The use of digital technologies and open data in education in general and in addressing the need for active citizenship in particular remains fragmented because educational stakeholders are largely unaware of the potential benefits that digital technologies and open data can offer for learning as well as the opportunities available to them when they develop digital skills in an open data environment. Digital technologies are used in most employment areas, but the understanding and recognition of data and information literacy is lacking in the European job marketplace. This is recognized as the first item in the European Commission Digital Competence Framework (https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/digcomp/digital-competence-framework). Until now, educational stakeholders have been extremely timid in applying the use of open data and digital technologies in satisfying their responsibility to help young people in their demographic engagement and acquisition of digital citizenship skills in order to fully participate in their communities and make smart choices online and in life. According to the EU Science hub, this European initiative urgently needs to be embedded in schools and in teacher training. This proposal, D3: Developing Digital Data literacy is a response to these needs, while embracing engagement in citizenship through digital technologies as outlined in the European Commission Digicomp Conceptual reference model. The D3 project aims to make use of the outcomes of the Comenius Forward Looking Youth project “YouthMetre: A Tool for Forward Youth Participation”, which promoted “the collection and analysis of substantive evidence allowing young people to participate effectively in policy making”. This project, in turn recommended relating further actions to the European Framework for Digitally Competent Educational Organizations and supporting innovative approaches and digital technologies for teaching and learning in schools. D3 is designed to promote a highly relevant educational approach, applying the framework of a digital citizenship educational paradigm, by providing innovative mechanisms (curricula and engagement structures) resulting in learning and engagement opportunities to integrate digital technologies and open data in schools. The goal, therefore, of the proposed project is not only to narrow the existing gap between education and digital literacy, but to shift the education process in innovative ways altering the approaches we have catalysed learning that needs to include digital citizenship. Towards that goal the project will produce the following outputs: IO1: Review school curricula and qualifications, open data tools This review is relates to the EC Digicomp framework and provides a capacity building tool by identifying opportunities to integrate open data and digital data tools into secondary schools and responsive to the “digital data skills” gaps. IO2: Teacher Training Course focusing on competences related to digital technologies and data literacy key competences in initial and continuing teacher education and training IO3: Teaching resources on democratic engagement and open data These teaching resources will provide blueprints for teachers to use digital data and information tools to help build critical engagement and active citizenship. IO4: Gallery of Case studies demonstrating pedagogical approaches such as citizen science. A series of Multiplier events will be organized to promote and share these outputs and engage and enthuse teachers and educators to adopt ‘digital data literacy’ with ‘active citizenship activities’ in school situations.
The objectives of the D3 project have been to: 1. Promote the use digital technologies and open data tools in learning and teaching. 2. Increase the capacity of learning and teaching to integrate democratic engagement considerations into educational plans and strategies. 3. Establish suitable styles of learning to access and integrate open data into schools and 4. Improve educational stakeholders’ response to the need for data and information literacy in schools and teacher training.
EUROGEO has long been a supporter of the European Commission’s initiative to establish a framework and environment for the creation and sharing of Open Data, for instance in promoting the EU portal for European data and various European initiatives like the FOSTER programme. To establish the credibility and use of this data training and support are needed and embedding the use of digital technologies and open data in education in general and in addressing the need for active democracy and citizenship in particular remain a key goal for the association. Educational stakeholders are largely unaware of the potential benefits that digital technologies and open data offer for learning. Data-driven decision making is increasingly be used in government, industry and business. It is the process of using data to inform your decision-making process and validate a course of action before committing to it. Education and a trained staff are needed of organisations are to realise the full value of their data and improve their decision making. Developing Digital Data literacy has been a response to these needs, embracing engagement in democratic governance and citizenship as outlined in the European Commission Digcomp Conceptual reference model and the EU Digital Decade targets on digital citizenship: rights and principles for Europeans (https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/europe-fit-digital-age/europes-digital-decade-digital-targets-2030_en).