Enhancing Teaching with New Technologies: Highlights from the Porto Course

In today’s classrooms, where students are digital natives, teachers face the challenge of keeping lessons relevant and interactive. Integrating ICT, new technologies, and AI tools isn’t about using tech for its own sake; it’s about finding meaningful ways to engage students, personalize learning, and manage classrooms more effectively. This training course held in Порто offered educators a practical, collaborative space to explore these possibilities, blending hands-on activities and thoughtful discussion.

From November 16 to 22, 2025, the course “Integrating ICT, New Technologies and AI Tools into Teaching and Education” gathered educators from several European countries. The participants were Alexandra, Felicitas, and Katja from Bayerischer Volkshochschulverband e.V., Germany; Johanna, Anna, Jennie, and Hannah from Campus Mölndal, Sweden; Manuela and Adriana from Don Milani in Bari, Italy; Luana and Roberta from Liceo Mazzini, Italy; Dennis from BBZ Schleswig, Germany; Celso Javier from EOI 7 Palmas, Spain; and Daniela from Liceo Melchiorre Gioia, Italy. These diverse backgrounds, set the stage for rich exchanges and insights tailored to different teaching contexts.

The programme was designed to build skills and confidence progressively:

The week began with introductions and an overview of collaborative digital walls for gathering ideas and reflecting collectively. Participants shared their experiences and discussed how such tools could support hybrid or in-person teaching, improving participation and organizing group work effortlessly.

The focus then shifted to interactive quiz games and live polling tools to make lessons more dynamic. Trainers guided the group through creating quizzes and friendly competitions, exploring ways to keep students motivated. Practical sessions involved testing these activities and adapting them to various subject areas, from language learning to STEM.

Midweek explored the potentials and challenges of AI. Teachers experimented with AI-driven text generation for lesson planning and prompt crafting, discussing ethical considerations such as data privacy and bias. This led to deeper conversations about използвайки AI responsibly as a supportive classroom assistant rather than a replacement.

The final day was dedicated to creating lesson plans that integrated various digital tools alongside instant feedback mechanisms. Participants worked in small groups to combine gamified quizzes, collaborative presentations, and AI supports into cohesive teaching sequences. Peer review and trainer feedback helped refine these lesson plans to fit real-world classrooms.

Throughout the week, the environment was informal yet focused, fostering collaboration and experimentation. The trainers adjusted the programme dynamically based on participant feedback, making space for sharing challenges and successes from their schools. By the end, educators felt equipped not just with new цифрови инструменти but with thoughtful strategies to embed technology meaningfully in their teaching.

This course left participants with practical ideas, digital confidence, and a network of peers — all essential building blocks for transforming teaching with technology in ways that genuinely enhance student learning.

Научете повече за този курс тук.