Global-Digital Literacy Opposing Big Errors

Our project is called GLOBAL DIGITAL LITERACY OPPOSING BIG ERRORS or GLOBE. This project can be considered as the second step of an Erasmus+ project called 'The World is Bigger than what you see on the Screen', WOBIGREEN, which was coordinated by the Spanish partner. We applied for this project to address the growing threat of misinformation and fake news, especially exacerbated during the Covid-19 pandemic. We recognized the urgent need to improve the media and digital literacy of our students and citizens in general. Our goal was to develop critical thinking skills and provide tools to discern between truthful and manipulated information in a digital environment. Additionally, we saw the opportunity to help teachers improve their digital competencies to effectively adapt to online teaching, a clear necessity during the pandemic-related lockdowns. This project was our response to address these critical needs in an ever-changing educational environment and an increasingly digitized society.

Our objective in implementing the project was multifaceted. Firstly, we aimed to raise awareness about the dangers of misinformation and fake news among our students and the wider community. We wanted to equip students with critical thinking skills and media literacy to effectively distinguish between authentic and manipulated information in the digital environment. Additionally, we sought to enhance the digital competencies of teachers to provide tools for online teaching, should it become necessary again. Furthermore, we aspired to develop tangible resources, such as teaching units and manuals, that teachers could use to teach fact-checking skills and media literacy in the classroom. In summary, our goal was to strengthen the digital competence and critical capacity of both students and teachers to navigate the current digital world safely and effectively.

Seminars and workshops were conducted for teachers from the partner schools of the project to develop digital competence. Activities covered the following topics: - Awareness through hashtags - Promotion of fact-checking habits - Identification of rumors and fake news - Social media and perfectionism - Social media and syndromes (e.g., the ugly duckling syndrome) - Activities on how to formulate better questions - Digital development in the educational center: simulation of online teaching - Innovative teaching practices - Design of educational tools - Development of speaking skills, research, content creation, and video editing in the TV studio of the coordinating center - Collaboration with other institutions (educational authorities providing support as hosts during mobilities, local universities assisting in the dissemination of toolkits/manuals and the website in their education faculties). Our activities also addressed cross-curricular topics such as: - Increased sense of initiative and entrepreneurship - Enhanced competence in foreign languages - Greater understanding and responsiveness to all types of diversity, including social, ethnic, linguistic, gender, and cultural diversity, as well as different abilities

A set of best practice examples to work towards achieving the project objectives, with descriptions of each, justification for their selection, and links to their websites and resources. A toolkit (Teaching Units) designed to develop students' digital literacy and equip them to combat misinformation and fake news in their schools. It includes practical activities and assessments. A teachers’ manual aimed at supporting educators in implementing the toolkit and Moodle course for teachers with free access for all the educational community.