In October 2024, the third and final Innovation Week of the digiTED project took place at the University of Galway, Ireland, welcoming 20 teacher educators from our partner institutions. This event was designed based on the feedback from the previous two Innovation Weeks, introducing enhanced activities designed to foster collaboration, creativity, and digital teaching. The week kicked off with a Marshmallow Challenge – a team-building exercise that encouraged participants to think creatively and work together from day one. By the third day, a speed meet session provided each educator with 1.5 minutes to introduce a favorite digital tool or teaching method in a dynamic, “speed-dating” format. This activity encouraged rapid idea sharing and exposed participants to a broad range of digital resources.
As before, the program followed the challenge-based learning approach that has been central to the digiTED project, tasking participants with designing educational escape game prototypes in small, interdisciplinary and transnational teams. This time, groups of four to five educators from different countries and disciplines collaborated on their escape room designs, leveraging a mix of digital tools to craft immersive, interactive experiences. With the addition of new and diverse escape games to try, participants experienced the teaching potential of this format firsthand before creating their own. This hands-on approach, combined with team diversity, created a supportive environment where educators felt more comfortable experimenting with digital tools, helping them connect with colleagues and learn from each other’s perspectives.
Feedback from the participants highlighted the most valuable aspects of the event, including networking opportunities, exposure to new digital teaching tools, and the positive group dynamic that inspired confidence and creativity. Many educators expressed interest in implementing elements from the week, such as tool “speed dating” and the collaborative escape game design, in their own institutions. Some suggested adding more training capsules focused on specific tools to enhance practical learning, and others recommended adjusting the session timing to allow more in-depth exploration of the tools used. As digiTED’s final Innovation Week came to a close, the enthusiasm among participants underscored the project’s success, as well as great need in promoting digitalisation, collaboration, and innovation within the teacher educator community across Europe.
The greatest value for me was that the event helped reduce my uncertainty and fear of using digital tools and linking digital tools with methodological objectives.
