Hosted by , contributed by Kyriaki_Vakkou on 13 December 2022
Disadvantaged school community with a large migrant and low skilled community with little or no digital skills or access to upskilling opportunities.
A school in Ireland became the Digital Hub to enable and empower the community in tandem with the students and teachers as the home‐school link. Mobile media were sought from private companies and stakeholders for each family unit to share. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) based on the free courses of the Digital SkillUp project was the focus to ensure bite size CPD for all families in multiple EU languages. The school made a decision with the students to also utilise the Outdoor classroom spaces, and their Creative Arts initiatives to ensure that all students of all abilities were fully included. The Digital SkillUp courses became the initiative to attain the key actions under three courses as outlined.
The main change is the establishment of engagement at whole school communities’ level. In addition, improvements were made in all levels of enabled and empowered marginal disadvantaged families. The school became the Digital Hub and as such, there was a deeper and more meaningful engagement with the students’ daily education and the families. The language, cultural and educational barriers were effectively addressed and the huge benefit for self-esteem of the adults and the students was a bonus. This was also an obvious change in the students' behaviours and mindsets. It became a meaningful community of practice and also strengthened local bonds with new migrant families. The new possibilities of Nature Based Solutions Education and Digital SkillUp led to new employment opportunities for the lower skilled adults with an obvious knock‐on effect in their employment status. Teachers became more invested in CPD with the Dublin West Education Centre (DWEC) and Professional Development Service for Teachers (managed by DWEC) and this consequently realised itself in new teaching and learning practices at so many levels.
Website of the project Digital SkillUp: https://www.digitalskillup.eu/
Scientix STEAM Partnership link DWEC to Assumption senior girls NS:
http://www.scientix.eu/projects/steam‐partnerships/streams
Assumption Senior Girl’s National School website: http://www.assumptionseniorgns.com/
Website of the project BioMeBioYou: www.biomebioyou.eu