On the 24th of October 2019, the DIGIT project partners organised a European conference in Brussels to address the “role for education in teaching safe and responsible behaviour online”.
Over 80 participants joined the event, representing civil society (⅓ of attendees), educational institutions (one third), policy makers (10%), companies (10%) and citizens (10%). They were presented with high quality presentations orchestrated by Mia Forbes Pirie, the event’s talented Master of Ceremony. All participants also enjoyed structured discussions during the workshops. Speakers represented a variety of organisations and institutions from across the European Union, the European Commission, community and adult education centers, universities, civil society organisations, knowledge centers, schools and consumer organisations.
The main topic of the conference was digital footprint,
i.e. “the trail of data you create while using the internet”.
While the concept is not yet fully well-known or understood, there is a lot of pre-existing awareness and interest in what it covers (i.e. storing, use and sharing of data). Citizens, generally, only start to care about digital footprint for personal reasons, because they are aware there are some existing risks associated with sharing data, actively or passively, on the web and through the use of mobile devices. Those risks can be related to safety, reputation, rights, intellectual property, identify theft, screen addiction or online political participation etc. While the conference talks addressed those risks, it also looked at solutions and things that we can do individually, at work or in the family context, to mitigate them.
In the morning, the aim was to introduce these issues to the participants in a European context. Digital footprint is indeed a common European challenge (if not global) and a few initiatives are already launched at EU level with the aim to tackle the challenge. Among the most known initiatives is the General Data Regulation Protection(GDPR) and among the most promising is the recent Digital Education Action plan. At national level, most common approaches are through consumer protection and awareness raising campaigns. However, there is still insufficient education and training opportunities offered to learners, in particular adults, on that topic.
Dlearn’s President, Gianluca Coppola, also a partner in the DIGIT project, then presented the results of – probably the largest in the EU, having collected almost 20,000 entries – survey on digital footprint. The results showed that 80% of respondents do not read the privacy policy text in full before agreeing to new subscriptions, while the same number try to be more mindful of what they publish online. 50% would like their data to remain private and not used for any purpose, while 70% acknowledge that they are not in full control of their digital identity.
More results of the Dlearn’s survey can be found here
This was followed by a presentation of the DIGIT project by the coordinator, Katarzyna Pydzińska Azevedo from the company InNCREASE. DIGIT’s ambition was to “boost adults competences on digital footprint”, and partners can tell that after 2 years of implementation, it was a success. DIGIT provided a guide for educators as well as useful training materials to use in adult education classes. The training programme was well received by those who piloted it, both educators (over 50 tested the programme) and adult learners (more than 250 were trained!), and partners hope that those resources will further be used in the future. The Lifelong Learning Platform Director, Brikena Xhomaqi, then made the case for more policy actions at EU level to educate citizens on responsible online behaviours.
During the afternoon, some key related topics were approached: ethics and the management of data, digital citizenship and how to engage citizens in producing their own awareness campaign, the use of game-based learning to teach about responsible online identity and the issue of intellectual property rights and data. This session helped in feeding the policy recommendations produced at the end of the project’s duration (October 2019).
Do you want to learn about more practices on digital footprint?
On 24 of October 2019 policy-makers, civil society, educational stakeholders, researchers and companies will meet in Brussels (Belgium) to share and discuss initiatives that aim to “raise awareness and boost competences for responsible online identity”.
The European Conference on Digital Footprint is co-organised by the European Digital Learning Network (Dlearn) and the Lifelong Learning Platform, with the support of the DIGIT project partners. It aims to address the topic of “digital footprint”, i.e. the record or trail left by the activities you do online, such as social media interactions, information on your personal website, your browsing history, your online subscriptions, any photo galleries/videos you’ve uploaded — essentially, anything that can be traced back to you online.
Digital footprint is closely intertwined with the notion of digital identity: whatever you do online is part of your identity and its image to others. 1 out of 2 employers google their candidates in the process of recruitment. E-reputation, whether from the personal or professional point of view, is an essential aspect of our life and career.
