Posts & News

Webinar on Plastic Pollution by EcoPodcasts expert Dr. Lucia Fanini

Posts & News 13 June 2022

At the beginning of June, Lucia Fanini from our project partner University of Salento participated as speaker in a morning webinar in celebration of the week of the environment, "Webinário Semana do Meio Ambiente". It was organized by the Brazilian University UENF (https://uenf.br/) and the NGOs PraiaComVida (https://www.instagram.com/praiacomvida/) and NichoAmbiental.

The main topic of the webinar was beach ecology (which is one the main focuses of PraiaComVida, whose name literally translates to “beach with life”), and how to protect shorelines. The topic of Lucia’s talk was "Plastic pollution on sandy beaches: research and solutions". In her talk she covered topics such as which types of plastic currently pollute our beaches, why plastic accumulates especially in beaches, how to quantify marine littering, how the litter affects animals and plants that live on the beach, and how to improve the current state of the art research. Other speakers were Prof. Abilio Soares Gomes ("Clean shores, living shores") and Dr. Bruno Masi ("Recifes Marginais da Amazonia brasileira"). The webinar was open to the public and around 90 people attended!

In EcoPodcasts Lucia and her team is responsible for ensuring the scientific soundness of the contents issued by the EcoPodcasts project (especially the podcasts). We are very fortunate to have such renown and passionate experts on the team!

(Note: The image about the event was taken from the Instagram of PraiaComVida.)

Using EcoPodcasts Project for Teacher Training Program

Posts & News 17 May 2022

In the second week of May, our coordinating partner English language school "Geo Milev" from Bulgaria, used the EcoPodcasts project as an example in a teachers’ training programme on "project-based classroom learning" in Primorsko, Bulgaria.

During the training, the participants were presented with an overview of the EcoPodcasts project, including its goals, concept and the ways it can be used to implement project-based learning in the classroom. In the first theoretical part, all colleagues from the English Language School "Geo Milev" watched a presentation on the benefits of project-based learning. Then the team of EcoPodcasts started a discussion and provided suggestions for good environmental practices and how to communicate the importance of sustainable living and eco-conscious living to students. Teachers of biology, chemistry and geography presented their ideas for creating eco-podcasts with their students. All teams presented interdisciplinary links related to the project’s objectives and their respective subjects.

EcoPodcasts meets the “Change the Story” Erasmus+ Project

Posts & News 16 May 2022

At the end of April 2022, REACH participated in the multiplier event of the Erasmus+ project “Change the Story” in Graz, where its partner of the Karl Franzens University of Graz presented the methods and techniques developed by the Institute of Education Research and Teacher Education (Institut für Bildungsforschung und PädagogInnenbildung - https://bildungsforschung.uni-graz.at/en/) to introduce teachers and students to digital storytelling methods.

Prof. Kathrin Marie Otrel-Cass explained that the project generated materials on how to deal with past, present, and future aspects of climate change. This approach gave students the possibility to reflect on climate change. When dealing with the topic, the students were able to generate very interesting results using the digital techniques presented to teachers and students.

Although the development of the project took place during the pandemic, despite the difficulty, it was possible to have exchange between students and teachers from the pilot schools.

Short films, cartoons and written stories about climate change were presented. From mobility to agrarian methods - the results were diverse and intriguing. You can check them out here: https://stories.changethestory.eu/austria/. Teachers present at the event were very impressed by the results and discussed the various possibilities of using the digital storytelling technique in different subjects.

The purpose of Change the Story, which is to present new tools to deal with climate change in the classroom, shows many similarities with the EcoPodcasts project, which also aims to expand the range of tools for teachers and students to explore the challenges of climate change.

REACH hopes to have started with this participation a fruitful synergy for exchange of good practices among the Changing the Story and the EcoPodcasts Erasmus+ projects.

(Note: The image was taken from the Instagram page (@changethestory_at) of the project.)

EcoPodcasts’ Trip to the EP Parliament in Brussels

Posts & News 12 May 2022

In May, students from our coordinating partner English Language School "Geo Milev" in Bulgaria, took the EcoPodcasts project on an exciting trip to the European Parliament in Brussels, accompanied by the school principal Mrs. Zhaklin Mutafyan-Neycheva and the deputy principal Mrs. Krassimira Miteva.

The group took part in the last meeting of another great Erasmus+ project, "FETE: From Eurodivison to Eurovision" and introduced the EcoPodcasts project to their partners from that project. The audience was impressed by the enthusiasm of the students from Bulgaria and the ideas for good ecological practices presented. There was great interest from their part to also implement those practices in their schools!

