 The past year we've been fortunate to participate in an EEA funded project on implementing STEM education in Croatian schools. The project concluded with events, conferences and open days in all our partner schools, which brought the staff of GeoCamp Iceland for a final visit (for now) to Croatia. During the project lifetime GeoCamp Iceland organized and arranged monthly online meetings and workshops with our partner schools in Croatia, aimed to enhance understanding of STEM in education as well as work with pedagogy and educational methods. We arranged four study visits for a total of close to 50 Croatian teachers to Iceland, and took part in similar workshops and meetings, bringing over twenty teachers and experts from Iceland to Croatia in four visits. We thank our Croatian partners from OŠ Vladimir Nazor Budinščina, Osnovna škola Sibinjskih žrtava, OŠ Josipa Kozarca Lipovljani and OŠ "Vladimir Nazor" Đakovo for their dedication and commitment in the project, and for their warm welcome and generosity. We congratulate them on their achievements and the results in increasing interest and actively introduce STEM topics in Croatian education. From final meeting in January 2024 and Open day in November 2023 in Lipovljani From the final conference and open day in January 2024 in Sibinj Final conference in January 2024 in Ðakovo Final conference in January 2024 in Budinščina  We had the pleasure of hosting Marist College for a ten-day study tour in May 2023 on using social-ecological frameworks to examine Icelandic systems in the field. You can view their complete tour and field trip in Iceland on Polarsteps: http://tinyurl.com/3sbyvna9  For close to twenty years, GeoCamp Iceland has offered customized study tours for educational institutions, where the participants benefit from our personal network, background in education, contacts with Icelandic educational and research institutions within the field, and experience in receiving international study groups.
In 2023 more than two-hundred high-school, college and university students, as well as close to fifty teachers and professors, attended GeoCamp Iceland study tours in Iceland. This included participants from four colleges, three universities and two high-schools as well as national and international organizations, with a combined one-hundred days of activities in Iceland. A key part in our development is to actively participate in educational projects dedicated to increasing knowledge and understanding in natural sciences with practical and active learning. Along with receiving international study groups of secondary school, college and university students, as well as teacher groups - we develop educational content, student and teacher guides and curricula, focusing on STEM education, promotion of natural sciences, awareness of climate change and use of renewable energy. Through these activities GeoCamp Iceland participates in regional, national and international educational projects, research development and training opportunities, with primary focus on developing teacher and student curricula as well as producing training material for outdoor science education and STEM related training activities. GeoCamp Iceland is lead partner in two international projects (Green Advisor and HEDA) as well as participants in seven other transnational projects.
Four international projects were completed in 2023. GeoCamp was a project partner in several applications in the year, with one new project starting in the year - the three-year Erasmus+ KA3 Project ACADIMIA. GeoCamp Iceland is a founding member of Reykjanes UNESCO Global Geopark and sits on the board of the organization. We are members of both Reykjanes and Hafnarfjordur Marketing Offices. We would like to thank all our partners in Iceland and our friends around the world for making this a memorable and fruitful year. As the vikings said: We value your gifts and food. But most of all, we value your friendship.  Representatives from GeoCamp Iceland participated in the conference in the "Education of Tomorrow: Shaping Employee 4.0 in the World of New Technologies", organised by the INFOTECH Foundation in cooperation with the Białystok University of Technology and GeoCamp Iceland. The conference, which took place on 29 November 2023, was part of the two-year project "Technologies of the future in today's school", which received a 217.000 EUR support from the EEA Grant funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Among topics at the conference were discussed challenges and opportunities for future employees in Poland and Iceland in the era of automation, course development on vocational level on the "Basics of Programming", and the teaching curriculum for "Programming Secondary School". The conference also offered an excellent opportunity for networking and exchanging knowledge and experience on the future of professional education in the digital era.  NCGE - The National Council for Geographic Education offers - in partnership with GeoCamp Iceland - a graduate-level equivalent, short course in geographic inquiry and field methods for in-service teachers and education professionals. Iceland’s extraordinary and unique landscapes will be our classroom and laboratory. This fantastic summer institute is a graduate-level equivalent, a short course in geographic inquiry and field methods for in-service teachers and education professionals. Iceland’s extraordinary and unique landscapes will be our classroom and laboratory. Spend nine magical days developing geographic inquiry skills in Iceland June 28 - July 7, 2024. Application Deadline is 31 January 2024 For more information please visit: https://ncge.org/professional-development/geocamp-iceland From NCGE - GeoCamp Iceland in 2023 The fourth transnational partner meeting in the Erasmus+ funded project Upcycling, took place in Cori (Italy) 16 - 17 November 2023.
