CONTEXT/BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT The eSafety Label is a multi-stakeholder project which was initiated in by EUN in 2012, in partnership with various European Ministries of Education, European education organisations and information and communication technology (ICT) companies, in response to the growing need for guidance and support for schools who aim to explore the use of online technology and digital devices, as these bring along an increasingly complex variety of risks and opportunities, which need to be addressed in a safe and responsible manner. PROJECT OBJECTIVES The main objective of the ‘eSafety Label+: Become the next eSafety Champion’ project (hereafter also referred to with the project acronym ‘eSL+’) is to draw upon (and move beyond) the existing potential of the current eSafety Label infrastructure to identify, coach and empower a select group of eSafety Champions in order to a) map current needs and key priorities in this area of work, b) build towards a more comprehensive variety of online learning materials designed by teachers for teachers, c) mobilise a wider community of educators and education stakeholders through an ongoing exchange of expertise and best practice experience. More specifically, eSL+ will implement a 28-month work programme, along three main phases: PHASE I. What is at stake? Mapping online safety needs and priorities in education. • Based on the existing grid of eSafety Label questions and data, covering eSafety infrastructure, policy and practice, eSL+ project partners will identify, in dialogue with the selected 15 eSafety Champions, a number of key strengths and weaknesses across European schools, as well as key areas of improvement. This report will help to assess what is at stake, while forming an evidence base for all further eSL+ project activities. PHASE II. From problems to solutions: eSafety Champions for a safe and responsible digital future. • In three cycles of six months, project partners will consecutively work on infrastructure, policy and practice, each time in close collaboration with the Safety Champions, co-creating a broad range of online fact sheets, guidelines and best practice scenarios. On the one hand, these materials will be developed in response to the needs and priorities identified in PHASE I. On the other hand, eSafety Champions will have the opportunity to help set the agenda, drawing upon their professional experiences as well as knowledge gained in the nine-month training programme. Throughout their journey, eSafety Champions will also help to animate the eSL community, elaborating on their online safety experiences, while inspiring their peers. PHASE III. Towards a European community of eSafety practice. • Drawing upon the outcomes of PHASE I and II, project partners will develop a European eSafety Champion MOOC for connected schools, which they will jointly run and animate, together with eSafety Champions involved in the project, on the EUN Academy platform. Drawing upon all Intellectual Outputs delivered in PHASE I and II, as well as data and evidence collected through the various eSafety Label platform components more broadly, a final public research report will be published, to summarise key findings and lessons learned through the project, but also to provide recommendations for policy makers and practitioners on how to move forward. IMPACT AND LONGER TERM BENEFITS While eSL+ will make a direct difference to the online safety experiences of half a dozen European schools and teachers, project outcomes will be disseminated to a much broader audience of public and private stakeholders. As such, outputs and events will positively affect EU and national policy discussions, ensuring an informed dialogue between decision makers and educators across Europe.
CONTEXT/BACKGROUND The eSafety Label (eSL) is a multi-stakeholder project which was initiated in by EUN in 2012, in partnership with various European MoEs, European education organisations and ICT companies, in response to the growing need for guidance and support for schools who aim to explore the use of online technology and digital devices, as these bring along an increasingly complex variety of risks and opportunities, which need to be addressed in a safe and responsible manner. PROJECT OBJECTIVES The main objective of the eSL+ project was to draw upon and move beyond the well-established potential of the eSL infrastructure as also to identify, coach and empower a group of eSafety Champions in order to a) map current needs and key priorities in this area of work, b) build towards a more comprehensive variety of online learning materials designed by teachers for teachers, c) mobilise a wider community of educators and education stakeholders through an ongoing exchange of expertise and best practice experience. NUMBER AND TYPE/PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS The eSL+ project engaged the following participants and stakeholders: a) A group of 20 eSL+ Ambassadors went through a training and capacity building process with national partners and EUN through a series of online seminars and f2f meetings aiming to create eSafety educational materials, b) The launch of the new eSL portal has positively impacted the user experience of over 6,500 members of the eSL Community and will continue to do so in the future as more languages will be added and new features will be released, c) The engagement of 1,166 educators through their participation in the report study carried out in the context of IO1, provided an opportunity to get to know better the details of eSL initiative and its capabilities, d) Through the MOOC, 1,093 educators from 58 countries engaged with the eSL initiative and the eSL+ project, having the opportunity to develop an online safety strategy for their own schools and benefit from the Champion materials and other eSL resources, e) In the final eSL+ conference in Brussels, 73 participants discussed how to implement online safety education in schools and acquired a deeper understanding of the eSL initiative, the eSL+ project, the Champion materials and the ambassador programme. UNDERTAKEN ACTIVITIES eSL+ project implemented a 28-month work programme, along three main phases: In PHASE I the IO1 “Public-friendly research report: Mapping online safety needs and priorities in education” and IO2 “The eSL platform: Online capacity building tools and services” were implemented. In PHASE II the IO3,4 & 5 “ eSafety Champion materials EL, PT, CZ” were developed. In PHASE III the IO6 “ A European eSafety Champion MOOC for connected schools” and IO7 “ Final public report: eSL+ manifesto: Become the Next eSafety Champion - lessons learned and how to move forward” were realized. Additionally, national multiplier events organized in Greece, Portugal and the Czech Republic, with the active involvement of the certified eSafety Champions and a European multiplier event organized in Brussels, reaching out to European policy makers, while involving the full range of eSL stakeholders. RESULTS AND IMPACT ATTAINED The eSL+ project helped to expand the eSL ecosystem, into a vibrant online community of practice, supporting the continuous professional development of school staff, in particular ICT coordinators and teachers, dealing with digital competences and innovative pedagogies. eSL+ partners supported an eSL+ ambassador scheme, by selecting a group of 20 teachers from project partner countries. Ambassadors were coached online and offline during the first year of the project, resulting in a range of new learning materials freely available at the eSL portal. In addition, eSL+ project partners prepared an eSL+ MOOC which helped to drive traffic towards the eSafety Label ecosystem, mainstreaming a comprehensive set of whole-schools strategies and best practice solutions. eSL+ project outcomes definitely support school leaders and teachers to deal with increasingly complex school and classroom realities in the digital age, by adopting innovative methods and tools, exploiting the educational materials that developed from teachers for teaches and promoting and strengthening leadership in regards to safe and responsible use of technology. IMPACT AND LONGER TERM BENEFITS eSL+ succeed to make a direct difference to the online safety experiences to European schools, teachers and students and in long-term, project outcomes will be further disseminated to a much broader audience of public and private stakeholders through the established scheme of the eSL Champions / Ambassadors. Therefore, all outputs and reports developed in the context of the eSL+ project will positively affect EU and national policy discussions, ensuring an informed dialogue between decision makers and educators across Europe.