Not being aware or conscious about it can have harmful consequences on one’s personal and professional life, as well as that of his or her relatives, friends, colleagues, etc. Hence, raising awareness is the very first step that stakeholders in the field – from the digital sector to the educational sectors – must take. It is also highly important to build citizens’ competences to have a more responsible use of digital devices. This will ensure a safe internet for all – children, parents, and all citizens -, reason why all stakeholders must be committed to make Internet a safer place, from policy-makers, educational stakeholders, digital experts to business.
How can we work together to achieve those objectives? Educational and digital stakeholders will discuss solutions at the European conference on digital footprint. Join us!
On April, 16-17th 2019, DIGIT partners met in the city of Katerini, Greece to plan the remaining activities to be implemented until the end of the project (October 2019). It is the 4th meeting of the partnership (see article on the previous meeting in Reus here) The next months will be busy for everyone, with the implementation of pilots, the organisation of events in partner countries, the writing of policy recommendations and the preparation of the project final conference taking place in October 2019 in Brussels.
One of the main coming activities is the launch of the training programme, set for May-June, available on the online platform (Moodle). Every partner will pilot the training programme with 5 educators involving at least 25 adult learners in their countries. The pilots are meant to assess the quality and relevance of the training programme and its thematic modules for adult learners with the aim of raising their awareness on digital footprint topics. Each partner – except LLLP – will organise an event in its country, i.e Poland, Slovenia, Greece, Italy, United Kingdom and Spain to promote the pilots and project results between May and June.
During summer, LLLP will be preparing policy recommendations on how can stakeholders, especially in adult education, better raise awareness about digital footprint-related issues. The recommendations will be presented at the final conference.
The last point of discussion was the final event of the project that LLLP is co-organising with Dlearn and with the support of DIGIT partners. The “European conference on digital footprint” will take place on October 24th, in Brussels. Not only will it be the occasion to present the final outcomes of the project to a large audience, but will include high-level policy talks on the topic, the presentation of Dlearn’s survey, and workshops to showcase inspiring practices in the digital and educational fields while encouraging networking and partnerships between different stakeholders. The “Save the date” and more information will follow in the next weeks.
For more information, contact us at projects@lllplatform.eu.
On April, 16-17th 2019, DIGIT partners met in the city of Katerini, Greece to discuss the final stretch of the project and the remaining activities to be implemented until the end of the project (October 2019). It is the 4th meeting of the partnership (see article on the previous meeting in Reus here) and the conclusions are that the next months will be busy for everyone with the implementation of pilots, the organisation of events in partner countries, the writing of policy recommendations and the preparation of the project final conference taking place in October 2019 in Brussels.
One of the main coming activities is the launch of the training programme, set for May-June, available on the online platform (Moodle). Every partner will pilot the training programme with 5 educators involving at least 25 adult learners in their countries. The pilots are meant to assess the quality and relevance of the training programme and its thematic modules for adult learners with the aim of raising their awareness on digital footprint topics. Each partner – except LLLP – will organise an event in its country, i.e Poland, Slovenia, Greece, Italy, United Kingdom and Spain to promote the pilots and project results between May and June.
During summer, LLLP will be preparing policy recommendations on how can stakeholders, especially in adult education, better raise awareness about digital footprint-related issues. The recommendations will be presented at the final conference.
The last point of discussion was the final event of the project that LLLP is co-organising with Dlearn and with the support of DIGIT partners. The “European conference on digital footprint” will take place on October 24th2019, in Brussels. Not only will it be the occasion to present the final outcomes of the project to a large audience, but will include high-level policy talks on the topic, the presentation of Dlearn’s survey, and workshops to showcase inspiring practices in the digital and educational fields while encouraging networking and partnerships between different stakeholders. The “Save the date” and more information will follow in the next weeks.
For more information, contact us at info@digitproject.eu.
