DIG4LIFE is an action research project that aims to create the best conditions of exchange best practices in teaching digital skills by the innovation and dissemination of innovative tools, such as simulator and teaching editor for digital gamification environment. The main objectives of DIG4LIFE are to contribute by research and innovation to: - the improvement of teaching quality and educators skills to the fight against functional and emotional illiteracy and unequal access to education - the spread of best practices at the European level, and the improvement of media and digital literacy. It is an update for professors and a contribution to the fight against functional and emotional illiteracy and unequal access to education. DIG4LIFE is open to all fields of education and training. The project tries to provide a concrete answer to the following needs: - the economic inequality determined by digital and literacy skills gap in a great part of the population - the functional illiteracy which afflicts important sections of the population in the face of an increasingly digitized world and labour market - the boosting of digital competences in Europe - the improvement of teaching quality - the effectiveness of education and training and active citizenship - the promotion of innovative teaching-learning method by new pedagogical approaches based on self-assessment and experiential logic DIG4LIFE provides 5 essential IOs strongly correlated with each other. DIG4LIFE has built a partnership (IT, ES, FIN, SL, AT, LI) among universities, research centres, training institutions, schools, including various approaches and experiences. The added value of the partnership is given by the fact that the transnational partnership shows different experiences in the digital Technology Learning Environment. This is why DIG4LIFE will be able to involve around: 90 teachers in self-assessment, prototype co-design and training experimentation pilot; 360 students for training experimentation pilot; totally 200 people among educators, experts and researchers by multiplier events, 600 by final dissemination and products release. The main activities will be developed following a stepwise approach. A 1st step regards the Teachers Self Assessment: test and tools (IO1). In this step, the entire research design is shared with all partners, by IO.A1 Guideline for methodology and tools for self-assessment, to clarify methodology, instruments, tools, output etc. Each country partner follows teachers' self-assessment for PIAAC and DIGCOMEDU provided by P1. After gathering data DIG4LIFE produces “A comparative Report - IO1.A2 - which summarizes the strengths and weaknesses of teachers' digital skills on the bases of self-assessment results (PIAAC and DIGCOMPEDU). This report is necessary for setting IO2 and to achieve free the DIGCOMPEDU self-assessment digital tools (IO1.A4) In the 2nd step, DIG4LIFE produces the Co-design proto-type DIGital Environment for LIteracy and Future Education (IO2). In each Partner country, teachers will be involved in the definition of the model and digital objects. Teachers at the end of their DIG4LIFE course will produce games on the dimensions of digital maturity/DIGCOMP/PIAAC aimed at the training of students and develop storyboards for assessing skills and train students. In the 3rd step, DIG4LIFE test the prototype in the real situation by the Experimentation and implementation of the prototype on students (IO.3) and the Experimentation and implementation of the prototype on the dual vocational training system (IO.4). IO3 aims to develop a protocol to guide the experimentation process with Dig4Life. The protocol will be validated and used within the project and will constitute a tangible output that will accompany Dig4Life for teachers to perform further experimentations. IO4 Identify a group of controls for validating the tool for control early school leaving. During IO4 a Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy will be developed. Within the strategy, a Quality Assurance Plan, including a set of procedures and indicators for QA, will be drawn. It will build upon the indicators defined, and outline the allotment of QA indicators to each result along with a checklist that will measure the level of compliance. Additionally, the strategy will include all measures and timetables to outline the internal evaluation of project activities and results and is incorporated within the development of intellectual outputs. During the 5th step DIG4LIFE will produce Product Release: Guidelines and digital tools (IO.5) by two main actions: Guidelines and methodology for Dissemination (P2) and Digital Product release (P7) for fruition in a digital environment based on an open-source WEB APP LMS. Communication, monitoring and dissemination represent transversal activities which follow all the projects to ensure the maximum spreading of results and the continuous improvement in the logic of total quality.
DIG4LIFE project wants to make a valuable contribution through research and innovation in the: - Improving the quality of teaching and the educators’ skills to combat functional and emotional illiteracy and unequal access to education; - disseminating best practices on a European level and improving media and digital literacy. The project aimed to update teachers and contribute to the fight against functional and emotional illiteracy and unequal access to education by co-designing a serious game for developing basic and digital skills. In this regard, the project promotes - inter-curricular collaboration, creativity, innovative approaches and learning environments - cooperation with subjects in local communities and abroad to support teachers in designing skills-based teaching and developing a method for assessing and validating key competencies - introduction of systematic approaches and opportunities for the initial and continuous professional development of teachers, as well as through the development of effective, open and innovative digital education methods and pedagogies as well as practical tools - to raise the attractiveness of the professions of teachers, trainers, mentors and educational leaders of VET.
The digital and information society should guarantee individuals the right to express their potential and to actively participate in civic and private life. Yet nowadays, an immense amount of information is dematerialised and potentially made available to the whole population. Therefore, inequalities and social unrest increase dramatically and unexpectedly and participation in civil and democratic life decreases relentlessly (data, source). Functional and digital illiteracy, in particular, creates problems for individuals regarding social inclusion and exercising citizenship in a democratic society. Looking out for these needs, DIG4LIFE provides teachers and secondary school students with tools to strengthen the digital and civic skills necessary to counter the widespread phenomenon of functional and digital illiteracy with the aims to: a) develop the key competencies in initial and continuous VET, particularly the literacy of digital skills, including common and open source methodologies based on Serious Game. b) introduce systematic approaches and opportunities for the continuous professional development of teachers, as well as through the development of effective, open and innovative digital education methods.