proactivity, social and
intercultural interaction, productivity, responsibility, leadership and social
responsibility.

To what extent are we prepared to teach these skills in Serbia? Do we have curricula and all
the necessary legislation that allows us to adapt the teaching process to the new needs of
students? Are we sufficiently educated for something like this? Have we been taught about
this and in this way at the university? All these questions are more than reasonable to ask
and we can pose them to decision-makers but also to ourselves!

There are studies that show that by 2030, between 400 and 800 million workers worldwide
will lose their jobs due to the accelerated digitalization and automation of various
occupations. On the other hand, the same artificial intelligence and machine learning
technology will create new jobs that we can but imagine today. A change for which no
government in the world is completely ready is about to come, but one thing is for sure - it
must start with a change in the outdated education system.

Where are we in all this? Progress at the level of educational policies still exists, and not a
small one! The Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development has adopted
the Strategy of Education Development in the Republic of Serbia until 2020,which
harmonizes the educational policy of our country with the educational policies of the EU. In
2019, the Institute for the Improvement of Education adopted the Digital Competence
Framework, which defines the competence teachers need for the digital age. The Social
Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit, in cooperation with the United Nations in Serbia, has
seriously dealt with the transformation of education in Serbia.

What can we, as teachers, change in our classrooms? The handbook in your hands is
intended for those who have decided to not wait, to take responsibility, for those who
do not look for excuses, but solutions.

Bloom's taxonomy of educational goals is well known: the basis of the pyramid is made of
facts and concepts that we expect students to remember, it is followed by understanding and
application, and at the top are the analysis and evaluation of the learned material. At the
very top is creation - the ability to use all the previous stages in learning and create
something completely new. If we look again at the already mentioned 21st century skills, we
will easily see that they are all contained in the tasks that require students to create
something new. It is necessary for them to communicate, digital tools are imperative (which,
by the way, are often free, and always available to them), but above all, it is a form of work in
which they are expected to think critically and evaluate, connect and innovate.

Many creative teachers already apply the project-based learning method. Examples of their
work are the best proof that Serbian education has nothing to be ashamed of in terms of
modern approaches to learning. We are grateful to them for their enthusiasm,
professionalism and courage to accept such a challenge. The Corona virus locked both us
and the students in their homes and practically forced us to rapidly digitize the educational
process. The impression is that many have coped as best as they can, but the approach to
teaching has usually not changed: frontal instruction and, at best, the dialogical method of
working with students, are those that predominate. Project-based learning carries a real

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paradigm shift and that is what we wanted to address most closely in this handbook.

We tried to be practical, to anticipate challenges and respond to those that project-based

learning will cause to teachers and students, to point to the appropriate tools to facilitate and
support change in the perspective and way of working by means of best practices. In
addition to tools that you can easily and free of charge try with your students, we have made
an effort to present some resources that can be useful to you as additional content for
conducting classes. We hope that this handbook will represent a professional challenge for
you, but also an aid to make the best use of the benefits of project-based learning. We
would like you to take what you consider valuable in the handbook with you to the
classroom, be it in the school building or online.

What is project-based learning and what is distance

learning?

In the circumstances in which the entire system of education, and it might be said, society as
a whole, was rapidly digitized, so many new ideas appeared in the public sphere, that there
is a real danger that some important theoretical settings will be confused. The two terms that
we most often encounter when talking about methodological models for the organization of
teaching are project-based learning and distance learning. Although in this period both
models will appear and be applied in parallel according to the situation, it is still important to
understand what each of them means.

Distance learning is actually a very old concept. The first successful attempts marked the
middle of the nineteenth century and were based on the fact that students, who for some
reason were prevented from physically attending classes, received learning materials by
mail once a week. Universities embraced this model of learning very quickly and in just a few
decades the diplomas of famous universities became more accessible than ever, even to
those who did not have the money for conventional studies. However, distance learning
experienced a real renaissance with the advent of the Internet. The terms e-learning, online
teaching, virtual classroom, webinar, MOOC (MOOC - massive open online course) have
quickly flooded the network and today few world universities that care about their reputation
do not enable online studies. In short, we owe a real revolution to this concept in terms of
open access to knowledge.

Methodologically speaking, distance learning requires student motivation, which in this case
usually exists. Classroom management is replaced by independent organization of time for
work and study, and the focus is on researching literature and available materials. Classes
can be organized quite asynchronously, which is usually the case with MOOCs, so that
students do not have to work at the same time, but when it suits them. Occasionally,
synchronous teaching is used, in the form of online consultations or meetings through
existing applications for communication over the Internet. After a certain period or after a
certain part of the material, the student is tested (which is always a special challenge in this
model) and based on the test results a grade is assigned to the student, also remotely.

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The good sides of distance learning are certainly the reduction of teaching costs, insisting on
the responsibilities of students and great availability in situations such as those that by
nature require physical distance. However, that model includes the problems and challenges
that the teaching conceived for the 19th century cannot resolve. First of all, learning is still
perceived as a “rote learning” and then a reproduction of facts; the knowledge taught is
almost entirely theoretical, and learning is closely connected with preparation for testing.

Project-based learning, created at the end of the 19th century under the influence of
Piaget's research in the field of developmental psychology, is based on the idea that an
individual constructs knowledge on the basis of experience. Unlike the standard classroom
to which we are accustomed and in which most of us were educated, the "classroom" in
which project-based learning is conducted is student-oriented, provides both space and
context in which to collaborate and explore problems and challenges from the world around
students. It is a completely different approach to learning, because, instead of conveying
facts, the processes of research, questioning and active cooperation are favored in order to
solve a challenge or problem.

In our country, concepts such as experiment-based learning or problem-based learning may

not be common, although they are very similar to project-based learning. But even though
you have never had the opportunity to experience this approach, you have certainly seen
and sighed for modern schools where students walk around freely organized spaces and
have the most modern equipment they use for various projects. Before you conclude too
quickly that such a thing is not possible with us, remember that modern technology has
made many things possible and put in the hands of almost every student a computer far
more powerful than the one that successfully sent people to the moon.

It is true that project-based learning is no longer a matter of the future, but a practical reality
in many classrooms around the world and increasingly so in our country. Using online
communication tools, such as Viber, Skype or Zoom, although a good step in the right
direction when it comes to distance learning, is not in itself project-based learning, but just
that - distance learning. Project-based learning is something that now, more than ever, you
have the opportunity to try, and it will certainly be easier for you to continue to use it as a
very effective approach even when you return to the classrooms - it is a paradigm shift that
we hope for and want to encourage you to pursue.

Gold standard of project based learning

While project-based learning is student-oriented, teachers have a key role to play in the
education process. They are the catalyst without which even the most equipped classroom
will remain just a beautiful space without any connection with learning, and vice versa, they
are the ones who can revive even the most meager conditions and turn them into an ideal
context for the most perfect learning.

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The Gold Standard is a graphical representation of the principles and goals of project-based
learning and can serve as a guide in planning, performing and evaluating the results of work
with students. The outer circle is made up of seven elements that we combine to achieve
three important learning goals:

• transfer of key concepts

• understanding and
• success skills

Project based learning begins with a question or task. A meaningful and realistic problem or
question that corresponds to the level of knowledge and maturity of students is the
framework of the teaching unit in project based learning. From there, the teacher guides
students through a process in which they ask questions, look for materials and review
information, and use those that are reliable. It is important to note that the class will be better
the more it focuses on solving real problems, the use of specific tools and skills, that is, if the
questions are current and important to students. Students are the ones who "talk more" and
make decisions about how they will work and get the results of project based learning. The
teacher is there to participate in the reflection together with them, to help them assess the
effectiveness of each individual activity and, if they encounter some insurmountable
problems, to offer possible solutions or strategies that would help them overcome these
problems. This process teaches them how to accept criticism, to adopt it and improve their
work process and reach better results. The key element of project based learning is when it
takes place outside the classroom! The results of project based learning with students must
be turned into a public event, where they will present, explain and thus share them with

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other teachers and students, parents or the wider local community.

The goal of this approach to learning is not only the transfer of knowledge, which will
certainly happen, but additional benefits that are invaluable for students:

• students enjoy the learning process, are motivated and present,

• the focus shifts to the learning process and students are no longer solely motivated
by grades, but also by a sense of personal achievement,
• increased understanding and improved ability to apply learned material,
• knowledge relating to different subjects is often linked during solving real problems,
• developed critical thinking, communication and teamwork,
• students become more self-aware, responsible and learn how to organize
themselves,
• students master the skills of presentation, public speaking, overcome anxiety while
presenting the results of their work.

Does the result of the project based learning have to be public?

In short – it is a must! Not only is the public presentation of the results a key part that forms
the core of the concept of project based learning, but it is also pedagogically justified and
logical. First of all, think: the students put a lot of effort and creative effort to achieve results
in solving a real problem. Now that they have a tangible result, of which they are always, and
rightly, proud of, should that result be hidden?

Let's try to explain it like this: you gave them tasks to make poster presentations. What do
you think, will they try harder if you tell them that they will present it for five minutes in the
next class, in the class they worked on the poster with, or if you announce that you will:

a) invite students from another class to listen to the presentation,

b ) invite colleagues who teach another subject related to the topic of the presentation,

c) publicly post them on the walls of the school hall and make a short presentation to
interested students during recess or

d) invite parents to socialize during which time students will give a presentation of their
work

A public event, as part of the whole concept, is an element that will make both your efforts
and the efforts of students more serious (this is probably the reason why many give up on
this approach too early). On the other hand, you know your students best as well as their
abilities, so you will certainly not put them in a situation where they cannot master something
even with your help. So, it is about setting a goal together with a good measure and working
as a team because you are together in it until the end. A valuable result of this element will
be the achievement of specific educational outcomes, to which you rarely have the
opportunity to devote yourself sufficiently.

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Repeat the process, do not repeat the result?

By now, someone has probably already figured out the old student strategies so often
prevalent in our formal education system.

How do we know that students will not work on the same project or copy the same result
from year to year?

They will not do so, because you as a teacher will not allow it. The focus is on the learning
process, not on the results of project based learning. It is much more important what
questions you ask them, how you guide them through the creative process, what resources
they come across and how you interpret and use them together. There is one trap that
teachers often fall into: as soon as you start offering them resources, solutions, ideas - they
return to the comfort zone, accept your ideas as the best ones and you have already run into
the problem of copying. If they themselves come across the same sources as, for example,
the second group or the previous generation, you are the one who will ask the question how
this can be improved and stop the cycle of copying at the beginning. There are no quick fixes
- both the process and the result of project based learning cannot be achieved in one to two
school classes. Plan your activities well, give yourself and them time and don't rush to
results. If the process is well set up, it rewards both the student and you at every step of the
way, even before you get results and nothing is lost.

The difference between projects and project based

learning
The content of this handbook was created as a combination of experiences gained in the
school classroom and by different organizations that deal with education within the non-
governmental sector. The authors believe that the cooperation of different sectors, as well as
the combination of experiences in order to achieve the best results in learning, is a long-
awaited change, if not the only possible one that will motivate us to move forward.
"Connecting", an organization from Pancevo, made a film titled “Education for 4.0
Revolution", which illustrates the need for a new approach and proposes project based
learning as a model for the future. "Nauči me" (Teach me), an organization from Nis, three
years ago opened "Unbox hub of innovative education" for students to freely work and learn
in a different way through courses, clubs and open lectures.

