Author: Author DigiLEAD

DigiLEAD partners had their final meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria on the 18th December 2023. The meeting’s agenda included project reports, highlighting significant project outcomes and preparations for the final conference. Partners had the chance to engage in substantial discussions on sharing, promoting, and exploiting project results, as well as exploring opportunities to maximise DigiLEAD products post-project and expand their reach.

The final conference took place the following day, on the 19^th of December 2023 at Bankya training centre. Teachers and school principals were introduced to the main outcomes: the Toolkit and Training Course for School Leaders, the eLearning Platform designed for technological leadership and the policy recommendations report with best practices, and recommendations targeted towards policymakers and national stakeholders.

Main conclusions:

1. Vision and plan are important for the digital transformation of a school
2. The school leader has a crucial role to play in guiding the school community towards this direction.
3. Despite the challenges, initiative and openness towards change can make the difference.

On the 9^th of December 2023, CARDET and the University of Nicosia organised a multiplier event in the University of Nicosia, Cyprus.

More than 100 school leaders, teachers, important stakeholders from the education sector and policy makers were introduced to the DigiLEAD project and its main results. The facilitators presented the toolkit, the training course and the eLearning platform and encouraged participants to navigate the self-directed course.

A practical workshop followed on specific tools for conducting a needs analysis, setting an action plan and implementing technology – driven methodologies in class. Participants were engaged in discussions regarding challenges and exchanged good practices. The event closed with a round table discussion, with experts in the field discussing the policies, challenges and opportunities regarding the digital transformation in education and more specifically the assessment of students.

The importance of education in the digital transition and the critical role of teachers were the focus of the multiplier event in Greece, entitled “Education in a Digital World”. The event was organised by KMOP, in collaboration with the Regional Directorate of Primary & Secondary Education of Attica, on the 4^th of December 2023 at Impact Hub Athens.

The event presented learning strategies in the digital era and best practices, while innovative actions that enhance digital skills for all members of the educational community were highlighted.

“The illiterate of the future will be someone who does not possess digital skills”, said Antonis Klapsis, Vice President of KMOP and Assistant Professor at the University of the Peloponnese, welcoming the participants. He also referred to the key role that teachers will play, stating: “First we have to train teachers to pass on this new knowledge to children.”

Ioannis K. Psachoulas, Deputy Regional Director of Education of Attica, stressed that “with new learning tools, by strengthening the cultivation of life skills and technology and science skills, our students acquire valuable skills for a better today, for a more optimistic tomorrow”.

In her welcome address, Dr. Antonia Torrens, educational psychologist, General Director of KMOP and responsible and creator of Live Without Bullying platform, referred to the rapid developments in the digital age that make the role of teachers even more challenging.

Best practices in the use of digital tools in education and the positive example of the 5th High School of Heraklion, Attica, were presented by teacher Dimitra Vasilakou.

In the same context, Eirianna Dragona, Coordinator of the Education Unit at KMOP, presented tools and skills for Digital Transformation in Education. In particular, she referred to the European DigiLead initiative that supports school principals in developing a digital transformation strategy in education.

On the 20^th of September 2023, our DigiLEAD team in Portugal hosted a multiplier event in Lousada, marking a significant step in the transformation of the digital education sector and a remarkable achievement for the region. This achievement provided an excellent opportunity to discuss the outcomes of joint efforts and engage important stakeholders within the regional school community.

The presentations highlighted the project’s results and their potential to enhance skills of leadership teams. The 25 attendees at the gathering included school administrators, educators, and community stakeholders who have an interest in the project. This noteworthy occasion signifies a crucial turning point in DigiLEAD’s journey in Lousada.

In the last week of October 2023, the ESHA Biannual conference was held in Dubrovnik. Over 600 school heads came together to network and exchange experiences during the 3 day conference. Alongside keynote speakers and networking activities, the conference offered workshops on the main challenges that school leaders are currently facing. One of the major transitions in education, digitalization, of course, received a stage.

Dianne Franken (AVS, NL) and Myrthe Stienstra (ESHA) led a workshop for around 40 school leaders. In the hour-long session they introduced the DigiLEAD project, presented the results and showed a sneak peak into the DigiLead training for school leaders.

The workshop focussed on how school leaders can  support teachers in digitalization. Participants were fascinated by the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model. Discussing the key role that technological knowledge plays in the context of using digital tools in education, and the impact it has, both positively and negatively, on pedagogical and content knowledge.

