Digital Education Stakeholder Forum
Making education and training fit for the digital age
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, digital education has become a key political priority across the European Union (EU).
The Digital Education Stakeholder Forum is the first major European event on digital education organised by the Commission in this new context.
It demonstrates the EU’s will and commitment to advance people-focused digital transformation in education and training across Europe.
Objectives
The Stakeholder Forum will discuss the implementation of digital education – in terms of both policy and practice – at the European, national and regional levels.
It will provide a platform for reflection on the first year of implementation of the new Digital Education Action Plan, promote further engagement among the digital education community and support outreach to new stakeholders in this field.
Stakeholders
The Forum will bring together a broad range of stakeholders and partners from across the EU, including
- policy-makers at the European and national levels
- practitioners and academics
- representatives from civil society and business
All participants are guided by the common objective of promoting the transformation of education and training in Europe to provide learners with a high-quality, inclusive and effectively digitalised system.
Follow the event online
This event will take place online on 22 March 2022, 10:00-17:55 Central European Time (CET). The web streaming will be made available on this page shortly before the event.
You can also stay up-to-date with the latest on the Stakeholder Forum and digital education in the EU on Twitter at @EUDigitalEdu.
For further information or in case of queries, please contact EAC-DIGITALEDUCATION-FORUM@ec.europa.eu by email.
Programme
Interactive participation
Participation via Sli.do is for registered participants only. We invite you to join the discussion on social media using our hashtags #DigitalEdForum and #DEAP. You can also follow us on Twitter at @EUDigitalEdu for more updates.
Streaming
This event will be streamed in English only, with the exception of the panel discussion on key enablers for digital education in Europe (11:00-11:50 CET), which will also be available in French.
Biography
Sean is an international media professional. For twenty years, he produced TV, radio and online news reports around the world for the BBC’s flagship news and current affairs programmes. For five years, Sean was the BBC’s Brussels Bureau Chief, running a large news team across Europe, covering major news events of the day.
Since 2013, Sean has worked as a media consultant, coach and event moderator for international organisations, governments, corporations, start-ups, think tanks and NGOs. He is comfortable working at all levels, from new starters to CEOs and presidents. He moderates high-level, international events; coaches on all aspects of interaction with the media and advises on media content and strategy. Sean also runs coaching sessions on online/webinar presentation skills. He is a qualified translator and is comfortable working in English, German and French. He offers his clients a wealth of hands-on experience and knowledge and is a highly competent team manager and motivator. Sean brings a high degree of professionalism to all his assignments – together with a touch of humour, for good measure.
Video
- What is the role of digital technology in the education process?
- Opportunities and challenges faced?
Warm-up exercise on Slido
- When you think of digital education, what comes to mind?
Biography
Mariya Gabriel is the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education, Youth and Sport. Under her leadership, the new Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, and the cultural strand of Creative Europe programmes (2021-2027) will be defined and implemented.
Between 2017 and 2019, Mariya Gabriel was European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society. She proposed the new Digital Europe programme, worked on EU Strategy on AI, disinformation online, cybersecurity and launched the EuroHPC strategy. She has extensively engaged with external EU partners to enhance digital cooperation, in particular with the Western Balkans and Africa. She was elected as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) in 2009, 2014 and 2019. Mariya Gabriel is First Vice-President of the European People’s Party (EPP), and, since 2012, Vice-President of EPP Women.
Commissioner Gabriel is a board member of the United Nations youth programme Generation Unlimited (GenU). She has been ranked among the 50 most influential women in Europe in the field of cybersecurity by the leading European cybersecurity magazine SC Media UK (2019).
Commissioner Gabriel is also known for her involvement in the fight for gender equality. Among others, she received the prestigious Italian prize “Golden Apple” for highest achievements for women. At the European Parliament, she was awarded twice “MEP of the year” – in 2016 for the Development category, and in 2013 for the Gender Equality category.
In November 2020, Commissioner Gabriel received the Annual Award of the Vienna Economic Forum “Partner of the Year 2020” for contribution to the economic development, rewarding Ms Gabriel’s vision of a European knowledge strategy comprising the European Education Area, the European Research Area and the new Digital Education Action Plan.
She holds a Master’s degree in political sciences and international relations from the Institute of Political Studies (Bordeaux, FR) and a Bachelor’s degree in Bulgarian and French Languages from “Paisii Hilendarski” University (Plovdiv, BG).
Biography
Perttu Pölönen is a futurist, inventor and author. He has studied future technologies at Singularity University, based at NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, co-founded an edtech company in Myanmar and won European Union Contest for Young Scientists. In 2018 MIT Tech Review honored him among the 35 Innovators Under 35 in Europe. His book, Future Skills, was recently published in the US.
What is the most important element needed for making digital education a reality across Europe?
The digital transition is a key priority for the European Union (EU). In its proposed Digital Decade policy programme, the European Commission has put forward ambitious targets to equip 80% of Europeans with basic digital skills and to have 20 million ICT specialists employed in the EU by 2030. To achieve these targets, Member States will need to have in place strong digital education ecosystems. These will need to be supported by key enabling factors, such as digital infrastructure and connectivity, teachers equipped with digital skills and competences, and cooperation with the private sector.
In this session, European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel and high-profile speakers from the European Parliament and the current Council of the EU presidency trio will discuss impact-focussed investment in digital education, the place of digital competences in education and training systems, and the governance of digital education and skills policies. They will exchange on issues, such as how investment in education and training systems’ digital infrastructure can become part of a strategy to deliver long-lasting change, how to integrate digital skills in education and training systems, and how to ensure that all government actors share the same political commitment to digital education and skills.
The discussions will feed into the Structured Dialogue on digital education and skills, which was launched following Commission President von der Leyen’s call for leaders’ attention in her 2021 State of the Union speech. The Structured Dialogue aims to bring education, labour, digital industry and finance policies together to give digital education and skills the horizontal perspective they need to succeed. Through the Dialogue, the Commission and Member States will put forward a shared assessment of the situation at the EU and national levels, identify lessons learned and provide input for upcoming initiatives on digital education and skills. The discussions will also contribute to the development of Commission proposals for Council Recommendations on the enabling factors for digital education and on the provision of digital skills.
Biography
Themis Christophidou has been the Director-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission since March 2018. She is a civil engineer with 35 years of experience in private and public sector management.
After having worked in the private sector for 15 years, she joined the European Commission in 2001. During the last 20 years, she has held various positions, including in the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, as Head of Cabinet of the Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and as Head of Cabinet of the Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management.
Themis Christophidou is an alumna of the civil engineering faculty of the Metsovio Polytechnic University of Athens. Born in Famagusta, Cyprus, she is trilingual, being fluent in Greek, French and English.
Biography
Mariya Gabriel is the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education, Youth and Sport. Under her leadership, the new Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, and the cultural strand of Creative Europe programmes (2021-2027) will be defined and implemented.
Between 2017 and 2019, Mariya Gabriel was European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society. She proposed the new Digital Europe programme, worked on EU Strategy on AI, disinformation online, cybersecurity and launched the EuroHPC strategy. She has extensively engaged with external EU partners to enhance digital cooperation, in particular with the Western Balkans and Africa. She was elected as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) in 2009, 2014 and 2019. Mariya Gabriel is First Vice-President of the European People’s Party (EPP), and, since 2012, Vice-President of EPP Women.
Commissioner Gabriel is a board member of the United Nations youth programme Generation Unlimited (GenU). She has been ranked among the 50 most influential women in Europe in the field of cybersecurity by the leading European cybersecurity magazine SC Media UK (2019).
