Enhancing Digital Competence through Photography Erasmus Project

Project Title

Enhancing Digital Competence through Photography

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 adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Creativity and culture; Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage

Project Summary

Context & Background
The CICERO Project (Enhancing Digital Competence through Photography) addressed three items in the field of Adult Education, which are connected to each other and tied together in this project. These are:
* Digital competences (DigComp),
* Digital photography (DigiPic), and
* European Cultural Heritage (UCH).

Objectives
The objectives were to develop and implement a special course for adults teaching DigiComps by Photography. Learners learned to take digital images of certain quality, to develop digital competences (using the DigComp 2.0 framework), editing images, use of images in media and other related competences. A photo contest was used to motivate learners (and other adults) to submit their photos. These images were published in the European Cultural Heritage Database as well as in a specific image gallery.

Partners and consortium
Stockholm University (Sweden) with the Department of Computer and Systems Sciences is the applicant. The university cared for scientifically based methods used in the project, along with the rich wealth of experience in the field of informatics and contributed to the project with a professional photographer and the deeper knowledge in cultural heritage (UNESCO context).
EDRASE from Greece is a non-profit Adult Education Organisation and specialist in implementing, performing and organizing courses in remote places, for instance on the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea.
EBI/EIE from Austria is a non-profit Adult Education and trainer training organisation with an own research department. EBI develops innovative training and learning concepts and methods. It’s specialized in conveying digital competences, ICT and technology enhanced training. In this project.
Asociación Arrabal-AID from Spain is also a non-profit Adult Education Organisation with inclusion models. Arab impacts to the project by setting a focus on younger people and disadvantaged adults.
ProAndi is a business oriented Adult Education & Youth Education organisation which will build the bridge between adults and younger people. Arab represents professional organisations with a different approach to Adult education than the non-profit organisations.

Activities
In the frame of the project, a special course teaching DigComp by DigiPic was implemented from all organisations except Stockholm University in several runs. The image database was created and filled with more than 1000 images (from 77 photographers) presenting items in context with European Cultural Heritage. A photo contest was performed to motivate learners to submit images. All products are published as Open Educational Resources. Well-structured dissemination activities diffuse the ideas and the products of the project to a broad audience.

Methodology
The used concept was to use digital photography as the engine to motivate learners to care for their digital competences (in the frame of the DigComp 2.0 framework for citizens) and to convey arts competences as well. These two competences were used to fill an image database presenting European Cultural Heritage (as a contribution to the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018). As side effects inclusion is a topic, as well the involvement of people with fewer opportunities.

Results
The results are a ready-to-use approved and evaluated Blended Learning course using a heutagogical approach to learning, implementing active and cooperative learning. We have seen this creates self-determining learners. A second output is the European Cultural Heritage database providing high quality images presenting artefacts and traditional behaviours of cultural heritage. Due to the Covid pandemic, some activities were adapted compared to the application. This made a large spread of experiences possible, resulting in a deeper and wider knowledge about how to approach different groups of participants.

Expected impact
The project will impact on the partner organisations by developing new and innovative approaches to adult teaching, to shift the training to a modern heutagogical approach, based on active and cooperative learning. For the adult learners, a development to modern teaching is offered including the possibility to develop to a self-determining active learner and citizen and the increase of DigiComp as well as the awareness of the European Cultural Heritage. European citizens and indeed all with internet access have access to a Database with high quality images showing masterpieces of European Cultural Heritage.

Longer term benefits
The developed course demonstrates an innovative approach to teaching adults and works as the best praxis example, it will be provided as a course also after the project’s lifetime. The Cultural Heritage Database is a tool for interested parties documenting cultural heritage and may be expanded in the future.The added experience of having to adapt to the Covid pandemic’s consequences will ave a long-term effect on the skills of the teachers and organisations involved.

Project Website

https://www.project-cicero.eu/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 183273 Eur

Project Coordinator

STOCKHOLMS UNIVERSITET & Country: SE

Project Partners

• PROANDI CONSULTORES ASSOCIADOS LDA
• ASOCIACION ARRABAL AID
• ETAIRIA DRASEON EPIMORFOSIS
• Europäische Bildungsinitiative