Issue No.2

	Date: 12/10/2010 Issue: #2

Digital Empowerment - DigEm is an innovative digital empowering project that uses a creative approach to teach basic ICT skills and provides an effective entry route for learners, who are disengaged with the learning process, or who are unconfident with new technologies. The aim of the project is the development and implementation of a new methodology of getting to know new technologies with the use of specialized and creative techniques and educational tools that are used also by the media, such as the creation of stories focusing on personal experiences, theatre, photography, production of video clips, story telling, etc. This methodology can be used with different target groups and on a variety of training subjects depending on how the trainer uses these tools. The project targets those with no/few formal qualifications, socially excluded groups, older learners, women over 45, minority ethnic groups in order to motivate them to increase their employability. The project is being coordinated by DIMITRA ITD with the participation of partner organization from eight European Countries; England, Spain, Poland, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Cyprus and Greece.
DIGEM Progress	One year after the start of DIGEM project the partnership has come a long way. According to the initial plan DIGEM team has done serious work on many of the promised deliverables as descrbed in the application. The main deliverables of Digem that have progressed /have been completed are: Workpackage 2 - Organization of subcommitees Workpackage 2 - Methodology Approach Workpackage 3 - Design of Pilot for Train the Trainers Workpackage 3 - Implementation of Training of Trainers Workpackage 4 - ICT Tool
Bulding a Dynamic Network of Trainers	As we progress with the implementation DIGEM is becoming clear to all eight partners that DIGEM can be a valuable tool for engaging and re-engaging learners in the learning process. So far we have achieved the training of more than 20 trainers from 8 different countries that will be our driving force for using the DIGEM methodology in the training of various subjects (ICT and non ICT) making training exciting and interesting for learners. So far the Train the Trainers workshops have taken place in Santander-SPAIN, in Warsaw-POLAND and in Ostrava-CZECH REPUBLIC. The workshop that took place in Santander-SPAIN was a 1 day demo workshop in order for the team leaders / project managers of each country to get an idea of the methodology approach and in reality test the guidelines and standards for the trainings that followed. The Train the Trainer workshops, in Warsaw-POLAND and in Ostrava- CZECH REPUBLIC, lasted 2 days each giving the participants the time to develop their own videos.
DIGEM is growing BIGGER	DIGEM team emphasizes on the dissemination activities and the networking, as we believe it to be a decisive factor for the project success. All partners have made effords in making DIGEM known to many bodies, VET organizations and other stakeholders who can benefit from DIGEM methodology and results. Activities such as one to one briefings, presentation of the DIGEM project to conferences, press releases, publications of DIGEM's aims and objectives to portals have put DIGEM on the European map...read more Digital Storytelling has also a place in Microsoft's education portal. According to Microsoft the ancient tradition of storytelling meets the digital age. Students can improve their writting, be creative and have a voice through digital storytellling. Read more
NEXT Steps	The next steps for the implementation of DIGEM’s activity plan are the completion of the Trainer's Package (workpackage 2) and the implementation of the pilot trainings of end users groups (workpackage 5). The train-the-trainers workshops will continue in Lithuania and Cyprus in order to create a critical mass of trainers in each country and an extra Train the Trainers workshop is scheduled for the 21st and 22nd of February in London. Read more In parallel the dissemination activities will continue and culminate with the national showcases
DIGEM Progress
WP2 - Organization of subcommitees This deliverable concerns the organization of subcommittees between the involved partners in order to divide the work load and meet deadlines for the delivery of the products. The following three subcommittees and one steering committee have been formed: Training package &Training of Trainers Local pilot training Dissemination & ‐Showcases WP2 - Methodology Approach The methodology approach is the general framework for the trainers on how to use the contents and tools. It is implemented in 3 phases: 1) A draft on which all partners will evaluate by sending a report. A draft was dent by Digitales to all partners in order to give feedback and make improvements. 