Among many other initiatives, we emphasize efforts made by the Government of the
Republic of Serbia, as it adopted the new Law on Primary Education and the Rulebook on
Curricula within the curricular reform that began in 2017. Primary and secondary schools
today in their curricula focus on learning outcomes and competency development, rather
than on testing and repetitive knowledge. Project based learning has been recognized by
educators in Serbia as an extremely effective teaching method that can contribute to
preparing students for life in the 21st century.

In this regard, we emphasize the rapid reaction of the Institute for the Improvement of

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Education, which in the previous two years joined the education reform with its "Training for
the implementation of new outcome-oriented curricula", prepared in cooperation with the
Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, as well as its online training
"Project based learning" prepared in cooperation with UNICEF.

These are not the only best practices and you will find many more in this handbook, but they
are adequate evidence of the enormous capacity our teachers have, as well as the reach we
can achieve by applying project based learning methods. However, it is worth explaining at
this point, before we move on to the organization of project based learning and its
implementation at a distance, what is the difference between the project and project based
learning.

The project has its beginning, sequence of activities within a timeline, it has its author or the
whole team of experts, it uses resources and knowledge to produce the expected,
measurable results. When NGOs, IT or other companies plan activities, develop programs or
apply for funding from donors, they also start with an idea and then use appropriate formats
to put the project proposal in writing in the form of a written plan.

In our classrooms in Serbia, projects appear relatively often, most often as a method
intended to get students going. Any teacher who has given a task to a student or a small
group to make a presentation or a poster, prepare a sketch or collect a herbarium can claim
to have been part of student projects. Although reminiscent of project based learning, these
examples are not really project based learning in the true sense of the word.

Project based learning is a specific approach, not a result that a student or group has
reached by working according to clear and pre-agreed instructions from the teacher. In this
process, students are encouraged to do research, discuss, evaluate, work and create, and
the end result is not defined in advance, especially not by teachers. The students plan the
result and present what they generated with their research and work to the wider community,
outside the narrow circle of the class in which they worked. The table below lists some
important differences between projects and project based learning.

Tabular presentation of the characteristics of projects in education and project based

learning

Project Project based learning

Project is a supplement to a Project based learning as an approach is a lesson in itself.

lesson or lecture.

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The task relies strictly on the The task is open-ended and the focus is to hear the voice
teacher's instructions. and respect the choice of each student.

Such tasks are repeated from Even when the initial task is the same, neither the learning
year to year. process nor the result is ever repeated.

Individual work or work in The whole class (or even several classes) works as one
groups. team.

Independent work within The work involves only the advice of the teacher, while the
narrow constraints defined in real leadership remains with the students. It is performed
advance by the teacher; most in school during class or outside school, in nature or,
often work at home, out of according to the needs of the project, in cooperation with
class. an organization or local company.

The focus is on the product that Project based learning means constant guidance and a
the student should achieve as a learning process that is valued as much as the
result and only that is development that led to the end result.
evaluated.

Note: None of the above characteristics in themselves make an activity belong exclusively to
a project in education or project based learning. On the contrary, it is a set of characteristics,
so it is necessary that all these conditions, at least to a certain extent, be met in order to be
able to talk about project based learning as an approach to teaching.

Preparation for the implementation of project based learning

Every experienced educator knows that successful preparation is a sure path to success.
Project based learning as an approach does not differ in that: the teacher should and must
prepare for the class because, although he will largely leave the leadership role to the
students, his responsibility is, after all, to lead and direct the whole process. The question is
how to create a system in which all students are invited to express their individuality. How do
we make them feel invited to share their ideas or think about a problem? Classrooms with a
constant focus on grading and assessment are not a place where you can easily find a
student who is ready to "say something stupid" (according to some studies, one of the
biggest fears among young people is that they will come across as "stupid in class"). The

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history of innovation has shown countless times that something that seemed like nonsense
was actually the initial trigger for a whole new idea. Finally, the success of project based
learning largely depends on the motivation of students, and a good teacher will be able not
only to arouse curiosity, but also to initiate and maintain a sufficient level of motivation until
the end of the process.

All this requires a slightly different preparation and it does not end with a simple paper
handed over to the school pedagogue as a document. In that sense, it may be better to say
that project based learning requires reflection, and that is not so difficult to achieve, if
important steps that ensure that this process yields its results are not skipped.

STEP ONE: Context

First, it should be acknowledged that not all the conditions have yet been met for our
education system to support the transition to a project-based learning model. The reasons
for that are the curricula of various subjects, the scope of obligations that are imposed on the
student at school, the uneven equipment of schools, the initial education of teachers, etc.
However, we are convinced that teachers remain the key factor that brings something new,
beautiful and useful to their students, the same is true for project based learning. To plan
your classes for project based learning well, we advise you to look carefully at different
aspects of the context in which you are trying to introduce this innovation. Here are some
topics you need to think about in advance.

All stakeholders of project based learning and its target group

We have already said that project based learning involves the whole class acting as one
team. When we say team, by team we mean that all students are involved, each according
to their abilities and affinities. Project based learning is not reserved only for gifted or
talented students, on the contrary, it is an opportunity for the whole class to connect better,
integrate differences between students and strengthen team spirit. There must be no
compromise on this issue, and believe me, if well thought out, project based learning can
have very beneficial effects in terms of socialization, integration of vulnerable groups among
students or inclusion and mobilization of students with special needs.

In class, it is first of all necessary to make a good introduction and set clear rules of
communication. It is important to explain that we are all really different, that we cannot all do
everything, but that this is the reason for association and socialization. Students should be
encouraged to step out of their comfort zone, but again the teachers should retain their
pedagogical role and help them properly assess their abilities. Good teamwork also means
not only that everyone is involved, but also that every team member is responsible for the
dedicated work and atmosphere in the classroom. Try to set the challenge so that there is
room for everyone, from the most active to the most passive, and try to keep them back to
the rules - they will quickly adopt them if they really see how important they are.

It is certainly much easier to manipulate the schedule in the younger grades of primary
school so that classes are connected and more time is created for work. We advise you to
try to connect not only different classes (subjects), but also different bodies of students of

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the same age, if there are physical conditions for that. Talk to colleagues and try to do at
least some project based learning activities together. Not only will the children connect, but
you will also learn a lot from each other. Maybe project based learning is an opportunity to
make teachers who teach older classes interested, so the students can get the opportunity
to meet them. In older classes, everything depends on the mood among colleagues and the
willingness to work together. In that sense, you will try first with less complex topics, which
does not require correlation of many subjects, or you will include colleagues with whom you
already have a good cooperation.

A short tip: try something simple and improve it little by little. It is also one of the basic
principles of project based learning and it ensures your progress not just that of your
students.

Good planning of the beginning and duration of implementation

Planning of all forms of teaching in primary and secondary schools is harmonized first with
the learning outcomes for each individual subject, then through school board’s plans and
finally through the school curriculum. The problem of interdisciplinary correlations and their
implementation in the classroom is a great challenge if there is no clear position at the level
of the board on the importance of planning. Any effort to implement a class that connects the
topic of light in physics and biology would be in vain if the students have not yet listened
about plants or the nature of light in physics is planned for another year.

Many of these very real obstacles can be solved by good planning within the school board,
but also among different boards, as well as in the meetings of the pedagogical board. Limit
yourself at the beginning to what you can implement easily, within existing resources, and
then try to achieve better planning and larger scheduled interventions with tangible results.
Rely on your experience in terms of project based learning and talk openly about it with
colleagues.

A more ambitious teacher will use the beginning of the school year, when we usually
introduce students to the work plan, to present the principles of project based learning to
students, in order to create conditions for successful work. In any case, you need to
anticipate well how much time you will devote to project based learning on a particular topic,
how it fits in with the other stakeholders you want to involve, and clearly present it to
students and colleagues and agree with them. The duration of project based learning
depends on various factors: the level of complexity of the potential project, the number of
participants you have involved, but most of all you and your students. In that sense, don't
be afraid that, once you bring them to the first final result, you allow the project based
learning to continue - in additional or supplementary classes or even at home, which will
certainly be the case in the circumstances of distance learning.

A little advice we can give you regarding the time when you can start working in the project
setting is to start this form of teaching at a time when students are rested, when they are not
trying to get better grades or prepare for competitions, or when they can freely dedicate
themselves to work. In short, follow the school calendar. It is true that project based learning
can take time, but it is also a fact that students enjoy it and experience it as a form of
motivation. These are often the classes that are remembered the longest and best.

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Roughly, simpler projects usually last from 8 to 10 classes (hours), while some more
complex ones last 3 to 5 weeks, and some even months. Therefore, as early as in the
planning stage, take into account your school’s resources, options for working from home
and the willingness of students to be actively involved in such work, as well as their
individual level of digital competencies, if this is a condition for active participation in project
based learning.

Level of project complexity and interdisciplinary correlation

It is not easy to advise how complex a project should be, as it depends on many factors. At
the same time, a more complex project is not automatically of better quality than a simple
one. An experienced teacher will often find space to break down a complex topic into several
simpler ones, again leaving some for project based learning and choosing some for a
different approach. Below are presented guidelines on how to think about the complexity of
the project, given that in general the complexity level should be determined according to the
abilities of the students, and not according to the motivation or ambitions of the teacher.

Tabular presentation of the classification of project based learning efforts according to

complexity.

Simpler form of PBL More complex form of PBL

Number of areas within One area Multiple areas

the same subject

Interdisciplinary One to two subjects Multiple subjects or several different

correlations diverse subjects (e.g. natural and
social sciences or natural sciences
and arts)

Number of participants One teacher Several teachers, external experts

involved and / or out-of-school organizations;
persons from the local community

Place of activity Classroomand school Outside the school building, in

facilities cooperation with another institution
or local company

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What kind of product One deliverable that does Multiple and complex deliverables
will be created by the not require much time and
project advanced skills and tools to
create

Technology to be used A pair of already known IT Several IT tools that require

tools additional learning

One of the key advantages of project based learning is the opportunity for students to look at
the same problem from different angles and thus acquire and practice knowledge and skills
of different disciplines. Modern science is certainly increasingly turning to multidisciplinary
and interdisciplinary approaches, so teaching and education can and should follow this
trend. This, on the other hand, does not require that every teacher suddenly become an
erudite in different or completely unrelated fields. It is necessary that colleagues who teach
different subjects work together, and then, why not, parents, experts and institutions of the
local community be involved. Museums, memorial rooms, various colleges, institutes, but
also non-governmental organizations and economic entities are an inexhaustible source of
opportunities for teaching, otherwise focused on theory, to be enriched with practice, and the
limit can only be our willingness to include people we do not know.

STEP TWO: The idea for project based learning

This is an important, very interesting and stimulating phase of project based learning,
because it invites teachers to be creative. That is why we put it in the second step - in order
to limit it in advance to real possibilities. Now that the ideas have been put into context, we
can “let the imagination run wild.”

Teacher is not an island! You are not alone! This is important to say because we act like that
too often. Hundreds and thousands of teachers in Serbia, in the countries of the European
Union, all over the world do the same as you and “endure the same torments” as you. Why
does each of us have to be innovative at all costs when there are a handful of great, current
and relevant ideas that we can adapt and apply to our context and in our local community?
That is not intellectual theft, but again a space for connection and exchange. If you just look
at the e-Twinning platform (which will be discussed in more detail in the Tools section), you
will see a number of possibilities that you can even get involved in right away. It is a platform
that is available for free and that encourages a culture of sharing and project based learning
in the best way.

If you are still not ready to connect or hesitate because of the language barrier of your
students, try to find inspiration in the examples collected and presented within Creative
School project by the Institute for the Improvement of Education. The Buck Institute for

15
Education also has its own database of projects and resources useful for any effort to try
project based learning.

As you search the internet for ideas that you could apply, note the following:

• Is it an idea for project based learning or is it just a project?

