In session 1, Didactics of Digital Education, we will focus on the teacher, the student and the learning environment. We will consider the digital transformation of learning and teaching made possible by the meaningful and effective use of digital technologies. Additionally, we will discuss the role of the teacher in teaching with an active approach, especially in the way that students acquire knowledge at different, in particular higher taxonomic levels. We will focus on personalisation and individualisation of lessons, checking, assessing and observing the progress, digital competencies of students and teachers, online safety and privacy concerns, modern teaching approaches, innovative learning environment that includes traditional and digital infrastructure, and on tools for self-evaluation of digital competencies. When thinking about students, we will be guided by the question of how to empower them as much as possible to develop the necessary competencies for them, and how to encourage them to participate, act and coexist. We will try to present the novelties through practical examples. We will follow the recommendations of the European document DigComp 2.0: The digital competence framework for citizens, European framework for the digital competence of educators (DigCompEdu), OECD publication The Future of Education and Skills 2030, the so-called SAMR model, the SELFIE tool and the Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027).
Thematic Sessions
Thematic Sesssion 1: Didactics of Digital Education
Sub-session 1 (TEACHER) – What is the role of all involved in teaching and learning with digital technologies?
- Moderator: Vesna Ferk Savec, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Education
- Speaker: Mart Laanpere, Tallinn University, School of Digital Technologies, Centre for Educational Technology
In the sub-topic »TEACHER« we will listen to four presentations that will highlight the role of the teacher and the potential of digital technology in achieving higher levels of knowledge and cognitive processes. We will also present examples in which integration of digital technologies enables individualization and personalization.
Lecturer Mart Laanpere will show in what ways teachers can self-evaluate their pedagogical digital competences with the SELFIE tool and what role it can play in leadership and teaching using digital technology. After each presentation, a group of tertiary level students will ask the lecturers a few questions and at the end they will prepare a presentation in which they will highlight their ideas and thoughts on the opportunities offered by digital technology in education.
Sub-session 2 (LEARNER) – What kind of digital citizen we need/want?
- Moderator: Nives Kreuh, Utrecht University of Applied Sciences)
- Speaker: Axel Jean, Ministry of National Education and Youth, France
In the sub-topic »LEARNER« we will present the resourcefulness of learners: how they »take advantage« of the opportunities that digital technology brings them, how they respond to the opportunities offered to them by the teacher and the learning environment, how they plan and self-regulate their own learning?
Lecturer Axel Jean will present how AI supports students in planning, monitoring and self-regulating their own learning.
Through presentations of examples of good practice, we will highlight the role of the teacher and the potential of digital technology in the field of personalization of learning, achieving higher levels of knowledge and cognitive processes.
After each presentation, a group of elementary school students will ask the lecturers a few questions and at the end they will prepare a presentation in which they will highlight their ideas and thoughts on how to learn best and most effectively.
Sub-session 3 (LEARNING ENVIRONMENT) – What will be the learning environments of the future?
- Moderator: Marko Radovan, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts, Slovenia
- Speaker: Dana Redford, PEEP — Policy Experimentation & Evaluation Platform, Portugal
In the sub-topic »LEARNING ENVIRONMENT« we will deal with modern learning environments in which the digital infrastructure enables individualization and personalization and the achievement of higher levels of knowledge.
Lecturer Dana T. Redford will focus on the role and importance of a variety of digital content, web and mobile technologies in shaping future learning environments.
Other invited lecturers will use concrete examples to show, among other things, how this will affect the development of new learning methods and approaches. Presentations of good practices provide insight into the potential of modern learning environments, which enable different levels of integration of digital technology into teaching according to the specifics of the learning content.
After each presentation, a group of high school students will ask the lecturers a few questions and at the end they will the end they will prepare a presentation in which they will highlight their ideas and thoughts on the opportunities offered by digital technology in education.
Thematic Sesssion 2: School and Society in a Digital World
In session 2, School and Society in a Digital World, the main topic will be the role of the school in the digitalised world: is this role changing? Is the school becoming a space of socialisation? We will discuss what kind of digital citizens we need and want, how they will act in the future, how to educate them about digital security and privacy, and how to fill the gaps in digital skills between different students. We will focus on the development of social and emotional competencies, the question of how to raise children for independent living and for living in a digital society, and how to create an environment for their success and happiness. We will also discuss media literacy, children’s rights, virtual communities, digital citizenship and youth participation (with digital tools) as well as classroom management.
Sub-session 1 – How can school support learner to distinguish fake news from real ones?
- Moderator: Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck, Lie detectors, Belgium
In the sub-topic How can school support learner to distinguish fake news from real ones? we will discuss how can media-literate children use their critical thinking in an age of online disinformation? What role must teachers occupy, and what do they need to know about how children navigate online? Participants in this workshop will receive practical tools and hands-on examples in an interactive setting on how to fight disinformation in the classroom today and in the future.
Sub-session 2 – What is the role of teachers in supporting emotional wellbeing and nurturing social skills?
- Moderators: Ana Kozina, Educational Research Institute, Slovenia and Tina Vršnik Perše, Faculty of Education, University of Maribor
In the sub-topic What is the role of teachers in supporting emotional wellbeing and nurturing social skills? we will look at the teaching as an emotional process and a challenge on its own. In addition, teachers face a multitude of challenges associated with the characteristics of their profession, challenges associated with their teaching and classroom interactions, as well as challenges related to the COVID-19 epidemic. Now more than ever support for social and emotional competencies of teachers and students is needed. How to do this will be showcased in this session.
Sub-session 3 – How to respond to different needs of different students and develop an inclusive classroom climate?
- Moderator: Sonja Stepančič, Primary School Trnovo, Slovenia
In the sub-topic How to respond to different needs of different students and develop an inclusive classroom climate we will provide a practical insight into the way the class is led, where the teacher co-creates an effective learning environment and adapts the lessons to the students’ educational needs. Emphasis will be placed on processes that particularly promote and develop the dynamics of relationships in which all stakeholders feel responsible for the well-being and acceptance of all members and act accordingly, thereby developing an inclusive classroom climate.
Sub-session 4 – How can school contribute to building participate society by developing active citizens?
- Moderator: Aleš Kustec, Gymnasium Franca Miklošiča Ljutomer, Slovenia
In the sub-topic How can school contribute to building participate society by developing active citizens? we will discuss the importance of the active citizens for a functioning democracy. The school has a key role in educating critical individuals, who know how to inform themselves and are aware of the possibilities of political participation. Test yourself as an active citizen and join us.
Thematic Sesssion 3: Artificial intelligence (AI) in education and for education
In session 3, Artificial intelligence (AI) in education and for education, we will consider AI’s role in education. Artificial intelligence is not meant to replace teachers, but to help them. For educators, it may be something like the discovery of the microscope was for physicians in the 19th century, so we need to understand its principles, opportunities, and challenges. Everyone can – and should – learn about AI. Therefore, we will address various issues, such as how teachers and students should use it meaningfully in teaching and learning, so that they can think critically about the role of technology in society and at the same time learn how to communicate with it. In this context, ethical concerns about the use of technology in education are particularly important. There are several questions: how to assess whether a device provides students with acquisition of all the cognitive, social and emotional competencies they need, whether it is safe for use in education, or how problematic is its monitoring of the users. We will consider the various problems that artificial intelligence can cause, while also listing potential solutions to them. The considerations will be based on insights emerging at the intersection of the fields of philosophy (ethics), artificial intelligence (AI), and pedagogy (education) and derived from the key documents, such as Artificial Intelligence for Europe (COM 237, 2018) and the Coordinated Plan on Artificial Intelligence (COM 759, 2018).
