DIGISOMEMAR IP - a lot of work and fun

DIGISOMEMAR IP – LLP Erasmus intensive programme, coordinated by Pirkko Varis from TAMK Virrat, took place in Virrat and Tampere in spring 2011. More than 70 students and more than 15 staff members from 16 universities and 14 countries representing marketing, business, media and IT fields gathered at TAMK Virrat for ten days to study and work, and it was really fun.

The main subjects were digital, mobile and social media in marketing, internet and management of m- and e-business. Multidisciplinary and multicultural teams had presentations in the mornings and in the afternoons teams worked in parallel workshops on for example Flash for marketing, 3D-solutions for advertising and digital media in marketing. Some visits to enterprises and to other topic-related destinations were included in the IP, too. For some workshops assignments were given by small and medium-sized enterprises.

Opening session of the IP

We heard many presentations about the subject-related topics, universities and countries. And it was also really interesting to see and hear about projects other students had done. Presentations were interesting, and especially when they included some Irish dancing or interesting questionnaires or competitions. Presentations by staff members from different countries were interesting, and you also got something new through their teaching styles.

But it wasn't just about the work. We spent an awesome afternoon, making in teams fire camps and cooking fish and making pan cakes. Everybody also had the chance to go to a smoke sauna and dip into icy water. For people from for example Greece and Hungary, and of course other European countries, it was a unique way to spend time, and it was also a once in a lifetime thing to happen.

Activities during student presentations

The coordinator of the IP Pirkko Varis from TAMK Virrat presenting the programme details

Cooking fish and making pan cakes in teams

A workshop session

Accommodation at the lake in Lomasaari in Virrat and networking

It was wonderful two weeks in an international group with lots of new experiences and making friendships to last forever.

Text and photos: Pia Dag, student, TAMK Virrat

International Social Services intensive course in Budapest – GIVE & GET

The Social Services intensive Erasmus programme CRÉME - The Social Pedagogy and Creative Methods in Substance Care was organized for the third time. This time the event was held in Budapest, Hungary between 2nd and 13th of May 2011.

Almost 70 students from eight different universities and six countries attended the event. The attending Universities were TAMK and HAMK (Finland), Fachhocschule Nordhausen (Germany), HAN Hogeschool (the Netherlands), University of Pablo de Olavide and Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain), Kaunas College (Lithuania) and naturally the hosting University from Hungary, Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE). Additionally, 16 teachers from different countries attended the intensive course.

The intensive course programme included lectures and workshops. The discussions were centralized around the topics of comparing the national welfare systems for drug prevention and rehabilitation. Interesting was also to compare the current status of drug related problems between countries

In the workshops the students improved their skills using different methods for their work. The methods included art, music, creative group work and photographing to name a few. These skills are especially needed when working in the intoxicant welfare system.

The second week was mostly about workshops where the students worked with Megállo Group Foundation, an organization specialized in intoxicant welfare. The workshops were done to help the secondary school Green Rooster, which is specialized in taking care of dropped out youngsters.

Megállo employees taught the students in various creative methods. The course topic was simply put “Give & Get”. TAMK School of Wellbeing and Social Services sent students Tuula Jokinen, Suvi Laakso, Aino Rinta-Jouppi, Hanna-Maria Ritoniemi, Markus Pakkala and Kirsi Saarinen to Hungary. Ms. Merja Repo, one of TAMK’s professors conducted a workshop with HAMK professor Ms. Seija Pajari- Stylman.

The week’s epic final was held in theatre Merlin where students, Megállo clients and the Green Rooster youngsters created a fabulous show worth to see. The local television company filmed the whole show and the whole intensive course got a lot of publicity.

Here everybody can find the broadcast which was shown on the Hungarian TV.
Please enjoy!

The course will be covered in a pdf publication later this year. In the pdf you will find articles and photos from the Budapest intensive course and additionally some material from the previous courses which were held in Tampere (2009) and in Sevilla (2010).

Senior lecturer in Social Services, Ms. Ulla- Maija Koivula has made terrific work organizing the intensive courses. Due to her input, she received a silver decoration from ELTE University.

Photo U - M Koivula
Text: U- M Koivula and Elias Suominen

TAMK higher education services are hosting colleagues 13 – 17 June here at Kuntokatu campus during the International Week for Non-Teaching Staff 2011

TAMK is proud to announce that The International Week for Non-Teaching Staff 2011 will kick off on Monday 13th at Kuntokatu campus.

The topic of the week is multicultural competence in non-teaching staff and providing services in a genuinely international learning environment.

TAMK will receive guests from various countries, including Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Hungary, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, Spain and the UK.

The guests are divided to four groups according to their roles in higher education services, e.g. International Services, Student Services, Library & Information Services and Communications Services.
Colleagues from different Universities will have special discussions concerning their role in the University internationalization process.