Commissioner Gabriel is also known for her involvement in the fight for gender equality. Among others, she received the prestigious Italian prize “Golden Apple” for highest achievements for women. At the European Parliament, she was awarded twice “MEP of the year” – in 2016 for the Development category, and in 2013 for the Gender Equality category.
In November 2020, Commissioner Gabriel received the Annual Award of the Vienna Economic Forum “Partner of the Year 2020” for contribution to the economic development, rewarding Ms Gabriel’s vision of a European knowledge strategy comprising the European Education Area, the European Research Area and the new Digital Education Action Plan.
She holds a Master’s degree in political sciences and international relations from the Institute of Political Studies (Bordeaux, FR) and a Bachelor’s degree in Bulgarian and French Languages from “Paisii Hilendarski” University (Plovdiv, BG).
Biography
Jean-Michel Blanquer is a French jurist and government official serving as Minister of National Education since May 2017. Born in Paris, he obtained a doctorate in law from Panthéon-Assas University and a master's degree in politics from Sciences Po.
From 2009 to 2012, Blanquer served as the director general of secondary and junior school education under then Minister of National Education Luc Chatel. In 2013 he became president of ESSEC Business School.
Biography
Minister of Education, Youth and Sports Petr Gazdík was born in 1974 in the South Moravian town Uherske Hradiste. He graduated from the Faculty of Education at Masaryk University in Brno. After graduating he started teaching at elementary school.
In 2020 he was elected mayor of his hometown Suchá Loz and in 2008 he was elected representative of the Zlín Region where he held the position of Councilor for Education from 2016 to 2020. In 2010 he became a member of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic.
Petr Gazdík is co-founder of the political movement Starostové a nezávislí (Mayors and Independent) and from 2009 to 2019 he was its chairman. He was also chairman of the Czech Commission for UNESCO for four years. He is currently teaching regional politics at the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University.
Petr Gazdík is married and has four children.
Biography
Emma Ölmebäck was appointed State secretary to Swedish Minister for Schools Lina Axelsson Kihlblom in 2021. Her areas of responsibility include early childhood education and care, primary and secondary education.
She has previously held positions in the Swedish Teachers’ Association, as Vice Chairperson of the Care and Nursing College, and at the Ministry of Social Affairs.
Biography
Sabine Verheyen was born in Aachen in 1964. After graduating from the St. Ursula Gymnasium in Aachen in 1983, she studied architecture at the Aachen University of Applied Sciences until 1988.
Sabine Verheyen has been a Member of the European Parliament for the German Christian Democrats (CDU) since 2009. In 2019 she was elected as Chairwoman of the Committee for Culture and Education, after having served as coordinator for the European People`s Party in this committee for five years. She focuses in particular on education and media policy as well as digital agenda issues. Furthermore, she was a member of the special committee on disinformation. As former mayor of Aachen (1999 to 2009), she focuses additionally on issues that are of relevance to the local authorities.
Video presentation
With the adoption of the updated Digital Education Action Plan in 2020, the Commission launched a number of community-driven and hands-on initiatives, such as SELFIE for Teachers, the Digital Opportunity Traineeship and Girls Go Circular, to provide direct support to stakeholders for the development of digital skills and competences.
The objective of this pitching session is to put the spotlight on the people who have taken part in these actions of the Digital Education Action Plan. Through short personal testimonials of their first-hand experiences, the speakers will share how the different initiatives affected their personal, educational and professional development, the challenges they faced and the new perspectives they have discovered. In particular, this session will offer an opportunity to hear the voices of teachers, trainers, school leaders and students, who contribute to the richness and diversity of the digital education community along other stakeholders.
Biography
Sean is an international media professional. For twenty years, he produced TV, radio and online news reports around the world for the BBC’s flagship news and current affairs programmes. For five years, Sean was the BBC’s Brussels Bureau Chief, running a large news team across Europe, covering major news events of the day.
Since 2013, Sean has worked as a media consultant, coach and event moderator for international organisations, governments, corporations, start-ups, think tanks and NGOs. He is comfortable working at all levels, from new starters to CEOs and presidents. He moderates high-level, international events; coaches on all aspects of interaction with the media and advises on media content and strategy. Sean also runs coaching sessions on online/webinar presentation skills. He is a qualified translator and is comfortable working in English, German and French. He offers his clients a wealth of hands-on experience and knowledge and is a highly competent team manager and motivator. Sean brings a high degree of professionalism to all his assignments – together with a touch of humour, for good measure.
Biography
Viki Malcolm teaches French, German and European Studies at The King’s Hospital School in Dublin. She is an EPAS and eTwinning Ambassador and leads School Self-Evaluation and Digital Learning in her school.
Biography
Born in Madeira Island, graduated in Mathematics in the educational field from the University of Coimbra, Master in Mathematics Foundations and Applications, with a Specialization in School Administration and Educational Administration.
Director of the Schools Association Training Center since 1995, he is currently Director of the EduFor Training Center, based in Mangualde.
Accredited teacher trainer in the areas of Mathematics, Educational Technologies and Design and Organization of Educational Projects.
Coordinator of the “EduFor Innov@tive Classroom Lab”, inaugurated in May 2016, at the EduFor headquarters in Mangualde.
Responsible for the design and coordination of projects in the area of educational technologies and Erasmus+, with emphasis on “Inov@r com QI” and “Managing for @ School of Success”.
Speaker at national and international events, with emphasis on: “Technology and Pedagogy. What to Teach? How to Teach?”, in the Portuguese Parliament; “Tablets in the Classroom: a possible path”, in the IV edition of the New Casino Conferences, on Madeira Island, and “Headteachers as Promoters of Curriculum Innovation”, at the Education Show, in the United Kingdom.
Biography
I'm a 26-year-old, freshly graduated student in Marine Transportation of the Naval Academy 'Mircea cel Bătrân' in Constanta, Romania.
I have taken part in academic activities, such as yearly college applications, scientific conferences and student camps.
My hobbies include playing sport (tennis and swimming), reading and social games. I'm interested in constant learning, self-development and networking.
I enjoyed my experience at a Finnish shipyard so much that I have decided to continue my studies in Naval Architecture by studying a Master's degree programme at the 'Dunarea de Jos' University of Galati.
Biography
Papadopoulou Kyriaki-Maria is studying of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
During her secondary education studies she participated in
- the Erasmus+ projects “SCIENCE GIRLS: Teenage girls as co-creators of science learning engagement” (2015-2017)
- “ANEMELO -Augmented reality and New Media against onLine prOmotion of unhealthy foods” (2017-2018)
- “EGGS -Students fight food and packaging waste through entrepreneurial education and Game-based learning” (2018-2019)
- the Youth Entrepreneurship program “Vitrual Enterprise” (2018)
- the Voluntary activity “Forest watch” (2015-2020) of the Pieria Voluntary Team
- the “Girls Go Circular” (2020) project of EIT Community
Now she is
- working as assistant learning material developer at Platon Schools. Her duties are to search, elaborate and taxonomy of sustainability learning technics and resources in the Erasmus+ project: “CLIMATE CHANGE EDUCATION: Climate change offers an open door to students’ re-engagement in science” (2021-2023)
- part time Unity developer on Pi tech project “12 Gods of Olympus Augmented Reality Museum of Katerini”
She has Certificate of Proficiency in English (ECPE) C2 - The University of Michigan
Biography
Biography
Felix is 26 years old, living in Berlin, where he studied physics. Felix is currently working as a software developer and was recently awarded with a scholarship in Cloud Computing. As a product of collective effort he created SaveDopamine with his teammates, a solution which is going to "change the world, helping companies to match employees to projects, based on their individual skill sets".
