mSchools programme presents the Mobile Learning Awards and holds the Changing Education Together seminar at the Mobile World Congress 2017

• The most innovative experiences in Catalan schools and the latest trends in educational technology form the cornerstones of the seminar

March 1, 2017

mSchools, the pioneering mEducation programme of Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWCapital) in collaboration with the Regional Government of Catalonia, the Barcelona City Council and GSMA, has held a one day session focused in technology and education at the GSMA Mobile World Congress 2017. Throughout the day, it has been held the presentation of the fifth Mobile Learning Awards and the holding of the third Changing Education Together (CET) seminar aimed at school administrators, representatives from the education sector and educational policymakers.

The Mobile Learning Awards have registered this year a higher participation with 114 projects presented and it has consolidated as one of the principal initiatives of mSchools. The award ceremony held in the auditorium of Hall 8 at the Fira Gran Via Trade Fair site in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, has count with the presence of the Catalan Minister of Education, Meritxell Ruiz, that has presented the awards together with the CEO of GSMA, John Hoffman, and Albert Forn, director of mSchools programme.

The Education minister valued “the high level of participation very positively” and the fact that, for the first time this year, “Parent-Teacher Associations and students from the teacher training foundation course had also presented candidacies”. Ruiz added that “in times of change, rethinking education and the work done in the classrooms is more important than ever. Teaching is both important and necessary in this up-and-coming fourth digital revolution”. The Education minister also underlined the fact that “the MSchools programme is already a time-proven example of educational innovation and is helping make Catalonia a state-of-the-art country and an international benchmark in new technologies and education.”

Projecte Otto, el robot biped. DIY by the Escola El Turó school (Montcada i Reixac) came first in the Best Digital Learning Experiences and Proposals in the classroom category (teachers’ section). Students went through all the phases involved in creating a DIY robot: 3D printing, assembly and programming. In this same category, but in the section aimed at students, the prize went to Animals a la fuga, by the University of Girona, a project that seeks to awaken student interest in image and imaging programs as an educational resource.

In the Most Innovative schools in the Application of Digital Technologies category (school section), first place went to the initiative Les TAC a l’abast de tothom by the Escola Joan Sallarès i Pla school (Sabadell). The project encourages quality-inclusive education that promotes access to technology for all students in an extremely complex school with a very high percentage of immigrant pupils. In the new Parent-Teacher Association category, the winner was the Escola Enric Casassas school, also from Sabadell, with the project Dels videojocs als Serious Games a l’aula, which introduces aspects of computer programming and mathematical problem-solving based on the use of videogames. 

Changing Education Together: the space for reflection

Prior to the Mobile Learning Awards 2017, the third Changing Education Together (CET) was held, a seminar aimed at school administrators, representatives from the education sector and educational policymakers.

The CEO of GSMA, John Hoffman, welcomed the 500 attendances present, indicating that “mSchools makes learning fun. If we give kids the right tools, their minds will develop creative ideas”. The Minister of Presidency, Neus Munté, also welcomed participants, highlighting the fact that “technology offers advantages that we must be able to make the most of”.

The CET seminar included different speeches, such as the one given by Michelle Selinger, international consultant at EdTech Ventures, or by Susanna Tesconi, a researcher and designer of learning environments, and Scott Hayden, a specialist in digital innovation at Basingstoke College of Technology. The session ended with an introduction to the projects named as finalists in the Mobile Learning Awards, which were then presented.

MOBILE LEARNING AWARDS 2017 WINNERS

Category: Best Digital Learning Experiences and Proposals in the classroom

– Section: Teachers

1^st place: Escola El Turó, from Montcada i Reixac, for the project Otto, el robot biped. DIY

2^nd place: IES Jaume Huguet, from Valls, for the project Programació creativa. Videojocs3^rd place: Escola Vedruna, from Ripoll, for the project Cada gota compta

– Section: StudentsUniversitat de Girona, for the project Animals a la fugaCategory: Most Innovative schools in the Application of Digital Technologies

– Section: Schools

1^st place: Escola Joan Sallarès i Pla, from Sabadell, for the project Les TAC a l’abast de tothom

2^nd place: Escola Els Estanys, from Castell-Platja d’Aro, for the project Robòtica educative

3^rd place: IES Quatre Cantons, from Barcelona, for the project Arqueologia industrial al Poblenou de Barcelona

– Parent-Teacher Section:

Escola Enric Casassas, from Sabadell, for the project Dels videojocs als Serious Games a l’aula