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In addition to the HNBK, 5 other schools from France, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain took part in this multinational project. The aim of the project was to build a rover in each of the participating schools, which could be remotely controlled from any of the other schools and drive through its own school.
The project was the beginning of the long-lasting project partnership between the vocational schools Instituto A.Monaco from Cosenza, Italy, the Lycee Louis Armand in Nogent-sur Marne and the HNBK. The rovers of the 3 schools were part of the stage show in the following Comenius project, the MITEU show.
The German version of this page is available here.
The German version of this page is available here.
Project participants from Essen and Lure
The partnership “Taming my house“ between the Heinz-Nixdorf-Berufskolleg, a school in Essen specialising in electrical engineering and information technology, and the Lycée Professionnel Bartholdi in Lure, France, was decided during a preparatory visit.
On both sides, students and teachers worked in mixed-national pairs and groups. The concrete aim was to work with the students on exemplary measures for saving energy in houses with the help of modern bus technology (KNX). In this context, the German and French students in Essen learned how to program KNX components with the help of a PC. In France, these components were assembled into a finished energy-saving KNX system.
Between and during the exchanges, the pupils dealt with aspects of energy-saving household management and tracked down electricity guzzlers in their private or school environ-ment. They used modern measuring equipment and later exchanged the results of their measurements. In doing so, they applied their acquired language skills and also used English as a lingua franca for communication. They also developed improvement measures together.
Building the systems with KNX
The German version of this page is available here.
The German version of this page is available here.
During the concert in Cosenza/Italy
In addition to technical skills, creativity and innovation are important key competences demanded by the economy. In a unique way, students from the HNBK and schools from 6 other countries were able to acquire and demonstrate these competences in the COMENIUS project of the „Music, Innovation and Technology European Show“ (MITEU-Show).
As part of the project, students and teachers planned and organised a 2-hour rock music show on the themes of “interaction between people and technology“ and “peace and international understanding“. The premiere of the show was in Essen in December 2010, when Essen was “European Capital of Culture“. Two other successful performances took place in Nogent-sur-Marne (France) and Cosenza (Italy). 150 students and 25 teachers from 7 countries took on various tasks and roles. Besides the HNBK, the two vocational schools Instituto A.Monaco from Cosenza, Italy and the Lycee Louis Armand in Nogent-sur Marne, as well as high schools from Latvia, Greece, Romania and the Czech Republic were involved in this great project.
The international MITEU band, made up of students and teachers from the different schools, performed cover songs by Pink Floyd and ACDC, among others, and six songs composed by themselves in the intercultural exchange. In the self-composed songs, the young people expressed their desire for friendship and peace and to overcome borders and walls between people. Three of the songs are called “Friends“, “Let peace begin with me“ and “Let’s communicate“. Teachers and students designed the stage set, choreography and costumes for the stage show. A highlight of the show was when French students performed a human-robot fight as a Brazilian capoeira demonstration. The HNBK and the two schools from France and Italy were responsible for the stage technology (sound, light and laser show) with automatically controlled light effects and video productions. Self-built and self-programmed robots were used on stage for the show. In addition to three rovers made during the COMENIUS project EUROV, there were also three dancing robots whose choreography to “Hells Bells“, programmed by students of the HNBK, was another highlight of the show. Part of the light show were omnidrives moving in all directions, which were created in cooperation between the LL.A. and the HNBK. At the LL.A. the omnidrives were designed and the mechanical parts produced, at the HNBK they were programmed for the stage show.
Another of many highlights was a zeppelin sponsored by RWE that flew through the concert hall, filming the stage and auditorium. The resulting films were live interludes in the video production. From the HNBK, 4 teachers and 19 students took part in the trips and another 3 teachers and 20 students took part in the preparation and realisation of the show in Essen. The stage technology for the concert in Essen was provided by students of the event technology course of the Berufskolleg Stadtmitte of the city of Mülheim an der Ruhr. In addition to a website, a DVD and a CD were produced. The project was an incomparable experience for all involved and an impressive example of European cooperation between sudents and teachers from different types of schools. The project was presented by Alfred Lehmann and Vera Beeker at the conference “Frischer Wind mit MINT“ (“Fresh Wind with MINT“) of the “Pädagogischer Austauschdienst“ (PAD) in 2013 and was evaluated as an outstanding example of a European school project funded by the COMENIUS programme.
PAD-Aktuell October 2013 with an article about the symposium “Frischer Wind mit MINT“ and our project (in German) The German version of this page is available here.
The German version of this page is available here.
For international meetings and cooperation, you don’t necessarily always have to travel far. The last few years have shown that it is also possible to work together online with the appropriate tools.
Twelve students from the lower levels of the Higher Vocational School proved this when they worked on the basics of Linux in an online exchange with Spanish students from the vocational college C.I.P. ETI in Tudela (Navarra). With the help of the online Cisco curriculum, they familiarised themselves with the subject matter and then collaboratively worked on problems in three online meetings. They used English as the means of communication. And they did it so successfully that they all passed the “NDG Linux Unhatched“ certification. We can now send the certificates to our Spanish partners with our best wishes. This is how homeschooling can work across borders. We hope that we will continue our cooperation with Spain and maybe travel there some time… 😉
Text: WEL, Photo: ERT
The German version of this page is available here.