Biography
Sandra Troia is a teacher. She designs learning experiences for the consolidation of key competences related to the exercise of digital citizenship. She is involved in research and training initiatives for students, teachers, and citizens.
She has collaborated with numerous public and private institutions in projects for implementing and using DigComp and DigComp models (including ALL DIGITAL, Formez PA, Italian National Research Council - Institute for Educational Technologies, European Training Foundation).
She is the author and has co-authored several publications including "Safe online", "From school to digital citizenship", "DigComSAT".
She is currently a member of the European Commission Expert Group on Combating Misinformation and Promoting Digital Literacy through Education and Training.
- SELFIE and SELFIE for Work-Based Learning
- SELFIE for Teachers
- DigComp 2.2
- Artificial Intelligence pilots
- HEInnovate
Panel discussion with Biliana Sirakova, EU Youth Coordinator, European Commission
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenging period for all Europeans. Young people, for instance, have been severely affected. As our society recovers from the crisis, engaging with young people and understanding their aspirations and concerns is essential to move forward. This session, which directly contributes to the objectives of the European Year of Youth, will give prominence to young people and their experiences. They will share what it takes to be a ‘digital native’ and their ideas on how we can ensure that young people are empowered, knowledgeable and confident 21st century citizens.
Together with the EU Youth Coordinator, Biliana Sirakova, young people and representatives of youth and student organisations will share their insights on the opportunities for youth empowerment in the digital age and reflect on related challenges and particular obstacles. The panellists will share their personal stories and the causes they advocate for, stressing the importance of ensuring a human-driven digital transformation as part of the Commission’s vision for a Digital Decade.
Biography
Biliana Sirakova was appointed as the first EU Youth Coordinator in June 2021. Working in the European Commission, in the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, she aims to strengthen cooperation between all Commission services on youth issues and to integrate the youth perspective into all relevant EU policies. She has been a European Commission civil servant since 2010. Biliana's educational background is in economics and management; she holds a Bachelor's degree from Ohio Wesleyan University (US) and a postgraduate certificate from Kingston University (UK). She has eighteen years of professional experience across the public, private and non-profit sectors. Biliana's work has revolved around building and managing relationships with diverse stakeholders and communicating for impact and learning. In the framework of the European Year of Youth, Biliana is responsible for the engagement of European youth stakeholders and National coordinators of the Year.
Biography
Ambitious student working in the field of Machine Learning and Software Engineering. Started programming while being 9 years old. Founder of the NLP platform AzBuki.ML which aims to help Bulgarian businesses integrate machine learning solutions in their products. Laureate at the National IT Olympiad of Bulgaria for 2020 and 2021; Awarded with the award "John Atanasoff" by President Rumen Radev. Recognised in the Forbes Bulgaria "30 under 30" selection for 2021. Selected as one of the two Bulgarian representatives at Research Science Institute '22 and part of the Bulgarian team at Regeneron ISEF for 2022.
Biography
Anaëlle Cathelineau is a 19 year old student in Sciences Po Paris. Since highschool, she's been particularly driven by channeling and empowering young voices in ICTs. Since leading the 2020 Futurecasters summit at the International Telecommunications Union, she's been working with the ITU to promote Child Online Protection (with the COP event) and bridging the gender digital divide (with the Tech4Girls workshop). She is now participating in the organization of the Generation Connect Youth Summit, which we take place in June 2022, preceding the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC).
Biography
Francesco is responsible for the management of Techsoup’s European projects targeting youth.
He holds a degree in International Cooperation and Economic Development and he has over 10 years’ experience in project management in the NGO sector.
He has worked as Project Manager for several NGOs at European level, managing projects on topics such as local development, social inclusion, anti-discrimination and youth participation and funded by all sort of entities, from local authorities to European Commission and private foundations.
In 2016 his main focus became Social Innovation and Digital Transformation of the non-profit sector.
In 2020 he has joined TechSoup and has worked since on management and supervision of projects focusing on P/CVE and digital education.
Biography
Jakub Grodecki is currently serving as a Vice-President of the European Students’ Union. His primary focus within the organization is Quality of Higher Education, Bologna Process, European Higher Education Policy and digitalization in Higher Education. He is also a member of the Advisory Council on Youth in the Council of Europe. Previously, he worked as a Quality Assurance expert of the Polish Accreditation Committee (PKA) and ESU QA Pool of Experts. Before his work in ESU, He was an International Officer of the Students’ Parliament of the Republic of Poland (PSRP) and as an elected representative of the Students’ Union of the University of Science and Technology (AGH) in Kraków. He has an academic background in Mechanical Engineering (B.Eng) and Management and Production Engineering (MSc).
Resilient for the Future: The Recovery and Resilience Facility for digital education in practice
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU launched the recovery instrument NextGenerationEU. Its cornerstone is the Recovery and Resilience Facility, which helps Member States to recover from the economic and social damage of the pandemic. With its budget of over €700 billion, it offers an unprecedented opportunity for Member States to implement ambitious reforms and investments to make their economies and societies more sustainable, resilient and prepared for the green and digital transitions. Education is part of the digital transition, as distance learning and school closures have reminded us. The Recovery and Resilience Facility helps Member States to develop their digital education ecosystems and to ensure that all conditions for successful digital education are in place – connectivity, equipment, online learning content, teacher training, and opportunities for learners of all ages to develop their digital skills and competences.
In this session, we will discuss with representatives from four Member States how the EU is helping to digitalise national education and training systems, with a particular focus on infrastructure investments, the development of teachers and learners’ digital skills, and the implementation of digital education strategies, as well as digital inclusion.
Biography
Susanne Conze is Head of Unit for ‘Country Analysis’ in the Directorate General for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport. The unit supports the development and implementation of education policies through the analysis of national education and training systems.
During her career, both in the Commission and before, Susanne worked in different areas of education, especially school education, and social inclusion policies and in the management of European education programmes. Most recently, she was the Commission’s Spokesperson for education, youth, sport and culture. She studied history, sociology and political science and holds a PhD in history.
Biography
Jan De Craemer is a staff member of the Knowledge Centre Digisprong (Flemish Ministry of Education & Training) where he is responsible for co-ordinating the ICT and digital media policies. Besides his role in the ICT & digital media policy development, he has been responsible for ICT initiatives in many different areas such as ICT-infrastructure, curriculum reform, in-service training, e-safety, digital learning resources and ICT for special needs. He represents Flanders to the European Commission ET2020 Working Group on Digital Education (DELTA). He is also the Chairman of the European Schoolnet Steering Committee and member of the Board of Directors of European Schoolnet.
Biography
Dr. Igor Pesek is head of the Digital Education unit at the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, Slovenia. He is also a Professor at the University of Maribor, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. His main research interests are digital education and the didactics of computer science.
Biography
Officer at the Ministry of Education Italy, member of the Digital Education, Learning, Teaching and Assessment Working Group with the DG EAC. Referent for the Ministry in the “Artificial Intelligence for and by Teachers” Erasmus KA3 Project led by the French Ministry of Education and partnering 16 among ministries, research and education institutions. Referent for the Ministry for foreigner and European relationships. Referent and supervisor with Italian schools for the development and reporting of digital transition projects.
