The smartphone is the personal media that has become more widespread among children in the last decade and it has become overwhelmingly a part of their lives, and as a symbolic element characterizing their culture, which is often perceived as essential,. However, the use of the smartphone without adequate precautions exposes children to various risks. In fact, it can produce adverse effects on mental and physical health (risk tumors, ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder); endanger the personal safety (in the case of cyberbullying, the online micro-violence, public humiliation on social networks); induce compulsive behaviors (in the case of Nomophobia - No-MobilePhone which can be considered a true modern form of addiction). The specific objective of the SMART GENERATION project is to develop an innovative training model at European level in order to promote a conscious use of the smartphone, its potential and its risks, and to open a public debate on the role of digital technologies in the consprocess of the quality of social relationships between young people and between generations. SMART GENERATION project is based on Media Education as innovative methodology of reflection on new media, supporting processes of citizenship in the knowledge society, promoting courses that see the media at the same time as the instrument and the educational content. In particular, the project will: • Investigate the European youth universe and the methods of communication with smartphones, as well as cultural differences in their use at the European level, given the convergence of various communication technologies - Internet, TV and Radio - on newer phones. • Develop, test and transfer to different European countries - by cultural and technological background - an educational model related to digital, communicational, relationships, social and civic skills thanks to the networking of experiences and best practices useful to produce effective tools, truly innovative and transferable to a wide European audience. • propose and encourage positive and responsible use of smartphones by providing young people with the tools necessary to decipher consciously the enormous amount of data and multi-sensory stress that pass through the mobile phone; • help young people living in Europe to develop critical thinking, digital citizenship, life and work skills - communicational, relational, digital, social and civic, continuous learning - or educate them to properly and constructively "live" these tools as aware producers and distributors of information and reports, building up together with them an effective path to literacy; • spread a culture of collaborative learning between schools and extra -schools through cooperation between youth and educational organizations, school and extra-curricular. The project includes several activities: an analysis of the training needs of young people and teachers / educators about the smartphone, the planning of a training program on the conscious and critical use of the smartphone, the testing of the pilot path through workshops of Media Education in schools and in environments outside the classroom, the production of Recommandations Policy on the use of smartphones, the creation of a e-learning platform opensource and dissemination of these instruments through 2 multipliers events. Direct beneficiaries of the project will be the class groups and non-formal groups of young people from each PP as well as teachers and educators / youth workers. The age considered for youth is from 12 to 17 years. It is expected to involve during the project, and the during the implementation of the Media education training course, 2 classes + 2 non-formal groups for PP (about 500 young people) and 4 teachers + 10 educators / youth workers to PP (70 adults). The anaysis phase of the training needs analysis will involve about 1,500 children aged 12 to 17 years and about 500 teachers / educators / animators residents in the five partner countries (Belgium, Italy, Latvia, Spain, Romania) and in the other 37 (EU and non) Federated within the European Network EAEA. The expected results are: to build an integrated package of digital literacy, increasing the supply of learning in the field of Media Education, create strategic local alliances between formal and non-formal education, raise awareness of the potential and limitations of the smartphone.
The smartphone is the personal media that has become more widespread among children in the last decade. However, the use of this device without adequate precautions exposes them to various risks. The specific objective of the SMART Generation project was then to develop an innovative training model able to promote a conscious use of the smartphone and to stimulate a public debate on the role of digital technologies in the process of constructing the quality of social relationships between young people and between generations. In particular, the project has reached the following sub-objectives: • Investigate the way educators/teachers and young people from different European Countries use smartphones • Develop, test and transfer to different European territories an educational model able to develop competences for a conscious use of the smartphone • Help young people to develop critical thinking and educate them to properly and constructively "live" these tools as aware producers • Spread a culture of collaborative learning between schools and extra –school environments through cooperation and exchange opportunities • Promote confrontation with policy makers, stakeholders and experts to reflect on the necessity of smartphone education and necessary conditions to make it effective Main project activities were: analysis of the training needs of young people and educators/ teachers about smartphone; development of an educational model on the conscious and critical use of smartphone; testing of the pilot path through workshops of Media Education in schools and extra-school environments; elaboration of Policy Recommendations on smartphone education; creation of an e-learning platform and dissemination of these outputs through 2 multipliers events. Main targets were educators/teachers and non-formal groups of young people from 12 to 19 years old. SMART Generation involved a high number of people coming from different Countries: 2.180 people in the research activity and 1.669 in the testing phase. The partnership is made of 6 organizations coming from 5 EU Countries (Italy, Spain, Romania, Latvia, Belgium): - Centro Ferrari (IT), deals with economic, political, cultural, historical and social dynamics at local and international level. It created “In-ForMedia”, permanent centre for education to communication means - Cibervoluntarios Fundation (ES), which uses new technologies as tool to encourage social innovation and citizens’ responsibility - ANFMR (Asociatia Nationala a Femeilor din Mediul Rural) (RO), manages a secondary school specialised on new technologies - Ligzda Organization (LV) is active in non-formal education, supports the development of trasversal competences and civic and social participation - EAEA (European Association for the Education of Adults) (BE) is a network with 142 members from 44 Countries and is particularly active in the integration of innovative concepts on adult’s education - Solidarci (IT) works in the field of culture, active citizenship, education on key competences and has a wide experience in European projects involving innovative methods of formal and non-formal education. Main project results are: - increased knowledge on training needs of educators/teachers and young people on the critical and responsible use of smartphone, also for educational purposes - developed pedagogical model on smartphone education - raised awareness and skills of educators/teachers and young people on the critical and responsible use of smartphone, also for educational purposes - developed an analysis about effectiveness and efficiency of the pedagogical model - elaborated policy recommendation to support an effective smartphone education - made materials available to replicate the intervention The project impact resulted in: - creation and consolidation of relations among and with formal and non-formal education thanks to the participative path at local level - increased sensitivity of educators/teachers concerning the role of smartphones in the life of teenagers and augmented capacity to use this device for educational purposes - different perception among young people of risks and potentialities of smartphones - amplified educational offer on smartphone education - consolidation of a European partnership interested in these topics, possibly enlarging also thanks to networking activities realized at local and European level