• Will this concept be interesting and, more importantly, feasible with your students?
• Do the projected duration of the project and the level of complexity suit you?
• Do you have all the necessary resources and all the necessary knowledge?
• Can you harmonize the topic of the project and interdisciplinary correlations with the
school curriculum?

If you feel that you are ready to come up with an idea on your own or you want to be original,
that is great, you will just need a little more planning. Topics you can start with are around
you: experiments and challenges that already exist described in the textbooks you use,
problems at school or in the local community, some particularities that can be generated by a
specific group of students. In a Fulbright exchange program, the author of this handbook
encountered the phenomenal results of project based learning in college where students re -
examined their own past and determined whether their ancestors were on both sides of the
American Civil War or on a different side from where they are today. Maybe your
environment is also multicultural or multiethnic? Maybe you have migrant students or
students who come as representatives of national minorities or are of different religions? In
any case, be careful, but approach boldly and you will find a large number of good quality
ideas that are worth trying with your students.

STEP THREE: The logical framework of project based learning

We have already mentioned that planning and, even more so, project based learning itself is
not a linear process and that it largely depends on students who have a leadership role in it.
However, when thinking about project based learning, you should also think about the
following:

• What are the goals of the project?

• What is the final product of project based learning and how will you present it?
• What questions can you use to encourage students to think?

Defining project based learning goals

Project based learning should lead students to:

1. acquire knowledge and understand the material,

2. acquire some key skills,
3. show themselves as team players, leaders and good people.

All this is rightly reminiscent of general and interdisciplinary competencies, and that’s what’s
appealing about project based learning, because it naturally and very elegantly unites them.
If we recall some of the many training sessions of Institute for the Improvement of Education
or look at the list of interdisciplinary competencies, we will recall the competencies in

16
question. We will only list them here.

The table was created on the basis of data taken from the Law on the Fundamentals of the
Education System.

Interdisciplinary competencies Interdisciplinary competencies

for primary education for secondary education

Learning competencies
Competences for Lifelong Learning

Responsible participation in a democratic Communication

society

Aesthetic competence Working with data and information

Communication Digital competence

Responsible attitude towards the Problem solving

environment

Responsible attitude towards health Cooperation

Resourcefulness and entrepreneurial Responsible participation in a democratic

orientation society

Working with data and information Responsible attitude towards health

Problem solving Responsible attitude towards the environment

Cooperation Aesthetic competence

Digital competence Entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial

competence

Combined with knowledge and outcomes specific to your subject, these competencies
become a pillar of the project based learning process. Look at the school curriculum,
syllabus for your subject and other subjects of your students and write down clearly the
goals you want to achieve through project based learning. In terms of content, it is quite
enough to focus on two to three goals so that students can understand and better remember
what they came to through project based learning.

With respect to skills, the Introduction lists the 21st century skills. Three are crucial for
project based learning:

1. critical thinking and the ability to solve problems,

17
 2. cooperation,
3. ability to self-organize (we independently manage our time and responsibilities).

Always keep in mind: even when it seems that everything went wrong and that the project
will not be implemented, the students, if you had these three skills in mind when planning,
were given the opportunity to practice them. They will succeed next time, if you notice and
analyze together where they went wrong or what skills they need to develop more in order to
succeed.

John Dewey says about this:

We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience.

Perhaps we should illustrate this quote with a personal example of one of the authors. Milan
imagined a very ambitious journalism section at school. The students organized a small
newsroom, but were not satisfied with the results of their work. Neither the text of the news,
nor the quality of the photos were at the level they expected, and they worked hard to
publish the news on the website. In that sense, it would be said that the whole project was a
complete failure. Then they had a conversation in which they looked at the whole process
together, saw and listed the weak points and made a plan so that it could be better.

Why, after all, was this not a failure? First of all, by perceiving their own failure, the students
realized that there is room for further improvement, personal development and learning. The
process of reflection not only did not diminish motivation, but it showed the "leaders" among
them and more strongly motivated everyone to try again. Also, they agreed that the
necessary knowledge may not come from the school, so next year they called experts from
the local media for help, who were happy to get involved. A couple of generations later, as
the project continued from one generation to another, a portal was created to enable young
people to write for young people. Youth Vibes received financial support and expanded as a
project, and it even created newsrooms in other cities in Serbia! Something that started as a
failure in terms of one teacher's assessment, thanks to the project based learning process,
became an opportunity for students across the country and expanded outside of the
boundaries of the school.

Choice of final product and presentation possibilities

Instead of just learning and focusing on memorizing data, project based learning helps
students create something tangible that they can show to others. Examples of what students
are able to create are an inexhaustible source of admiration and inspiration. When you think
about it, ask yourself the following:

• Does this product clearly show that students have achieved the planned goals?
• Is the final product authentic?
• Is it feasible for them to make it?
• Which part will the students create individually, and what as a team?
• If we divided them into several teams - will all teams have the same product or will
they be different?

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All this is important because of the assessment of achievements within project based
learning, which we will talk more about at the end of this chapter, but for now it is enough to
point that we do not give grades exclusively for team achievements, instead we from the
beginning look at the final product as a sum of parts and thus give individual tasks to each
team member. In this way, project based learning, although essentially a team activity,
leaves room for individual progress and its evaluation.

When all this is planned, it will be easy to choose the final product, i.e. what you will require
the students to do during the implementation of project based learning. In any case, project
based learning can end with one or more solutions. Practically, the number of possible ideas
is unlimited, and we took this list from the book: Setting the Standard for Project Based
Learning.

Presentations (including any live performance: physically or remotely)

• Public Speaking
• Poetry reading
• Debate
• Musical composition or game
• Public event
• Role play
• Panel discussion
• Pitch

Written materials (including academic and other writing styles, but always write for specific
audiences or specific genuine purpose, not only as a school assignment)

• Research report
• Book overview / review
• Letter
• Training manual
• Brochure
• Mathematical analysis
• Script
• Blog
• Scientific study / experiment report
• Editorial

Media and IT products (including conventional and the so-called “new” media)

• Podcast
• Video / animation
• Website
• Slideshow
• Drawing / image
• Application
• Photo essay
• Comic

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 • Collage

Constructed product (everything that the students themselves made authentically, without
anyone else's help)

• Scientific instrument
• Consumer product
• Museum exhibit
• Device / machine
• Vehicle
• Invention

Writing a challenging question

Sometimes you have a good idea for a project, but you are not sure how to get students to
think about it. You will address it within project based leaning with a challenging question. It
is a statement that is best formulated in a language close to your students., You can leave it
on the board during the whole process so that it reminds the students of the purpose of their
work. The statement is defined in order to stimulate students' interest and focus their
attention on the key ideas, questions and knowledge they want to gain.

A good challenging question is open-ended, closely related to learning objectives. Some

teachers deliberately define a challenging question in agreement with their students,
because in this way students feel as if they have been entrusted with ownership of the whole
project and the process itself, which can be crucial for their motivation. Based on its many
years of experience in the application of project based learning, the previously mentioned
Buck Institute for Education proposes the following classification of projects, according to
their content:

1. Solving real problems

2. Getting acquainted with creative challenges
3. Exploring abstract questions
4. Conducting research
5. Taking a stand on an issue

With this in mind, we again present examples of challenging questions from the book
“Setting the Standard for Project Based Learning”:

Solving real problems

How can we, as students, develop a CV that will attract employers?

How can we, as entrepreneurs, develop a business plan that will attract investors?

How can our city develop more efficient city transport?

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Getting acquainted with creative challenges

How can we create a platform that will inform young people about training opportunities?

How can we raise money to fight cancer?

How can we organize a bike tour and visit important historical places in our city?

Exploring abstract questions

Who is the hero?

What is good and what is bad?

What evidence is needed to believe a scientific claim?

Why is it raining?

Conducting research

How good is our drinking water?

How much time does the average young person spend on social media?

Who could have studied 100 years ago?

Which national event has most influenced the history of our society?

Taking a stand on an issue

Should we eat meat? (Why yes? Why not?)

Should we kill snakes? (Why yes? Why not?)

Should certain books be censored? (Why yes? Why not?)

Implementation and monitoring of project based learning

Much of what is really important for the implementation of project based learning we have
already said. Good preparation is really half the success in teaching, especially when it
comes to a challenge you haven't tried before. However, we want to draw attention to a few
important details.

Communication and division of roles

A good teacher, in our opinion, is a brave teacher. He or she is not afraid to tackle difficult,
yet important and current topics. Such courage always carries with it the danger that we
have not assessed well enough the readiness of students to step out of their comfort zone

21
and the fact that things can go in a direction that the teacher cannot control. It doesn't take
years of experience for a teacher to know that students can quarrel over little things, let
alone deeply and long-held beliefs. Such situations are always challenging, and if they
happen within the framework of distance learning, they seem almost hopeless, which brings
us back to how important good preparation is.

However, what should we do if we have already found ourselves in such a situation? We will
reveal one secret to you as a recipe.

Protect the way you communicate!

For something like that, preparation is needed, but also with it, it takes courage to interrupt
someone or, in the case of remote work, even turn off the microphone with an apology.
Every workshop host knows that basic rules must be set before every good workshop and
most of them refer to good communication and mutual respect. You need to be aware that
online communication opens up additional dangers of cyber violence. UNICEF has worked a
lot on the prevention of digital violence and how to prevent it, so in that sense they are a
good reference point when preparing for online classes. If you manage to convince your
students that good communication is the key to success, not only during classes, but that it
is one of the basic characteristics by which successful people in all spheres of life are
recognized, you have achieved a lot.

One way to ensure good communication is to have a good division of roles. Don't
experiment with young people if you don't know them at least minimally or if you don't have a
lot of experience in resolving crisis situations. Instead, try making the following roles. For
each student:
• write down on paper or in the table the student’s full name,
• write down his key talents, what he is good at,
• write down one thing that represents his weakness compared to others,
• in addition to that list try to make a list of activities that your project involves,
• leave space for notes on your observations (more on that in the next chapter).

We are confident that you will see the matches yourself: help them show everyone what they
are good at, and work on what they are not. For instance, if you have a student who is well
organized, tidy and independent, but a little shy as a person, let that student have a
leadership position in some aspect. Help that student to express his/her sense of
organization, and overcome the challenge of being shy through positive communication with
others, which will definitely occur if he/she is put in a leadership position. It is difficult to
construct a good example, because each pedagogical situation is specific in itself, but you
must believe in your abilities as a pedagogue to assess the situation correctly. A sincere
effort to create a context in which your students can experiment safely and smoothly and
improve themselves will be rewarded with the greatest gratitude.

Maintaining motivation and monitoring the work

As the project you put in front of the students becomes more complex, so does the time
necessary for it to be implemented. The length of the project will inevitably affect the

22
motivation of students, who are actually eagerly waiting to see a tangible result. The data
tells us that the attention of new generations has diminished, which is a potential challenge
we need to be aware of. This is a problem and although project based learning as a model
offers greater motivation of students as its principal advantage, in practice it can often be
overwhelming due to the pressure of work, other life and school obligations or simply due to
loss of interest. In short, it is our responsibility as educators to motivate and encourage
students to believe in the learning process, even when the results are not (yet) obvious.

