‘While there are many opportunities arising from digital transformation, the biggest risk today is of a society ill-prepared for the future. If education is to be the backbone of growth and inclusion in the EU, a key task is preparing citizens to make the most of the opportunities and meet the challenges of a fast-moving, globalised and interconnected world’. (COM/2018)Digital advances have brought new challenges for Europe’s pupils, students and teachers. Algorithms used by social media sites and news portals can be powerful amplifiers of bias or fake news, while data privacy has become a key concern in the digital society. EU citizens, but above all young students are vulnerable to cyber bullying and harassment, predatory behaviour or disturbing online content. Everyday exposure to digital data driven largely by inscrutable algorithms creates clear risks and requires more than ever critical thinking and the ability to engage positively and competently in the digital environment. These issues have been brought even more to the fore by the move to online teaching brought about by the global Covid pandemic.In the above context, the MeLDE project, which started in 2018 and completed in 2021, sought to-Identify, through wide-ranging research, the key digital skills gaps amongst secondary school teachers and students in the target countries of UK, Cyprus, Germany and Greece;-Map professional development opportunities and online resources to support digital literacy in key topics;-Create educational resources (including web-lectures, ebooks, as well as lesson plans and handouts for use with students) in online courses for teachers to strengthen teachers’ digital skills and professional profiles;-Offer open education and innovative practice in the digital era by providing open and free access to the educational tools and materials developed by the MeLDE programme with online assessment and validation of the skill acquired through the option of earning Open Badges;-Strengthen the digital skills and competences amongst secondary school students through the upskilling of their teachers.To this end the MeLDE consortium has produced a FRAMEWORK mapping out the approaches in schools related to the promotion of media literacy skills for digitial citizenship, an ePLATFORM with accompanying assessment tool to measure media literacy skills acquired; a TOOL BANK of resources and teaching materials, an ACADEMY of teacher training materials, and a TOOLKIT to guide teachers to implement the MeLDE skills in their schools.The MeLDE skills cover 17 topics (including social media and classroom collaboration platforms, fake news, managing digital identity, cyberbullying, creating compelling digital content for educational purposes, digital copyright, distance learning, self-promotion, and digital citizenship ) within 4 online modules: 1.Digital Teaching & Learning Skills 2.Online Communication & Collaboration3.Digital Content Creation and 4.E-Safety The consortium has developed the educational materials within each Module as well as the teacher TOOLKIT in English, Greek and German thereby extending the reach of the project. The materials have been reviewed by experts and piloted by teachers. Feedback has been constructive and positive with an estimated 8000 people having been reached directly or indirectly through project activities at the end of the three year project. This number is set to grow as the MeLDE materials are adopted by more teachers and schools. A follow-on project DigiTEAL examining the lesson learnt by the move to online teaching necessitated by the Covid pandemic is already underway. The MeLDE consortium comprises 5 organisations representing a wide range of background and expertise coming from 4 different European Countries.

Non-For-Lesl addresses the challenge of Early School Leaving (ESL) at the stage of school level-intervention. The cooperational basis together with EU countries is to meet the headline target set in the EU 2020 Strategy to reduce ESL to less than 10%. Research has shown that ESL is a complex phenomenon that can cause serious consequences, on the students and their families, as well as on the society and the economy as a whole. ESL is a process rather than a one-off event. It often starts in primary school when students can experience time school failure and growing alienation from school for the first time. School failure often affects students’ perception of themselves, which leads them to adopt restraining characteristics: Growing sense of alienation from school, disruptive behaviour, high level of absenteeism and a lack of confidence and self-esteem. These characteristics might cause them to drop out of school. At the same time, it is well known that a “rich source of human capital” is achieved deliberately or incidentally (OECD) in everyday life. Non-For-Lesl helps students to make their everyday skills, knowledge and competences visible. The consortium developed and pilot-tested MyKey (www.my-key.online). It is an innovative, multi-dimensional OER validation tool and can be used by students additionally to school assessment procedures. MyKey is based on a holistic view of student’s learning while it draws away from boundaries caused by subjects. It presents and validates skills, knowledge and competences acquired through non-formal and informal learning related to the key competences and transversal skills. With MyKey students get the opportunity to showcase their progress and achievement. Throughout their work with MyKey they are engaged in a continuous reflection process towards their own learning. To document the outcome of their additional activities students are able to generate a certificate which is monitored by their school. With this certificate, they can apply for internships and on the job market.The project consortium is made up of six partners: The coordinator, the Institut für Didaktik der Demokratie of the University of Hanover, has a focus on civic education, specialising on key skills and social competences. It has a strong record for developing state of the art educational tools, curricula and teaching material. Platon School is a private school in Katerini with experience in EU projects and the development of learning material and e-learning platforms. Pixel from Florence is a very experienced non-profit organization (NPO) and education and training centre, accredited by the Ministry of Education of Italy with a special focus on ESL. Ingenious Knowledge from Cologne is an SME enterprise, specialized on IT-solutions and is involved in many e-learning tools. Emphasys is a Centre for Education for ICT Training and non-formal learning specialist and provider, accredited by the Cyprus Ministry of Education. Finally, EuroEd is a NPO, which delivers educational services and international training courses, accredited by the Roman ministry of Education. Very experienced in implementing EU projects, they received several awards for the quality of implementation.The project was completed in 25 months and includes six main Intellectual Outputs in following order: 1) a Comparative Study Analysis in which the issues under investigation were analysed and the opinions of the target group (students and teachers) were collected with the use of questionnaires; 2) a framework and a system for the validation of non-formal/informal learning within school based on the key competences; 3) the OER MyKey, 4) step-by-step guides for students, teachers and administrators with background information on the project and on how to use and implement MyKey successfully; 5) an implementation phase of 5 month with an implementation report in the form of case-studies and finally 6) an overall comparative implementation strategy and evaluation: a “ready made – ready to implement” pack for operation.During the whole project, a three-step dissemination strategy was implemented: starting from the school, growing from local to national and arriving at international level. The evaluation has shown a strong and positive impact on the students’ self-esteem, identification with their school and their relationships with their teachers. They see themselves as full-fledged human beings. MyKey received very positive feedback and support from schools, stakeholders and ministries. Several schools will implement MyKey in 2017. They believe in the benefit of MyKey and how it will help their students in the long run. They will gain motivation and higher self-esteem which results in reducing the risk of ESL drastically.