During the visit, the students could also talk about the EcoPodcasts project with the Finnish MEP Sirpa Pietikainen and with the Bulgarian MEP and President of the International European Movement (IEM) Eva Maidel. In the conversation with the MEPs, the students talked about the benefits of Erasmus+ and the importance of spreading awareness of environmentally friendly living as a part of European values.

The EcoPodcasts Consortium

Posts & News 11 May 2022

As is well-known, the success of any project relies on its team members and their co-operation among each other. We are therefore happy to announce that the EcoPodcasts Erasmus+ project has formed an excellent and complementary union, which we proudly want to present to you.

The Partner Institutions

1. The English Language School "Geo Milev" situated in Burgas, Bulgaria, is a secondary school with intensive study of English. In EcoPodcasts the school is the project coordinator and is responsible for the overall management of the project. It will develop the EcoPodcasts curriculum and produce students’ podcasts.

Find out more about Geo Milev: Homepage // LinkedIn // Facebook

2. The University of Macedonia (UoM) is located in Thessaloniki, Northern Greece. In EcoPodcasts UoM is the leader of the development of the teachers’ training program that facilitates the implementation of the project’s curriculum within different schools, educational levels and national contexts.

Find out more about UoM: Homepage // LinkedIn // Facebook // Twitter

3. The 1st Primary School of Alexandria is a public school in a provincial town of Northern Greece. In EcoPodcasts, its task is to conduct pilot testing activities of the EcoPodcasts program, to develop various educational resources for the Resource Hub as well as creating students’ podcasts.

Find out more about 1st Primary School: Homepage

4. REACH Innovation Consultancy is situated in Graz, Austria, and supplies competent and efficient services for research, development and innovation projects. In EcoPodcasts, REACH is responsible for the creation of the website and the dissemination of the project’s outcomes, as well as for the exploitation of the project, creating a community of awareness for environmental concerns.

Find out more about REACH: Homepage // LinkedIn // Facebook // Twitter

5. The Camilo Castelo Branco School Group (AECCB) offers pre-school to secondary education all over Portugal. In EcoPodcasts, AECCB is the leader of the development of the resource hub and is responsible for developing various educational resources as well as many students’ podcasts.

Find out more about AECCB: Homepage // Facebook // Twitter

6. The International Integrity Foundation (IIF) is a not-for-profit organization from Malta that supports and empowers people and communities to build for themselves better lives and more sustainable and inclusive societies. In the EcoPodcasts project IIF takes a leading role in the identification of students’ and teachers’ needs and the development of training schemes for "green competences” of teachers as well as for increasing community engagement.

Find out more about IIF: Homepage // LinkedIn // Facebook

7. The University of Salento (Uds) in Italy collaborates with its Research Centre on Fishery and Aquaculture at Aquatina di Frigole. In EcoPodcasts, the researchers ensure the scientific soundness of podcasts and other contents issued by the project, host the international project workshop and foster the project’s network.

Find out more about UdS: Homepage // LinkedIn // Twitter

The Team Members

1. Geo Milev

Zhaklin Mutafyan-Neycheva is the principal and an English teacher.
Krasimira Miteva is the deputy-principal of the school and an English teacher.
Tatyana Shurelova is one of the school’s English teachers.

2. UoM

Jason Papathanasiou is an Associate Professor at the Department of Business Administration.
Giota Digkoglou is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Business Administration.
Marivi Belioka is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Business Administration.

3. 1st Primary School of Alexandria

Κyriaki Mousafiri is the head of school with 26 years of experience.
Olympia Gianneka is an English teacher who is trained in Computer Assisted Language Learning and also has certificates in Special Needs Education.
Ioanna Papageorgiou is a teacher who focusses on student activism.

4. REACH

Sandra Vidal-Weisch holds a Ph.D. in Urban Planning and has consolidated experience in project planning and controlling.
Fatima Dargam holds a Ph.D. in Computer Sciences and is an experienced ICT professional.
Johanna Heinemann holds a law degree and is currently finishing her Ph.D. thesis in legal philosophy.

5. AECCB

Rosário Ferreira holds a Ph.D. in Child Studies, a Master in special education, and a postgraduate in learning difficulties.
Sérgio Martins is a secondary school teacher of Physics and Chemistry.
Marta Vida teaches Geography.
José Castro is a special needs teacher.
Teresa Martins teaches Physics and Chemistry.

