Organising institution:

Edukaciniai Projektai (EDUPRO)

Country:

Lithuania

Age:

16-17

Key question:

What can be done to solve the problems related to tolerance towards socially excluded groups?

Objectives:

to foster tolerance towards the disabled, different race, LGBT, etc.;
to induce tolerance in others;
to foster cooperation in a group and with others;
to develop creativity;
to develop presentation, interview skills;
to incorporate elements of different subjects and ICT tools.

Time:

6 hours.

Software and apps to be used:

camera;
Instagram (for boomerang effect);
Facebook Internet (Google translate);
canva.com or smore.com or other suggested by participants.

Brief presentation:

The digital atelier focuses on fostering tolerance towards minorities, disabled, LGBT, etc. It is applicable in different contexts: can be used solely in the class or it can be used to create closer, understanding relations between class, parents, school and community in general. It is aimed at different skills development through active, creative tasks. The workshop also encourages common activities between all class members, encouraging involvement of the “quiet” and introverted ones.

Topics covered:

ICT.
Development of creativity, imagination.
Social education.
Skills necessary in everyday life and future employment: working in team, sharing responsibilities, presentation skills, information search skills, cooperation, collaboration, interview skill, etc.

Civic engagement:

Participants directly contribute to solving acute problems of society – promoting inclusion of disadvantaged/ socially excluded groups through posters and exhibition at school and/ or local library.

Preparation of space for the Atelier: At first

Materials needed:

Big sheets of paper, markers, glue, scissors, coloured sheets of paper, papers with pre-prepared shapes, arrows, lines, etc); computers, smartphones, internet connection.

Main inspirations taken from personal research:

ICT + design skills;
ICT + communication skills, presentation skills;
Active citizenship;
Social education;
Handiworks.

Mass media and social media connections:

Students in their research project to create the poster providing solutions for the issues of experienced by socially disadvantaged/ excluded groups use different tools/ means to access the information: youtube videos, internet sites, interview method, etc.

How do you plan to give voice to students to present or show their personal skills and knowledge?

All work of students is quite independent. They work in groups and are given concrete tasks, certain rules and path, but the ways to get the necessary information suggested are very different and a certain degree of autonomy is given for them to express their creativity, knowledge.

How do you collect information as the starting point of a Digital Atelier?

The results of digital atelier will be visible from the final work of students – poster with a social theme; their final work is evaluated by the visitors feedback which will be sought by involving them into discussion during the school/ public library exhibition.

Introducing students to the key question - the research begings:

The main question of the research – please name mission impossible in related to: disabled people; other race; different religion; different sexual orientation.

Experimental phase

Action that unfolds the practical activity to clarify the question: The trainer puts 4 big pieces of paper on the wall, write the topics and the starting sentence – for example, “it is impossible that disabled people in our city/ country ….”. Students (another option -together with parents, members of school community) are divided into groups and work separately on other big sheets of paper. They are given materials (glue, scissors, coloured sheets of paper, papers with pre-prepared shapes, arrows, lines, etc) in order to prepare a graphic. Participants are allowed also to use smartphones to find information. For the experimental phase enough time should be given. Also, the created and presented graphic (paper version) working in groups might be transferred into digital space using https://creately.com/app/?tempID=gc7qvpsj1&login_type=demo#.
Active work of the students: The trainer/ workshop leader should have a prior preparation about the disadvantaged groups and their problems mentioned before in order to be able to facilitate the atelier; It is important to stress that in the experimental phase brainstorming is essential and all suggestions are correct. After the experimental phase each group presents its findings and how they have chosen to graphically presents their findings. At the end of it the most important thing is to distinguish the topic for the poster. This topic is written by the workshop leader on the sheet of papers that were hung on the wall at the beginning of the workshop.
Presentation of findings and results (visualisation of information): The problems are distinguished on big sheets of paper in a format created by students. Their works are hung on the wall.
Analysis of results: Visual presentation of the findings by students themselves is more likely to remain in their minds; Students also try to distinguish between the right and incorrect information on the Internet (not everything there is correct). The work in group encourages their closer cooperation.

Project/design phase - part 1

Second action that unfolds the practical activity:

How the situation of those groups might be changed?

Active work of the students:

In the first part of the workshop students worked with different materials (paper, glue, scissors), in the second part of the workshop digital tools are being used. The work is again in groups, thus for each group a computer/ laptop/ tablet is necessary.

1. Each group makes a research in the internet and analyses websites for poster creation and presents the main aspects of the one chosen to others (using multimedia); Each group should find different one (the first ones who choose one, name it out loud and others then have to find a different one).

2. Afterwards, the work is again in groups and participants have to generate solutions for the problem identified during the first part of the workshop. Their path has to follow the following rules:

a) Internet media research;

b) Interview teachers or parents;

c) Call to the organisation taking care of the matters of disadvantaged/ experiencing social exclusion groups and consult them;

d) Short movies watching on youtube;

e) Other path discovered/ suggested by participants.

3. With a chosen poster creation programme to make a poster to the problem distinguished in the 1st part and providing solutions collected.

4. To complement their poster with augmented reality (if relevant).

Presentation of findings and results (visualisation of information):

Exhibition in school and / or public library inviting community members, parents to see it. A description asking to try augmented reality programme while watching the posters.

Analysis of results:

A survey of visitors could be conducted. Creators of posters could be around their posters and invite people for discussion what other solutions would contribute to solving the issues of disadvantaged groups and whether the solutions proposed correspond to the real life situation.

Project/design phase - part 2

Third action that unfolds the practical activity:

Combining the reality and virtual world.

Active work of the students:

1. During the last stage of the workshop, students go to explore the city, old buildings, modern constructions, monuments of the city and record them using Pixlr app; Participants have to put their attention to different forms, shapes, to catch interesting, specific details.

2. The next step upon the return to the workshop room is using smartphones, tablet to make a collage of photos, and print them.

3. Then a common city is made from the printed photos.

4. Using an app (un gioco) artificial fires liven up the city which was created from the collages.

5. Afterwards a workshop leader/ teacher presents what is augmented reality and each participant has a possibility to augment their collage with a character (AURASMA app) and again make the city alive (the result is projected on the wall). Afterwards a catalogue of collages is done and saved.

Presentation of findings and results (visualisation of information):

A short historical research is done by participants of what is interesting, unique about the elements in collages and presented to the group; The catalogue is kept for future reference.

Analysis of results:

The results are analysed from historic, artistic and modern technologies point of view. The findings of the participants are again presented in the Learner’s Diary and using spider’s web: the criteria for evaluation could be: I have learnt a lot about my city; I found the task entertaining, etc.

Approach to a new software or a new app:

For poster creation we suggest not to put participants into frames and allow them to find a programme for poster creation (examples given to them – canva.com or smore.com); usually free online programmes are not difficult to use and young people very quickly grasp the idea. A programme for schemes creation creately.com The use of augmented reality might be new for them but an interesting feature.

Links between the Digital Atelier and real life of the students:

Participants become designers of social actions (poster) to combat social exclusion of some society groups; They become advocates for their rights and contributing to finding solutions to acute problems of society. The exhibition of their works is made accessible to school community and wider audience in the local library.

How do you plan to evaluate knowledge and skills?

Students knowledge gained is visible from the created poster (its complexity, knowledge that is put in there). Another option could be making a competition and establishing 3 prizes to give the stimulus for students (to give a USB, headphones or etc.).

Conclusion:

This digital atelier is deeply related to the social aspect and promotion of tolerance. Knowledge gives understanding and tolerance.

The publication was created as part of the project: APP YOUR SCHOOL.

This publication 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.

Mission (im)possible?