2)A Synthesis version 1 will be developed and this version will be used in the end users pilot trainings. This version is currently been developed .3) After the end users pilot trainings the final version will be developed as the final product. Phase 3 will yet to be completed after the implementation of the end users pilot trainings. WP3 - Design of Pilots This deliverable refers to the design and prediction of requirements for the successful implementation of the train‐the‐trainers pilots. It sets up‐front the standards for the number and qualifications of the trainees, special requirements of the room/space where the training will take place etc as well as a consistent for all countries and all trainings evaluation tool / questionnaire. The evaluation results and feedback from the national pilots will lead to eventual changes of the design and of the Methodology. Documenta is the leader of this workpackage. It is estimated that the design of pilots will be finalized by the end of the year. WP3 - Implementation of Train the Trainers There are foreseen pilots in all countries (6). So far Train the Trainers pilots have been delivered in Santander, Ostrava, Warsaw. The next pilot Train the Trainer has been scheduled in February 2011 in London. The train the trainers pilots have been offered to groups of trainees, with previous experience of working with excluded groups using alternative to "mainstream" vocational training approaches. Trainers have been appointed by DIGITALES, DIMITRA and ARSIS WP4 - ICT Tool Restricted Partner Area A restricted area in the project's web site (intra‐net) has been developed for the communication and exchange of information and documentation between the partners with networking facilities (forum, chat). Public Area The design and development of a user friendly web‐site promoting the aims of the project to the general public and also facilitating dissemination objectives by powering newsletters, press releases, with pages in all the partner’s languages has been completed. Visit the project web site at www.digem.eu Monitoring of Tasks The design and Development of a robust and clearly identifiable on‐line tool based on qualitative and quantitative indicators has been completed. This tool is used in the Quality Assurance Framework in order to provide a graphic representation of the course and implementation ratio of the overall project cycle (WPs, outcomes etc) and be accessible to the public as well as the auditing and managing authorities. Web Based Dissemination Purposes The ICT tool apart from promoting the aims of the project to the general public, also facilitates dissemination by powering newsletters etc, with pages in all the consortium languages. The platform has a central role to our valorization strategy by being the space to upload the training outcomes, personal products and in this way create a showcase virtual room which exhibits "living training outcomes" and also showcase the diversity in Europe, in a country, in a community.
Bulding a Dynamic Network of Trainers
	Warsaw, Poland: A 2 day workshop has been organized for the Trainers from the Partner countries and Polish trainers at Warsaw, Poland. The workshop took place on the 13th & 14th of May 2010. The training was useful in terms of testing the methodology, creating a network of trainers that will assist the DIGEM methodology to spread in Europe as well as developing short digital stories by all the participants that have been uploaded on DIGEM ICT tool.. Click here to view some of the Digem videos developed during the Warsaw workshops
	Santander, SPAIN: The first Train the Trainers Workshop A 1 day workshop was organized in Santander SPAIN on the 31st of March. This workshop gave the Partners and other Spanish trainers a glimpse of what Digem is all about and how the methodology of DIGEM can be used as a learning method to lure students either in making their first step in the ICT world or as a training methodology in other subject areas such as teaching a language, developing communication skills and many more. Short videos were previewed and the basic steps of delivering such a workshop were demonstrated.
DIGEM is growing BIGGER
	DIGEM at BBC The BBC is building a new Media City in Salford, an economically depressed part of Northern England. Digem has been working with the BBC, University of Salford and Goldsmiths College using digital storytelling as a means to explore the impact of the BBC’s relocation of key departments to Salford. Digem ran three digital storytelling workshops with different members of the local community. The first involved elderly people from a local history society who were able to draw on material in the BBC archive to make short stories about events which had shaped Salford. A second group of media practitioners told their own stories. Finally, a group of people with mental health issues made a series of films chronicling their lives in Salford. Completed film were shown at the famous Salford Lads and Girls Club and then at a a national showcase held at the Imperial War Museum in Salford attended by 80 people, including policy makers, academics and media practitioners from the BBC. Robert Smith, from Digitales, showed 15 stories created by the different participants. “This event was our first national showcase and was an excellent opportunity to promote Digem. Audience members were bowled over by the simplicity, range and simple emotional power of the different stories”
	DIGEM project is presented in a special event in Athens LLP European project DIGEM - Digital Empowerment, will be presented in a special event for the promotion of diversity that is organized in Athens Thursday of 2 September 2010, at 20:00, at the Antonis Tritsis Hall in the Cultural Center of the Municipality of Athens (50, Akadimias Str.). Within the framework of dissemination and publicity activities for the project, the project coordinator Mr Petrou George, will present the project activities and objectives. A video presentation will follow with Digital stories that have been created within the project activities and in the area of the Cocktail there will be available dissemination material.
