Digital citizenship (LS-IT-86)

The school as a digital citizenship laboratory

Today, digital competence is a basic competence for exercising active citizenship. The analogical dimension and the digital dimension are integrated into a new global and integrated citizenship. The educational experience in the school environment must frame digital competence as a key transversal element for the development of all skills, inclusion and participation.
The “Digital citizenship” learning scenario was designed with the aim of encouraging students to reflect on digital competence as an element to consolidate skills (geography and citizenship skills) and promote positive actions for the benefit of a global community.

Training experience with a digital vocation

The learning scenario is embedded in a consolidated digital experience that allows students to experiment with innovative forms of collaborative learning. The school “Istituto Comprensivo Vittorio Alfieri – Taranto”, where the didactic activity was carried out, put in place initiatives aimed at students, parents and teachers to consolidate digital competences. Students routinely carry out educational activities using online classrooms and its digital resources. In particular, two “open” digital classes are active in which the assigned tasks are presented and operational instructions are provided (www.digscuola.eu/lab – www.digscuola.eu/aula/).

Digital Citizenship Learning Scenario

The activity was conducted using the open digital classroom #aula5. The students were immersed in a detailed scenario in which they tested their skills in using the Europeana platform. Each student played an active role as the author of “presentation sheets of European countries in digital format”.

I asked the students to create a product that helps to facilitate the knowledge of the geography and artistic production (in particular landscape paintings) of European countries by children aged 11/13 who cannot access educational services because they are citizens of states with high levels of poverty or involved in conflicts. The task assigned was carried out by the entire class group as a single workgroup (project group). The project group worked out, in a collaborative way. As a result, students created a presentation sheet prototype. The document was a template to present European Countries and can be used as a model to be reproduced by other students for other countries. The activity was divided into different work phases:

• Definition of the design sheet
• Prototype creation
• Preparation of operational indications to allow reproducibility
• Evaluation of the product and development of improvement hypotheses

Reflection

The task concluded with students reflecting on the activity. More specifically on the use of digital tools/environments/skills as resources to promote inclusion and improvement of education levels across the planet. Pupils also reflected on the use of Europeana resources to promote cultural heritage using digital tools and environments. Finally, the discussed how to use digital tools and environments to consolidate geographical competences. In order to facilitate this evaluation and reflection process, an online form has been created and shared. Finally, they self-assess their digital competence level using Europass.

Did you find this learning scenario interesting? You might also like:

• Using multimedia in the study of a writer or a relevant book
• Newspapers and Reports
• Globalization, national and European identity

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