The crisis triggered by the Corona pandemic has clearly shown european countries the importance of the competent use of digital tools and communication media for our society. Due to the required social distancing, virtual communication channels, such as video conferences, synchronous and asynchronous cooperation, have gained enormously in importance and are crucial for the social integration of people in times of crisis. A large proportion of people living in Europe can handle these tools well and already use them in profession and private lives. However, one group of the population particularly affected by the effects of the Corona crisis remains excluded from modern digital communication channels: old and very old people are often not able to use the current media and communication channels to a sufficient extent.These circumstances have fatal consequences for the integration of this group into society, especially in times of enforced quarantine and social distancing. They continue to become lonely and lose contact to their relatives and society in general. There are 3 main reasons for this: 1. digital tools and media are not adapted to the special needs of the elderly. 2. there are insufficient training programmes for very old people, which could introduce and enable them to use digital tools and media 3. teachers are not well enough trained in the didactic requirements for training very old people GANYMED reacts to this situation and postulates that this deficit is best addressed by better training of teachers. Therefore GANYMED develops and evaluates didactic systems, contents and structures for teachers in the age-appropriate education of very old people in the field of digital communication and media using the methods of geragogy (science of education in old age). The materials and didactic concepts created are intended to enable teachers to convey the dynamic content and potential of digital media and communication in an age-appropriate manner on a well-founded basis, thus enabling the 70+ generation to participate in digitization. The project results will be spread by GANYMED community platform and will be distributed in Europe as Open Education Resources. The project results can then make a valuable contribution to the integration of the 70+ generation in society in times of crisis and beyond.
The main objective of GANYMED is to enable the 70+ generation to participate in the communication methods and tools of the digital world as well as countering the development of the digital world for people who are between 10 and 50 years old by designing multiplier training programs and creating age 70+ appropriate learning content. The project seeks to encourage people 70+ to participate in society and be included in technology and digitization by supporting self-determination in older people when evaluating digital tools and deciding which digital tools might be worth figuring out and how to discover them. Besides this primary objective, the GANYMED project aims to promote this digital communication tools manufacturers’ interest in considering this age group.
Digital tools and communication media in society are crucial, especially when pandemics happen, as has happened since 2019 with Corona. The required social distancing, such as video conferences and synchronous and asynchronous cooperation, have acquired exceptional importance and are crucial for the social integration of people in times of crisis. Although a large proportion of people living in Europe can handle these tools well and already use them in their profession and private lives, one group of the population, old and very old people, still particularly affected by the effects of the Corona crisis, remain excluded from modern digital communication channels. Also, there aren’t still digital tools and media adapted to their particular needs, and an insufficient training program or didactic requirements to train them. The GANYMED project proposes developing the didactic systems, contents, and structures of age-appropriated education for very old people, 70+ generation, in the digital communication and media field using Geragogy (the science of education in old age).