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KeyToNature - Overview
Terms of use
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Terms of use
These contents have been obtained from the KeyToNature web site and edited for presentation. Please refer to the KeyToNature web site for additional information on terms of use.
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Introduction
KeyToNature is a three-year project to develop interactive e-tools for learning and teaching biodiversity. This project is funded under the eContentplus programme (Contract no. ECP-2006-EDU-410019).
KeyToNature is focused on providing common access to data and interactive educational tools for the identification of organisms in order to enhance the knowledge of biodiversity at all educational levels.
One of the first steps in discovering and understanding biodiversity is to identify the organisms around us. Traditionally, this has been done using paper-printed keys which enable us to correctly name an organism. Most of them, however, are "difficult" and hardly usable for educationalpurposes. KeyToNature is developing a range of new, much easier and paper-free identification tools, for use within schools and universities across Europe. They are available on a variety of platforms including laptops and mobile phones, some of them can be tailored to individual requirements.KeyToNature Web Site |
Terms of use
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These contents have been obtained from the KeyToNature web site and edited for presentation. Please refer to the KeyToNature web site for additional information on terms of use.
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The main objectives of KeyToNature are: - Increasing the access and simplifying the use of e-Learning tools for identifying organisms.
- Addressing the issue of interoperability among the many educational tools devoted to biodiversity across Europe.
- Optimising their educational efficiency and increasing their quality for educational purposes.
- Adding value to them by providing multilingual access.
- Suggesting best practices against barriers that prevent use, production, exposure, discovery and acquisition of educational tools in the biodiversity field.
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Introduction
The project mobilizes 14 partners from 11 EU countries, including leading centres in biology, pedagogy, education, and information technology:- Università degli Studi di Trieste – Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita, Italy (Coordinator)
- Bikam Ltd , Bulgaria
- Catholic University of Leuven – Centre For Usability Research, Belgium
- ETI BioInformatics , The Netherlands
- Evolaris next level GmbH, Austria
- Friedrich Alexander Univ. FIM Neues Lernen, Germany
- Giunti Labs S.r.l. Italy
- Julius Kühn-Institut – Bundesforschungsinstitut für Kulturpflanzen, Germany
- Natural History Museum London, United Kingdom
- Real Jardìn Botànico – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientìficas, Spain
- Slovenian Museum of Natural History,Slovenia
- T&B e Associati S.r.l. , Italy
- Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- University of Tartu University of Tartu – Institute of Ecology & EarthSciences , Estonia
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Terms of use
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These contents have been obtained from the KeyToNature web site and edited for presentation. Please refer to the KeyToNature web site for additional information on terms of use.
Print
WP1 - Project Coordination and Management
Objectives:- To steer the project ensuring its progress in administration and scientific-technical coordination
- To ensure exchange of information between partners and to organize and chair meetings
- To meet deadlines for each WP and to guarantee deliverables
- To address, manage and solve problem issues
- To monitor progress and prepare progress reports
- To manage contacts with existing biodiversity and education projects
- To provide the overall legal, contractual, ethical, financial and administrative management
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WP2 - Analysis of user needs
Objectives:- To perform a detailed analysis of demand based as far as possible on quantified evidence
- To analyse the full extent of target user needs
- To provide input for the execution of the problem solving WPs
- To provide input for dissemination and exploitation activities and after-project sustainability
- To take into account multicultural and multilingual aspects
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WP3 - Inventory and classification of existing educational products
Objectives:- To make a detailed survey of all educational tools available within the project
- To classify the products into categories and to select a series of pilot products for each category
- To database with existing data provided
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WP4 - Addressing access, use and searchability of secondary data and items
Objectives:- To make a detailed survey of all data and items available within the project for illustrating the interactive tools
- To agree on common structural standards (exchange formats) and content standards (thesauri)
- To build and continuously update a searchable on-line database which provides common access to easily exchangeable distributed media resources, including interactive keys and eLearning packages
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WP5 - Addressing, analysing and testing exchange and interoperability of identification data
Objectives:
- To solve interoperability and integration issues and to improve the use of distributed and heterogeneous identification data for educational purposes (eLearning tools).
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WP6 - Interfaces, usability and mobility
Objectives:- To guarantee the usability of eLearning products delivered within the project
- To explore the possibilities of deploying the results in applications on mobile devices
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WP7 - Pedagogy & didactics
Objectives:- To know the didactical value of the learning content provided by the different partners for the project target groups
- To reach a common concept and understanding on didactical issues
- To provide learning content with a clear pedagogical value for the respective target groups, respecting the different learning cultures in the participating countries
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WP8 - User experience
Objectives:- To involve end-users (teachers and students) in the use of selected educational products related to the identification of organisms
- To implement pilot projects in formal education context involving schools, teachers and students
- To evaluate the didactic efficiency of each category of product
- To provide input for the construction of an evaluation database
- To provide input for the improvement of the existing educational products
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WP9 - Educational content reengineering
Objectives:- To design a blue print for building quality biodiversity eLearning tools
- To make biodiversity teaching and learning more user-friendly (beating the books!)
- To reengineer existing educational contents, to develop learning products
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WP10 - IPR issues
Objectives:- To deal with legal issues associated with use and exploitation
- To cover IPR, authorship and liability issues
- To prepare a IPR roadmap
- To elaborate an appropriate IPR licensing and remuneration scheme upon which partners can agree
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WP11 - Dissemination and exploitation
Objectives:- To establish a Dissemination & Exploitation Board
- To determine a strategy for ensuring evolution of the project as a sustainable initiative
- To identify the most suitable dissemination means for the needs and goals of the project
- To raise awareness and stimulate organisation innovation in Education
- To identify methods for integrating, consolidating and strengthening the new data providers
- To transfer best practices
- To enlarge provision of educational tools and develop stakeholder liaison for biodiversity education; to support clustering and coordination activities between relevant digitisation projects (creation of durable conditions)
- To promote a shift from paper based educational methodologies to interactive, multi-lingual and creative educational environments
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WP12 - Monitoring, assessment and evaluation
Objectives:- To continuously provide feedback to the project management and Steering Committee
- To check the overall progress of the project
- To ensure good quality deliverables
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