Artificial motivation should be avoided as much as possible; this is often seen in cases when
the student is constantly looking for incentives and praise in order to fulfill the undertaken
obligations. This is not a principle of success of project based learning and it is completely
unsustainable in distance learning. It is necessary to help students find motivation in
themselves! How is this achieved? One of the most effective methods can be joint detailed
planning. In projects run by organizations, Gantt chart of activities is often used. It is one
timeline with a list of all activities leading to the desired result; the key points and persons
participating in each of the activities are marked; the places where the intersections are
expected and some tangible parts of the final result are determined. In that way, a big job is
divided into measurable parts, each team member has a clear role and, most importantly,
the impression that participants are waiting for something to happen is shattered, instead, it
is clear that the work is constantly going on, although not everyone is always equally actively
involved.

This technique can be easily applied in the classroom; a simple table containing the basic
data from Gantt chart can be easily made in Microsoft Excel sheet or even on a board or a
large paper that can be left on a wall of the classroom until the end of the project. In this
way, you will encourage students to be motivated, but also teach them how to better
organize their time. In addition, this Gantt chart can help you better assess the successes
and possible failures of your students when you get to the next phase - evaluation of
activities.

Evaluating student achievement during project based

learning

The big mistake that occurs in group activities is the traditional way of performance
assessment. In practice, it varies between two extremes. One is reflected in the view that
each time a group is doing something it should be assigned a “group grade”, which may be
the highest if a result is achieved, but it will certainly be unfair and will not reflect the true
state of progress of each student. At the same time, such a practice makes the assessment
of the most active students meaningless and deprives those who are less active for useful
feedback from which they could learn something. The other extreme is that, following the
line of least resistance, and yet for the sake of fairness, the assessment is completely
absent. Again, there is no adequate feedback, which must be individualized, so the
assessment process is often rendered meaningless, this time regardless of the end result,
which can affect student motivation.

Performance assessment, if done for the sake of immediate grading, is difficult. In the end,

23
teachers in our education system are still expected to give a formative assessment and
describe the work of students throughout the year in one digit. We forget, in addition, that in
addition to the formative, there is another, summative assessment, which is much more
important in project based learning. All personal successes in overcoming nervousness,
wonderful moments of teamwork, good upbringing or humanity itself can be lost if we focus
exclusively on the outcomes of knowledge acquisition in assessment. Project based learning
does not allow this and constantly brings us back to these qualities of growth and
development of student achievement, which gives (some would even say returns) a humane
dimension to the educational process.

The assessment must be justified and publicly explained, and this is ultimately written in the
law that regulates this area of primary and secondary education in detail. If you want to
assess students' knowledge or the degree of mastery of a skill as part of distance learning,
the assessment tools described at the end of the next chapter will be useful. What is
important to underline is that project based learning as an approach leaves room, not only to
evaluate the acquired knowledge and skills in the traditional way through tests and oral
exams, but also to take into account sometimes very personal and difficult to measure
progress in the mentioned interdisciplinary competencies.

Remember the division by roles we advised you to make at the very beginning of this
chapter? We advised you to leave room for your personal observations. Describe how the
student behaved in the team, how he communicated, whether and to what extent he was
responsible, result-oriented, quick to agree and ready to accept responsibilities; notice small
successes in overcoming nervousness or a bright moment when someone came up with an
idea that “saved the day”. These are all important elements that, if you wish, you have the
absolute right to describe in detail and turn into an assessment. In any case, these
observations will help you to give them a stimulating comment and feedback on the work
within the project in a timely manner.

Tools for planning and implementation of project based

learning at a distance

In the situation in which the educational system found itself, every form of teaching, including
project based learning, is implemented at a distance. We appreciate the significant efforts of
the volunteer teachers, the Ministry, the Institute for the Improvement of Education and RTS,
who reacted quickly and, in cooperation with the teachers, ensured that the lessons were
followed on their TV channels. This has given many teachers, especially primary school
teachers, time to adjust and organize. If we can be so free to say that, we lacked educational
content on channels with a national frequency, and it is also nice that some hidden heroes of
Serbian education received some long-deserved media attention. However, following the
lessons that someone teaches on TV is a one-way communication in which students are in a
passive role. In that sense, it is a great merit of every teacher who managed to establish a
different contact with students and to use some of the tools for work and distance learning.

This handbook should help all teachers to better prepare for the next school year and in
general for the challenges of project based learning and distance learning. Therefore, in this

24
chapter we have selected and described some of the most important tools for the
implementation of distance learning. From a large number of excellent examples, we have
singled out those that already have some stability, first of all they have been tested and have
existed long enough to be tested, and we also took care that they are free to use. We
organized them in three groups, according to the stages of teaching, namely:
1. those who will help you prepare and organize your work,
2. those who will help you implement teaching and monitor student work,
3. those who could help you evaluate student achievement.

Combined with online resources, which we have presented in the next chapter, they make
powerful tools not only in the implementation of distance learning, but in the implementation
of project based learning in general.

Digital tools to prepare and organize project based

learning and distance learning

As already mentioned in the chapter on project based learning, its key element is the
cooperation of students, their initiative, motivation and critical thinking. All of the above can
be a challenge, and distance learning only further complicates the organization and
moderation of the educational process. In the selection of tools presented in this chapter, we
were guided primarily by the view that they must be easy to use, accessible and, ideally free
of charge when used for educational purposes.
We wanted to show some that have not been used enough, although they have been
present for a long time, because we consider them a useful additional tool that helps
students to prepare independently (remotely), learn from the experiences of experts from
around the world. According to the author, this is one of the biggest advantages of distance
learning. Therefore, you will see tools that are not intended specifically for project based
learning, but will certainly be useful for students and professors to enrich teaching with
additional content and opportunities offered by distance learning.

Udemy

Udemy is a platform that connects students with a large number of instructors. As

professionals in your field, it gives you the opportunity to teach what you know or teach what
you love, and millions of students from all over the world are waiting to learn from you. The
standard course on this platform is based on videos. Each course must have at least 30
minutes of video content and at least 5 lectures, i.e., learning modules. There are also
additional teaching tools, such as assignments, quizzes, forums, etc., that serve to enhance
the learning experience and offer a way to measure achievement due to potential
certification.

Teachers often do not even imagine Udemy as an option that will help them organize
lectures, because subconsciously they think that it is a platform on which everything is
charged. It is true that there is no fee to be an instructor at Udemy. On the other hand, there
is an option to earn, if you set a price for your course, but it is not necessary, especially not
at the beginning. No special approval is required to create a course. Create an account and

25
easily create your course, using a simple menu with options. Before your course is published
on the platform, it undergoes a quality assessment. There are minimum prescribed
requirements that must be met by each and even the free course. As an instructor, you
reserve all rights to the content of the published course. The course itself can be set in any
language of your choice.

What are the benefits of the Udemy platform?

• It's free to use. At the same time, it is extremely compatible with all devices (mobile
phone, laptop, tablet, desktop computer), which further enables students to improve
their knowledge anytime and anywhere.
• The Udemy community of educators supports you at all times; Guidelines on how to
use the platform and how, for example, to create a course that will hold attention in
an online environment, are available to you both in writing and through video
tutorials.
• The interface of the platform has been evolving over the years and therefore it is
much easier to use the platform, or to create courses on Udemy than on some other
similar platforms
• The format of the course, which is based on video content, allows students to gain
knowledge at any time, for example while running or while in transport (they need
headphones, a mobile phone and an internet connection).

Google Classroom

Google was able to look ahead in 2014, and then new set of online applications called G
Suite made available for free for all educational institutions within the project Google for
Education. Naturally, you can use all these applications (and your students may already
know them) separately, but used together they make a fantastic project teaching tool. When
we talk about Google Classroom, we are talking about a set of tools that includes:

• Gmail - email system,

• Google Drive - online drive,
• Google Calendar - an application for keeping calendars and schedules,
• Google Docs, Sheets and Google Slide - online collaboration applications for text,
tables and slide presentations,
• Google Forms - creating questionnaires, quizzes and surveys with automatic
processing of results.

Recently, the following have been added to this list of applications:

• Google Meet - an application for direct audio and video communication via calls,
• Jamboard - an application similar to the online whiteboard.

Google Classroom actually combines all these services into one system that allows you to
share tasks, tests and communicate with students in one place. It is possible to open more
classrooms, organize by subjects, connect with colleagues and use all the tools listed above

26
for cooperation with students and among teachers.

What are the benefits of Google Classroom?

• It is clear and practical to have everything in one place. A wide range of free
applications, easy to use, enables diversity in working with students and
organizing project based learning. These same tools are also present in large
global companies, so by choosing this service, you prepare your students to be
digitally literate and ready for later cooperation in teams at work.
• The system is free and stable. During the corona virus pandemic, Google
invested additional funds to strengthen its servers and ensure the smooth
operation of tens of thousands of schools around the world that use this system.
• There are simple and available online courses on how to start using this
system. Short video lessons will help you find your way and quickly become an
expert in online teaching.
• Many external services are well connected to Google Classroom, so you can
easily "import" other applications into your Google Classroom. Also, Google has
invested a lot in the resources available to you and your students, and that will
be of great benefit when planning your project classes

A word from the teacher

“Teachers can easily add students to the classroom or add a classroom code to a particular
class. Tasks are set in a simple way and can be done without paper, that is, students can
perform tasks directly in the Google Classroom. In addition to the option to add tasks with
instructions, we can also add a deadline for completion of work, which contains the exact
date and time.
The teacher can follow the course of the task on his account. The teacher can see the
number of students who have done or have not done the assignments and evaluate the
students. All grades can be copied to Google tables and analysis can be performed.

27
Students may be given back tasks they did not do or tasks they need to correct. Also,
Google Classroom has the option of making tests, with the ability to check and analyze the
answers.

All material that students submit is stored on Google Drive. Students can follow all the
homework and after the preparation, read the grades and feedback in the form of comments
from the teacher.
The teacher has the opportunity to start a group discussion i
n the Google Classroom and to post videos, pictures, texts, etc. to the
students. The disadvantage of the platform is that
it is not possible to hold live lectures.” Jelena Lilic, history teacher, Platicevo

Khan Academy Serbia

If you follow the TED Talk and its motivational speeches, you have probably come across
Salman Khan and his speech from 2011. Let's use video to reinvent education. In that
speech, Kahn, who is not really a professor by profession, explained how he recorded short
video lessons in 2004 to tutor in math his cousin on the other side of the world.

VIDEO:[Link]
ampaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

His modest efforts twelve years later created the Khan Academy, a platform with
over 42 million registered users from over 190 countries, tutorials in mathematics,
art, history, computing, biology, medicine and much more. This non-governmental
organization has created a platform that allows us to offer short, video, online
lessons for our students in Serbian

28
 Prac
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Khan Academy Serbia is open and free for students, teachers and parents. The platform has
already allowed free access to materials, in a large number of languages. While courses in
Serbian are not at the top in terms of their number, it does not mean that you cannot easily
use them. The registration process is simple, and using the platform is free.

What are the advantages of Khan's Academy Serbia?

• The focus of the content is on video lessons, which is relatively easy to do, and the
platform is open and free for everyone.
• Video content allows students to watch the videos again, to come back multiple
times in a desire to learn and better understand the lessons.
• The platform offers the possibility of gradual testing of learned material and special
support for teachers.

29
Microsoft Teams
Relatively soon after the state of emergency was declared in Serbia due to the outbreak of
the Corona virus, the Microsoft Development Center in Serbia offered free access to their
application, which helps to organize classes in the online setting. As in the case of Google
Classroom, it is an application that combines several different tools and enables distance
learning, and the Ministry has published on its website a user manual in Serbian..