<< Background >>The widespread pandemic of COVID-19 has significantly interrupted the traditional training and education, as well as VET education, throughout Europe and the whole world. The current situation is forcing European educators to adapt in a short time interval towards digitising their classroom. However, the pandemic has already placed the education system to the test. The circumstances became worse by the fact that apprenticeships and learning by working, which reflects the practical training in VET has been discontinued in almost all Member States, according to the European Centre for Vocational Training report. Digitalisation and industry 4.0 are perhaps the most important drivers behind the profound transformation of the labour market, the way people work and the new digital skills required to meet the needs of the digitalised market. VET is valued for fostering job-specific and transversal skills, facilitating the transition into employment and maintaining and updating the skills of the workforce according to sectoral, regional and local needs.Boosting digital skills at all levels helps increase growth and innovation and build a fairer, more cohesive, sustainable and inclusive society. Being digitally skilled and acquiring digital literacy can empower people of all ages to be more resilient, improve participation in democratic life and stay safe and secure online. Equipping Europe’s future workers and job seekers with digital skills and competences will be critical for economic recovery in the coming years, especially after the severe consequences of the pandemic in all fields of life.The skills to be gained will extensively affect their professional development in an ever more digital society of IoT and Industry 4.0., the hands-on teaching approach supported by the construction, coding, and gamified problem solving with drones' will help teachers reach out more effectively their audience. Students with disadvantages and learning difficulties will benefit from this project's results and potentially tackle early school leaving through students' more inclusive engagement.The benefits of making activities in an educational setting are numerous: they can play an important role in encouraging and guiding students towards the end goals, they can fosters students’ growth, the strategies and processes learned can eventually be transferred to other contexts and also be put into use in new and different situations. Moreover, making activities have a significant impact on overall skills and competence acquisition, as well as its usefulness for the purposes of personal growth, employability and social innovation.<< Objectives >>Drone technology stands out as fun and practical equipment for the contemporary classrooms, experiments, and exploration. Drone technology is a fascinating way to introduce students to STEM related professions, equip them with relevant skills and thus cover the gaps reported in the labour market to meet the new job creation arising. At the same time, it blends together all STEM fields such as maths and physics, electrical and mechanical engineering and computer science. It promotes other employability skills needed in the 21st century such as problem-solving, group work, leadership, creativity and initiative.The DRONES@STEAM project proposal addresses three main priorities of the Erasmus+ Programme as shown below:HORIZONTAL: - Addressing digital transformation through development of digital readiness, resilience and capacity- Inclusion and diversity in all fields of education, training, youth and sportSECTORAL:- Contributing to innovation in vocational education and trainingBased on the above, the DRONES@STEAM project will support VET trainers and educators in an attempt to strengthen their profiles with the acquisition of new skills, the development of targeted material, the collection of tools and resources, while at the same time it will create opportunities for linking VET schools with the labour market building on synergies and partnerships with established organizations.The key competences to be promoted as part of the project are:- high digital skills which appear to be missing from VET curricula and are currently needed to enter the labour market and be included in VET job profiles - targeted ‘wide and deep’ digital competences and the use of technologies leading to the 4.0 industry.- job-specific VET related skills for various fields and sectors which are not offered as work-based learning opportunities or include danger or hazards for the workers.<< Implementation >>The activities include:-5 TPMs-1 LTTA in the form of Blended Learning Mobility of Learners with their VET trainers-Multiplier Events: 7 events to be organised-Competition: 1 in each partner country (except GR which will organise 2 due to distance) and 1 at the EU level<< Results >>The DRONES@STEAM project promotes the capacity and readiness of VET schools to modernise their teaching, use digital technologies in training, create innovative digital content and equip trainers with digital competences. This will be achieved through the development of:-A complete READY-TO-IMPLEMENT DIGITAL PACK for the introduction of drones’ technology and STEAM skills in VET schools including a targeted competence framework based on which students’ skills acquisition will be monitored, assessed and validated through the eco-system of the Open Badges, -a set of DIGITAL CONTENT in the form of CROSS-CURRICULAR BASED SCENARIOs with real-life examples moving away from subject boundaries promoting STEAM skills and guidelines for exploiting drones’ technology.-Professional development course to be designed for VET trainers for digital up-skilling or re-skilling in order to become digitally competent and confident to introduce such skills and technologies in schooling. In that way the readiness and capacity of trainers will be increased and will be able to shift efficiently to online and flexible blended learning.-Guidelines and procedures to prepare VET trainers and teachers to familiarise themselves with the 2020 EU Drone Regulation as per the EU Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) which has foreseen the need for regulating the fast growing drone usage across sectors in order for EU citizens to be informed about the proper use of drones and their capabilities and restrictions, and the E.U. legislation encompassing it.

