ECHO Network Study Visit – Online Learning and Digital Technology
From 25 to 29 September, ECHO Network’s third study visit took place in Rome. Hosting organisation and ECHO Network project partner, CEMEA Federazione Italiana organised this visit on the topic of online learning and digital technology.
CEMEA Federazione Italiana and its partner organisations Acque Correnti and Movimento di cooperazione educativa (MCE) shared their experience in conducting online training courses. They emphasised the importance of working with small online groups (e.g. break out rooms), while facilitating interactive sessions and transferring active learning methodologies. They also underlined that online learning does not mean excluding the possibility of building a dialogue between the participants and the trainer. In this regard, organising the initial meeting in-person contributes to having a positive interaction online.
Another focus of the study visit was digital technologies and specifically the use of Artificial Intelligence. Marika Mascitti (Roma Tre University) held a presentation on the development of digital technologies and AI, which was followed by a group discussion on how this impacts the field of education. Moreover, the visit was the perfect occasion to discuss more ethical digital alternatives than those produced by Big Tech, such as DuckDuckGo (search engine), Zourit (online platform), PeerTube & Newpipe (video platform). Last but not least, this study visit offered the project partners the chance to reflect on what ECHO Network has already accomplished and to think about the road ahead.
The ECHO (Ethical, Common, Human and Open) Network project is an Erasmus+ funded project carried out by a consortium comprising of 7 partners of 5 different countries. The project represents a vision for democracy in the online space and for democratic choice for each individual when choosing how to access the online realm and aims to promote digital citizenship. Read more about the project and its previous study visits here.
