BonJour!

The objective of the BonJour! project is to enhance media literacy among older individuals by focusing on journalism and digital skill improvement. This effort aims to foster social activism among seniors and bridge the generation gap in digital proficiency. A key aspect of the plan involves establishing a pool of Media Educators for the Elderly, a role that is currently lacking despite its pressing need. The target groups include adult educators, senior educators, media educators, as well as individuals aged 55+ and senior learners.

The implementation strategy includes conducting a learning needs analysis for seniors in media education, providing training for Media Educators for the Elderly, and offering courses for seniors to enhance critical thinking and ICT skills through media literacy and journalism. Additionally, the plan involves creating a handbook and guidelines for Media Educators, developing a curriculum for seniors, and launching a pilot program where elderly individuals actively contribute to media and digital content creation.

Expected outcomes include the establishment of a methodology for Media Literacy for the Elderly centered on journalism, the identification of the Media Educator profile, and the creation of a pool of Media Educators for the elderly. Furthermore, the initiative aims to produce a guide for Media Educators, an e-learning platform tailored to seniors’ needs, and tangible learning materials for elderly individuals.

Partners

The project is coordinated by EduVita, an educational, cultural and intergenerational centre in the heart of Lecce, Southern Italy, founded in 2019.

EduVita is a place of connection between past, present and future: we create learning opportunities to improve the quality of life of elderly and young people through intergenerational dialogue. Our NGO is active both locally and internationally, participating in Erasmus+ research and mobility programmes in the field of Adult Education.

We focus on pedagogical research, innovating teaching and learning processes, designing learning settings and developing new methodologies based on Adult Education and Intergenerational learning approaches.

Fundacja Pro Scientia Publica

Fundacja Pro Scientia Publica is a non-profit NGO established in September 2010 in Wroclaw, Poland.
It creates, tests, and adapts senior learners’ curricula and provides high-quality guides for adult educators covering the three main areas: artistic, digital education, and critical thinking.
All courses are designed based on developing competencies for LLL that are essential to citizens for personal fulfilment, a healthy and sustainable lifestyle, active citizenship, and social inclusion.

Europäische Bildungsinitiative

The “Europäische Bildungsinitiative” (EBI) in Wiener Neustadt, Austria, is a non-profit focusing on innovative education, training, and culture for adults and educators. It comprises training, technical, and research departments, offering courses, multimedia and interactive content development, and research on teaching methods. Activities include adult and school education, vocational training, and higher education courses. The EBI team consists of volunteers, including trainers, administrators, and researchers, paid only for specific project work or training activities.
Peter Mazohl and Harald Makl will be coordination the Austrian team.

Web: www.advanced-training.net
Contact: info[at]advanced-training.at

International Foundation for the Development of Adult Education

The International Foundation for the Development of Adult Education (IFAE) was registered on March 2023 in Warsaw, Poland.

The mission of the Foundation is improving the quality of human life and development of civil society through lifelong learning and media education.

Programmes we are currently running:

Virtual University (virtualny.live) – short courses and individual classes at Zoom on a wide variety of topics (history, art, literature, psychology, economics, etc.).
IFAE MediaLab School (media.ifae.live) Online and offline courses for beginners in journalism and blogging
School of Media Competences for activists of NGOs
BonJour – Enhancing the Critical Media Literacy of the Elderly throught Digital Education and Journalism

Web: www.ifae.live
e-mail: foundation.edulife@gmail.com

Nazilli Hayat Boyu Ogrenme Dernegi

The description is in progress.

My Madeira Island

Associação MY MADEIRA ISLAND is a non-profit association to support the social, economic and cultural development of Madeira Island according to the Sustainable Development Goals.
We contribute to the goals by organizing non-formal educational events and actions for young people and adults, at the local and international level, and online initiatives.
My Madeira focuses on the following areas:

Media literacy and critical thinking learning programs for young people and adults;
Digital literacy and cybersecurity;
Storytelling and creative writing, photography workshops, video-making workshops.

We also run an online magazine that talks about the island of Madeira and its people.

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BonJour Project – aims, activities, and results

We aim to enhance the media literacy of older individuals through journalism and digital skills improvement, which will, in the long term, aid in their social activism and lessen the generational digital gap. A group of media educators for the elderly will be established; such a role is currently non-existent, yet it is increasingly necessary today.

