Multimedia methods for dealing with health matters in secondary schools

ArctiChildren InNet project, coordinated by Lapland University of Applied Sciences, invited pupils and teachers from it’s pilot schools to explore new forms of multimedia teaching methods.

Around twenty pupils and teachers arrived at the three-day workshop (16.–18.9) to the Tornio campus. Participants were from Ivalo secondary school in Finland, Manda school in Luleå Sweden, Talvik school in the north of Norway and Russian schools in Murmansk, Kandalaksha and Lovozero. The workshop was organized in collaboration with the University of Lapland.

ArctiChildren InNet is financed by Kolarctic ENPI. The project aims to develop a cross-border online health promotion for the pupils of secondary schools in cooperation with the universities and pilot schools in the Barents region.

New ideas for teaching and learning health-related issues

The participants were offered three different kinds of workshops. The overall theme was ”How do I produce digital material with my pupils? – Multimedia material, Arts and Storytelling into learning”. The common goal of the workshops was to learn how to use modern technology as a part of versatile teaching.

A workshop called ”From a Selfie to Mapping Northern Identity” was about developing better scheme to construct children’s cultural identity, self image and self-esteem. The aim of the workshop was to produce self-portraits in different techniques and from different perspectives. For the pupils making a self portrait was a chance to observe, become aware and accept themselves as unique persons, and find differences and similarities compared to others. The workshop was coached by Art Education students Laura Leppänen and Sonja Frimodig from the University of Lapland.

“From Outside to Inside”, workshop on environmental art and place relation, introduced participants to different methods to explore environment and our relation to it. It included activities outdoors and also combining working with natural materials, drawing and painting and media tools. By getting to know the value of own environment, the pupils were able to explore the local identity, traditions, roots, background and significance of their own self-image formation. The workshop was coached by an Art Education student Salla Juvonen from the University of Lapland.

The third workshop was “How to audiovisualize your teaching”, a video workshop based on storytelling. The goal of the workshop was to find new innovations and learn how to use an audiovisual production as an innovative, activating and motivating teaching method. During the workshop, all stages of video production were introduced to the participants – from the ideation all the way to the editing of the video. The workshop was coached by Timo Puukko, a senior lecturer in Media Arts from the Lapland University of Applied Sciences.

New experiences, friends and memories

The three-day workshop was full of work but also rewarding to the participants as well as to the organizers and workshop coaches.
– We are happy but a bit tired. It was very nice to see other cultures and people from other schools and learn how they do the teaching work in their schools, Leppänen and Frimodig point out.

7th graders from Luleå, Josephine Kuo and Alva Lodén, participated in the art workshops. They enjoyed getting to know new people and new cultures.
– At start we were a bit nervous of meeting new people, but as soon as we got into it and workshops started everything has been great, girls explain.

Pupils from Ivalo, Ada Lähdekorpi, Riia-Maria Huovinen and Elina Moshnikoff, also took part in the art workshops. For them this experience was unforgettable.
– We had so much fun, and it was great to meet new people and we will miss everyone.

Teachers from Ivalo, Rodney Francett and Katri Kittilä, sum up that a lot of sweat and tears were poured during the three days video workshop to produce a 1,5-minute short movie. Both emphasize that by participating in the workshop they got a lot of new resources for teaching.
– An amazing amount of work, It was fun and depressing and exciting and happy, Francett laughs.

Also Olga Manytckova, a teacher from Russia, was pleased with the results of the video workshop.
– We have been working for three days making two videos and I think it was hard working. We hope that our co-teacher, the best teacher, Timo Puukko thinks that we were obedient and hard working, Manytckova says smiling.

Russian pupils Lada Sergeeva and Yana Shapar took part in the video workshop and three days of work left a smile on their faces.
– We met here a lot of new friend so it was very exciting, and I think that the ArtctiChildren InNet project is the best project maybe, Shapar praises.
– Now I have got a lot of knowledge about making films that I didn’t know before this project. And we will miss everyone, Sergeeva continues.

xxx

Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ArctiChildren

In the video workshop, two short movies were produced. Lada Sergeeva was one of the main characters in the short movie ”Good Girl”.

All the participants spent a nice evening together in Kukkolaforsen, Sweden. Students of social services also participated in the evening by organizing fun and activating games.