The German version of this page is available here.
After the Easter holidays, the HNBK welcomed nine students and four teachers from the Norwegian partner school Rud videregående skole near Oslo as guests in Essen. They took part in an exciting two-week exchange project at the HNBK as part of the European Erasmus+ funding programme.
During the first week at HNBK, the 17 to 22 year old Norwegian students learnt the basics of the KNX bus system in a course taught by Mr Kaiser and Mr Powierski. They programmed and wired modern home control systems and could then put them into operation.
In addition, the Norwegian visitors also gained interesting insights into other lessons at the HNBK. In Mr Mühlenhoff’s and Mrs Meyer’s classes they participated in English lessons, in Mr Fehlen’s class they learnt about network technology and in Mr Mehl’s computer science class they learnt about the programming language C++.
An Industry 4.0 project was the focus of the exchange in the second week. First, the exchange students learnt to program small autonomous logistics robots, Robotinos from Festo. Then they came together for a two-day workshop with the students from class SI-21A.
Under the guidance of Mr Weber and Mr Lehmann, they competed against each other in international teams of four. The task was to construct so-called rovers, small autonomous vehicles similar to NASA’s Mars rover. The aim of the project was to control the self-built rovers via a web app from a smartphone, to have them brake independently in front of walls, to record a camera image and then send it to the smartphone. At the end of the workshop, the rovers competed against each other and the most successful team was crowned the winner.
Cultural sightseeing was also part of the programme.
On the second afternoon of their stay, the Norwegian group, led by Mrs Lotfi, took a historical walk to Villa Hügel, the former residence of the industrialist family Krupp. The villa, jokingly referred to as the Buckingham Palace of Essen, celebrates its 150th anniversary this year.
Of course, an excursion to the world cultural heritage site in Essen, the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex, was not to be missed. The trip took place together with the SI-21A class in beautiful sunshine on the penultimate day of the exchange. Mixed in two guided tours, in German and in English, the pupils followed the way of coal mining at the colliery in the still preserved surface facilities of shaft XII.
ZTo round off the day, the group stepped onto the panoramic roof of the coal washing plant, which offers a view of the Ruhr skyline from a height of 45 metres and makes you marvel at how green the former industrial region has become.
What is particularly exciting about Erasmus+ is that not only students but also teachers have the opportunity to exchange ideas internationally. They work in European teams and organise the exchange of pupils, but also have the chance to develop and implement pedagogical concepts together.
In European teamwork, the pupils master programing tasks in a short time, are motivated by their joint successes, but also learn to deal with setbacks. The working language for the project participants is English, which is an additional benefit for all sides. And so, when saying goodbye to the Norwegian guests, everyone agreed that the exchange not only provided new technical knowledge and its quick practical implementation, but has also broadened the participants‘ horizons overall. Everyone is looking forward to further cooperation and a return visit to Norway.
Text: LOT, DIX, WBR. Photos: DIX, Norwegian colleagues and as indicated.
The German version of this page is available here.
In 2014, the EURLAB project was approved with 99 out of 100 points under the “Erasmus +“ program of the European Union. Besides the HNBK, the vocational schools “Instituto Tecnico Industriale A. MONACO“, from Cosenza, Calabria in Italy and the “Lycee Polyvalent Louis Armand“ from Nogent-sur Marne in France were involved.
During the 3-year project, a virtual laboratory environment accessible on the Internet was created with learning materials on robotics. These can be found on the project website www.eurlab.org.
In addition, real fablabs (fabrication laboratories) were set up in the 3 schools with the appropriate computer technology and equipment with tools and production machines such as laser cutters, 3D printers for building robots.
The learning process follows the principles of cooperative learning and the “flipped classroom“, in which the students work out the theoretical basics largely independently in small groups with the help of the Internet-based learning materials and then implement these in the practical construction and programming of robots, with support from teachers in the sense of the „flipped classroom“ method. These learning and working environments are now used in our schools for regular teaching purposes.
In the first year of the project, the laboratory environments and learning content and a concept for two-week workshops on robotics were created. A first workshop with students took place in November 2015 in Nogent sur Marne with a total of 73 students and 16 teachers. Two further workshops, each with 50 students and 10 teachers, took place in Essen in April 2016 and in Cosenza in November 2016. Participating from the HNBK were 28 students from the vocational high school, where the learning content is part of the advanced course in technical computer science.
In addition to the workshops, 5 students of the technical classes of the HNBK had the opportunity to work on robot projects in cooperation with technicians from France and submit them as project work of their exam. The result was a teleoperated robotic arm, which is controlled by human gestures via the Internet, and a rovedrone as a combination of rover and drone.
The common project language was English. The first simple sentences in the three partner languages were practiced in language learning units.
On the weekends, there were excursions into the surrounding area. A special highlight was the two-day visit to Pompei and Paestum and the Vesuvius near Naples.
