Lecture, Ecriture en Europe dans un contexte de mutation numérique

Project: “Reading and writing in Europe in the context of digital migration” - “From script to screen”With the advent of digital technology our society is going through an unprecedented change; a global cultural revolution that affects all sectors of society. As professionals in the field of books and as education specialists, we wanted this project (which brings together five European countries - Austria, Belgium, France, Poland and Romania) to act as a vehicle for conducting studies and investigating the issues in order to have a better understanding of the challenges brought about by this complex evolution and thus be able to better provide for new reading and writing practices.With this in mind, we invited specialists from various disciplines to participate in several round tables and give their philosophical, economic, scientific and pedagogical viewpoints. We also asked artists to address these issues from a sensitive and creative perspective and, finally, we initiated sociological and neuro-cognitive studies to look at these new realities with the highest degree of precision.We have worked according to the following objectives:- To approach the issues raised in an innovative fashion in order to come up with solutions from the field that can be adopted by the different establishments concerned.- To create synergy between the European partners in order to develop a joint driving force.- To study new reading and writing practices with different target audiences and notably with young people and, through high school exchanges, allow them to participate in the project as European citizens.Our cooperation took several formsFirstly, professional exchanges between three sectors dedicated to books: Mediatem - a network of 15 media libraries in France, Lesezentrum Steiermark in Austria and the Belgium-based Maison du Livre (House of Books) association. Communication between the different partners made it possible to build hitherto inexistent links. Secondly, creative exchange programs between four high schools: two French, one Polish and one Romanian. In order for young people to take part in the digital revolution as acting citizens, we launched several projects enabling themto ponder their education and become familiar with the fundamental skills associatedto reading and writing in both traditional and multimedia formats.Initiatives1. Development of a website, a webdoc, 4 exhibitions and several artistic workshops.2. 4 key periods consisting of round tables, high-school pupil debates, workshopsand artistic residencies.3. 1 neuro-cognitive experiment and 1 sociological study.4. 1 teaching kit.5. 1 white paper.6. Circulation of the Scripta Numerica mobile exhibition around each partner country in order to disseminate its contents and created objects.MethodologyWe chose to base the project on a cooperation-centered approach organized around constant distance communication between the partners via thebasecamp tool and 7 transnational meetings dedicated to the exchange of information and experience as well as the scheduling of collaborative peer production per phase. Confluences and Europe took charge of managing the methodological tools and any interpersonal issues.White paperAt the end two years of shared and assessed multi-field research, we are able to set forth a forward-looking perspective of the expectations of the different target audiences, notably that of the younger generation, with regard to education and media libraries; the “Third Place”. This field of action has now developed into a sustainable platform for exchange between European partners who became acquainted and worked together during this project. We do not claim to have the answers to all the questions related to digital technology but we have gathered together different perspectives, laid out new expertise and, by taking both formal and informal approaches, we have been able to develop acquisition tools. Insofar as the meetings and exchanges concerning common issues have led to the opening up fields of investigation, this partnership has proved to be deeply significant.The project team : The town of Saint-Raphaël- project coordinator.Les Ailes du Vent Association, FranceMALTAE Association, FranceLa Maison du Livre, Brussels, Belgium, Lesezentrum, Graz literacy Center in AustriaPelplin high school in Polandthe Golf-Hôtel vocational school Hyères, FrancePetru Rares high school from Piatra Neamt in RomaniaSaint-Exupéry High school in Saint Raphaël, FranceConfluences & Europe, France