European Network of Testimony-based Digital Education: Development of Key Competences and Civic Engagement Erasmus Project

Project Title

European Network of Testimony-based Digital Education: Development of Key Competences and Civic Engagement

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 : Partnerships for Digital Education Readiness

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning; Civic engagement / responsible citizenship

Project Summary

The European Network of Testimony-based Digital Education: Development of Key Competences and Civic Engagement (ENTDE) project was inspired by the need for sustainable digital materials that offer a firm methodology rooted in democratic values and can also be adapted to various local contexts.
Closure of face-to-face teaching and a sudden shift to online and distance digital learning due to the Covid-19 crisis have shown that most teachers would need to be supported with finding, effectively using, and creating relevant, high-quality digital teaching materials.
Responding to the educational challenges created by Covid-19, the ENTDE project aims to support school educators by creating content that is digital, engaging, rooted in democratic values, promotes civic engagement and participation, and focused on developing key competences. In addition to content development, the project will also create training programmes on how to effectively use these teaching and learning materials.
To develop and deliver this project, a strategic partnership of four European organisations has been created. It includes Zachor Foundation, based in Hungary, OpenEye, in the Czech Republic, Jewish History Association of South Wales (JHASW), in Wales, UK, and human-ed, in the Netherlands. The Network has brought together organisations with different professional expertise, who worked independently of each other in the past; this partnership will open up new potentials for the organisations internally, locally, and transnationally.
To demonstrate a real Europe-wide reach the Network includes organisations from both Central-Eastern and Western Europe. Diverse linguistic and educational contexts will enable the project partners to demonstrate how localisation (locally relevant materials in the local language) and adaptation of a shared methodology on a common digital platform can be successful. The partnerships will promote the networking of educators and institutions across the EU, share resources and skills, and develop tailor-made solutions adapted to local challenges and realities. The aim is to build a common European network for educators using multimedia testimonies in digital education.
The project proposes to use a technological framework of the IWitness platform (https://iwitness.usc.edu/SFI/), an online tool that challenges students to build multimedia projects based on visually recorded testimony from survivors and witnesses of genocidal events. Using testimony as a primary source that can create understanding in learners through their own meaning-making process and interpretation, this content lends itself to the development of civic competences.
Using the unique IWitness digital framework and shared methodology, each project partner will design and create content (educational lessons and teacher training curriculum) that supports the development of key competences, creative and critical thinking, and enhances social-emotional learning, which all contribute to participatory behaviour in society. The content will be locally relevant to educators and learners; each partner will create 10 digital activities in their local language(s) (Hungarian, Welsh, English, Czech, and Dutch); additional 8 digital teaching materials will be developed in English only. The developed materials will be hosted on the IWitness platform.
Our methodology is outcomes-based and focuses on contributing to reducing barriers, prejudice and bias, offering representation to marginalized groups and students with different learning abilities or social skill sets, and changing attitudes and behaviours to increase young people’s contribution to civil society.
The program will support knowledge transfer among the partnering organisations, the development of multimedia testimony-based digital educational materials, design of teacher training curricula and implementation of multiplier events and network-building activities both within the individual partner countries and between them. All these activities support learners, teachers, and trainers in adapting to online learning.
The network we are building will enhance the pedagogical work on digital testimony-based education to help teachers discuss sensitive topics in safe ways in multicultural societies. The model we offer helps approach those difficult topics with intercultural sensitivity. Sustainable partnerships and materials that work towards empathy, civil action, and social inclusion are important tools in combating the current trends of racism and violence.
To ensure sustainability, all the created teaching materials will be shared via the IWitness platform and remain available to teachers and learners free of charge after the project ends. Our network will continue its work of promoting testimony-based digital education to develop key competences and civic engagement. It is our ambition that other organisations will join the network so that it continues to grow by new material and partners.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 148555 Eur

Project Coordinator

ZACHOR ALAPITVANY A TARSADALMI EMLEKEZETERT & Country: HU

Project Partners

• human-ed
• OPENEYE Z.S.
• JHASW