Educators in the spotlight: How to support teachers for the digital transition
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the sudden and large-scale use of digital learning practices and a significant increase in teachers’ digital competences. The range of solutions put in place to ensure the continuity of education and training is wide and includes both low and high-tech practices, with marked differences between regions and European Union (EU) Member States.
Based on these innovations and lessons learned, the EU recommended to develop longer-term strategic approaches in its November 2021 Council Recommendation on blended learning. The systematic application of blended learning will strengthen the role of teachers to use their professional pedagogical judgement in choosing the right mix of learning environments and tools (both online and offline) and make learning more effective, engaging and inclusive. In the meantime, self-assessment tools on the use of digital technologies, such as SELFIE for Teachers, can support teachers, as can appropriate initial and continued professional development programmes, access to centres of expertise, and teachers’ participation in exploratory projects and research.
In this panel discussion, we will hear from inspiring practitioners how the digital transition has opened up new possibilities for the teaching practice and what support teachers can receive.
Biography
Ulrike Storost works as a policy officer for school education in DG EAC. She focuses on how blended learning can make learning more effective, inclusive, and what can be learnt from the pandemic to make education systems more resilient in the future.
Ulrike joined the European Commission in 2012. She worked on youth employment, refugee integration, and European cooperation among public employment services. Prior to entering the European Commission, she held various education expert positions at UNESCO, UNHRC, the Bertelsmann Foundation and the German National Academic Foundation. She is a graduate from the University of Mainz/Germany and holds a professional qualification as a secondary teacher.
Biography
Martin Fugmann began his working in school as a teacher of English and music. He was Head of German International School Silicon Valley and has been the Head at the Evangelisch Stiftisches Gymnasium in Gütersloh, Germany, since 2016. Martin Fugmann is head of the Department of Education and Digitisation at the "Deutsche Akademie für Pädagogische Führungskräfte“ (German Academy for pedagogical leadership staff) and responsible for the programme „Digital Learning Leadership“. Since January 2022 he is member of the board of „Heraeus Bildungsstiftung“.
Biography
Julien Bobroff is a physics Professor at Universite Paris-Saclay (France). He spent 20 years doing research on quantum physics. In 2013, he created the "Physics Reimagined" research team. He develops new types of popularization activities on physics in collaboration with designers. He also creates new types of teachings for university and highschools using low cost tools such as smartphones or Arduino cards, also in collaboration with designers.
Link to his activities : www.vulgarisation.fr
Biography
Susan Flocken is the European Director of the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) and has been working for the organisation in Brussels since 2009.
ETUCE represents 127 education trade unions, i.e.11 million teachers and other education employees at all levels of education in 51 countries of Europe. ETUCE is a Social Partner in education at EU level and a European Trade Union Federation within the European Trade Union Confederation. ETUCE is the European Region of Education International, the global federation of education trade unions.
Promoting a quality teaching profession ETUCE stands up for teachers’ rights, trade union and human rights based on meaningful social dialogue and is an advocator for publicly funded education and access to quality education for all. Susan Flocken engages in ETUCE policy advocacy work with government representatives as well as with European and international institutions across a range of areas: education and training post-2020; European Pillar of Social Rights, equality, social inclusion and democratic citizenship; digitalisation in education; economic governance, promotion of social dialogue and teachers’ working conditions.
Biography
I am the co-founder and CEO of Center for Creative Training and have a PhD in Education Management, Master of Business Administration and a bachelor degree in Engineering and Economics. I was born and lived mostly in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Since 2008, I have visited more than 1,000 schools on four continents (Europe, Asia, North and South America).
During the last five years, I have delivered 150 trainings to more than 3,000 teachers on the 'Meaningful use of Digital Technologies' and trained more than 200 school principals in Change Management and Technology Deployment.
I am a member of the Innovative Schools Commission at the Ministry of Education and Science in Bulgaria and, in 2017, I became the first Google Certified Innovator in Bulgaria for moving the processes of 50 schools in Plovdiv, Bulgaria to the Cloud.
Working together: A vision for European EdTech
The European Education Technology (EdTech) sector is growing at an unprecedented speed. In 2021 alone, investments in the sector reached €2.7 billion, almost five times more than in 2020. Today, there are thousands of European EdTech companies offering a great diversity of services, such as online learning platforms, learning management systems and STEM labs. By creating cutting-edge hardware and software, the sector is changing the way we learn and teach. In doing so, it is becoming a key player driving forward the digital transformation and innovation of European education and training. However, composed of a number of small actors with few companies playing a major role on the global market, the sector remains fragmented in the EU. Yet, its potential is undoubted and it remains a central actor in the European digital education ecosystem and an important stakeholder for the implementation of the Digital Education Action Plan.
In 2021, European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel initiated a structured dialogue with the European EdTech sector to better understand it, its needs and to seek avenues to support its establishment as a key figure in the digital education ecosystem. The result of this panel discussion is for selected representatives of the European EdTech sector to draft a document presenting their ideas and proposals for further cooperation at the national and EU levels. The session will address how the collaboration can be furthered, engaging key stakeholders at the national and EU levels and provide an opportunity to reflect on how the EdTech sector can overcome its fragmentation and further contribute to Europe’s digital education ecosystem.
Biography
Mariya Gabriel is the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education, Youth and Sport. Under her leadership, the new Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, and the cultural strand of Creative Europe programmes (2021-2027) will be defined and implemented.
Between 2017 and 2019, Mariya Gabriel was European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society. She proposed the new Digital Europe programme, worked on EU Strategy on AI, disinformation online, cybersecurity and launched the EuroHPC strategy. She has extensively engaged with external EU partners to enhance digital cooperation, in particular with the Western Balkans and Africa. She was elected as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) in 2009, 2014 and 2019. Mariya Gabriel is First Vice-President of the European People’s Party (EPP), and, since 2012, Vice-President of EPP Women.
Commissioner Gabriel is a board member of the United Nations youth programme Generation Unlimited (GenU). She has been ranked among the 50 most influential women in Europe in the field of cybersecurity by the leading European cybersecurity magazine SC Media UK (2019).
Commissioner Gabriel is also known for her involvement in the fight for gender equality. Among others, she received the prestigious Italian prize “Golden Apple” for highest achievements for women. At the European Parliament, she was awarded twice “MEP of the year” – in 2016 for the Development category, and in 2013 for the Gender Equality category.
In November 2020, Commissioner Gabriel received the Annual Award of the Vienna Economic Forum “Partner of the Year 2020” for contribution to the economic development, rewarding Ms Gabriel’s vision of a European knowledge strategy comprising the European Education Area, the European Research Area and the new Digital Education Action Plan.
She holds a Master’s degree in political sciences and international relations from the Institute of Political Studies (Bordeaux, FR) and a Bachelor’s degree in Bulgarian and French Languages from “Paisii Hilendarski” University (Plovdiv, BG).
Biography
Marco is the CEO and founder of WeSchool, the leading Italian EdTech company with 2M+ students and 200.000 teachers on board. WeSchool, part of the UNESCO's Global Education Coalition, is on a mission to ensure learning never stops by empowering educators and students with a more inclusive, collaborative, and engaging way of learning.
Biography
Beth Havinga is the Managing Director of the European EdTech Alliance and the EdSAFE AI Alliance having previously served as Managing Director oft he German Alliance for Education. Most recently, Beth has served on the special board of the Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economics in Austria, as an expert in the field of “digitalisation in apprenticeships", and as a member of the expert Platform, "Digital Future: Learning. Researching. Knowledge" of the German Digital Summit by invitation of the German federal Minister for Education. She is currently chair of the advisory board of Kids.Digilab.Berlin.
