Exploring the Future of Education: Insights from the 1st Online Meeting of the Community of Practice (CoP) in Education
The first online meeting of the DestinE Platform Community of Practice (CoP) took place on 27 June 2024. With a focus on education, the event brought together professionals from different disciplines and educational institutions, all eager to explore the potential of the platform.
Most of the participants worked as post-secondary educators in the field of Earth Sciences, and came mainly from Greece, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. The session commenced with a video giving a complete overview of the DestinE platform and then moved on to questions around a central theme – the use of DestinE in the classroom.
After discussing general challenges in education, participants talked about the potential benefits of DestinE. In primary education, teachers saw DestinE as a fun and educational digital environment to introduce young children to the Internet. In secondary education, teachers saw it as a tool to engage students with environmental issues and train them in data analysis. In higher education, lecturers highlighted DestinE’s potential to improve understanding of Earth systems through data visualisation and modelling.
However, to bring the platform into the classroom, the need for some changes was discussed. Teachers working with young children emphasised the need for age-appropriate content and multilingual materials. They were concerned that the complexity of the DestinE platform could overwhelm both educators and young children, and in fact the need for training was a key recurring theme throughout the discussions.
In a secondary school setting, teachers said that the platform should be easier to access and the user interface adapted to students’ needs, with a focus on GDPR compliance. At university level, the need for high-quality data and detailed tutorials was highlighted to ensure that students were able to use the platform to its full potential.
The CoP in Education gathering was a significant step towards harnessing the power of the DestinE platform for educational purposes. The rich discussions and shared insights laid a strong foundation for future collaboration and innovation in the education sector.
The organising team extend their heartfelt thanks to all participants for their valuable contributions and look forward to continuing this journey. Stay tuned for more updates on upcoming events and initiatives within the Community of Practice series.
A more detailed description of the event and the discussions can be found here.