In Microsoft Teams, you can easily make a classroom for your subject, create assignments
and post them to students and divide students into different teams. In addition to video and
voice conferencing, you can add various resources or tasks within the application and
monitor the work of your students. Probably everyone has already had the opportunity to use
the famous Microsoft apps such as Word, Excel or Power Point - this experience will now be
of great benefit to you because Office365 is integrated into Microsoft Teams. In addition to
the features offered by these programs, there are also brand new options such as a
calendar, whiteboard, interactive presentations in the Sway and other add-ons.

30
Digital tools to monitor and implement project based
learning and distance learning

Teleworking and distance learning puts us in a situation where we have to use different
digital tools to research, collaborate and create. The tools presented in this chapter will be
especially useful for distance learning, but many of them can be used to enrich the
educational process during live classroom teaching.

The authors of the manual made an effort to offer with each of the tools a brief example of
how it can be used in project based learning. We especially emphasize that many of these
tools can be used to produce the mentioned final product of project based learning, even
during live classroom teaching. In that case, they strengthen students' digital literacy. Tools,
such as e.g. Slack are used for communication in all major global companies. Google Maps
have a practical application in everyday life. The European Union's project portal, the e-
Twinning platform, allows us to easily connect and work on projects with other schools and
colleagues across Europe. Most of these tools are now experiencing a kind of golden age
during distance learning, but their value in both the educational process and real life is
undeniable.

Google Earth and Google Maps

When studying geography, one of the most important outcomes is the ability to navigate a
map or globe. Very few applications is so practical and useful for these purposes, such as
Google Earth or Google Maps. Both services work in a browser, but they also exist as
mobile applications, whether they run on Android or iOS. Google Earth allows you to not
only zoom in different parts of the planet to the extent that you see the streets, but also it can
be used as an online space for project based learning and student collaboration.

This three-dimensional representation of the planet Earth, which Google advertises as the
most detailed globe in the world, already contains some useful tools.

• You can choose from several types of folders that are easy to change in the sidebar
menu.
• It is possible to measure the distance between any two or more points.
• There is also a quick search by name, which will make it easier to navigate.
• Google has made an effort to supplement its globe with short articles and photos and
make it an interactive research tool.
• A satellite image used to create Google Earth enables you to zoom in the image so
that you can see the streets, buildings and famous cultural monuments.

31
Google Earth and Google Maps allow us to create joint projects. Invite students to
participate using this tool. They can present a historical battle by adding location points,
photos, texts and videos and thus explain what happened. They can mark the birthplaces of
writers, poets, artists, painters, musicians, scientists or mark events from the biographies of
these noteworthy people. If you want to try, give them a chance to show you their last school
trip destination or vacation spots. In the classes with younger children, use Google Maps to
show students the way from home to school, to mark the place of residence of all friends in
the class, or to teach them to recognize parts of the city or plan a trip.

Time Graphics

Just like students can cooperate and organize a variety of topics in Google Earth or in a
presentation (e.g. Google Slide, which is part of the already mentioned Google for Education
package),Time Graphics gives them the opportunity to create timelines. Timelines are not
only used in history lessons - they can be useful for understanding literature movements,
philosophy, art, and even IT development or some computer science topics.

32
VIDEO:[Link]

Multiple students can work on a single timeline at the same time or draw parallel lines
together with a teacher who can help or supervise the work of their students.

What are the benefits of Time Graphs?

• Easily integrates and connects to almost all Google tools.

• You can save or print the timeline or publish it on the website.
• There are already a number of ready-made, free timelines that you can use as
a resource.

Kialo

Even the most traditional approaches continue to appreciate the dialogic method and
conversation in class. Modern teachers have been successfully using debate for some time
as a way to encourage common thinking in class, re-examining values and facts. Kialo is an
application that will help you put a debate or discussion with your students on the Internet.
Whether you opt for a synchronous or asynchronous approach to teaching, Kialo will help
both you and your students:

33
 • get everyone involved - either by giving a new argument for or against, or by
supporting or elaborating on some of the existing arguments;
• to follow complex debates, regardless of the number of participants and arguments;
• to separate arguments from examples and superfluous comments in decision-
making.

The Kialo platform has already hosted numerous very current debates, globally, so Kialo is
at the same time a tool and resource for research and preparation for teaching, regardless of
which subject you teach. Get your students to debate, free up time during synchronous
classes, or include a discussion as an additional task or a small competition that motivates
students to explore.

Explore Discussions

VIDEO: [Link]

e-Twinning

E-Twinning is an internet portal that connects employees in schools and preschools with the
aim of enabling them to jointly design, manage and implement projects, exchange ideas and
best practices, connect students and supplement teaching content.

A key feature of this portal lies in the promotion of cooperation between educational
institutions and their employees across Europe. This exchange and networking is
accomplished through the use of digital tools.

The portal offers the following possibilities:

a. public part, which is available to everyone,

b. e-Twinning live, part which can be accessed by registered and verified members,
c. Twinspace, part which can be used only by registered members who initiated the
project on e-Twinning.

The public part of the portal functions as a public service; it is accessible and visible to all
who access the portal, and serves to inform the interested public about events within the e -
Twinning community.

34
e-Twinning live is an exclusive part and is reserved only for members who register and
whose registration is approved by the national team of the Tempus Foundation in Serbia. In
order for the registration to be approved, it is necessary for the employee from the
educational institution, who wants to register, to submit an employment verification letter of
the educational institution.

The possibilities of the e-Twinning live part of the portal are reflected in the following:

a. people - offers an overview of teachers, serves to connect among colleagues across

Europe;
b. events - this section provides an overview of upcoming and completed events in the
e-Twinning community;
c. projects - within this part it is possible to review completed and currently current
projects. The most important functionality of this section is the ability to initiate a project,
simply by clicking the button Create Project.
d. groups - function similarly to Facebook, teachers have the opportunity to create their
own micro-communities based on specific interests (e.g.: digital tools).
e. partner forums - serves to connect teachers who are looking for colleagues to start
projects. In addition, it offers the possibility of finding partners for Erasmus + projects.
f. professional development - offers in one place a clear overview of exceptional
opportunities for online training within the e-Twinning portal.

Twinspace part of the portal becomes available when your e-Twinning project is approved.
Twinspace offers you a set of tools for project planning and implementation. It also allows
you to communicate easily with project partners.

The benefits of e-Twinning?

• Use of the portal is free and secure. The school principal or any authorized
person is required to register the school.
• The portal offers teachers to thoughtfully and strategically develop their digital
literacy.
• The portal itself is characterized by an exceptional base of employees in
educational institutions (potential associates), as well as knowledge, which can
inspire other teachers to action at any time.

A word from the teacher

"E-Twinning is a portal that connects staff in preschools and schools across Europe and
allows them to jointly design and implement virtual projects, exchange ideas and best
practices, connect students and improve teaching. Since the school year 2015/2016
together with my students I have been involved in various international projects, which
helped us become more familiar with the culture and tradition of other European countries,
and at the same time we were able to promote our culture, city, country, and develop the
21st century skills.

35
Virtual e-Twinning projects are linked to the school curriculum, are flexible and allow
students to expand their knowledge on different topics, in a fun way, which increases their
motivation. “ - Dragana Videnov, an English Teacher, Sveti Sava Primary School,
Kikinda

Slack

Slack is a simple and intuitive application for team communication and collaboration,
founded by Stewart Butterfield in 2013. The name is actually an acronym Searchable Log of
all Conversation and Knowledge.

It provides extremely transparent communication experience and search documents,

therefore it is applied around the world, both in the economic sector and formal and informal
education programs. The communities use it (e.g. - one-class, where the teacher is the
administrator) as a substitute for communication via e-mail and messaging services.
Slack is a free application, and, in addition, it is easy to connect to other applications, such
as Google online tools such as Drive or Dox, which is extremely important, because it makes
the work easier for teams, users of the application search through keywords and filters, or, in
other words, members of the community that uses the application quickly access
information, unlike those that search for example Viber chat or any email service.

36
What are the benefits of Slack?
• It can be used via the application on the phone, laptop, tablet and desktop
computer, and it is open and free.
• Allows communities, groups, or teams to join the app through a specific URL, or
through an invitation sent by the team owner.
• Visibility within the application is one of the key features. The content itself, or
communication between team members is organized via # (hashtags), i.e.,
channel.
• The teacher can segment the communication with his students, creating, for
example, #channellessonone, then #channellessontwo or #channeltests, where
the teacher can also decide which of the students will have access to the
channel.
• Privacy is enabled, i.e. the creation of private channels within the group, in which
the conversation takes place, which allows the teacher to divide the class into
teams, where the teacher has access to all teams, while, on the other hand,
teams cannot follow private conversations of other teams.
• It can also find its application in organized communication with parents,
because unlike Viber, for example, it offers the possibility of organized
communication.

Canvanizer

Canvanizer is a web application that allows teams to strategically reflect on and analyze
business done by an enterprise, an organization and other institutions. This dynamic and
specific online tool provides an opportunity, primarily for teachers who teach
entrepreneurship, to meaningfully teach entrepreneurship at a distance.

Canvanizer uses business model canvas, which was first introduced to the public in the book
by Swiss scientists Alex Osterwalder - Business Model Generation, published in 2010.

This business model enabled everyone to see the strategic business of companies,
organizations and institutions in just 20 minutes and on only one paper, i.e. canvas.

Visual presentation of the model:

37
The advantages of the Canvanizer are reflected in the following:

• The teacher creates an initial form in one minute, indicating his/her e-mail and
entering the name of the project (e.g. Architecture company).
• Canvanizer is free and there are no restrictions on the number of users.
• It is based on URL invitation, the owner of the account sends a link to the
created project via, for example, Viber group or Slack application and thus
invites students to apply.
• The tool is visual and practical, it is characterized by easy addition of various
objects (such as sticky papers in electronic form), which are added to the wall in
blocks, or parts of the business model. An additional advantage is that each
object has the option to change the color, which makes the content more visible.
• Another good feature of this tool is the automated presentation, which
provides an opportunity to easily convert all content into a presentation,
which can be in Power Point format or web presentation form, which is
again accessible via a URL link that is easily shared.

Zooniverse

Zooniverse is a citizen scientific web portal managed by the Citizen Science Alliance. It is
one of the largest and most popular projects in the world in which researchers are citizens. It
is an interesting fact that more than a million citizens around the world have so far have
contributed to various research on the platform, research is done on a volunteer basis, in
order to help professional researchers. The fact is that Zooniverse research often leads to
new discoveries, data sets useful to the wider research community, and many other
scientific publications.

The platform encourages everyone to become a researcher. In other words, you do not need
previous experience to start a research project, nor will you need academic experience to
make a contribution with your research work to already posted projects. The projects
implemented so far through the platform concern a wide variety of disciplines, including

38
astronomy, ecology, molecular biology, humanities and climate sciences.

Advantages of the Zooniverse platform?

• It allows us to engage in science everywhere; the platform is well adapted to all
devices, from smartphones to tablets, laptops and desktops.
• The platform is free and there are no restrictions on the number of citizens who
can work on a project.
• It offers the opportunity to create a project through a pre-defined questionnaire
on the platform itself and additional instructions that contribute to the
development and presentation of the project in a way that will inspire citizens
around the world to get involved and contribute to the research challenge.
• Given that its community is made of millions of citizens, networking with citizens
around the world and working together on a project is one of the most important
features of the Zooniverse scientific web portal.
• An added benefit - if you initiated the project through Zooniverse - you
also have the opportunity to request that the entire community of one
million users of this portal review the project and provide feedback, both
on the project itself and on the research products.