Beth has considerable experience developing interoperability standards frameworks, having represented Germany as head delegate to the European Committee for Standardization of Interoperability for Learning Technologies and EdTech, and has worked closely with multiple governments and data protection agencies on national definitions for data modelling and certification. In addition to creating her own consulting firm, Beth has taught in schools, managed education software and publishing houses, founded two startups, and worked with multiple education ministries, and corporations developing their digital education strategies.
Biography
Audran Le Baron has been the Director for Digital Education at the French ministry of education since mid-2021. He is in charge of both the development of digital education (how digital technology can improve teachers' teaching practices and students' learning) and of the national education information system (for the operation of major schooling and examination processes in particular).
Within this framework, he is dedicated to organising the improvement of teachers' digital skills (digital training and certification of teachers). He is keen on involving and supporting EdTech players in the development of innovative tools, particularly for the benefit of learning the fundamentals of maths and French and for language learning.
Biography
Monika Stanisheva has been Chair of the Board of Dir.bg since December 2021. She spearheads the modernisation of Bulgarian online media as the chair of the board of the most influential and trusted web portal in Bulgaria. Being a self-made entrepreneur, Monika Stanisheva knows all of the hardships of starting a business as a woman in a small Eastern European Country. Having come from a journalistic background, she has a profound understanding of the importance of freedom of speech and media.
The 360’ approach: How to build a digital transformation plan in my institution
Truly impactful digital transformation requires a comprehensive and well-planned strategy at all levels and the institutional one is no exception.
Implementing a comprehensive strategy from the very beginning of a project can be a challenging task. There is where European programmes and tools supporting digital transformation, such as SELFIEand HEInnovate, can bring value and support schools and higher education institutions in reflecting on their digital capacity.
After making a (self-)assessment, the question of ‘how to scale up?’ is the natural next step.
While gathering experiences and good practices can prove challenging, there is no shortage of initiatives to help identifying and defining challenges at the local or regional levels, proposing solutions and involving all stakeholders to create sustainable communities of practice, as well as finding tools to maximise impact at the national or European levels.
Through one-to-one interviews focusing on school and higher education, this session will propose two inspiring examples and examine how best-practice digital transformation plans can be scaled up to the systemic level for national and European policy-makers.
Biography
Andrea-Rosalinde Hofer joined the OECD in 2004. Since then, she has worked on a variety of policy priorities, including, for example integrating returning migrants into the local labour market, diaspora links in higher education and research, innovation in higher education, and enhancing the labour market relevance and outcomes of higher education. She has led and contributed to over 20 country reviews across various countries in Europe, MENA, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Prior to the OECD, Andrea worked for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, UNDP Albania, and the University of Federal Armed Forces in Munich (Centre for Governmental Studies). Andrea is an alumna of the Technical University of Munich (agricultural engineering and economics, 2001), the Ludwig-Maximilian's University of Munich (political science, 2000), the University of Trento (Doctoral School in Local Development and Global Dynamics, 2015), and of the International Women's University, ifu (Migration and Development, 2000).
Biography
Caroline Pulfrey is currently working as a Senior Researcher at the LEARN Center for Learning Sciences at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland. She has a PhD in Social and Educational Psychology and research specializations include motivation and evaluation in learning, individual values and ethical behaviour, organizational culture and, most recently, digital transformation in schools as well as the impact of digital education course materials on student and teacher motivation. She has worked in education for over twenty years, teaching Human Resources Management and Cultural Diversity at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland and the Lausanne Hotel Management School and is currently working as a trainer and lecturer on the University of Geneva management training for school leaders program (FORDIF).
Biography
István Vilmos Kovács is vice-rector for international relations at Budapest Metropolitan University. He is also responsible for the enhancement of learning and teaching and exploiting the potential of digitalisation in education. Since 2009, as a higher education expert, he has worked with several universities in various development domains. Innovation, entrepreneurship, and digitalisation played an important role in most of his learning and teaching-related assignments.
After a decade of teaching Physics, he pursued a career as Head of the Department for EU Affairs and Strategic Planning in the Hungarian Ministry of Education. Later, as vice president of the National Development Agency, he coordinated several national strategies such as the Hungarian National Development Plan (2007-2013), and the first National Sustainable Development Strategy.
As an independent consultant, he has been involved in various assignments for numerous international institutions and led research and development projects in the field of human capital development, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
The internet speaks: Digital education for the green transition
Supporting education and training systems to adapt to the green and digital transitions are priority goals for the European Commission. Digital technologies and digital skills are essential to tackling the climate and environmental crisis and supporting the move to a greener and more sustainable society and economy.
A new proposal by the Commission on learning for environmental sustainability points to the potential of digital technologies to help learners understand and take action to protect the environment, to fight climate change and encourage sustainability. Digital tools and platforms can support hands-on learning in and about the environment, boost student engagement and motivation, support communication and collaboration, and offer flexibility regarding the means, location and timing of learning. Learning outdoors with technology (for example, with mobile phones, tablets, drones or augmented reality) can benefit learners and educators alike. Doing so can help to improve learning outcomes, boost digital and sustainability competences, help learners to develop a connection with nature and support individual and collective action on sustainability. Yet, for some, technology can be a distraction potentially diminishing the outdoors experience and create a barrier between learners and nature.
This session, selected by the digital education community via social media, will explore the potential benefits, opportunities and challenges of using digital tools for outdoors learning. What does effective outdoors learning with technology look like? What are the personal, social and environmental benefits and challenges? How can we support educators to teach with technology beyond the walls of the classroom? How can outdoors learning with technology support the goals of Europe’s Green Deal? All these questions will be addressed in an interview with a distinguished expert in the field.
Biography
Sean is an international media professional. For twenty years, he produced TV, radio and online news reports around the world for the BBC’s flagship news and current affairs programmes. For five years, Sean was the BBC’s Brussels Bureau Chief, running a large news team across Europe, covering major news events of the day.
Since 2013, Sean has worked as a media consultant, coach and event moderator for international organisations, governments, corporations, start-ups, think tanks and NGOs. He is comfortable working at all levels, from new starters to CEOs and presidents. He moderates high-level, international events; coaches on all aspects of interaction with the media and advises on media content and strategy. Sean also runs coaching sessions on online/webinar presentation skills. He is a qualified translator and is comfortable working in English, German and French. He offers his clients a wealth of hands-on experience and knowledge and is a highly competent team manager and motivator. Sean brings a high degree of professionalism to all his assignments – together with a touch of humour, for good measure.
Biography
Zoran Petrov is head of the project department at the Centre for School and Outdoor Education (CŠOD), the national public institution for outdoor learning in Slovenia. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science (international relations), but his work has always been connected to education. After years of one-on-one tutoring in various school subjects, he was first employed as a lecturer in adult education, then briefly as editor of an educational TV show, followed by a period of developing e-learning courses. He started his employment at CŠOD in 2014, where he started as project manager for the national project of Roma education. He assumed his current position in 2017 and has since coordinated and supervised numerous national and international projects in the field of education.
In connection to digital education, his field of specialization is the smart use of technology and gamification in outdoor learning. In 2015, he coordinated the project that resulted in the creation of the outdoor learning mobile app CŠOD Misija (CSOD Mission) and continues managing activities connected with the app (content creation, teacher training, further development) as its editor. In 2021, he was the lead organizer and host of the international conference »Outdoor Learning Didactics: ICT and Outdoor Learning« that took place as a hybrid event connecting classroom, digital and outdoor activities. Also in 2021, at the international conference »Resetting education for the digital age«, he designed and carried out the conference challenge that combined digital and outdoor learning approaches. He is currently in charge of coordinating the creation of the digitalization strategy for CŠOD, as well as a member of the digitalisation working group at the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport of Slovenia.