Additional to the discussions and lectures, the guests will enjoy a day in Varala Sports Institute where they will try different kinds of activities, eg. nordic walking, jogging and of course, mölkky.
Sauna and swimming is also included in the plan.

The visitors also have a chance to visit Demola, University of Tampere and to attend a guided Tampere sightseeing.

The list of participants and the schedule can be found from TAMK Intra (in Finnish and in English).

TAMK and its higher education services are looking forward to meet you all on Monday! You are very welcome to TAMK and Tampere!

Text:

Elias Suominen

Mission impossible completed!

We returned our thesis for evaluation a few days ago. Phew!

Here I am now, all finished with the writing, and the researching, and the reading and, most of all, the stressing. It still hasn’t sunk in that it is finished, we did it, and it’s all over and done with. Slowly, slowly, though, it is starting to feel better and better….give me a few days and I’ll be jumping up and down with joy!

I still get the odd idea or thought in my head about what could be put in the thesis, which book I could refer to, or how the subheadings could be arranged - I guess my brain is still on Thesis Mode. But the coolest thing is that after finishing the thesis you realize the process from start to finish, and it all seems so clear, and a little easy, in your head. Because a process it is, on many levels, not only of the actual writing but also of growing as a researcher, writer, and, I might even suggest, as a person.

The process of our thesis took about four months altogether, from the initial idea to the finished product. The last stretch before our final deadline, the last couple of weeks to be exact, were interesting, to say the least: I was waking up at night to write down a sentence for that one paragraph of chapter whatsitsnumber, constantly thinking what is left and what should be done next, wondering if it is all coming together as it should, frantically trying to find the right book where I remembered seeing this, that and the other (silly me for not making proper notes!), and all the while feeling the glooming deadline closing in on me like it was confirmed as doomsday.

As amazing and unbelievable as it seems to me now, in the end we did finish the thesis, and are very happy with it. It didn’t come easy, though; there were many loooooong days and nights spent researching, reading, writing, editing, and then writing some more. The late nights were not complete without some temper tantrums and manic giggle attacks, complete brain blocks and mixed up words (anyone wanna guess what plörk means, at three in the morning?), all of which were accompanied by bucket loads of coffee and candy.

Like I mentioned in the beginning, it really hasn’t sunk in yet that our thesis is finally finished. We might still have to make some corrections to it, and haven’t yet a clue as to what grade we will get from it (fingers crossed!), but at least the once a mission impossible is now a mission completed. And I’m happy to say I am still best friends with my thesis partner (at least she hasn’t blocked my calls yet), and I owe a big thanks to her for putting up with me.

So all’s well that ends well, and now its time for some down time. For me that means sleeping (oh the luxury!), spending time with friends, and getting to read a book of my own choice for a change. Most importantly, however, the best thing is not having to switch on the laptop only to writewritewrite!

The writer is Janita Nurmi, a student of the Degree Programme in Tourism, who is currently doing her practical training in the R&D and Education Services of TAMK. She is hoping to graduate in the fall and go on to conquer the world.

NAFSA - What does it stand for?

Well, NAFSA is an association of international educators. Among other things it organises the NAFSA Annual Conference and Expo. This year international educators from all over the world were invited to Vancouver, BC, Canada between May 29 - June 3. Vancouver Convention Center will host about 9 000 participants joining e.g. seminars, session, workshops and special events. For more information: NAFSA.

As TAMK representatives, we arrived in Vancouver dog tired late on the evening of May 28 after about 24 hours of travel rich in nuances. Arriving in Frankfurt, we prepared to wait some 5 hours, just to find out that the next flight to Galgary was delayed another 5 hours. We were lucky to get rerouted via Montreal but unfortunately the rerouting didn’t concern our luggage! Luckily again, the lost luggage arrived very late Sunday evening, so on Monday all materials etc. were at hand when the conference continued.

Our main goals are to participate in very interesting sessions and meet colleagues from our partner universities at their Expo Booths. In the "Study in Nordic Countries" booth which Finland / CIMO shares with Norway and Denmark, we introduce TAMK to interested colleagues and network with possible new partners. It’s not that often you get a chance to share this kind of atmosphere with thousands of colleagues all over the world, all sharing the same enthusiasm in international education.


Just one more thing to point out that we Finns have common with Canadians. Vancouver is an ice hockey city and as Vancouver Canucks are playing for the Stanley Cup Finals this year! Go Canucks! First home game is tomorrow, and so we were officially warned by the conference organizers that should they win, the entire city will go absolutely grazy and there will be no hope of sleep that night!

To quote our Canadian colleague from Vancouver: "It's not IF they win - of course they will win! After all, they’re the best hockey team in the world". Now, this is a "fact" that we, under the current circumstances of Finland winning the World Championships just a few weeks ago, didn’t fully agree on. In any case tomorrow night might show us true celebration times three, win or lose.

Kirsi Tolvanen and Matti Pietilä (TAMK International Services) reporting from Vancouver, BC