The presenters showed the participants the SELFIE tool, which turned out to be unknown to all school leaders present. Participants seemed incredibly interested in how this tool could improve their digitalization strategy.

Finally, the participants were put to work. They were asked to discuss the support they currently offer to the teachers in their schools and exchange their current strategies. Participants indicated that they struggle with including teachers in the strategy process, offer them the financial support, or motivate them, depending from teacher to teacher.

The workshop was concluded by pointing them at the DigiLEAD tools, offering support with all of the above mentioned difficulties they currently face as leaders. It was a great opportunity to share knowledge and exchange experiences with school leaders who are currently in the middle of a digital transition.

In a significant achievement within the DigiLEAD project, partners successfully conducted the crucial phase of testing and validating the eLearning platform and mobile app.

Partners administered a comprehensive survey to evaluate the platform, the mobile app, and the various resources, with direct input from end-users form all the countries of the consortium. The survey served as a pivotal step in refining and enhancing the user experience.

All courses, Open Educational Resources (OERs), and the digital toolkit are hosted on the project’s platform, providing a centralised hub for educational resources. Importantly, individuals interested in these offerings could register freely without any specific entrance prerequisites.

In a commitment to accessibility, the courses are offered free of charge, adopting a self-paced mode. This means that users, once activated, can commence their learning journey at their convenience, tailoring the experience to their own pace and individual learning needs.

As the testing and validation phase unfolded, DigiLEAD successfully paved the way for an inclusive and dynamic educational landscape. The project progressed towards its ambitious goals, marking a significant milestone in advancing education through technology.

Visit the platform via the project’s website.

In the context of Result 3 of the DigiLEAD project, an eLearning platform and mobile application have been launched to support school leaders to build a digital transformation strategy and empower educators with the skills to lead with technology in the classroom.

The eLearning platform, built using open-source software, promises easy accessibility through various online devices. What distinguishes this initiative is its inclusion of a comprehensive collection of courses explicitly tailored for both school leaders and teachers. These courses, developed in previous stages of the project, cover a spectrum of digital transformation strategies aimed at enhancing technological leadership skills in education.

The accompanying mobile app introduces gamified resources, ensuring an engaging learning experience. The mobile app’s flexibility caters to “on-the-go” learning needs.

In an effort to foster international collaboration, the platform has been localised, translated into Bulgarian, Greek, Portuguese and Dutch and provided free of charge to users worldwide. This initiative represents a transformative leap towards equipping school leaders and educators with essential technology leadership skills, enhancing education in the digital age.

Visit the eLearning platform via the project’s website!

The Learning, Teaching, and Training Activity (LTTA) event took part in Athens from March 28th to 30th, 2023, bringing together education leaders and project experts from the partner countries. The event aimed at fostering a collective exploration of innovative strategies for digital transformation in schools. The LTTA covered 7 participative workshops, following the DigiLEAD guidelines and education program.

The first day was dedicated on creating a successful digital transformation strategy and education leaders had to formulate effective digital transformation strategies, sharing insights and success stories. Then they engaged in a SWOT Analysis hands-on session, dissecting the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in the context of school digital transformation.

The second day covered innovative teaching and learning strategies and school leaders explored cutting-edge methods to enhance teaching and learning experiences in the digital realm. Participants explored assessment and evaluation in digital learning and strategies for fair and comprehensive assessment within the digital learning landscape.

The third day participants explored the practical implementation of digital transformation in schools, such as the strategies and resource allocation. Then they outlined the topics of privacy, health, and well-being in Digital Learning, discussing how to ensure privacy and well-being of students and educators in the digital learning environment.

The Digilead LTTA event in Athens served as a hub for the exchange of ideas, experiences, and strategies, laying the groundwork for a collaborative and digitally empowered future in education. Through engaging workshops and international best practices sharing, participants left with enriched perspectives and a renewed commitment to advancing digital transformation in schools.

Following the training in Athens, the consortium/ trainees delivered the DigiLEAD Training Course to 127 school leaders and teachers in Cyprus, Greece, Bulgaria, Portugal and Netherlands.

Participants had the opportunity to theoretically and practically explore topics, such as: setting up a clear school vision and action plan, conducting a SWOT analysis in the school context, implementing innovative strategies for digital teaching, learning and assessment, ensuring adequate infrastructure and equipment, support, privacy, health and well-being in digital learning.

All participants expressed their satisfaction with the training, as it provided them with useful practical tools and ideas, which can be further used in their schools. They had the chance to engage in discussions and exchange concerns and good practices.

The training course is available via the project’s website for anyone interested in using it.