ContextOur world is changing, and we need to adapt to new realities of knowledge, society, and education. Technology has fundamentally changed our idea of community and the ways in which we interact with each other, so that building individual networks for learning and support is more important than ever before. The Internet has broken down many barriers of space and time, allowing us to rethink the way that we learn, work and connect; we now operate within more fluid and complex networks of people from around the globe. The Internet also provides cheaper, freer access to an enormous amount of information and educational content. Learning can be done anywhere, at any time, and by anyone.With the context of the above, this project aims:- to support youth workers to develop a positive attitude towards digital citizenship- to promote the development of responsible, ethical, global citizens for the digitalised and connected the world we live in- to establish the DICIPASS 4YOUTH programme and Code of Conduct among youth organisations, youth workers and young people as a binding agreement- to pilot test the idea of the DICIPASS CHALLENGE PROGRAMME where young people follow various challenges in order to be AWARDED the DICIPASS4YOUTH BADGE showing excellence in digital citizenship values, knowledge, skills and understanding.- To offer opportunities for the acquisition of digital citizenship competencies among youth works thus strengthening their profiles and upgrading the quality of youth work.Two are the main target groups:- the direct target group is YOUTH WORKERS whose profiles will be upgraded and strengthened through the professional development programme to be developed to acquire the essential skills to support, protect and educate young people. They are key agents who can influence young people and ensure they have necessary digital skills and understanding of online safety.- the indirect target group is YOUNG PEOPLE (14-18 years old) with a specific focus on young people with fewer opportunities (including NEETs, marginalized, with a migrant background, including newly arrived immigrants and young refugees, early school leavers etc.).Based on the effects of digitalisation around the world it is essential for the project to be implemented transnationally.The project pioneers to design a COMPLETE TOOL KIT and an EDUCATIONAL PACK for developing, implementing and monitoring various INCLUSIVE strategies for promoting digital citizenship competencies. It also pioneers in developing an ASSESSMENT TOOL for the formative and on-going type of reflective and digital assessment of their habits, behaviour, attitudes and values.The consortium of strong and experienced partners from Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Cyprus and Belgium is committed to delivering the six Intellectual Outputs with high quality in an efficient and effective implementation and management plan. The consortium envisions to disseminate the project’s products and results to various levels starting from the local, to the regional to the national and also to the European Level. The use of the opportunities provided by the Erasmus+ programme for learning, teaching and training will offer the opportunity to a great number of participants to attend the blended learning programmes organised in four countries, as well as the Short Term Joint Staff Training and the Blended Mobility of Young People.The main results and impacts that are envisaged are:- Increased capacity of youth workers to use innovative resources in promoting digital citizenship competence and values among young people with fewer opportunities.- Increased awareness and enriched competences of young people to deal with sensitive ethical issues in their everyday life and make wise decisions regarding their personal data, rights, respect etc.- Increased capacity of young people with fewer opportunities to express their views and participate and have access to the digital world with dignity and respect.

The project was delivered in line with the application.The project has produced and piloted a Personal Finance Programme in a modular curriculum aimed at students aged 14 - 21. The focus of the programme is on how to manage their money and how to be aware of the various opportunities and risks that they may encounter throughout their lives in relation to money.This was achieved by: a. conducting research within each country to establish what finance information already exists, whom it is aimed at, and what levels of access and awareness there are in relation to the topic. Along with this we conducted primary research to accurately establish the specific needs of the target group. b. We then developed a training programme (curriculum) which is in a modular format consisting of ten topic areas to teach students how to manage their money.c. To support the training course, 10 instructional videos were produced which summarised and promoted the topics. d. To further support the training course, we produced a series of work sheets which combine to form a booklet, which complements both the training programme and the instructional videos. e. The materials were tested during a C1 blended learning week which enabled both students and teachers to pilot the programme.A number of multiplier events were held to showcase and promote the intellectual outputs of the project.