Digital tools to evaluate student achievement during

project based learning and distance learning

When we talked about project based learning, we mentioned the challenges of evaluation
and assessment. Much of what is crucial in this approach is difficult to measure and evaluate
on a scale of one to five, which is certainly always expected in the context of our society and
education system. We suggested that the culture of self-evaluation among students should
be developed, every opportunity should be used to evaluate the development of skills and
interdisciplinary correlations through feedback and formative assessment methods, which
are certainly very important and have recently been recognized by the Ministry of Education
and other key institutions.

On the other hand, we are aware that, practically speaking, teachers face one of the main
challenges of assessment every single day - how to measure what is measurable and how
to explain the assessment? In the context of distance learning, we wanted to show some of
the tools that can be useful. It should be noted that, as with all other tools we mention in the
handbook, these too cannot adequately replace the student's direct conversation with the
teacher. It is our belief that these tools should be used reasonably and critically, more as an
aid, and certainly not as a substitute for other assessment methods.

In this chapter, we also drew attention to some “alternative” tools that measure different
achievements, and are being developed and recognized at the European level. Many other
digital tools and services (such as Štreber website (Nerd) or - Vučilo – Dolina magičnih reči
application (Vučilo- Valley of Magic Words),show that there is excellent and successful effort
to create tools for local purposes and in our language. They touch upon an important field of
didactics, in our opinion somewhat neglected, which encourages self-esteem in students.

39
Quizizz

Among online applications for testing students' knowledge, few apps are so simple and so
widely applicable as Quizizz. The experiences of millions of teachers around the world
confirm that the test is very easy to do (easy to use and multiple times), and students enjoy
doing them. Although project based learning does not require much testing, we will remind
you –

tests do not only serve assessment purposes, but are also used to monitor learning, as
refreshers, and even as a form of learning.
You can open a Quizizz account for free, and for testing purposes students do not need to
register their own accounts - it is enough to open a browser and enter a special code that
appears every time you run the quiz. Even a weaker but stable internet connection is
enough for the testing to be done efficiently, and the questions you have created appear in a
different order to each student, so there is no cheating. You can view test results even while
students are working, and achievement statistics are stored in your account - they can be
printed or shared by email. Quizizz tests are easily imported into Google Classroom and
shared on other platforms.

40
The questions you can ask are reduced to marking one or more correct answers (which we
advise as the most practical way). If the questions are open or it is a questioning of students,
then there can be no correct and incorrect answers. It is easy to add a picture or video, write
a mathematical formula, and for each question you can allow as much time as you want to
give students to answer. The whole test is designed as a competition with sounds and
pictures between questions, which motivates students, and there is also an opportunity to try
to do one thing every ten questions.

What are the advantages of Quizizz?

• Very interesting and easy to use.

• You can easily find other colleagues' quizzes and use them for free.
• Excellent statistics for tracking student achievement.
• It is applicable for a wide range of different subjects.
• It covers the needs of different testing methods.
• It helps you plan your time in class.

Kahoot

What you see here is a testing tool that has been around and loved for so long that both
companies and large foundations use it. The data they are proud of - over 30 million active
questionnaires and tests on the Internet certainly shows that Kahoot is widely used. You will
get used to it - tests are done on the website [Link] and students who take the
test use another site [Link] Creating questions is easy, and solving tests is even
easier.

Registration at Kahoot is free, and students do not have to be registered. Questions are
posed in the form of a multiple choice question, i.e. marking the correct answer among the
offered, and the time for giving the answer is limited. The panel in which you make questions
is similar to the one you are used to when making presentations, because the questions are
organized as slides. Many teachers are very pleased with the opportunities offered by
Kahoot, especially since they have been forced to adapt to distance learning. There is,
however, one difference compared to the Quizizz - students here answer the questions in
the same order and, even if they use mobile devices to do the test, they will have to look at
the questions on a shared monitor or projector.

41
What are the benefits of Kahoot?

• Free and stable platform tested in schools and companies around the world.
• It is easy to use and intuitive for students.
• A huge number of already existing quizzes, albeit in English.

Fun Retro

Fan Retro is an entertaining retrospective tool that you can use in online
teaching to continue to talk about what was or wasn’t good. It helps you
identify obstacles in real time and discuss ideas for improvements that will
make your work easier.

42
The tool ensures that you check with your students what they think. Feedback is given
through objects in the form of online sticky papers, which, as on the wall, are added in the
appropriate columns in response to the question asked. Each student has the opportunity to
answer one question six times, or he/she can paste six different objects in the appropriate
column. As the answers are qualitative, teachers have the opportunity to take a deeper look
at the needs and motivation of their students.

Retro 28th March taka

Benefits of Fun Retro tools:

• All functions of this tool can be used free of charge, except that owners of free
accounts can create up to three Fun Retro discussions. If you want to continue
using it for free, you need to remove the old discussions.
• It enables the participation of students and their mutual cooperation.
• Questions can be prepared in advance and Fun Retro can be shared via a URL
link, which means your students are one click away from a retrospective at all
times.
• It is ideal for communication in real-time, for instance to obtain feedback at the
end of each online lectures.
• It encourages the exchange of knowledge among students in a fun online setting.

Youth Pass

We present you European passport skills or Youth pass, a tool for the evaluation of acquired
knowledge, skills and competence, which is an integral part of the strategy of the European
Commission for approval and recognition of non-formal learning. The Youth Pass Certificate
is recognition for participating in Erasmus + programs.

In addition to confirmation of participation in projects, exchanges, training sessions, this tool

also serves as a confirmation of achieved and developed competencies and skills.
The peculiarity of this certificate is reflected in the fact that individuals independently enroll

43
their acquired competencies. Everyone knows best how much they have really learned.
Great attention is focused on the learning process when creating this certificate, where
people become aware of their skills, adopt and upgrade their knowledge

o t pass
YOUTH EXCHANGES
Participant's first and last name
02/03/1989 Brussels, Belgium

Some of the competencies recognized by the Youth Pass tool are shared with you below -
communication in the mother tongue, communication in foreign languages, mathematical
competencies and basic competencies in technology, digital competencies, learning process
competencies, social and civic competencies, competencies in the field of entrepreneurship,
awareness of the culture of expression.

44
Although this tool is intended for organizations and institutions (for example schools) users
of Erasmus + support instruments, the general opinion is that the application of this
certificate can be found in the formal education system by teachers recognizing and
evaluating the acquired knowledge of their students. This model can also serve as an
inspiration for teachers to create similar solutions for their students' self-assessment,
especially during the implementation of project based learning and distance learning
programs. The application of this method of assessment encourages the development of
introspection and critical thinking in students.

Advantages of the Youth Pass self-assessment tool:

• It is filled with information on the activities implemented during the project and on the
learning outcomes.
• Completed certificates are then automatically generated and sent via e-mail in PDF
format.
• The certificate is recognized and highly valued in economies across Europe. Many
companies additionally value this certificate when hiring.

You can see what it is like to fill in this certificate in the video guide for filling in and
generating the certificate, created by the Tempus Foundation in Serbia -
[Link]

Typeform

Typeform is specialized software for creating online questionnaires. In education, it is used

for knowledge testing.

Typeform

The software is characterized by extremely dynamic forms easily adaptable to end users. It
is interesting that it was used by companies such as Apple Inc., Airbnb, Uber and Nike. This
software produces millions of questionnaires for its users every month.

Advantages of Typeform:
• The platform can be used for free, however the number of free forms or
assessment tests is limited to three, which means that you have two options,

45
 either to delete previous tests to create new ones, or to pay for a premium
account.
• It is extremely intuitive and easy to use, which allows end users a simple and fun
experience.
• There are various forms with pre-created questions (in English only), which can
serve as inspiration for you to create questionnaires or tests.
• The questions, and therefore the questionnaires, are tailored to the target group,
their content is so interesting that you just can't wait to answer the question.
• Automated data processing allows you to quickly create reports and also
easily present them to interested parties in the general public, such as
parents, for example.

Resources for planning and implementation of project

based learning and distance learning

Curricula should listen for the trends in different industries and adapt to prepare students for
the uncertain future. Regular monitoring of relevant sources of information, science,
development of the economy and society as a whole, contributes to both the personal
development of teachers and the potential improvement of the quality of content in
classrooms. Having in mind the space that teachers have in planning classes and
harmonizing their plans, the authors made an effort to facilitate this process by presenting an
online knowledge base.

The presented knowledge bases, popularly called “resources” by the authors of the
handbook, depict the reach of the Internet, as they enable both teachers and students to
access the most relevant and up-to-date information at the moment.

A resource such as Google Scholar provides an opportunity for everyone to follow the work
of scientists from various fields. TED Talk, on the other hand, provides a useful base of
ideas in a video format that is ideal for use in the classroom. Most of the lectures in this
database have been translated into Serbian. The “Living Democracy” portal offers guidelines
in the form of manuals and books for teaching civic education. Many other resources
presented in this chapter were created with the intention of contributing to improving the
quality of your teaching.

Petnica

Petnica Science Centre was founded in 1982 at the initiative of a group of young
researchers, teachers and students dissatisfied with then practice in education and the
formation of young scientific staff. It was truly the first independent educational organization
in the former Yugoslavia.

46
During 38 years of development and work, Petnica SC has successfully organized over
3,500 various courses, camps and seminars attended by more than 50,000 participants and
about 6,000 lecturers and professional associates.

The previously mentioned experience and the current situation caused by the crisis have
urged the expert team of Petnica SC to create a unique database of Petnica online
resources. Content from the domains of natural, social, technical sciences, art and design
has become available to anyone who expresses interest in these areas. The database can
also be used in regular classes, because there is a large selection of books, useful links,
video tutorials, courses from the previously mentioned disciplines in one place.

focebook
\ Qet%ca u dami :hei u .e pL:c:u.

¿ F'ctnička Ictnja kola ma

in:bog učcnja[Octnica
Summcr Institutc ot ... Scc More

Advantages of Petnica’s online resources:

• They are free to use. They are available through the Petnica website.
• They are organized within a PDF document, which makes the database
extremely mobile, resources can be easily shared through various channels, from the
Facebook group, through email and messaging services such as Viber or Whatsapp.
• The database consists of relevant PDF books, videos in various formats, links
to sites and online courses.

47
Digital National Library of Serbia

The Digital National Library of Serbia was built in accordance with the principles of open
access to knowledge and information. Digitized material from the collections of the National
Library of Serbia represents a public national resource.

The contents of the National Library can be read, viewed and listened to. You can set off on
a journey around Serbia, the region, Europe and the world with the help of travel literature,
collections of old photographs and good quality sound.

Advantages of the Digital National Library of Serbia:

• All content is free.
• In addition to digitized books and books in audio format, the content is
enriched with digitized old photographs.
• The content is simply organized, because it is thematically divided into
appropriate collections, which offers users a quick search and easy to find the
desired material.
ArXiv

ArXiv is an open archive of scientific articles in the field of physics, mathematics, computer
science, quantitative biology, quantitative finance, statistics, electrical engineering and the
science of systems and economies. ArXiv is a digital resource financed by the community, or
citizens through individual donations. It was founded by Paul Ginsparg in 1991, and its work
is managed by Cornell University, United States.

Advantages of ArXiv:
• ArXiv is free to use.
• The database consists of various scientific articles on the latest achievements in
the mentioned fields. In addition, the database is regularly updated.
• It is easy to use and search. Search responds quickly to keyword queries.
• Articles are in the form of PDF and word documents, they are free to
download, which also enables their easy mobility, or further sharing.

48
Google Scholar

Google Scholar is a freely accessible web search engine of scientific works, released in beta
in 2004, it is a member of the Google family.