Digital Skills and Competences: Achieving the EU's goals together
The EU has set ambitious goals when it comes to ensuring that Europeans are well-equipped with the necessary skills to thrive in the 21st century. Digital skills, a key driver for the twin green and digital transitions, are no exception. In particular, the European Pillar for Social Rights and the targets of the Digital Compass envisage that by 2030, at least 80% of Europeans should have at least basic digital skills.
Achieving these goals requires a comprehensive and coordinated effort at all levels. Education and training systems should provide a good basis for the development of digital skills and competences among young people from an early age, while both public and private stakeholders have a role to play in supporting the process and promoting lifelong upskilling and reskilling.
In line with the rationale behind the Pact for Skills, the Digital Education Action Planand the ongoing Structured Dialogue with Member States on digital education and skills, this session will gather the views of policy-makers, practitioners and young people. Its objective will be to reflect on what is needed and how various actors can more effectively collaborate to achieve the EU’s goals concerning digital skills. This session will also examine the Commission’s updated Digital Competence Framework. The discussion will contribute to ongoing work on the Commission’s proposal for a Council Recommendation on improving the provision of digital skills in education and training to be presented by the end of 2022.
Biography
Ana Carrero is deputy head of the unit in charge of vocational education and training, as well as digital and green skills in the Directorate General of Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion of the European Commission. Previously, she was responsible for promoting the modernisation of the labour market, skills and social protection systems in Spain, in accordance with the European Semester reform agenda, as well as ensuring social cohesion through the effective programming and implementation of the European Social Fund and the Youth Employment Initiative.
Biography
Victor Negrescu is a Member of the European Parliament, Vice-President of the Committee on Culture and Education (CULT), being part of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament.
Victor Negrescu has been the rapporteur of the European Parliament for the report on Shaping Digital Education Policy and responsible of the S&D Group for the report on the European schools system, as well as an active promotor of the allocation of 10% for quality and inclusive education of the National Recovery and Resilience Plans, and 2% to the cultural and creative sector. He managed to obtain in this regard the support of the Budgets Committee members and integrated that in the official position of the European Parliament.
In his activity as MEP, he strongly advocates for consistent investments in education, culture, digitalization and youth, by Member States and the European Commission. He is the MEP with the most significant pilot projects and preparatory actions, generating in both mandates initiatives that go up to more than €90 million in the fields of education, digitalization, health, entrepreneurship, culture and media. An example in this regard is the preparatory action “Increasing access to educational tools in areas and communities with low connectivity or access to technologies”, totalling €1,2 million allocated to 80 projects involving over 100 rural schools from 10 EU countries.
As Romanian Minister Delegate for European Affairs in 2017-2018, Victor Negrescu was responsible for the preparations for the Presidency of the European Council, highlighting consistently the importance of the education and digital sectors for Europe. Victor Negrescu holds an MBA in executive business, a PhD in development cooperation and has accomplished several education programs in prestigious Romanian and international universities and education institutions. In 2009 he started teaching at the Dimitrie Cantemir University in Bucharest and since 2012 he is a lecturer at the National School of Political Science and Public Administration (SNSPA), where he has developed a Master's programme in English on Development, International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid, as well as two research centres – the Institute for International Cooperation and Development and the Institute for Global Digital Policies. In the same time, he is currently teaching at the University of Saint Louis, the Brussels branch of the Louvain Catholique University. He was also Vice-Rector of SNSPA in 2019, the main responsibility being the coordination of projects and activities aimed at developing the European profile of the university.
Biography
Avanti Sharma, 15 years, is the pre-teen technology specialist at Workshop4Me, a non-profit organization that creates the problem solvers of the future through coding and other technology skills. Avanti is an international speaker at conferences such as TEDx, Deloitte Horizon Conference, Economic Times Global Business Summit, WomenTech Global, ICT Spring, and more, coder in hackathons such as Game of Code, a coach tutoring children aged 6-16 years as a part of Workshop4Me, and finalists in award ceremonies such as Technology Playmaker awards, and IT Ladies night. Avanti stands for the sustainable development goals, gender equality, and aims to make the world a better place for the future generations. During her time in international conferences, Avanti shares her solutions on meeting the target of the Sustainable Development goals for 2030 set by the UN, encouraging more young girls and women to code, and bridging the gap in education.
Biography
Ulrike Domany-Funtan, MBA is Secretary General of fit4internet - Association for Digital Skills Development in Austria, which is a member of the European Commission's Digital Skills and Job Coalition. Her professional career previously took her via positions in politics, journalism and management consultancy to management positions in industry in the DACH, CEE and EMEA regions. Domany-Funtan is a member of the Supervisory Board of FFG, Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF), Vice President of the Julius Raab Foundation and a member of the MIT Dean's Circle and EMEA Area Representative for MIT Sloan.
Biography
Yves Punie is senior scientist and Acting Head of Unit at the European Commission Joint Research Centre in Seville, Unit Human Capital and Employment. He has been working on "Digital Learning and Skills" since 2005 with the aim to provide evidence-based policy support to the European Commission on harnessing the potential of digital technologies to innovate education and training practices, improve access to lifelong learning and to deal with the rise of new (digital) skills and competences needed for employment, personal development and social inclusion.
Recent work on capacity building for the digital transformation of education and learning, and for the changing requirements for skills and competences has focussed on the development of digital competence frameworks for citizens (DigComp), educators (DigCompEdu), educational organisations (DigCompOrg) as well as frameworks on Personal, Social and Learning to Learn (LifeComp) and entrepreneurship (EntreComp). Some of these frameworks also have self-reflection tools (SELFIE, SELFIEforTeachers). The most recent framework released in January 2022 is GreenComp, the European sustainability competence framework.
Before joining the JRC in 2001, he was interim Assistant Professor at the Free University of Brussels (VUB). He holds a Ph.D. in Social Sciences.
Web
List of publications, see: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yves_Punie
Bridging policy, research and practice: The Digital Education Hub
The need for reinforced cooperation to tackle common challenges and to maximise the benefit from opportunities related to digital education has become very apparent in the past two years. As such, the creation of the Digital Education Hubis one of the flagship initiatives of the Digital Education Action Plan. Its main objective is to help overcome fragmentation in digital education. The Hub is aimed at individuals and organisations working in all sectors concerning the field of education, interested in innovation and the creation, use, distribution and regulation of digital education. It addresses cross-sectoral cooperation in digital education and brings together expertise and information from all education and training levels and sectors. The Hub aims to stimulate dialogue between the private and public sectors, and to broker information, data, and choice concerning policies, research, and practices, in doing so linking top-down and bottom-up approaches to digital education issues.
This session will present the work of the Digital Education Hub, the formation of which began at the beginning of 2022. It will focus on the main issues that drive the vision behind the Hub, namely the need to overcome fragmentation. The objective of this panel discussion is to discuss models and means for cross-sectoral cooperation on digital education and to cover some pathways for cooperation to be further developed through the Digital Education Hub.
The speakers will focus on specific aspects of cross-sectoral cooperation and community- building. They will present existing examples, needs and opportunities and reflect on how these can be supported by the Digital Education Hub.