Target Groups

Adult Educators, Senior Educators, Media Educators
Adults aged 55+ and senior learners

Implementation

Conducting a learning needs analysis for seniors in media education
Providing training for Media Educators for the Elderly
Offering training for seniors in critical thinking and ICT skills through media literacy and journalism
Developing a Handbook and Guidelines for Media Educators
Enhancing the media and digital literacy of elderly individuals through curriculum development for seniors and an e-learning platform
Conducting pilot activities for seniors, enabling them to become creators of media and digital content.

Expected Results

A methodology for Media Literacy for the Elderly, focusing on journalism alongside digital skills development
Identification of the Media Educator profile
Creation of a pool of Media Educators for the elderly
A guide for Media Educators of the elderly, including a curriculum for training trainers of seniors and guidelines for adult centres
A two-threshold e-learning platform for media literacy and journalism training for seniors, complete with curriculum and learning materials for elderly individuals.

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BonJour – new Project on Journalism & Fake News

EBI is proud to be a partner in the BonJour Project, coordinated by EduVita (from Lecce, Italy). The objective of the Read more

BonJour: Kick-Off in Lecce

We are excited to convene the Kick-off Meeting at the EduVita Intergenerational Centre in Lecce, marking the beginning of our Read more

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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

BonJour: Kick-Off in Lecce

PeterMaz 21. March 202421. March 2024 BonJour, Project, Technology Enhanced Teaching

We are excited to convene the Kick-off Meeting at the EduVita Intergenerational Centre in Lecce, marking the beginning of our collaborative endeavour in the frame of the BonJour Project, an adult education media literacy cooperation. This meeting is a critical first step in launching our project, bringing together a diverse group of experts and professionals.

The partners in this Media Literacy Adult Education Project

EduVita is the coordinator in this project. It is an educational and cultural center in Southern Italy founded in 2019 to improve the quality of life for all ages through intergenerational learning. They focus on social activities for elderly people and innovative teaching methods. Currently, Hanna Urbanovich, Damiano Verri, and Teresa Voce are in the project team.

Associação MY MADEIRA ISLAND, represented by Anastasia Mazur, and Andreia Jesus is a non-profit that supports Madeira Island’s cultural and social development through educational events and activities. They focus on helping young people gain digital skills and find online work due to the island’s limited job market.
Foundation Pro Scientia Publica (Poland), represented by Aleksander Kobylarek and Martyna Madej, is a non-profit organization focused on adult education, especially for elderly people. They provide workshops and seminars on various topics to help seniors stay socially engaged and develop new skills.
Our organisation, the European Initiative for Education (EIE), a non-profit organization in Austria, promotes innovative education and training methods for adult learners and educators. They focus on technology-enhanced learning and developing new teaching techniques. Peter Mazohl participated in the meeting.
Fundacja Imienia Juliusza Mieroszewskiego (Foundation of Juliusz Mieroszewskiego), established in 2013, focuses on strengthening ties between Central and Eastern European countries through educational and cultural initiatives. They promote lifelong learning, especially for older adults, by offering virtual courses, training educators, and supporting programs like the Golden Age University in Belarus. From this organisation, Lana Rudnik, Vitaut Rudnik participated in the meeting.
Nazilli Hayat Boyu Öğrenme Derneği (Nazhayat) is an association founded in 2015 by educators to bridge generations and cultures. They focus on re-invigorating adults over 50 after retirement and offer courses for teenagers and adults. Their main goal is to integrate retired people back into society and promote active ageing through various activities. With a core group of 30 active members, mostly volunteers, Nazhayat benefits numerous participants both in Nazilli and online. Participants: Hasan Yuce, Emin Masalcı.

Each partner brings a wealth of knowledge and experience vital to the project’s success.

During the Meeting

A session designed to welcome participants, aimed at fostering camaraderie and collaboration among all partners. Each partner provided a brief introduction, detailing their organization’s role and contributions.

Kick-Off meeting BonJour Project Lecce — The Kick-Off meeting of the BonJour Project took place in Lecce, in the rooms of EduVita.

The meeting featured a comprehensive outline of the project, including detailed descriptions of the work packages, with a focus on the specifics, responsibilities, and forthcoming steps of WP2. There will be a discussion on project management strategies, communication methods, financial rules, and the partnership agreement to ensure clarity and cohesion in our collective effort. Additionally, the meeting will focus on establishing quality benchmarks, evaluation plans, and risk mitigation strategies to guide us on our path to success.

Summary

This Kick-off Meeting promises to be a milestone event, setting the foundation for our collaborative work on media literacy. It’s an opportunity to align our goals, understand our roles, and embark on this journey with a shared vision and enthusiasm. We look forward to a productive meeting that paves the way for our project’s success.

