safe.netizens@eu

Description of the Project

The project partnership is composed of five schools from Finland, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia plus the coordinating school from Spain and the project was designed to raise awareness about the topic of digital citizenship as a common need to make our schools better learning places as well as to prepare students for a world in which they have to cope with new risks and situations related to technology use.

The goals of the project were developing and enhancing digital skills and inclusion, making a safe use of technology, promoting a responsible and respectful digital behaviour, increasing a sense of European citizenship, exchanging good practices and innovative methods to engage students with the help of ICT tools, improving communication skills and intercultural competences as well as promoting digital training in the use of open educational resources (OER).

Through the project we provided students with competences and knowledge built on digital literacy and foreign language skills so they can become responsible European citizens actively involved in a digitalized society. We are now convinced that with the skills acquired by the students, they will have more mobility opportunities both within European higher education and in the labour market.

As teachers, our involvement in the project has improved our professional skills, it has developed our knowledge and understanding of digital citizenship to a great extent and has increased our awareness of social, linguistic and cultural diversity, all of which has contributed to the achievement of our students’ basic skills and the implementation of new teaching practices and inclusive approaches.

The main methods followed to achieve the set goals were working together on tasks at national level in which students carried out research through surveys and interviews, prepared presentations, presented their findings to other students, wrote scripts and tests... and the other method with the students from the five partner schools was collaborating and working jointly during mobilities. In this regard with the help of experts we implemented workshops related to elements of digital citizenship such as digital literacy, e-commerce, digital communication, digital etiquette, digital law, rights and responsibilities and digital security. Parallel to these workshops, many activities involved creating scenarios, filming short movies, designing digital posters and infographics, debating and taking part in technology-related quizzes.

Consequently, the project has brought about tangible results in the form of films, posters with tips and guidelines about appropriate technology use, students’ portfolios, a handbook including the exchange of best teaching practices, tools for evaluation, innovative digital tools for the classroom and curricular content related to digital citizenship. Additionally, we created this website including all the materials, experiences and practices that have been published and made accessible as open resources available for reuse.

Likewise, the students participated in peer-to-peer sessions, they took part in debates and completed tests. As a result, based on their work and tests they were awarded with a digital driver’s license at the end of the project. The knowledge and skills acquired during the mobilities were also recorded in the student’s Europass mobility document.

The project has made a great impact on the students who have been directly involved since they have become more responsible digital citizens, more open-minded and independent and they are now more open to diversity and, consequently, ready for intercultural dialogue. It will also bring longer-term benefits as all the skills acquired by the students will contribute to their personal development, which will undoubtedly result in a better improvement of their academic achievements and better preparation for the world of work.

Thanks to safe.netizens@eu project our schools are now better equipped and enhanced with different teaching practices and approaches, new curricular content has been incorporated in the schools’ curricula. The European dimension has been reinforced as a result of the sustainable cooperation of the five partner schools. Mobilities, methodological changes, and the internationalization of the institutions mark a turning point at school level after this European experience and will serve as the basis for future cooperation. The project has also helped create long-lasting synergies with institutions and collaborating partners in the activities at local, regional and international level.

We are willing to carry out joint activities based on our project findings and take part in a new eTwinning or another international project trying to involve other new members.