WindMills - The Middle Ages, project summary

"WindMills" - NETD@YS99 PROJECT SUOMEKSI
Summary

"WindMills" Netd@ys99 project aims to enlighten the circumstances and beliefs people had a millenium ago (around year 1000) and how they have changed in the course of time.

As a metaphor of this project is a medieval virtual town which will relate to modern times, presenting scenes from medieval buildings still intact in the main partnertowns. In addition to texts and pictures, there will be 3D-panoramas and medieval music to make the student´s experience more vivid and tangible.

Temporally, Netd@ys99 week (13-21 November 1999) is close to the turning of a new millenium. Due to "computer errors", you may meet with a frightening catastrophe and you may arrive at year 1000 instead of 2000 when using a computer.

The main theme of the project is beliefs typical to different periods. Around the year 1000 windmills appeared in Europe. At the moment, on the threshold of another millenium, the computer has done a similar breakthrough and its hostile viruses and programme errors are treated with the same attitude as Don Quiote treated windmills. History repeats itself and this is the starting point when students are being activated. The comparisons are fictive, visualized with drawings or with the effects of historical plays. Behind all this lies the substantial expertise teachers and museum personnel have. It is our intention to produce learning material that is both modern and reliable for school purposes.

The schools of the project start their work in September – October 1999. Teachers (groups of 20 + 20 +20) will first be trained in Turku. Each teacher will undertake to do a certain part of the project with his or her students. Medieval culture will be studied from the perspective of customs, housing, traffic, dressing, nutrition, science and practically from the perspective of any modern school subject.

Simultaneously with the work at school, an expert group composed of historians, illustrators and programmers will construct an outline of the www site where student works will be added.

The description above signifies that history moves back about a thousand years. There will be a group of medieval characters for further acquaintance and you will be able to choose your favourite character to be sent as a postcard to your friends. In this roleplay you may find medieval merchants or other key characters. The roles are there to support the student´s studies, one aim of which is the reflective comparison between modern living conditions and medieval ones. History is based on facts but similarities with present day conditions are for the student to be found out. In the category presenting monks and nuns, for example, there will be a picture of a baldheaded monk. A bald head, a tonsure, meant that the person had renounced all secular matters. It will be for the student to estimate whether we have an equivalent phenomenon nowadays.

During the Netd@ys99 week of events, interactive exchange of views and ideas and the sending of electric postcards will be within everyone´s reach. Those unacquainted with medieval concepts will find a word search attached to the web pages. When looking for the word tonsure, for example, a picture and a description of the word will appear. All the material covering history will be made into as a database to make it available as learning material for schools. We believe it will be usable for years to come. During the week of events there will can opinion polls and votes on different issues and their results will be able to be followed in real-time.

Our Netd@ys99 project will excellently well relate to an extensive experiment "The Intensive Use of Information and Communication Technology in Teaching and Learning" supported by the National Board of Education. The pedagogical part of this experiment is led by Erno Lehtinen, Professor of Education (Learning theory, Learning environments and Educational technology), at the University of Turku.
The realization of the "WindMills" project

STAGE PRODUCED BY COMMENTS

planning the project and collecting the material
- contents
- www site: structure, functions
- division of work
- pedagogical adaptability TOP-center:
- Mr Turkka Sinervo, teacher, leader
- Mrs Pirjo Sinervo, teacher, trainer
- teachers of history and other subjects from schools in Turku, led by history teachers Mrs Kyllikki Männikkö and Mrs Maire Salmela.

-the Provincial Museum of Turku
-the Centre of Cultures in Turku
-the Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova, a Museum of History and Archaeology,
-the University of Turku, the Department of General History
-Otava Publishing Company Ltd, Helsinki
-photographer
-illustrators Jenny Katajisto, Tuija Katajisto ja Sampo Järvi
-translators Emmi Auranen and Stina Antila
a mailing list has been opened for those participating in the project windmill@tkukoulu.fi

designing www pages -editor, TOP-center, Pirjo Sinervo
-programmers, Mr Tero Pelander, TOP-center, Mr Andrey Narvsky, Lanck Software, St. Petersburgh, Russia
-translators Emmi Auranen and Stina Antila tested by designers and local teachers

"Teachers train teachers" :
utilizing the Internet and producing wwww pages, September 1999:

1. a course to 20 teachers from different European countries

2. two courses to 20 + 20 teachers from Turku area
the training will take place at the TOP-center
- Turkka Sinervo, Pirjo Sinervo
- a trainer with a good knowledge of
English, Ms Anita Nehrenheim,
Puolalanmäki Comprehensive School
- teachers will be added to the mailing list
- the innovation, evaluation and development of project pages

the Middle Ages www-material will be produced as "WindMills" pages The teachers mentioned above and their collegues and their students.
Others who are interested can join the project if they have applied for an account to TOP-center´s server
TOP-center will assist and guide when required. Cooperation between schools.

Netd@ys99 - week activities
13-21 November 1999
1. the production of material will continue in schools

2. forums on medieval argumentation in the Internet, open to everyone:
"the medieval versus modern way of thinking"

3. "WindMill Post Office" open to everyone:
"A medieval character portrayed by myself", sending electric postcards.
Partipating teachers and students will operate in their own schools. We expect a wide general participation of all those working in schools all over Europe and all around the world! the amount of visitors and their location will be followed by a real time counter. A press conference will be held.

Back to the WindMills Homepage

STAGE	PRODUCED BY	COMMENTS
planning the project and collecting the material - contents - www site: structure, functions - division of work - pedagogical adaptability	TOP-center: - Mr Turkka Sinervo, teacher, leader - Mrs Pirjo Sinervo, teacher, trainer - teachers of history and other subjects from schools in Turku, led by history teachers Mrs Kyllikki Männikkö and Mrs Maire Salmela. -the Provincial Museum of Turku -the Centre of Cultures in Turku -the Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova, a Museum of History and Archaeology, -the University of Turku, the Department of General History -Otava Publishing Company Ltd, Helsinki -photographer -illustrators Jenny Katajisto, Tuija Katajisto ja Sampo Järvi -translators Emmi Auranen and Stina Antila	a mailing list has been opened for those participating in the project windmill@tkukoulu.fi
designing www pages	-editor, TOP-center, Pirjo Sinervo -programmers, Mr Tero Pelander, TOP-center, Mr Andrey Narvsky, Lanck Software, St. Petersburgh, Russia -translators Emmi Auranen and Stina Antila	tested by designers and local teachers
"Teachers train teachers" : utilizing the Internet and producing wwww pages, September 1999: 1. a course to 20 teachers from different European countries 2. two courses to 20 + 20 teachers from Turku area	the training will take place at the TOP-center - Turkka Sinervo, Pirjo Sinervo - a trainer with a good knowledge of English, Ms Anita Nehrenheim, Puolalanmäki Comprehensive School	- teachers will be added to the mailing list - the innovation, evaluation and development of project pages
the Middle Ages www-material will be produced as "WindMills" pages	The teachers mentioned above and their collegues and their students. Others who are interested can join the project if they have applied for an account to TOP-center´s server	TOP-center will assist and guide when required. Cooperation between schools.
Netd@ys99 - week activities 13-21 November 1999 1. the production of material will continue in schools 2. forums on medieval argumentation in the Internet, open to everyone: "the medieval versus modern way of thinking" 3. "WindMill Post Office" open to everyone: "A medieval character portrayed by myself", sending electric postcards.	Partipating teachers and students will operate in their own schools. We expect a wide general participation of all those working in schools all over Europe and all around the world!	the amount of visitors and their location will be followed by a real time counter. A press conference will be held.