Biography
Anusca Ferrari is a Policy Officer at the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture at the European Commission. She is an expert in digital education, in particular on digital skills and policies for lifelong learning. Anusca has been working on education and training for more than 17 years as a policy officer, policy analyst, project manager, independent consultant, researcher, and teacher.
Biography
Alexander Knoth works as Chief Digital Officer (CDO) and Head of Section Digitalisaton at the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in Berlin and Bonn. He is responsible for the strategic planning and management of DAAD’s digitalisation activities.
He is leading several research and development projects, including a consortium of 11 European organisations to support the development of the European Commission’s Digital Education Hub. Before he took over this position, Alexander worked as an Advisor for the Digitalisation of Teaching and International Affairs at the President’s Office of the University of Potsdam.
As Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) coordinator, Alexander has gained experiences in interdisciplinary and international co-teaching scenarios, connecting classrooms around the globe. He also worked at the chair of Complex Multimedia Application Architectures (Institute for Computational Science) and at the chair of Gender Sociology both at the University of Potsdam.
Alexander is an Educational Expert Fulbright Alumnus. He has been honoured by the Federal President of Germany and he has won the Teaching Award of the Federal State Brandenburg twice. His mobile application “Reflect.UP” has been nominated for the German E-Learning Innovation award (delina).
Biography
Assistant professor Sandra Kučina Softić is the Assistant Director at the University of Zagreb University Computing Centre SRCE (Croatia). She is also the Head of the E-learning Centre at SRCE. She has 25 years of experience working in higher education. Her work is focused on monitoring and fostering e-learning in Croatian higher education and providing support and advice to institutions, teachers and students in implementation of new technologies in learning and teaching.
Her field of interest is strategic decision making related to digital education implementation in higher education and enhancement of digital skills of teachers. She is also active in field of open education. She is also author of training courses for teachers and speaker at conferences on these topics. In 2021, she authored the book on digital transformation in higher education (Digitalna transformacija: novi pristupi i izazovi u obrazovanju) published in Croatian.
She has a master’s degree in Digital Education at the University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom) and PhD in Information and Communication Technologies at the University of Zagreb (Croatia).
She is president of European Distance and E-learning Network EDEN, elected in 2019. She has been a member of EDEN Executive Committee since 2013 and in 2014 she received the EDEN Fellow Title. She is member of the Management Board of the EDEN DLE.
Biography
CEO and co-founder of EvidenceB, an EdTech start-up developing adaptive learning modules for K-12 core knowledge, founded on cognitive science research, reinforced with a double AI engine and co-designed with teachers. He led the Educational Partnerships Program at Microsoft for 12 years, where he initiated the www.classe-immersive.fr. Thierry de Vulpillières worked for several years the educational publishing industry, as managing editor of the electronic school bag project (Nathan and Bordas) and editor at Belin. He was a founding member of Groupe-COMPAS ENS-Ulm. He is a Knight in the Order of Academic Palms.
Biography
Christien Bok is Innovation manager education at SURF. She aims to support collaboration between higher education institutions in the field of IT innovation in order to improve student success and the quality of education. She is an advocate for the protection of public values in education and research. She is convinced that international agreements on standards and architecture are a key to organising education efficiently and flexibly, nationally and across borders. Christien designed various national programmes, including the Acceleration Plan. Christien studied Dutch literature at Utrecht University. She worked for the Dutch Foundation for Literature and at The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). At NWO she was responsible for a research program in which IT researchers and heritage managers worked together to make heritage available digitally.
Artificial Intelligence in and for education: Where we are and where do we want to go next?
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) has great potential to improve the quality of education, to reduce early school leaving and enhance teaching and learning practices. All of this can be achieved AI-enabled personalised learning, quality educational content and targeted professional development. At the same time, the use of AI entails risks linked to fundamental democratic values and principles, such as rights to non-discrimination, equal opportunities, gender equality, as well as other ethical, data protection and privacy concerns.
In response to these challenges, the Commission has proposed a specific action to address the ethical implications and challenges of using artificial intelligence and data in teaching and learning under the Digital Education Action Plan. In particular, it has set up an expert group with the task to contribute to the development of ethical guidelines for teachers. Linked with the Commission’s global and holistic approach to AI, the action aims to promote understanding of emerging technologies and their application in education. In doing so, we can ensure that no-one is left behind during the digital transition, people are put first and new opportunities are creates. These objectives have been highlighted as part of the EU’s Digital Decade initiative and the Commission's 2020 Digital strategy.
This panel discussion with experts and practitioners will give the opportunity to highlight key points about ethical guidelines for AI and data usage in teaching and learning for educators. Providing a variety of voices and perspectives on the topic, these exchanges will contribute to the work of the Commission’s expert group on the use of AI and data in teaching and learning and the development of the upcoming guidelines.
Biography
Rehana Schwinninger-Ladak has been the Head of the Unit 'Interactive technologies, Digital for Culture and Education' since January 2018. The Unit ’s mission is three folds :
- to support the digital transformation of cultural and education institutions by promoting the digitisation, preservation and reuse of cultural heritage assets and the further development of Europeana as Europe's platform for digital cultural heritage and as the core of the common European Data space for cultural heritage
- To support the modernisation of education and training systems in an age of rapid technological changes and
- To foster a wider use of extended reality technologies in industrial and societal domains.
In her previous positions at the European Commission, Rehana was the deputy Head of the Unit responsible for Learning, Multilingualism and Accessibility. Prior to it, she was closely involved in the development and follow-up of the European regulatory framework on audiovisual media and the Commission's strategy on Data.
Rehana holds a degree in finance and economics and a master in actuarial science.
Biography
Vanda Luengo is professor in Computer Science at Sorbonne Université. She is Co-leader for the AI axis of the Laboratoy LIP6 and lead of the research team MOCAH.
The research interest is in Artificial Intelligence in education and Technology Enhanced Learning and learning analytics. In particular about student and feedback models. This research is related to numerical and semantic approaches, which analyze heterogeneous data in defined (like mathematic education) and in ill-defined domain (particularly in vocational learning).
Biography
Deirdre Butler, is a Professor at the Institute of Education, Dublin city University (DCU). Prior to being a teacher educator, she was a primary school teacher, mathematics resource teacher, teacher for the travelling community and vice-principal of a school. Her passion in life is exploring what being digital in learning can mean and what skills or competencies are needed to live and thrive in today’s complex globally connected world. Deirdre is driven by discovering how using digital technologies can revolutionise learning, examining how we learn and questioning our assumptions about "traditional" models of schooling.
She is interested in the field of digital learning, particularly the design and development of innovative sustainable, scalable models of teacher professional learning. She has extensive experience of managing a range of projects / school-based initiatives focusing on creative uses of digital technologies to inform the development of a shared language to describe the learning processes embedded in the use of a wide palette of digital technologies, leading to important grounding for curricula serving both children and teachers’ continued professional growth. Currently Deirdre is Expert Advisor to the Irish Department of Education as they develop the next iteration of the Digital Strategy for Schools.
