DIG IT: Digital Storytelling meets the world of work Erasmus Project

Project Title

DIG IT: Digital Storytelling meets the world of work

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education

Project Summary

DIG IT project focused on cooperation for innovation and exchange of good practices between educators, schools and organizations. The project covered a variety of topics which link to labour market issues, youth unemployment, early school leaving, combating failure in education, entrepreneurial learning, implementing ICT technologies and digital tools and social media into education, enhancing both teachers’ and students’ digital competences. DIG IT project specifically targeted students and continued the “Repérer-Réparer-Raccrocher” (RRR) Project (2013-2015) which aimed to prevent dropout. RRR project trained teachers in Finland, Greece, Romania and other countries with innovative teaching and learning methods focused on the theory of multiple intelligences.

The objectives of DIG IT project were linked with different strategic frameworks such as Education & Training 2020: Making lifelong learning and mobility a reality, improving the quality and efficiency of education and training, promoting equity, social cohesion, and active citizenship and enhancing creativity and innovation, including entrepreneurship, at all levels of education and training.

The key element of the project was the method of Digital Storytelling which was used as a way to reflect and document the workplace visits students executed during the transnational events. Students gained knowledge about the labour market skills and entrepreneurship through interviews and discussions with professionals and high-profile decision makers in Europe. These experiences were shared with Digital Stories. Digital Storytelling combines the art of telling stories with a variety of digital multimedia, such as images, audio and video.

DIG IT activities can be divided into five phases:
1. Planning and training for the mobilities in home school. Use of social media and digital tools to connect with the partners.
2. Visits in the companies and social partner organizations. Interviews and discussions with professionals and high-profile decision makers in Europe.

3. Digital Storytelling workshops for reflecting and documenting the visits. Editing the recorded interviews.
4. Evaluation, feedback, reflection at the home institution with the use of social media, digital tools etc.
5. Dissemination.

Educators’ activities also included: project meetings, hands-on workshops on Digital Storytelling and social media tools & virtual worlds in education, group discussions etc. During the visits to work places students and teachers had an insight in the life of entrepreneurs. Conversations and the material gathered for the digital stories made the experiences deep and lead the students and teachers into a profound understanding of the skills needed in labour market. This has affected the way DIG IT teachers teach and to the updating of the contents of our vocational studies. Representatives of the labour market have had influence in many positive ways to students’ attitude towards studies and teachers’ way of approaching vocational subjects. The cooperation between students, teachers and representatives has been genuine and rewarding.

Approximately 170 students and 50 teachers from five countries worked together in four transnational training events and in two transnational meetings. A kick off meeting with an educators’ workshop in Finland in October 2015 started the activities and an evaluation & dissemination meeting in Thessaloniki, Greece in May 2017 closed the project. Two teachers from each participating organization took part in these meetings.

DIG IT ensured access to the transnational training events on an equal basis, especially for individuals at risk of being excluded and from disadvantaged backgrounds. The opportunity to participate in the project workshops and mobilities was especially given to those students that had challenges in staying at school, had less opportunities to participate in multicultural activities, had economical challenges to participate or felt insecure to travel alone.

DIG IT – project aimed to empower students and teachers, raise students’ awareness of their character and abilities, to improve their IT and digital skills while working on Digital Storytelling, to raise attainment of underachieving students, to increase the knowledge of the labor market and broaden their horizons about the variety of jobs available.

The results can be seen in changes in individuals; in the way they work, collaborate in everyday life and also being able work in an international environment. The process of empowerment in individuals included encouraging and developing the skills for self-sufficiency, independent decision making and in the way how students approach learning.
The project benefited advanced use of digital tools and adaptation of the use Digital Storytelling model, which has been maintained and spread in the partner network as well as outside the network. Handbook of Digital Storytelling has created sustainability.
DIG IT videos will be found in Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSSIFQC52u0EFgiacbgN1AA
DIG IT FB: https://www.facebook.com/pg/digiterasmus/about/?ref=page_internal
DIG IT guide in different languages & guide videos and information about DIG IT- project will be found in project web page: http://digitproject.weebly.com/guides—portuguese.html
DIG IT photos and descriptions of workshops: http://digit-erasmus.tumblr.com

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 153147 Eur

Project Coordinator

Pohjois-Karjalan koulutuskuntayhtymä & Country: FI

Project Partners

• Agrupamento de Escolas de Mangualde
• Colegiul Tehnic de Electronica si Telecomunicatii “Gheorghe Marzescu” Iasi
• ISTITUTO D’ISTRUZIONE SECONDARIA SUPERIORE M.PAGANO
• 13th Vocational evening School of Thessaloniki