Classified "A" by ANVUR in the fields 11/D1, 11/D2 Scientific in the field 14.
Abstract
The 2020 European strategy aims to a smart growth, through more effective investments in education, research and innovation fields. In particular, smart growth means improving the following areas of assistance: - education encouraging people to learn, study and update their skills; - research/innovation, to create new products/services which can stimulate growth and jobs and direct the societal challenges; - digital society, to improve and simplify the use of information and communications technology (ICT). In fact high quality education and training, both efficient and equitable, are crucial to ensure the success of the European strategy, enhancing employability too. Information sharing and communication tools such as Internet, online applications, social media and networks facilitate new learning pathways that can be more effective and appropriate than traditional informational approaches or classic training. Innovative pedagogical approaches, which allow students to learn in ways appropriate to their own experiences and interests may actually be enhanced through the use of ICT, through which students become prosumers (as creators of contents) in social experience based on learning and the exchange peer to peer within communities of practice. The use of ICT can also enhance students’ motivation by giving them more control on the learning experience and facilitate customization and individualization of their education. To this end, it is essential that the European Union could have well-trained teachers, able to use the ICT in the education sector, in order to facilitate the transition to new learning paradigms centered on the students. It should be established, through digital communication technologies a new alliance between the learning styles of teachers who are "digital immigrants" and the way of learning of students who are "digital natives". This is because in informal settings is realized an actual reversal of the traditional top-down to bottom-up dynamics of self-learning towards the disintegration of the educative classic environment. The informal learning puts the focus on the centrality of the learner and practical experience implemented at first person. In this type of environment we work a lot in peer learning and they learn how to negotiate with others their ideas, respecting and sharing within the community. Finally, we must pay particular attention to the potential adverse effects of a distorted use of ICT, starting from the school in order to enhance a safe and responsible use of the digital tools and the web. The use of technical devices for security, privacy and sharing settings is relatively low: only 21% of parents predisposes filters or locks while only the 15% of them tracks the websites chronology visited by minors. Furthermore Italy reports a high percentage of young people (62%) who log in without adult supervision; meanwhile Italy has the lowest percentage in Europe (36%) for the access to informationmade by institutional places of learning. At present, the home is the primary context for mediating the Internet experiences of children, whereas the school should be recognized as the most appropriate environment to educate, learn and educate students, parents and educators, especially when they aren’t competent and aware users of the Internet.