What sets it apart from other search engines is the exceptional database, which consists of
more than 389 million documents, as well as the automatic search, which, in addition to
information on scientific work, also offers data on citing scientific work in other relevant
documents. This functionality sets Google Scholar apart from other similar search engines.

This tool is extremely easy to use, because it uses the same principle as Google search,
both for searching and for presenting results. The user experience will be known and
adapted to teachers and students.

Advantages of Google Scholar as a tool:

• The largest database of scientific literature in the world. The database consists of
peer-reviewed scientific articles, books, conference papers, dissertations,
working versions, technical reports and other professional literature.
• The search experience is simple, it is based on the Google principle, i.e., you can
type any keyword into the search engine and it will respond with a list of relevant

49
 information in relation to the search criteria you set. However, this does not mean
that you will easily get the information you want. The search will be facilitated
only if your request is specific, for example the title of a scientific paper (at least
approximate) or the name and surname of the author.
• Another important feature of this tool is reflected in the ability to search for
scientific literature in the Serbian language.
• It gives you the opportunity to easily organize articles within your library, for
example for later reading.
• It offers access to a list of the best rated scientific papers from one
hundred different fields in the last five years.
NaPON

The National Open Science Portal (NaPON) was released in March 2020 and is an effort of
the Open Science Movement that aims to make scientific achievements, especially those
financed by the Republic of Serbia, available to all interested citizens.

Open science is often equated with free access to publications, but it is much more than
that. Open science means providing access to the entire process of production of scientific
and artistic results to all interested citizens.

The portal is intended for everyone, from researchers and artists, through competent bodies
dealing with the development of strategies in the field of science and culture, then teachers
who are finally able to easily follow the development of science in various fields and use
innovations in their classes in real time.

Advantages of NaPON portal:

• Free and understandable scientific content.

• Possibility of direct connection with researchers, artists, interested
organizations and companies, or all potential partners and various
stakeholders from the general public are in one place and can easily get
involved in various educational initiatives.

50
TED

TED- Acronym for Technology-Entertainment-Design- is a non-profit organization, founded

in 1984 in the United States. The mission of this organization is inspired by a simple idea -
spreading inspirational stories, experiences and ideas. This non-profit organization is known
for organizing TED Talks. TED Talks are specific in that the speakers are people who have
knowledge from various fields, presenting their inspirational ideas in lectures of up to
eighteen minutes. This avoids unnecessarily burdening the audience with details, and the
speakers in that time have to express the bottom line of their story. The main goal of each
speaker is to inspire and move the audience to action in the direction of a positive
transformation of our global society.

All speeches are recorded and after the conferences, which are taking place around the
world today, they are posted on the site [Link], where they can be viewed for free.
The TED Talk database is exceptional and today serves as a unique tool for both learning
and research.
Extremely important and in our context a very interesting part of the TED ecosystem is
[Link], dedicated to education and exists in two forms, respectively: YouTube channel
and website, which contain animated educational videos from different disciplines. Data from
2019 tells us that this system alone has over 10 million subscribers and over 1.5 billion
views.

Advantages of the TED platform:

• The collection of TED Talks is free and extremely easy to search.
• The platform does not condition users with registration, all content is available
and transparent, both on the platform itself and on the YouTube channel.
• The advantage of watching speeches on the TED platform is in
translations available into most world languages. We also point out that
the vast majority of speeches have already been translated into Serbian,
which makes the content more accessible.

51
Google Arts and Culture

Imagine walking down the Louvre or the National Gallery in London in one day or being on
the roof of the Taj Mahal. Today's technology can give us this amazing experience. It is
necessary to possess an average smart phone and the Google Arts and Culture application
installed.

This interesting application has been part of the Google family since 2011, and represents
an exceptional resource of world cultural heritage.

It is carefully designed for culture lovers and all curious citizens who like to explore cultural
products, cultural heritage, religions, traditions and many other contents from the domain of
culture and art.

Advantages of the Google Arts and Culture app:

• The world's largest cultural heritage database.

• An easy search that allows everyone to click on the content they want.
• Ability to self-organize content and integrate with other Google tools and
applications, such as Slack.
• It offers various learning options, such as experimentation, which accelerates the
process of research and acquisition of knowledge in the field of art and culture.

Living Democracy

Living Democracy portal is the result of a project of the same name supported by the Council
of Europe. The content of the portal, or free resources, were created for all teachers,
especially those who teach Civic Education, according to many and the most important
subject for the development of critical thinking and civic solidarity.

Advantages of Living Democracy:

• The portal and all content in the form of manuals and additional materials are in
Serbian.
• All available resources are free of charge; they are also easy to download.
• In addition to the manual, the base of free resources is characterized by interesting
promotional materials, children's rights cards, official documents at the European
level in the field of human rights and video content in the form of animated films.

52
Practical examples of project based learning and distance
learning

New circumstances caused by the Covid pandemic have led to the rapid shift of knowledge
transfer from classrooms to e-space. These circumstances have inspired the creation of this
handbook, but also many other good practices in the field of education.

Given the demonstrated agility of teachers and their quick adaptation to new conditions,
NALED and “Connecting”, the Organization for Career Development and Youth
Entrepreneurship in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological
Development, the Institute for the Improvement of Education and the Republic Public Policy
Secretariat with support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID),
organized a competition to select the best distance learning practices called “Magic is in the
hands of teachers.”

More than 700 applications from schools across Serbia were submitted. A collection of
distance learning practices is another useful online knowledge base. Everyone can access
this free resource through the platform of the Public-Private Dialogue project -
[Link] Examples can be searched by areas, classes and types of
teaching that teachers can use.

In the next chapter, in addition to examples of distance learning, created on the Udemy
platform in the form of an online course by the Euro-Guidance Center in Serbia, best
practices of distance learning taken from the competition “Magic is in the hands of teachers”
are presented, illustrating the use of digital tools referred to in this handbook.

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Udemy online course: Introduction to career guidance

Authors: Marko Banković, Sofija Petrović, Jadranka Lilić, Miljana Kitanović, Mirko
Marković, Biljana Đorđević, Maja Svetozarević

Organization: National Euro-Guidance Center in Serbia

Type of course: Online course with pre-defined video content

Age: Adults

Number of participants: Unlimited

Time: 5 hours of video content

The course is intended primarily for high school teachers in Serbia, especially those who
have little or no experience in conducting career guidance and counseling services
(abbreviated – CGC services). This knowledge can be useful to all teachers, and especially
to form teachers and school pedagogues and psychologists.

The course is designed to introduce participants with the basic concepts related to career
guidance and counseling, career management skills, modern career understanding, but also
to the legal obligations that high schools have in relation to the implementation of CGC
services.

Also, the chapters on self-assessment, career information, occupations, presenting to

employers, planning and decision-making, individual work with students and organization of
the school team, include theoretical foundations, but also instructions on specific activities
that teachers can carry out in school and information that will help teachers design their own
CGC activities.

The course is free, and participants can access it at any time from any place and device, it
also offers the opportunity for participants to independently organize the dynamics of
learning, because the content is prepared and posted in advance.

Learn more: [Link] Note: The presented

example illustrates distance learning in the form of a video course. We would like to
emphasize that this is not an example of project based learning done at a distance.

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Save the honey bees

Author: Đurđica Stojković

School: Jovan Popović, Beočin

Type of school: Primary

Subject: Project Based Learning

Teaching method: Project

Age: 8-10

Number of students: 11 Digital tools used: YouTube, Wix, Story Jumper, Earth Day,
Doodle, Learningapps, Microsoft Teams
Project based learning topic titled “Save the Honey Bees” is intended for younger primary
school students.

Challenging question for students: “How can we help honey bees?”

The students created bee feeders and a book about bees, looking at the way of life and
honey bee anatomy. Students were asked to investigate the causes of bee endangerment
and, on the other hand, to investigate how they could solve the problems that bees
encounter on a daily basis.

The project activities aimed at: constructing bee feeders; creating an online book about
bees.

Read more: [Link]

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Life according to classroom no. 18

Author: Mirjana Stakić Savković

School: Philological High School, Belgrade

Type of school: High School

Subject: Literature

Teaching method: Project

Age: 18–19

Number of students: 70

Digital tools used: Skype, Viber, e-mail, Microsoft Office

“Life according to classroom no. 18 - Stories and narratives in the age of Corona virus,
students’ e-book in 11 languages” project was intended for fourth grade high school
students.

The students created an e-book of 156 pages, and among them - twenty stories in Serbian,
twenty stories translated into English, four translated into French and German, one
translated into Russian, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Norwegian, Korean and Latin.

All stories were written and translated by students who were involved in this two-months
long project.

At the very beginning the students were required to write a story about fictional characters
who found themselves in Serbia during the spring of 2020. Then, they were asked to
analyze the created essays and subsequently to select a certain number of stories according
to predefined criteria.

Project activities aimed at: creating a book in different formats (written and audio); quality
analysis and assessment; translation work; promotion of results. Read more about it at:
[Link]

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As Ancient Rome news agency reports...

Author: Jelena Lilić

School: "Milivoj Petković Fećko", Platičevo (Ruma)

Type of school: Elementary

Subject: History

Teaching method: Project

Age: 11–12

Number of students: 34

Digital tools used: Google Classroom, Google Questionnaire, Linoit, Kahoot, Flipsnack

The main goal of the “As Ancient Rome news agency reports...” project, intended for fifth
grade students, was the systematization of knowledge about the history of ancient Rome.

The main task for the teams of students was to create newspaper articles from the period of
ancient Rome and then to combine and publish them in the form of electronic newspapers.

News stories were written by students during the three-week project.

Students were expected to work in a team, go through material on a given topic together,
analyze the information gathered and independently present the results of their learning in
an online setting.

Project activities aimed at: creating electronic newspapers; promoting project product;
assessing acquired knowledge.

Read more about it at: [Link]

[Link]?id=462

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Serbian realistic fiction

Author: Jelena Čolić

School: Sestre Ninković, Medical school with on campus housing, Kragujevac

Type schools: Vocational High School

Subject: Serbian language and literature

Teaching method: Project

Age: 15–16

Number of students: 60 Digital tools used: Padlet, Canvas, Google Forms, Storyboard,
Word, Art Generator, Comic Book Designer

The main goal of the “Serbian realistic fiction” project was to deepen knowledge about
Serbian realists and their works.
The task was to create a digital collection of works of five Serbian realists. Google
Classroom was used for regular communication with students.
Students were expected to work in a team, go through material on a given topic together,
choose a writer and his/her work that would be looked at closer, collaborate and exchange
information, and finally present the learning outcomes in an online setting.

The project activities aimed at: creating a digital collection of works; presenting learning
outcomes; evaluation and self-assessment.

Read more about it at: [Link]

[Link]?id=436
.

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Marko Kraljevic – a digital board game

Author: Olgica Spasojević

School: Petar Leković, Požega

Type of school: Elementary

Subject: Serbian language and literature

Teaching method: Project

Age: 12–13

Number of students: 24

Digital tools used: Zoom, Moodle, Google tools, YouTube

The main goal of the “Marko Kraljević – a digital board game” project was to encourage sixth
grade students to make connections and apply what they have learned.

During the two-week project, students were expected to read poems on a given topic on
their own, then find additional information, compare content, and memorize key facts.

The task was to create a board game, and the creative process was broken down into the
following activities: designing questions based on the information gathered; digitizing
collected material - creation of quizzes, mini comics, illustrations of scenes from songs;
presenting the project product; assessing acquired knowledge.

