Collaborative tools to connect School and Landscape
The action involves the study and connection with the forgotten landscape of transhumance in the municipality of Santomera through the creation of a guided documentary. Students have examined the elements of their municipality’s landscape through this ancient practice, subsequently developing fictional stories interpreted and sensitized through mediation and theatricalization. Activities include the study of direct sources such as old maps or laws associated with transhumance, interviews with transhumant shepherds, visits to spaces related to transhumance for understanding, and staging. These activities were carried out leading up to the final production of the docufiction film and its presentation to society.
Today, everybody has a cellphone. There are more mobile telephones than humans on the planet. They’re present and we use them in our immediate surroundings, and this usage is characterized by the capturing of reality and everyday life without reflection, publishing of photos and videos in social networks, shaky video quality and a vertical format. All this is enormously popular and appeals to all age groups. There are few inhibitions preventing cellphone users from taking photos or videos or recording sounds with cellphones, and access to potential creative activity is also unhampered.
The group of students using a street map of the town and divided into groups of 3 or 4 students, go through the town noting those shops that due to their characteristics they consider interesting for anyone who arrives in Santomera and does not know sustainable and / or traditional trade, as well as recognized places to taste traditional dishes of the area. With the information obtained and together with the teacher of Geography and History we jointly elaborated an audio guide.
The methodology emphasizes prior knowledge assessment, motivating learning situations, heritage education principles tied to Santomera, and collaborative, research-based learning activities. The development of the activity spans sessions dedicated to project introduction, contextualized learning, mental map creation, explanation recording, and sharing results. Evaluation encompasses initial data extraction, ongoing process assessment, and final results analysis to inform future project actions and their impact on students.
The primary objectives are to help students understand their urban environment and see it as their own. The project focuses on visualizing common elements in their vicinity, reflecting on potential improvements, viewing the town as an interactive space for intervention, and generating proposals for neighborhood enhancement.
The methodology consists of image editing using the free software GIMP. The project begins with individual work and progresses to group collaboration. Ideas for improvements are shared in class and distributed across different neighborhoods. Students create projects showcasing their proposed improvements and present them using audiovisual presentations. The project concludes with reflection.
The project emphasizes both the development of technical skills and critical thinking about public and private spaces. Conclusions are drawn from the entire activity, taking into account the use of tools and the effectiveness of the presentations.