6. IIF

Anamaria Magri Pantea is the Secretary General of IIF. She is an economist with specialization in finance.
Katina Mladenova is the Chairperson of IIF. She holds a Master in Law with a specialization in International Law.

7. UdS

Maurizio Pinna is an expert in ecological indicators and lagoon systems.
Benedetta Saccomanno is an expert in genetics, with focus on plants and exploration of genetic libraries.
Lucia Fanini is an expert in sandy beach ecology and plastic pollution.
Valeria Specchia is an expert in genetics and environmental DNA for the study of ecosystems.
Fabio Bozzeda is an expert in small-scale fishery data analysis.

And those who want even more information about the partners, can find out more here.

Ecopodcasts Coordinating Partner - "Geo Milev" (Bulgaria)

Posts & News 10 May 2022

EcoPodcasts proudly presents its coordinating partner: English Language Secondary School "Geo Milev", located in the South-East of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast 🌊 🇧🇬

#ProjectCoordinator #School #Burgas #Bulgaria #Europe #ErasmusPlus

Values: #Diversity #LanguageLearning #ClimateAwareness #Sustainability #Equality 🌎

Project Tasks: #Project_Coordination, #Management, developing an #Eco #Curriculum, creating #Students #Podcasts & designing educational resources 🎙👩‍🏫

m.facebook.com/wallaegburgas

gpaeburgas.org

Meet the Team:

Zhaklin: #Principal #EnglishTeacher

Krasimira: #DeputyPrincipal #EnglishTeacher

Tatyana: #EnglishTeacher

And most importantly: their 800+ amazing Students!

More information via: http://www.ecopodcasts.eu/cms/index.php/partners/geo-milev-bulgaria

#TeamWork #Teachers #GreenEducation

This material was posted in EcoPodcasts' Social Media Accounts.

🔊Stay tuned to know more about the EcoPodcasts project partners!

#erasmusplusproject #erasmusproject #ecological #podcast

EcoPodcasts Logo

Posts & News 14 March 2022

The logo of our EcoPodcasts Erasmus+ project recalls the colors of the 17 SDGs sustainable development goals that will supply topics of podcasts in our project, via the use of our microphone maskot "Friendly Mike"!

We hope you liked it!

In this opportunity, we would like to encourage you all to start interacting with the EcoPodcasts social media accounts:

Instagram: @ecopodcasts - https://www.instagram.com/ecopodcasts/

Twitter: @EcoPodcasts - https://twitter.com/EcoPodcasts/

Facebook: @ecopodcasts - https://www.facebook.com/ecopodcasts/

EcoPodcasts Kick-off

Posts & News 14 March 2022

The kick-off meeting of the #ErasmusPlusProject #EcoPodcasts (Nr.2021-1-BG01-KA220-SCH-000027685) happened in February 2022, with the participation of all its 7 partners, highly motivated for starting the project developments.

🔊Stay tuned to know more about the EcoPodcasts project!

#erasmusplusproject #erasmusproject #ecological #podcast

EcoPodcasts Erasmus+ Project

Posts & News 13 March 2022

🌿Ecopodcasts is an #ErasmusPlus Project (2021-1-BG01-KA220-SCH-000027685) about using podcasts developed by students to support the adoption of sustainable and environmental-friendly living habits.

✅EcoPodcasts aims to drive school education to adopt innovative and interactive learning methods, while at the same time students explore ways to adopt environmentally friendly habits, become conscientious future citizens and become true agents of the fight against climate change.

✅The EcoPodcasts project seeks to have a positive impact on the sustainable way of living, as it aims to enable children to take an active role in transforming society in ways that are necessary to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change.

✅The project will include podcasts developed by students not only for their classmates, but also for their families and other adults who want to adopt alternative and sustainable habits in a fun and truthful way, through the eyes of children.

The Partners of the EcoPodcasts Erasmus+ Project are:

▶️English Language Secondary School Geo Milev - Coordinator (Bulgaria)

▶️University of Macedonia (Greece)

▶️1o. Dimotiko Sxoleio Alexandrias (Greece)

▶️REACH Innovation (Austria)

▶️Agrupamento de Escolas Camilo Castelo Branco (Portugal)

▶️International Integrity Foundation (Malta)

▶️Universidade del Salento (Italy)

🔊Stay tuned to know more about this project!

#erasmusplusproject #erasmusproject #ecological #podcast