	DIGEM presentation in Malaga, Spain Digem project was presented in the frame of the conference “For a European social citizenship” that took place in Malaga (Spain) during 7th – 9th of May 2010 As part of the six months Spanish Presidency of the 27 nations, the European Civic Days 2010 “For a European social citizenship” has been held as a meeting point for reflection, for drawing up conclusions and for dialogue with the national and European institutions directed at the representatives of those millions of Europeans who organize themselves freely into association. During the conference information material about DIGEM project has been disseminated through the special exhibition stand.
	Digem Presented at DIGI-CONFERENCE Digem was presented at DIGI-CONFERENCE: Digital Storytelling in Advanced Education, December 7th, 2009 organized by the American College of Thessaloniki-ACT , in the framework of promotion of non-formal activities in formal education. The conference took place on Monday, December 7th at 6:00 p.m. at Raphael Hall, Anatolia College. The goals of the conference were: To present the application of Digital Stories in the field of education at ACT by students from the US and the Balkans To capitalize the applications by various organizations in Greece and to present the development and use of Digital Stories in Europe and in the US To present future projects and collaboration between various organizations. The conference attended by various educational institutions, NGOs, universities, libraries, while, at the same time there were interventions through video-conference by the Center for Digital Story Telling – Berkeley, California, the University of Cardiff and the Goldsmiths University – UK, and MiraMedia, Utrecht, Netherlands.
NEXT Steps
Workpackage 2 - Trainers Package This is a sub‐task for the preparation of the trainers guide. All the consortium will cooperate in this task but the major contributions will come from DIGITALES on the use of personal short digital stories, DIMITRA on using community media approaches and ARSIS on adaptable parts of the COMPASS tool. DIGEM team has already sent suggestions to Digitales who is the project leader of workpackage 3 on what each partners believes that this package must invlude. Workpackage 5 - Pilot Trainings to end users Preparation The preparation falls under 3 different categories: select the end users group and set a viable immediate aim for the training choose an appropriate trainer that has undergone the train the trainers pilot choose tools and approaches from the trainers guide syllabuses All partners have set possible dates for the pilot trainings and have started preparing for the implementation Implementation The aim of the pilot training is to test the feasibility and adoptability of the guide for different groups and different training situations. The central idea is to set a clear set of aims for a given group (given the time limitation of a pilot training), use tools and syllabuses adopting them to the specific group and to the aim this group should reach. Evaluate appropriateness of approach for the given group, and report good and bad cases and scenarios and feed WP6.
Where to find more information?
Visit our web site at www.digem.eu and subscribe to the RSS feeds to get all the news and updates on the project. You also may join us at our face book page and get all the news regarding the project.
Contact Us:
DIMITRA ITD: Tel: +30 2410 554024, Email: contact@dimitra.gr ARSIS: Tel: +30 2310 526150, Email: infothes@arsis.gr DOCUMENTA: Tel: +34942763986, Email: gemad@documenta.es Digitales: Tel: +447939 593194, Email: Mark@digi-tales.org.uk EDITC LTD: Tel: +35722466633, Email: info@editc.com MULTIMEDIA EDUCATION CENTER AT WARSAW UNIV: Tel: +48225935850 Email: luiza.ochnio@gmail.com ATHENA: Tel: +420599529980, Email: athena.hd@seznam.cz SOCIALINES IR EKONOMINES PLETROS CENTRAS: Tel: +37052745870, Email: mailto:simona@sepc.lt
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This Web Site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
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