INNOVATIVE WEB TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS, Study report

Impact of the IPM Tools project in the participating schools

The survey questionnaire contained four open-ended questions addressing the impact of the IPM Tools project. First, respondents were asked to list the software titles that were used in the study process because of the IPM Tools project. The following software packages were mentioned (ordered by the frequency):

1) Peda.net tools (especially WebMagazine and Impressio eJournal)
2) MS Office
3) Other educational portals (Miksike, Koolielu, Xunta portal)
4) Digital image processing software (PhotoShop, IrfanView, Camedia Master)
5) Web-based learning environments (Viko)
6) Online quiz tools (HotPotatoes)

Peda.net WebMagazine and eJournal were recognized by the majority of respondents as the most useful tool they have learned to use within the project. The main value of this kind of simple Web publishing tools:

• eJournal is a perfect tool for collaborative partner projects
• Helps students and me to edit a magazine with school information without knowing html
• Motivation for students and teachers, innovation
• To publish students activities and my own works
• To do different activities with students to find and practice new teaching methods
• Makes students more independent and responsible for their own learning
• The studens can obtain IT skills trough game - publishing of web magazine
• Presentation of student project works, motivation of student
• Easy to have contacts with parents
• Makes learning interesting, varying, social, international contacts, adds to students' skills at IT, up-to-date tools, keeps the teacher fresh for new ideas!
• Reduces boring routine associated with everyday-schoolwork
• These are very simple tools, easy to use

All of the respondents express their motivation to use simple Web publishing tools in their work also in the future. Some teachers express fears that their school is not willing to pay for commercial tools like eJournal, but they are aware of open-source analogues and ready to learn to use new tools.

According to this survey, the main impact of IPM Tools project seems to be the change in the attitudes related with and the patterns of using the ICT in teaching and learning – preferring the new, easy-to-use online publishing tools to old-fashioned stand-alone software (MS Office, FrontPage). The most important pedagogical effect of the switch from offline to online publishing tools is related with enhancing the collaboration between students and also – with making the school activities more transparent and accessible to the wider community (parents, other schools).