AVO Projects
  

Openness Accelerating Learning Networks 
2012-2013

Scope of the Project

• generating and strengthening collaborative, participatory and networked work culture in educational institutions and organizations, and among their stakeholders
• supporting the growth of teacher and expert networks, as well as self-declared learning networks
• promoting collaborative learning culture in civil society activities, schools, colleges and office work
• increasing distance and peer education in public administration and civil society activities

Project Consortium

• Aalto University
• The Educational Association and Citizens’ Forum SKAF
• HAMK University of Applied Sciences
• Otava Folk High School
• Summer University of Häme 
• Salpaus Further Education 
• City of Hämeenlinna
• Association of Finnish eLearning Centre
• Innopark Programmes Oy
• University of Tampere
• University of Jyväskylä 

This ESF-funded project ends in December 2013 and is coordinated by the Association of Finnish eLearning Centre.

Open Networks for Learning
2008-2012

Scope of the Project

• strengthen the production of open content with high quality
• train and network the key experts
• create new networks of peer learning for experts of different fields
• develop school as a learning community of practice where teachers and pupils are learners
• generate open and multidimensional learning environment
• proceed media criticism
• strengthen active citizenship and democracy

Project Consortium

Operating through national network there are a dozen organizations and tens of experts involved in the project. The main themes are mobile devices, blogs and wikis in learning and interaction, training and education on virtual worlds and online-conferences; piloting social media tools, open source solutions for schools and web-communities as the learning resources for teachers. Essential sub-project is the quality evaluation; how to define criteria for peer-production and open content.

The main outcomes of AVO are new networks and forums to facilitate web2.0-learning culture, handbooks and toolkits for teachers, decision-makers and citizens about social media, patterns for social networking and open content production, roadshows and online-conferences, hands-on workshops and seminars to train users to apply digital tools to their everyday activities.

This ESF-funded project ended in June 2012 and was coordinated by the Association of Finnish eLearning Centre. The project belongs under the scheme of Fostering active citizenship through open learning environments funded by the Finnish Ministry of Education.