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The project’s number is 2023-1-IT02-KA220-ADU-00016032, the complete title “BonJour! Enhancing the Critical Media Literacy of the Elderly through Digital Education and Journalism”. We appreciate the funding of the European Commission for this project.

Do we need books in technology enhanced learning (TEL)?

Europaeische Bildungsinitiative 30. September 201830. September 2018 Miscellaneous, Technology Enhanced Teaching

In the last three years I met many people mentioning that they use eLearning in their teaching and books are outdated. But – is this true?

Technology in learning

First of all, it would be necessary to clear the term “eLearning”. This term says nothing and expresses everything – from an objective point of view it is more or less meaningless.

The Cambridge Dictionary defines e-Learning^[1]

learning done by studying at home using computers and courses provided on the internet

This definition is highly influenced form Marc J Rosenberg^[2] who mentions three columns for eLearning:

E-learning is networked making it capable of updating, storage and retrieval, distribution and sharing of instruction or information.
It is delivered to the end-user via a computer using standard internet technology.
eLearning is more than eTraining.

A modern description is done by the North Carolina Education Cabinet (as one example taken from the USA) and defines “eLearning is learning utilizing electronic technologies to access educational curriculum outside of a traditional classroom”.

Rosenberg’s descriptions are approx. 20 years old. The modern version also does not match with the reality. The term eLearning must be replaced by the new expression technology enhanced learning (TEL).

Technology enhanced learning is used to refer to technology enhanced classrooms and learning with technology (and not through technology), which means a learner centered approach using the technology for the learning.

Where is the place for “traditional” books?

Books are still available – Amazon started the business success by selling books (and still sells them), libraries are still used intensively by people borrowing books there. Masses of books – in small quantities – are published and printed as “book on demand”.

Books are transferred to the digital age as eBooks. The reader used an eBook reader (like Kindle, Kobo, or Tolino) or read the book by a viewer on their digital device (laptop, tablet).

Printed books provide all the advantages of technology enhanced learning: you can read them at any time, everywhere, and in your own pace. An advantage is the use of books without energy (you must not recharge your book).

Another big advantage is that you can share the book easily (this is more or less impossible with eBook readers) and that books have page numbers. Did you ever try to cite a text correctly from a eBook without any page information (pure PDF documents often have page numbers but do not supply the advantages of eBook readers like enlarging the fonts).

[1] https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/e-learning

[2] Rosenberg, Marc Jeffrey (2001): E-learning. Strategies for delivering knowledge in the digital age. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Image source: © Peter Mazohl

Tutorial Support – how to Contact the Trainer?

PeterMaz 5. January 2018 Technology Enhanced Teaching

As an organization intensively involved in eLearning we permanently check the quality of our courses and try to amend the quality. One issue is the communication – here mainly the contact between the learners and the tutor.

In fact, we were sure that the best method is a forum where learners can ask the trainer. The result of a questionnaire (conducted in the frame of a Grundtvig Multilateral Project) the results prove our current opinion – but not fully.

Do women prefer to talk?

In an eLearning course, there is always the problem of the support of the learners. Sometimes, learners want to contact their tutor or the have a problem and need help from their trainer or teacher. Which method – do you think – is the best one?

There are several methods available and you have to select the best one. Here is the list of possibilities:

Telephone
Skype
Forum
Chat

Here are two synchronous and two asynchronous methods mentioned.

	Chat	Forum	Skype	Telephone
Female	15 %	63,2 %	17 %	5 %
Male	12 %	72,0 %	13 %	3 %

The behavior is similar: the majority prefers forums. Here the preference of male participants is about 10 percent higher as the female answers.

Female participants in the opposite show a higher percentage of skype preferences – they prefere to talk.

If you check the differences between synchronous and asynchronous communication you will find a six percent higher level of preferences for synchronous methods at the female users.

eLearning Quality Fields

PeterMaz 5. January 20185. January 2018 Miscellaneous, Quality, Technology Enhanced Teaching

The use of eLearning and Distance Learning is increasing and plays a more and more important role in the teaching environment. Here are some quality characteristics of eLearning (focusing on the learner):

Sorting some images instead of contribution to the learning.

Learning goal: What does the learner want to learn?
Learning motivation: Why does the learner want to learn?
Learning setting: Activities surrounding the learning object
Time: How much time does the learner have to learn?
Culture and language: Learners are in a multi-cultural context as well in a multilingual environment (especial in Europe)
Educational level: Age and learning background of the learners
Accessibility: Access for all (also disabled of handicapped people; in Germany called barrier-free access).