In the current EU panorama, where digital skills and competences are at stake due to their relevance within the labour market reality, the concept of ‘virtual citizenship and identity” is steadily growing in importance. In the race for web presence and online visibility, most citizens are forgetting about the dangers and risks – along with the opportunities – that our online habits can have. The DIGIT Project idea was born from the concerns of adult educators, adults and other relevant stakeholders such as digital experts and public body representatives about the current digital challenges our society faces in terms of digital literacy. ‘DIGIT’ – ‘Boost Competences for a responsible use of online identity’ is a two-year European project funded under Erasmus+ KA2 ‘Strategic partnerships’ and coordinated by Polish company INnCREASEtogether with partners stemming from seven different countries (Belgium, Spain, UK, Poland, Greece, Italy and Slovenia).
Within this initiative called to raise awareness among European citizens about their responsibilities as digital users and improve their competences and skills, partners have developed a DIGIT MANIFESTO. This document, resulting from partners’ research and information gathered through local focus groups, includes tips for learners on how to stay safe online; guidelines for adult educators on how to use the training materials developed during the upcoming months, a glossary with the most relevant concepts and terms and additional resources related to digital footprint.
In a world where digital skills and competences are as vital as literacy and numeracy, we need digitally competent people who are able to find, evaluate, produce and communicate clear information online in a safe manner. In line with this, and aiming at raising awareness about the concept of Digital Footprint and the lack of knowledge of the implications it can have for individuals and in our daily lives, the DIGIT MANIFESTO is meant to be a useful support tool for both adults and adult educators in becoming and helping other become more digitally literate.
After some fine-tuning during the last transnational meeting in Reus (Spain), DIGIT project partners are ready to present their “20 tips for learners”, a one-page document introducing the concept of digital footprint (the record or trail left by one’s online activities) and inviting Internet-users to reflect on its implications. The document, which constitutes an integral part of the upcoming Manifesto and guidelines for adult educators, presents 20 useful tips relating to the issues of personal accounts and image, online security, digital citizenship and excessive Internet use, and aims at encouraging readers to take action towards becoming responsible digital users and citizens.
Feel free to share these results with your students, colleagues and network and stay tuned for the Manifesto and guidelines for adult educators, a comprehensive guide for educators interested in introducing adult learners to the issue of responsible online identity.
SAVE THE DATE for the DIGIT final conference next year (October 2019)!
DIGIT partners met for the third time during the project lifespan in Reus, Spain where the famous architect Gaudí was born. Under the last warm sunbeams of the year, the partners had a fruitful meeting to discuss how to fine-tune the Manifesto and guidelines for adult educators, which will be ready in the coming weeks.
Besides the Manifesto, the partners will soon publish a one-page document gathering “20 tips for learners” aiming to reflect on digital footprint implications and to take action to become a responsible digital citizen.
The consortium also had a preview of the future online platform, which will be hosting the training programme associated with the Manifesto. The European network Dlearn will be responsible for this second output of the project. At the beginning of 2019, all this online content will be showcased offline through a series of multiplier events in partner countries, a flash mob, and pilot testing of the training programme during the spring months.
Are you an adult educator interested in digital footprint? Would you like to pilot test the training programme in your class?
During the first project phase, the partners organised three online or face-to-face focus groups in their countries (Poland, United Kingdom, Belgium, Greece, Slovenia and Spain), gathering various stakeholders to assess their awareness and competences on digital identity related issues. At the meetings, the participants – educators, policy-makers, parents and digital experts – explored the four main issues previously unveiled by the project team together:
Management of personal account and image
Online safety and security
Digital citizenship
Internet and its side effects
During the focus groups, participants were asked to fill in the same questionnaire, which had previously been translated into the partners home languages. The results are presented in the featured infographic. The data and its analysis will feed into the first project deliverable, namely The DIGIT Manifesto and guidelines for adult educators.
After months of dedication and hard work our team of efficient and effective consortium members is heading towards finishing the first version of the MANIFESTO of DIGIT project!
The upcoming document will contain tips for adult learners, diadic and pedagogic guidelines for educators and many other resources.
Currently the document is in the process of being reviewed by the educators from the area of cybersecurity. Their suggestions will be shared with us so the final version will be prepared and released in the near future!
Be ready to welcome the first Intellectual Output soon!