The project results were presented during the last joint project week in May 2017 at the InnoRobo trade fair in Paris.
Project website with experiences and documentations of project results (in English)
The German version of this page is available here.
The German version of this page is available here.
A previous European project of the HNBK with the Lycée Louis Armand in Nogent sur Marne: mixed teams from both teams built autonomous driving systems in March/April 2019.
The European Union is funding a project of the Heinz-Nixdorf-Berufskolleg with 50,910 euros within the framework of the Erasmus+ program. The project application under the title HNBK_ABROAD_EU1 was evaluated by EU experts and reviewers with 98 out of 100 points. Over a period of two years, trainees and students will complete an internship abroad and teachers will learn, observe and teach at the HNBK’s partner school in France for further education and training purposes.
With this success under the leadership of the European team, consisting of the teachers Dr. Jörg Dixkens, Alfred Lehmann and Vera Beeker, the HNBK can continue its previous successful European cooperation projects and take them to a new level.
The ERASMUS+ program of the European Union is designed to promote mobility in vocational education and training. The HNBK_ABROAD_EU1 project, now approved under this program, will run until September 14, 2021, and consists of two parts, each with several activities, with the HNBK’s partner school in France, the Lycée Louis Armand (LLA) in Nogent sur Marne, near Paris.
In the first part, 24 trainees from the HNBK as well as two future state-certified technicians will carry out an internship in France. Twelve trainees each take part in a trainee program with the partners ft he HNBK in France. This trainee program includes the development of autonomous automatic systems, such as robots. Furthermore, a stay of several days in a French company is planned.
In addition, two future state-certified technicians from the technical college of the HNBK will carry out their final projects in France, together with students from the corresponding course at the Lycée Louis Armand. The project work is done in cooperation with companies.
In the second part, eleven teachers will go to the Lycée Louis Armand (LLA) for in-service training:
Through the project, the participants expand their European competence in professional, intercultural and linguistic terms. They bring their experiences into the educational program and future internships abroad. The results flow into school development processes, quality development of learning stays (ECVET processes) and sustainable cooperative European work. The measure serves the certification within the framework of the Europass-Mobility.
For the HNBK this is a contribution to long-term quality development and improvement of its competitiveness.
For the students it means an improvement of their employability on the international labor market.
Text: DIX/ERT
The German version of this page is available here.
The German version of this page is available here.
From 4 December to 17 December 2022 six students from our partner school „École libre des Métiers, Lycée professionnel privé“ from Marseille accompanied by their subject teachers visited the HNBK and completed internships in companies in Essen and Bochum. During these two weeks, the students not only got to know the German school system and the German culture in the Ruhr area. The focus of the exchange, which was organized by „ProTandem. Deutsch-Französische Agentur für den Austausch in der beruflichen Bildung“ (German-French Agency for Exchange in Vocational Education), was the qualification in the context of their vocational training. A tandem language course, training-specific workshops at the HNBK as well as an internship enabled them to practically apply and expand subject-specific, linguistic and professional skills. The encounters between the German students, trainers and teachers and the French guests took place in a variety of ways. The exchange group not only learned about the German way of working in the companies and at the HNBK, but also about other cultural features such as the tradition of Christmas markets in Germany, the history and local characteristics of the Ruhr region.
The core of the exchange was formed by the company internships at our cooperation partners in Essen and Bochum. Special thanks go to our training companies for the internships:
UN GRAND MERCI À: WESTNETZ, OPEN GRID EUROPE, AMANA, IT-SERVICES RUHR-UNIVERSITÄT BOCHUM, IT-SERVICE STADT ESSEN.
Accompanied by German trainees, the French interns generally found it easy to get to know operational processes, to work on projects and finally to complete tasks independently. The group was greatly supported by the language tutor from ProTandem, whose language skills made a good contribution to communication between Germans and French as a language mediator in company and everyday situations.
The return visit and internships in French companies for our trainees are planned for the coming year 2023.
Text: AUS; Photos: AUS, GEB
The German version of this page is available here.
The German version of this page is available here.
The German version of this page is available here.
On October 28, teachers Claudia Welzel and Ute Keller visited the Centro Integrado Politécnico de Formación Profesional Donapea in Pamplona (Spain), an institution of the Ministry of Education of the Regional Government of Navarra. The two visited various school centers in Navarre throughout the week.
Carmen Rodrigo, the person in charge of International Relations, welcomed them together with the Headmistress of the school, Libertad Martinez, and the Head of the Electrical Engineering Department, Joxean Azpiazu. They toured the facilities of our school center and participated in classes for Administration, Electrical Engineering and English.
The lessons in Administration were conducted by Monica Mediavilla in English. Joxean Azpiazu and Milek Bilbao showed their electrical engineering lessons. The English lesson was given by teacher Amaia Martinez-Pantoja.
Many thanks to all of them for their efforts. Many thanks also to the automotive engineering teacher, Raul Puente, who presented his setups in German.
Text: CIP Donapea/KEL, Photo: CIP Donapea
The German version of this page is available here.
