Content Curation at school: tools and methodologies for teachers

Content curation is the process of gathering information relevant to a particular topic or area of interest; it allows us to find, give meaning and share the information we need. It is a fundamental activity that aims to filter the flows of information, by their chaotic nature, that move on the net and give them an order according to a specific criterion. This process requires the development of digital competences that activate cognitive processes of organization and evaluation, and which are part of the set of competences defined as information literacy, essential for knowledge workers of the 21st century, as highlighted in European documents and indications: EU’s Digital education action plan, 2018; EU Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) 2018; JRC’s DigComp 2.1, digital skills of citizens, 2017. In Italy, European indications are implemented by MIUR, Digital school plan, action # 14: A common framework for students' digital skills, 2015, as well in the Syllabus of digital civic education, 2018.The project CURRY aims to provide teachers with tools, procedures, and methodological guidelines to carry out content curation activities in the school, supporting them in the development of innovative approaches to make students acquire Information Literacy. Project’s objectives are:• to identify and describe models, theoretical and methodological foundations of content curation;• to create an online repertoire of procedures and practices for content curation at school;• to support teachers in the implementation of innovative approaches and training activities for content curation and information literacy;• to support schools and educational institutions to make students acquire information literacy.Content curation can become a pedagogical tool to encourage critical investigation in the digital age. The acquisition of competences in this sense allows the creation of a bridge between informal learning - that takes place outside the school context - and formal learning, in the direction of the development of critical thinking, dialogue and involvement through new forms of creation, care and dissemination of content.The project CURRY is addressed to school teachers (ISCED2 and ISCED3 levels). The project has a duration of 24 months and involves 7 partners from 5 countries (Italy, Belgium, Estonia, France and Spain). The work program is developed in 3 logically and dynamically interrelated stages: Management; Intellectual Output implementation with four intellectual outputs; Dissemination and follow up. All partners are actively involved in every step of the actions, implementing processes and products. Work is cooperative, using the communication and interaction tools of the project website. 4 operative consortium meetings are scheduled in coincidence with the main stages of the project, and 11 multiplier events in all partners countries ensure the valorization of the produced output and the impact at all levels.Expected results:- a background methodological study identifying paradigms, models, fields of application and potentials of content curation for teachers; - a Competence tree of the content curation competences; - an online Repertoire of content curation procedures and practices for teachers and schools;- handbook with operative guidelines for content curation in school;- a re-use and a valorization of the OER existing on content curation;- a validation of the Starter kit, the Repertoire and the Handbook involving teachers, experts and students;- an implementation of the online system an information area about the project;- multiplier events in all partners’ countries, dissemination activities and a final conference.On project’s completion teachers will raise awareness around the value of content curation in school and will be supported in developing and implementing innovative approaches and learning activity about content curation at school; teachers and experts involved will potentiate and improve the digital competence; teachers and schools will help students acquiring strategic Information Literacy competences; teachers and students will be able to counteract the diffusion of disinformation and fake news, thanks to the criteria and tools to recognize reliable information sources; teachers and schools will raise awareness about the OER philosophy and the diffusion of the concept of copyleft, the Creative Commons licenses and other free use licenses.