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  Home > Nucleus > Pencil > The Virtual Observatory  

Pilot Project: The Virtual Observatory

The Virtual Observatory (VO) project brought together pedagogical experts, researchers, scientists, and students to introduce the use of robotic telescopes in school education. The VO project aimed to evaluate the educational perspectives of the use of robotic telescopes in secondary education and to propose an innovative method for science teaching that renews enthusiasm for scientific studies among youngsters. The VO system was mainly based on the integration of the services offered by the EUDOXOS project in Greece.

Target age group
Students aged 15-17 years old and their teachers

Languages
English and Greek

Methodology

  • Effective training offered to teachers and science centre staff of the participating institutions
  • Training: a teachers' workshop, where the Virtual Observatory service was presented, and a series of online seminars through the Internet (http://www.discoveryspace.net/index.asp?Cat_id=582)
  • Teachers and students were able to use the robotic telescope and perform their experiments

Outputs

  • Local Network
  • Delivering material to the Working Platform Website http://www.discoveryspace.net
  • Report of the Pilot Projects outcomes
  • Participation to the Science Teachers Conference

Impact
To develop a pedagogical framework for the effective use of the remotely controlled telescopes in the classroom and to achieve a better understanding of the opportunities, which are associated with eLearning methods.

Evaluation strategy

  • In the framework of the specific project, the general evaluation methodology developed by the pedagogical group of the PENCIL Consortium will be implemented according to their guidelines.
  • Project activities were implemented with the participation of 100 teachers who were selected by the European Schoolnet (www.eun.org).
  • The role of Ellinogermaniki Agogi was to provide them with the necessary training for using the applications in their classrooms and support them during the whole process (e.g. by making sure that the telescopes were available upon request).

For further information see the PENCIL deliverables:

D10 Assessment of Pilot Projects:
Case studies illustrating the work of each of the Pencil pilot projects (pdf, in English).

D24 Pilot Project Outcomes:
The objectives, the learning activities used, the methodology employed and the results of the pilot projects (pdf, in English).

Pilot coordinator

Ellinogermaniki Agogi, Athens, Greece

Ellinogermaniki Agogi is a private educational organization, officially recognized by the state in Greece. Ellinogermaniki Agogi was the first Greek educational organization, which applied ODL in secondary level education in 1993. Since 1995, the organization has established a devoted department, the Research and Development Department, for the design, development and implementation of the research activities in education, expanding the collaboration with Universities and pedagogical Institutions across Europe, as it provides the best test bed for research applications. The Department employs 20 people.


Contact details
Ellinogermaniki Agogi,
Doukissis Plakentias 25,
GR 152 34 Halandri,
Athens,
Greece
http://www.ellinogermaniki.gr

Project coordinator
Dr. Sofoklis Sotiriou (Head of R&D department)
Tel. no.  +30-2106032550
Fax no. +30-2106032554
Email: sotiriou@ea.gr

Partners

Scientific partners
National Observatory of Education EUDOXOS, Kefalonia, Greece

Educational partners
The Greek Ministry of Education, Greece
Eugenides Foundation, Greece

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