PEP Update

 

 

  

 

 
 

Macedonia's teachers walk the red carpet

 

PEP’s efforts to stimulate different ways of teachers’ professional development resulted with a series of trainings across the country, where more than 800 teachers learned about the video as a medium for sharing good school practices, for self and peer evaluation and enhancing on-line collaboration. USAID also provided 165 flip cameras for Macedonia's schools.

The activity for filming good school practices started as a pilot project with only 42 teachers attending PEP trainings for use of the flip camera. Trained teachers started to disseminate the knowledge among other colleagues and we reached the number of 750 trained teachers. As a result of the trainings, the teachers started creating a rich collection of filmed school classes which are shared with other colleagues using the Facebook community of practice - School Video MK.

However, this activity was taken a step further – PEP supported teachers’ idea and organized an event where the teachers will get the chance to showcase their work, their creativity in the use of flip camera and share their experience with other colleagues from other schools and other parts of the country.
PEP Film Festival, first event of this kind ever organized in the country, took place on July 6 in the Cinematheque of Macedonia.
More than 230 teachers, high representatives and other guests walked the red carpet and attended the festival. USAID Mission Director, Robert Wuertz and Minister of Information Society and Administration, Ivo Ivanovski, addressed the audience.

“Technology plays a vital role in education, especially in providing access to information and preparing students for the jobs of the future. The use of technology by students depends on the ability of teachers to integrate technology into their teaching. This film festival is evidence that Macedonian teachers already have that ability,” said the USAID Mission Director, Robert Wuertz.

Nineteen selected videos of the total 147, received in the last twenty days, were screened. Taking the role of actors, cameramen, editors and directors, our teachers opened the doors of their classrooms widely, letting us in to have a sneak preview of their colorful daily life created together with their students.
After reviewing all the videos, the audience selected their favourite: The video titled “How birds build their nests” filmed and edited by Vesela Bogdanovic, first grade teacher in PS “Koco Racin” v.Ivanjevci, Municipality of Mogila.
PEP Film Festival was an opportunity for promotion of Vesela’s work, who as a teacher coming from a small, rural community, got the chance to present her exceptional work in the classroom and at the same time pick up new teaching practices presented by her colleagues from across the country.     

 

 

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More than 230 teachers and other guest attended PEP Film festival

Teachers on the red carpet at PEP Film Festival

“The Ministry of Information Society and Administration gives its full support to this initiative. We salute teachers’ motivation and enthusiasm brought into the activity. We are happy to witness this successful and interesting event today, and we will make an effort for turning the Film Festival into tradition in the years to come,” said Ivo Ivanovski, MISA Minister. 

Vesela Bogdanovik, excited after receiving the Audience choice award, addressed the colleagues that chose her video: Flip cameras are small but very powerful educational tools. The videos that we create can help us in self and peer evaluation in order to improve our teaching practice”.

Join SchoolVideo Mk on Facebook to witness teachers’ excitement before and after  PEP Film Festival. These are some of the thoughts that teachers have shared there:

“I felt like a real movie star today as I walked on the red carpet! Congratulations for our first Film Festival and to the PEP team. Congrats to my colleague Vesela for her success! We are looking forward to the next festival” – Vesna Stanojevik, teacher from PS Istikbal, Tetovo 

“Congratulations to the PEP team for the great organization of the first Film Festival. Congratulations to all participants and to the winner, Vesela! I hope that this Festival will turn into tradition” – Svetlana Bobevska, teacher from PS Blaze Koneski, Veles