Media, social networks and ICT: opportunities for learning

The development of Information and Communication Technology and its gradual integration into our education systems is bringing about considerable changes in the role of teachers and students. The massive use of Internet and ICT by a digital born generation is creating new contexts for social relations and formal and informal learning. The media and social networks have a huge impact and power on individuals, groups and society and we need to reflect on the positive changes as well as the risks this new digital reality implies for its younger users. Participating in the information society requires digital skills in order to prevent exclusion and to reduce the digital gap, which may also become a source of new inequalities. Therefore, we consider digital citizenship as a priority objective for the schools of the 21st century. Our main purpose has been to use the impact of the media and ICT to promote common positive values, improve the quality of our curriculum and contribute to a better school environment. By looking at how participating countries were addressing an issue which directly affects our students´ personal development and their relationships within our school environment, our project would become complementary to the work already carried out by school staff and management in that field. By working together, participants from socio-economically and culturally diverse countries of Europe (Italy, Poland, Spain, Latvia, Turkey, and Greece) have collected relevant data and analyzed the impact of the media, Internet and social networks on both students and teachers. At the same time, we aimed to promote the incorporation of ICT in the teaching-learning process, improve our students´ digital competence and promote a responsible use of ICT, by using a series of creative and challenging activities. About 2500 students and teachers from 6 different countries have been involved in the project´s activities and about 170 of them have participated in mobilities. Our project was based on active student participation, peer-to-peer learning as senior students were prepared to participate in the implementation of some of the activities at their own schools when hosting a conferencee and/or after taking part in a mobility to a partner school. The main results of the project include the creation of EU corners in each school, the implementation of surveys to raise awareness of the media and social networks impact, followed by the elaboration of a guide to promote responsible digital citizenship, the creation of a blog and website and promoting the use of etwinning. We have also paid special attention to the issue of cyberbullying, so other outcomes have been cyberassessment training workshops, for both students and parents, as well as the production of a series of short documentaries on this topic and a book of short stories. Working with staff and students from other European countries has given partner schools an opportunity to share good practices, learn from one another and lay the basis which will ensure lasting cooperation.For all participants, it has increased the awareness of sharing common European values and traditions and at the same time contributed to a better understanding of our social and cultural differences.