Read more about it at: [Link]

[Link]?id=508

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An interactive parabola lesson

Author: Jasmina Micić

School: First Grammar School of Kragujevac

Type of school: High School

Subject: Mathematics

Teaching method: Project

Age: 15–16

Number of students: 28

Digital tools used: Quizalize, My Showbie, Stormboard, Linoit, Forms office, e-Twinning,
Edmodo, MS Teams

The aim of the lesson on parabola was to connect what had been learned about quadratic
functions and trigonometric inequalities.

This distance learning session lasted for one school class, and in it students first watched a
two-minute video and analyzed their prior homework, and then were expected to engage in
teamwork and complete a new task. At the end of the class, the students presented their
solutions.

The activities of the school lesson were: team work aimed at completing the task;
presentation of the solution and guided discussion.

Read more about it: [Link]

[Link]?id=647

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Guidelines and advice for community networking and
fundraising

There is a common misconception that education is acquired exclusively in schools.

However, educators around the world point out that people are educated everywhere and at
all times and that a person learns while he is alive. It is possible to learn through organized
formal and informal programs, as well as in an informal context.

The authors decided to focus in this chapter on providing guidance to teachers on how the
wider community can support quality formal education. The key to quality education lies in
the distribution of responsibilities and cooperation.

In this regard, a brief overview of relevant civil society organizations and donors in the
Republic of Serbia was presented, to include those who have been showing great interest in
cooperating with both schools and teachers for several years now.

Models for additional fundraising to facilitate project based learning in schools are also
highlighted below. More precisely, the chapter discusses the models of company fundraising
and mass fundraising through online platforms, such as [Link].

The authors of the handbook deliberately avoided presenting traditional models for seeking
additional funding for project based learning. We wanted to showcase innovative financing
practices that have been around the world for a decade.

Cooperation with civil society organizations

Civil society organizations are a good resource in local communities. Schools and their
employees continue to instill incredible trust in the eyes of donors and therefore represent a
very desirable partner for any organization. On the other hand, over the years of
development and work, organizations have developed various expertise, from company
fundraising, through mass fundraising, to knowledge of how to write and implement national
and European projects.

Opportunities for joint work and creation are reflected primarily in the opportunities offered
by donors, such as the European Commission through Erasmus + and the Regional Youth
Cooperation Office (RYCO), with its continuous calls for cooperation between schools and
civil society.

A good source in terms of checking the quality of organizations are umbrella associations
such as the National Association of Practitioners/Youth Workers and, for example the
Umbrella Organization of Serbian Youth ,that gather more than 150 members throughout
Serbia and whose list of members can be found on their webpages.

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Therefore, we invite teachers to look for local organizations in their communities that are
open for cooperation and then approach them in order to apply together for national,
regional, European funds and, potentially, together with them reach out to local, national and
multinational companies with their projects.

Fundraising at the local level

One of the biggest challenges of everyone involved in education is the lack of basic funds for
quality teaching. The fact is that our schools are not sufficiently equipped, but it is also a fact
that various interest groups, such as companies and citizens, are making extraordinary
efforts year in year out to improve the education system.

This is confirmed by the results of the survey on the state of philanthropy in Serbia “Giving
Serbia 2019”, which show that the business sector is highly ranked as a donor, right behind
the citizens, and participates in the total amount of donated amounts with almost 40% at the
national level.

The previously mentioned survey also tells us that education is one of the four most
common areas for which people are glad to give. We would like to note that education got
12.9% out of the total amount of donated funds in 2019.

MODERN EDUCATION FOR THE FUTURE

OF OUR CHILDREN - EQUIPPING THE IT
CABINET OF THE PRIMARY SCHOOL IN ŠID,
31 donors, RSD 507,000.00 collected.
Donors were companies and citizens
Source
[Link]
nformaticki-kabinet-sid/.

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The data indicate that businesses understand the importance of education and are therefore
ready to allocate significant funds for its constant improvement. These are good indicators,
especially if we keep in mind that every fourth donated amount goes to institutions, which
further means that there is still confidence in institutions, because the donors believe that
their money will be purposefully spent.

In relation to this data, there seems to be a space in the fundraising market that educators
can use to fund project based learning or any other educational initiative, for that matter.
One of the challenges in this process is the fact that educators do not know enough about
fundraising, or how to create a request for donations or sponsorship, and do not have
enough spare time to deal with this additional work, to send emails, communicate with new
partners, go to meetings and present ideas for which they need support.

We, however, have in mind all these challenges, we believe that there are more, but we
invite teachers to give it a try, because an increasing number of companies have an ear for
the needs of quality education. We believe that these efforts will lead to a meaningful
redirection of surplus capital to where it is most needed, and that is the formal education
system.

We use the opportunity to refer teachers to local foundations in Novi Pazar, Obrenovac,
Zaječar, Pančevo, Paraćin, Niš, then to the Trag Foundation and Catalyst Balkans, because
all of them have been developing expertise in the field of fundraising, locally, for years and
are happy to share their knowledge, therefore they can be a good resource for gaining initial
knowledge about fundraising from companies.

Mass fundraising

The previously presented fundraising model is based on the model of mass fundraising,
which has been successfully used for a decade to finance initial ideas. It has also been
successfully applied in Serbia, but more about that below.

Crowdfunding is an online process of raising funds from a large number of people who
usually share the same passion in connection with a project that requires support.
Crowdfunding is coined in English from words crowd, which means group, crowd, mass and
the word funding which means financing.

What is it really about?

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We have all at least once been in a situation where we have a good idea without having
enough money to implement it. Crowdfunding platforms respond to this problem, because
people around the world come to start-up capital, or money, through them, with the help of
which they implement their ideas. These platforms experienced an incredible expansion
during 2009, after the global recession, when citizens around the world supported each
other in order to successfully implement projects from various disciplines. Today, these
platforms successfully raise funds for the implementation of both local and global projects.
This method of fundraising for projects, which are at the level of an idea or a tested
prototype, finds its application in formal education systems around the world and is a very
useful fundraising tool for project based learning. It can also be useful for fundraising for the
final products created by the project based learning method.

There are also narrowly specialized platforms intended exclusively for fundraising for school
projects initiated by teachers and students. A good example of one such platform is
[Link], which has yielded significant results in the United States.

Group funding models:

Donations, intended for humanitarian and non-profit organizations, do not imply that
individuals who support project ideas receive anything in return. It is interesting that one
such platform has been successfully operating in Serbia for several years. It is [Link]
platform. Many school projects are funded through these platforms, such as digital
classrooms and POKUŠ.AI Lab.

EQUIPPING A DIGITAL CLASSROOM

IN SOMBOR FOR NEW GENERATIONS
OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
40 donors, RSD 896,867.00 collected
Donors were citizens and companies.
Source:
[Link]
kat/digitalna-ucionica-
sombor/

The most widespread model is based on awards. The popular world platforms
Kickastarter and Indiegogo are based on this principle. In this type of crowdfunding, a
reward is offered in exchange for financial support. The prizes are arranged in
several categories, from symbolic ones, such as badges or T-shirts, to valuable
prizes that are actually fundraising products (books, bicycles, wooden glasses, 3D
printers, etc.).
• The investment model and the loan model are mostly used for finance startup
companies, and are somewhat less present in the field of education.

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In Serbia, more than $ 700,000 was raised through crowdfunding platforms in 2017 alone. It
is also interesting to note that more than 10,000 people donated funds to support over 400
campaigns launched during the year.

Finally, we would like to emphasize that creating a campaign is a project in itself and
requires a lot of knowledge and effort, but in the process of planning and implementation you
do not have to be alone, because organizations such as the Serbian Philanthropic Forum,
Brodoto Serbia and GIZ - through Crowdfunding Serbia, offer different types of support -
from training and knowledge transfer, through joint creation of content for campaigns and,
then, public promotion.

Advantages of crowdfunding:

• It costs you nothing to try, the platforms are free and anyone can create a project and
advertise it through them.
• In addition to the money raised for your ideas, the benefit is reflected in increased
visibility (there will be media appearances, your school’s website or your project’s
website will be extremely well positioned on Google), many people will contact you
and want to work with you.
• Students will feel that they are doing something fresh, they will have the opportunity
to apply their knowledge and competencies and immediately see the result, which
will contribute to enjoying the learning process.

While you may think that this fundraising model is foreign to our conditions, it is widely
applied in Serbia. With the help of one crowdfunding campaign, Petnica collected four million
dinars, “Sremski Front” primary school more than 500,000 dinars, the B92 Fund, together
with 100 special schools throughout Serbia, more than 6.5 million dinars, etc. A large
number of educational initiatives have been implemented with the support of Erste Bank
through Superste donation program. You can find more examples, as well as tips on how to
start your fundraising campaign on the [Link] website

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Afterword

Writing this handbook was both a challenge and an adventure for us. We were constantly
aware of the importance of the practical application of everything we write about, we had in
mind the advice of a large number of experienced colleagues, who create magic in their
classrooms, and the debt we owe to the whole community of teachers and all people in
education. In our opinion, they handle the most important societal task every single day -
preparing and educating young people for the future we all hope for together.

The cooperation in the competition “Magic in the hands of teachers” showed us some of the
most beautiful examples of enthusiasm and professionalism. We have included some of
them in this handbook as illustrations of the principles of project based learning and distance
learning. We strongly recommend that you review others on the website used to promote the
competition, as, due to the scope of this handbook, we have not been able to present all of
them in more detail. We talked to the teachers and tried to see the values and shortcomings
of the tools we presented through the prism of their experience. We are confident that these
tools, as well as the resources we have drawn attention to, will benefit teachers, even as life
and teaching return to normal.

Project based learning is one of the most contemporary and creative approaches to
organization of the educational process. While distance learning obviously has its limitations,
there is currently a real need for it. The key to the success of these methods lies in the
hands of all who work in education! If we accept the challenges, we look a little further
outside our safe circle of colleagues, a little further outside the school yard and if we begin to
believe that cooperation, good communication, imagination and critical thinking of our
students is more important than each individual subject and each specific textbook lesson,
we will share with our students something essential, vital and really important.

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Authors
Milan Petrović is a Teacher of Serbian Language and
Literature, the founder and Program Director of “Nauči
me“(Teach me) citizens' association, which deals with
innovations in education, as well as an alumnus of the
Fulbright program. He is the author of "Vučilo-dolina
magičnih reči" (Vučilo- Valley of Magic Words) – an
application offering a game for learning and practicing
the spelling of the Serbian language. With his team, he
dealt with digitalization in education, educational
policies, especially the difficulties that children with
dyslexia have in schools, through the project “Heroes
learn differently“. This team in Niš opened the “Unbox
Hub of Innovative Education“ for young people to learn
through practical work and project based learning.

Deniz Hoti is a serial entrepreneur, film director and

consultant in the fields of social innovation, education
and youth work, with more than 9 years of experience in
the public, corporate and civil sector in Serbia. He was
awarded for designing the educational program “Kad
porastem biću” (“When I grow up I want to be“). He
founded Connecting and co-founded SINHRO Hub and
Trip House.

Olivera Todorovic holds a master's degree in mathematics and

she is Assistant Director of the Institute for the Improvement of
Education. She is the author and co-author of numerous
collections and textbooks, manuals, workbooks, articles and
accredited programs, as well as the winner of the "Stojan
Novakovic" award for the best set of textbooks. Extremely
versatile and dedicated, she actively participates in various
projects and commissions dealing with education.

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 © 2020 NALED
This handbook was made possible by the support of the American
people through the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID). The contents of the Manual are the sole
responsibility of NALED and do not necessarily represent the
views of USAID or the United States Government. [Link] |
[Link]

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