The images show a teaching situation where the motivation of the students is not-existing and the eLearning (in a face to face environment) fails …

No motivation: facebook is more interesting!

Key Areas for Quality definition in eLearning

PeterMaz 5. January 2018 Quality, Technology Enhanced Teaching

To be successful in eLearning several key areas of quality should be fulfilled.

2002 the “Council for Higher Education” CHEA published the following seven key areas as criteria for measure eLearning quality:

Institutional Mission
Institutional Organization Structure
Institutional resources
Curriculum and instruction
Faculty support
Student support
Student learning outcomes

In the same paper, three key areas are mentioned as challenges for quality assurance of distance education:

An alternative design of instructions (dealing with curriculum, student support etc.
Alternative providers of higher education (focus on all seven key areas mentioned before)
Expanded focus on training

You may download this interesting document from the CHEA-Website

http://www.chea.org/pdf/mono_1_accred_distance_02.pdf

eLearning and Blended Learning Materials

PeterMaz 1. January 20181. January 2018 Blended Learning, Miscellaneous, Technology Enhanced Teaching

Books were a source for learning hundreds of years. Today, they still play a role – but often in an electronical version (ebook)

To plan and develop an eLearning course covers many aspects. To ensure the necessary quality you have to consider the institutional mission, the organizational structure and the available resources. Furthermore, you have to care for a well-fitting curriculum and design, the support from faculty (or similar internal structure) as well as the students’ support and to define the competence oriented learning outcomes.

Create the content

For the content of such a well-designed course, you have to develop the best-fitting material. Content in eLearning should cover different activities and learning content in a well-defined mixture (that depends in most cases from the taught subject). The following issues must be included:

Content to gain knowledge
Activities to interact with other learners. To promote group work and to develop the skills defined in the competence oriented learning outcomes
Content to develop the learners’ attitudes (as defined in the learning outcomes)
Assessments and test environment to check the learning progress

Reuse the content

The created content should be reusable – that means, that – as a start developed – content can be used easily also in other courses. The costs of content development for one single course ar too high to create high quality eLearning courses economically.

Where to take content?

There are different types of content based on the used media. Specialists in the subject can do writing a text easily. To provide the necessary graphics or high-quality multimedia material is more difficult and in the most cases cost extensive: You have to buy the material from companies specialized in that field of multimedia or expansive internal or external specialist create it.

Images and graphics

In spite of paying a lot of money for external specialists or image agencies, you may use content from sources under the Creative Commons (or similar environments).

This chapter of the webpage will supply you with information about “open resources”.

Animations

The same situation as mentioned above is in the field animations. There are many applications available either to create animations or ready-to-use animations that can be used without copyright violation.

You will also find here some information about free material and the legal conditions for their use.

Advantages of eLearning

PeterMaz 1. January 20181. January 2018 Miscellaneous, Technology Enhanced Teaching

Technology is a fact in learning. Multiple devices varying in size, power, and functionality can be found frequently used by learners.

Here is an overview about eLearning advantages (we always compare eLearning with pure face-to-face classroom teaching). The list is split into three parts respecting the different target groups involved in eLearning. The summary is based on modern eLearning courses using an optimized platform (that does not really exist) and well done courses using a lot or multimedia elements and interactivity.

Advantages of eLearning (learner’s view)

Learner actively involved in his/her e-learning
Interactivity and attractiveness of eLearning content
Flexibility and adaptability according to availability (time, location)
Training at own pace, independently of other learners
Self-assessment during and at end of course
Personal progress monitoring during eLearning course and appraisal of results obtained thanks to tracking
Tutorial support on demand (if necessary)
Contact to other learners (if planned and necessary)
No travel costs

Advantages of eLearning (company’s view)

“Mass” training (big number of learners)
Savings relative to classroom-based training indirect costs (travel, accommodation, etc.)
Flexibility and adaptability according to learner availability (time, location)
Customization and adjustment of training courses to predefined skills and teaching goals
Low logistical constraints (no room booking, employee travel, accommodation, etc.)
Precise course reporting and automated results analysis thanks to tracking (based on the eLearning platform)
Durable and updatable teaching materials (often reuseable)

Advantages of eLearning (trainer’s view)

Prerequisites for assessing learner levels
Training performed on interactive and attractive tools for both trainer and learners
Flexibility and adaptability according to availability (time, location) especial for the tutorial support
Learner monitoring from the platform (tracking)

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