About the project Climate change measures are not being implemented with the speed that the urgency of the situation demands. One of the most urgent measures to combat climate change is waste reduction. Preventing products and materials from becoming waste for as long as possible and turning waste that cannot be avoided into a resource are the most important steps toward a greener, circular economy. It is important that children are aware of the idea of reusing waste to produce new things in creative and attractive ways. Upcycling helps develop a range of other skills and abilities such as creativity, innovation, collaboration and respect for the environment. The project aims to support teachers, principals, and other educators in their professional development and give them the tools and resources they need to understand the possibilities of upcycling for cross-curricular and project-based instruction and to provide them with practical ideas. The project is led by Reykjanes UNESCO Global Geopark and aims to create educational material on how to generate less waste and create value-added products in a creative way. Arnbjörn Ólafsson and Magdalena Maria Poslednik took part in the meeting in Cori on behalf of GeoCamp Iceland.  The past year we've been fortunate to participate in an EEA funded project on implementing STEM education in Croatian schools. In November 2023 the staff of GeoCamp Iceland - along with a group of teachers from primary schools and research centers in the Reykjanes region - attended a couple of open days in our partner schools in Croatia, including a very successful event at OŠ Josipa Kozarca in the town of Lipovljani. Great recpetion and hospitality of inspiring teachers and active students. #STEM #Lipovljani  The past year GeoCamp Iceland has partnered four primary schools in Croatia as part of an EEA funded project on implementing STEM education. As part of this project - the staff and experts on behalf of GeoCamp Iceland - took part in meetings, workshops and open days at Vladimir Nazor Primary School on 2 - 4 November 2023 in the town of Ðakovo located in the region of Slovania in Croatia. The goal of the meeting and events was to introduce with the activities achieved through the project. Teachers and students, involved in the project, organised workshops as part of twelve extracurricular activities where they displayed the application and use of innovative STEM teaching methods in their school. Great event with engaged students and inspired teachers. #STEM #Ðakovo  We are happy to partner the ACADIMIA (European Academy of Creative and Inclusive Learning) project, with ten other project partners from eight countries. They are coming together to create а European Teacher Academy - a hub dedicated to expanding the use of creative teaching methods. ACADIMIA is a dynamic catalyst for change. It is designed to equip educators with the tools and knowledge they need to effectively integrate creative methods in mainstream education. Creative methodology The ACADIMIA project is a testament to collaborative innovation. Creative methods and resources from 10 successful transnational projects will be upscaled and valorised through the Academy's Joint Curriculum, which will be organised on a modular basis. Participatory methods (such as: educational drama, forum theatre, gamification, game-based learning, strength-based learning) and educational technologies (f.i. digital storytelling, creative computing, coding) will be underpinned by Montessori philosophy and principles. Partners include Action Synergy, University of Girona, University of Florence, Λαικού Θεάτρου Centre of Higher Education in Theater Studies, University College of Leuven, Waterpark Montessori International, University of Iceland and more. We attended the kick-off meeting in Athens in October, with Arnbjörn Ólafsson, Sigrún Svafa Ólafsdóttir and Ólafur Jón Arnbjörnsson taking part in the project on behalf of GeoCamp Iceland.  In October we attended a three day meeting and introduction to the implementation of STEM activities in Sibinj Primary School in Croatia under the EEA supported project Tesla’s Room - Working together for a green, competitive and inclusive Europe. The meeting and activities were attended by seven representatives from GeoCamp Iceland: Arnbjörn Ólafsson, Sigrún Svafa Ólafsdóttir, Drífa Hjördís Thorstensen (Háaleitisskóli Primary School in Reykjanesbær), Hildur Sigfúsdóttir (Heiðarskóli Primary School in Reykjanesbær), Brynja Stefánsdóttir (Stapaskóli Primary School in Reykjanesbær, Sinéad McCarron (Landakotsskóli Primary School in Reykjavík and Daníel G. Hjálmtýsson (Sudurnes Science & Learning Center). |
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GeoSchool - GeoCamp Iceland is an educational project dedicated to increasing knowledge and understanding in natural sciences with practical and active learning. We develop educational content, student and teacher guides and curricula, organize and receive international study groups focusing on STEM education.
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