Increasing nanotechnology awareness at European Schools

The rationale for applying the project was to address the educational gap in nanotechnology at the school level and to promote understanding and innovation in this key technological area. This rat...

By implementing the NANOWARE Project, we aimed to achieve the following: - Increase awareness of nanotechnology among European secondary education science teachers, to make students aware of developments in nanotechnology and its importance for society and our economy. - Raise awareness among educators and subsequently among students about Nano science and Nanotechnology, positively influencing their future career plans regarding this subject. - Enable young people to encounter nanotechnology at school and, through this initial knowledge, create awareness about its importance for our society. - Equip secondary education teachers to integrate NST activities into the teaching of science subjects. - Promote Minecraft as a digital learning space for providing problem-based learning experiences to students, which enhance key competencies and increase knowledge and awareness of subjects that are important for their future. We aimed to achieve the above objectives aligning with the goals of the European Union.

Through the NANOWARE project, we implemented the following activities: - Designed the NANOWARE curriculum based on research and classification of NST materials suitable for secondary education. - Validated the design with the involvement of teachers before finalizing the structure and modules. - Developed the modules according to the validated design. - Identified prerequisite knowledge of NST terms for easier adoption of the package by teachers. - Discussed with teachers the necessary support for integrating NST activities into the teaching environment. - Developed and tested challenges in Minecraft, incorporating feedback from teachers. - Created the NANOWARE world in Minecraft, enriched with resources and NST challenges. - Produced educational materials and a guide for teachers with their help. - Validated the results under real conditions. - Established a skills and achievements framework (awarding badges) for the informal recognition of students' NST knowledge. - Prepared the virtual space NANOWARE Foundry for teacher support and future improvements. The involvement of teachers from the beginning of the project enhanced the sustainability of the results. Alongside these activities, promotional activities were also carried out, including the creation of the website, promotional materials, social media promotion, and multiplier events in all partner countries.