I Tech: youth do digital science

This strategic partnership aims at producing a pedagogical tool on digital science. The tool will consist of 4 modules on the following themes: Social networking, coding, internet of things, and training for the people in charge of delivering the tool. This open educational resource shall be employed in activities targeting young people between 11 and 18 years old and experiencing a situation of digital exclusion. The tool will be a comprehensive educational resource on those topics, it will contain playful and engaging activities in order to attract hard to reach youth, and will allow for deployment in any circumstances, notably the streets.

The rationale for this project stems from the observation that, across Europe, a considerable number of young people lack digital skills which are required by the labor market, education institutions as well as for active participation in society. The main focus shall be on digital skills of the disadvantaged insofar as digital exclusion is susceptible to contributing to their social exclusion.
Another alarming fact about digital education is that there are huge disparities between EU countries. This project involves partnership with organizations based in some of the European countries in which data reveals the lower levels of youngsters digital education, in order to reverse the trend and support institutions in challenging the digital divide.

The objectives of the project can be summed up as follows:

a) combat digital exclusion of disadvantaged youth

b) reduce isolation, enhance social inclusion of disadvantage youth via activities on digital technologies

c) trigger interest for digital technologies, thus offering the opportunity to open to new professional educational dimensions

d) develop critical attitude towards digital and media technologies

e) prevent youth from engaging in dangerous practices and misuses of digital technologies (issues related to privacy and security such as electronic identity theft or cyber bullying)

f) increase soft skills (create new relationships, bonding of existing relationships, self-confidence, self-esteem, curiosity, etc.)

g) increase technical skills

h) initiate youth to new forms of non formal learning

i) trigger interest for careers and studies in maths, science and technology

Besides achieving production of an OER, the strategic partnership is expected to produce the following tangible outcomes:

DIGITAL BADGES

Two digital badges, hosted on the OBA online platform, will be produced as a result of this strategic partnership: one badge targeting individuals willing to learn about digital science and acquire digital skills, another badge targeting youth workers/educators and anyone interested in delivering the OER as well as, more generally, delivering training, education (formal and non-formal) on digital science.

OER HARDWARE REPLICATION INSTRUCTION

Detailed instructions as to how to produce a faithful replica of the OER hardware as well as indications relative to all necessary material, will be available on two DIY online platforms: wikifab.org and instructables.com. By coupling the content of the digital badges together with the OER hardware replication instructions, anyone could obtain an educational tool which performs the same functions as the OER produced during this strategic partnership. Access to instructions on online platforms will be open to anyone and will simply require a free registration.

Use of the OER, either in its physical or virtual form, as main pedagogical resource for activities on digital science shall be conducive to supporting development of a vast collection of digital as well as generic transferable skills among the target public, for example information skills, communication skills, content creation skills, safety knowledge, problem-solving technics.

Dissemination of project's results and achievements will concern several different types of target: community centres, places for digital culture and digital fabrication, libraries, education institutions, youth workers, educators, and trainers. Dissemination activities are expected to reach a few thousands people. They will serve to encourage organizations to initiate activities on digital science to combat digital exclusion, encourage youth to participate to communities (notably on-line communities), thus reducing the likelihood of their social exclusion.