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On Thursday 2 and Friday 3 February 2023, Aix-Marseille University, coordinator of the TheDexterLab project, had the pleasure of hosting the annual seminar of the network of Academic Digital Interlocutors (IAN) for scientific disciplines (mathematics, physics-chemistry, technology, life and earth sciences, industrial sciences and techniques) at the IUT in Aix-en-Provence.
The IANs are part of a network of digital actors throughout the country represented at national, territorial and academic levels. At the national level, this movement is led by a network of national subject area coordinators from the Digital Education Directorate. The DNE relies on 33 teachers (subject experts) to lead this network of more than 450 teachers, who are the contact persons for the secondary level (13 academic networks, 17 subjects or courses represented). The experts work closely with the Inspectorate General. At the level of the academy, the IANs contribute to the guidelines of the national strategy for the development of digital education for their discipline. The IANs promote digital educational resources (Lumni Enseignement, banks of digital educational resources, etc.), accompanying content (Edubase, EduNum letters, etc.) and projects developed at the national level by the DNE.
During this two-day seminar, the objective was to allow this large network to meet in order to work on the strategic axes carried by each discipline.
A valuable time of exchange during which we had the chance to present the protocols developed in the framework of TheDexterLab project.
The day began with a coffee reception during which the teachers present were able to meet and get to know each other. An introduction by Mr Marc Neiss, Regional Director of the DRANE Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, as well as an introductory speech recalling the missions of the IANs by Mrs Emilie van Ranterghem, Project Manager in charge of pedagogical uses and the animation of the networks of experts of the 2nd degree, then opened the first day of work. Our coordinator, Mr Sébastien Nedjar, teacher-researcher at Aix-Marseille University, recalled the objectives of the TheDexterLab project and presented the galaxy of transdisciplinary initiatives in which we are involved in order to stimulate students' interest in science.
After a first disciplinary session (per teaching) followed by a buffet offered by AMU, we proposed to lead, on the basis of the results of TheDexterLab, an interdisciplinary workshop, in order to work in sub-groups gathering several teaching units. This was precious time, as it is rare within the IAN network. The hundred or so teachers present formed 15 working groups which shared the various TheDexterLab protocols.
Objective: to propose in 2 hours a collective and interdisciplinary vision around a given hypothesis, using digital technology and programming for creative and scientific purposes ... conductivity of water, energy and light, speed of sound and temperature, functioning of time and the pendulum ... so many subjects that gave great ideas to all the teachers present!
These protocols are available on TheDexterLab wiki and are open to the community!
We would like to thank all the teachers who participated in this session for their interest and commitment! A moment of exchange and reflection that remains crucial for us in order to continuously evolve the contents and tools we develop so that they are useful and relevant for the educational world!
Example of a project proposing the use of the FizziQ tool to address the question "How to measure time using the frequency of the pendulum?
The day continued with the launch of TheDexterLab competition, which can be found here: http://www.thedexterlab.eu/competition-participate!
Open to all, just enter to win!
To close this first day of work, we met for an interregional and participative aperitif organised by all the teachers, followed by another important event: the closing of the Unplugged project, also coordinated by Aix-Marseille University!
On 3 February, we again welcomed the IANs for new disciplinary sessions before saying goodbye over a closing buffet!
It was an enriching experience which we hope will lead to new collaborations in the future.