The project objectives were very specific and addressed the needs identified by the partners: - Development of pupils’ and teachers’ digital and media skills. - Promotion of innovative methods, such as digital storytelling and the use of Web 2.0 tools. - Improvement of pupils’ English language skills (reading, speaking and listening). - Increased cultural awareness and promotion of national heritage. - Strengthening international co-operation and the exchange of good practice. - Greater engagement of pupils at risk of exclusion—particularly those facing economic and social disadvantage. - Development of 21st-century competences, such as critical and creative thinking, collaboration, and content creation. - Exploring and promoting the cultural heritage of pupils’ own towns/countries, and linking content to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
By implementing the project, we aimed to introduce an effective, modern teaching method—digital storytelling—validated by research as a tool that boosts motivation and retention and develops key literacies (creativity, narrative and the organisation of thought). This rationale underpinned our funding application and the choice of the project’s guiding methodology. We needed to strengthen, in pupils and teachers alike, the key competences of the twenty-first century (ICT, creativity, critical thinking, collaboration/communication-the 4C model), together with language competence, media literacy and the safe use of the internet. We also sought to internationalise our schools and foster intercultural attitudes, including tolerance and a sense of European citizenship; the project was designed to support sustainable development and the protection of cultural heritage. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the increased time young people spend in digital environments and their growing interest in online activities. Traditional teaching methods proved insufficient, whereas pupils were more motivated during engaging digital tasks. It addressed the need to counteract social exclusion among pupils from rural areas and with educational difficulty