More details available at https://www.dcu.ie/stem-education-innovation-global-studies/people/deirdre-butler
Butler, D., & Leahy, M. (2021). Developing preservice teachers' understanding of computational thinking: A constructionist approach. British Journal of Educational Technology. https://bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bjet.13090
Hurley, M., Butler., D., McLoughlin E., (2021). Immersive STEM Learning Experiences to Shape Shared Futures. Dublin: Dublin City University. [White paper]
DOI:10.5281/zenodo.5589759 https://stemteacherinternships.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/STInt_White_Paper_November_2021.pdf
Lehane, P., Butler, D., & Marshall, K. (2021). Building a New World in Education:Exploring Minecraft for Learning, Teaching and Assessement [White Paper]. Dublin city university. DOI:10.5281/zenodo.5683037
Twining, P., Butler, D., Fisser, P., Leahy, M., Shelton, C., Forget-Dubois, N., & Lacasse, M.(2020) 'Developing a quality curriculum in a technological era'. Educational Technology Research and Development. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09857-3
Biography
Tapani Saarinen (Ph.D.) was awarded for his innovative learning solutions by the Technology Industries of Finland Centennial Foundation in 2017. Saarinen works at the European School in Brussels (since 2017), serving as a pedagogical ICT coordinator and a member of a group coding interactive pages for elementary school mathematics.
Research, experimentation and development have been integral for Saarinen’s career as a teacher. In Finland Saarinen for example cooperated with the companies developing game-based learning applications, participated in projects incorporating robotics and coding into learning and delved into the use of Blended Learning, Flipped Classroom and AI in education. Saarinen is a member of the Commission Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence and Data in Education and Training.
Biography
Marco Neves is a Computer Science teacher and CEO of InteractIdeas a company that aims to bring the thematic of AI to the reach of every K12 student in Europe. He obtained his master's degree in Educational Sciences - Specialization in Educational Informatics at the Portuguese Catholic University. He is a consultant in Education/Digital Technology and in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Education.
Fighting disinformation and promoting digital literacy: Education as a key driver
The rapidly-changing media and information landscape and the diversity of online media platforms and sources of online information offer people opportunities to access information to a whole new extent. While this leads to opportunities related to knowledge development, communication and community creation, the online sphere also presents favourable conditions for the dissemination of disinformation, for hate speech, cyberbullying and radicalisation. Education and training has a crucial role to play in equipping citizens with the critical thinking skills required to exercise good judgment online, taking into consideration characteristic phenomena related to the presence of algorithms, ‘information bubbles’ and ‘echo chambers’.
To address these challenges and support teachers and educators, as envisaged through the Digital Education Action Plan, the Commission will publish common guidelines for teachers and educators to promote digital literacy and tackle disinformation in September 2022.
This panel discussion will offer an opportunity to reflect on the key role of education and training in progressing digital literacy among young people and equipping them with the right skills and competences to recognise and react to disinformation. In particular, it will address the support needed by teachers, but also more generally how the broader education and training community can contribute to this task. The discussion will bring a variety of stakeholders – policy-makers at the EU level, practitioners, teachers, trainers and representatives of parents. The results from the discussion will feed into ongoing work on the development of guidelines for teachers and educators to tackle disinformation and promote digital literacy.
Biography
Georgi Dimitrov is responsible for the newly created unit Digital Education in the European Commission, Directorate General for Education and Culture. He joined the European Commission in 2008 and was first involved in various roles in setting up the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). He then helped to develop and launch HEInnovate, an initiative by the European Commission and the OECD aimed at supporting universities to become more entrepreneurial. He led the development of the first Digital Education Action Plan adopted in January 2018 and also of the new Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027 that was adopted in September 2020. Before joining the Commission, Georgi worked for a leading multinational telecommunication company and in a software start-up in Germany. Georgi studied at the University of Bonn (M.A.), the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg (PhD) and the Open University UK (MBA in Technology Management).
Biography
I was born in Carrara (Tuscany - Italy) in 1956 and since 1959 I’ve been living in Milano. I am
married and have two children, Chiara and Davide. I joined AGeSC, the association of Parents of
Catholic schools in 1994 because I wanted to follow and support my children in their education
pathway.
From 1998 to 2005 I had many responsibility in Publich Schools as President of the Institute
Council and President of the Parents' Assembly of a State Middle School. I've ben also a member
of the Council of the Sacred Heart Institute of Milan representing the Scientific branch of the high
school.
After other roles at school at different levels in AGeSC, in 2010 I was elected as AGeSC Office Head
of Foreign Relations. I joined EPA in 2010 representing AGeSC, having an active participation in all
General Assembly and other EPA meetings and conferences. Since 2016 I am an EPA Vicepresident
and a Board member.
Professionally I have been working at IBM with different roles in Information Technology, and
Education and Reskilling at local and global level. Deep and remarkable experience as project
coordinator in a State public project named “school and work rotation”. Currently retired since the
end of 2019.
Biography
Claus Hjorth is the Head of Children & Youth Department at the Danish Film Institute and the Head of Secretariat for the Danish Media Council for Children and Young People. Previously, Claus had a position as Senior Advisor at the Danish Ministry for Culture and at Local Government Denmark. Claus holds a Master Degree in Political Science.
Biography
Sally Reynolds has worked in the area of media supported learning for most of her career and is currently the chief coordination officer for the European Media & Learning Association (MLA) and joint Director of ATiT. The MLA is a not-for-profit membership and networking organisation that is focused on the value and impact of media-supported learning and which involves various agencies, universities and institutions in its work. One of the main areas of interest amongst members is media education and media literacy and the association recently launched a new special interest group on Teacher Education in Digital and Media Literacy. Both MLA and many of its members are also actively involved in European cross-border collaborative projects on this topic. Sally represents the association in several relevant initiatives. This includes her membership of the Advisory Board of the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO), the European Commission expert group to tackle disinformation and promote digital literacy through education and training and EMIL, EPRA's Media and Information Literacy Taskforce. Specific areas of interest for Sally includes mainstreaming of digital and media literacy in the formal education system and teacher training and education.
Looking near and far: Digital education and the international dimension
Digitalisation is transforming societies worldwide, providing new opportunities to improve education, to enhance the management of education systems and the development of new innovative teaching methods. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the global digital divide and cast a spotlight on the importance of digitalisation. As a global phenomenonand with innovation and good practices around the world, the EU has been engaging with partners in third countries.
The speakers from this panel will provide their experience on deploying innovative digital tools, embedding them into teaching, learning and assessment, and other good practices on digital education in third countries with the help of or within the framework of EU-funded initiatives and projects. As adaptation to the local context is key to the success of these initiatives, the speakers will share their insights on how to overcome structural barriers to learning and digital skills development, including the importance of digital inclusion.
Biography
Paola Ottonello holds a PhD in International Relations. After a few years working in academia, she joined the European Commission in 2003. She has extensive experience in events and communications and has been championing gender equality in sport and supporting the European Week of Sport initiative (among many other things). She is now a policy officer in the International Cooperation unit of the Directorate-General in charge of Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, in charge of the Western Balkans region.
Biography
Awono Onana is a full professor of applied and computational mathematics. He has been involved in many international projects as a Coordinator. Among these projects are : ERMIT (a mobility international project financed by EU in the framework of the INTRA ACP program), AFRICOM (a mobility regional project financed by EU in the framework of the INTRA Africa program), Coordinator of the CETIC, the African Center of Excelence in ICT, a project financed by the Worldbank in the framework of the African centers of excellence program, Coordinator AGIR (a project financed by the IMF in the framework of the Debt Release Initiative program). Professor Awono is also coordinating the Project of Centers of Excellence of Central Africa, a project supported by UNESCO and the ECCAS. Professor Awono has also been involved in Tuning Africa project where he has coordinated the team in charge of mechanical engineering. He has been an invited professor in many universities accross the world. He is currently President of the Université des Montagnes in Cameroon.
Biography
Alessandro Brolpito is a senior human capital development expert at the European Training Foundation (ETF), an agency of the European Union (EU) based in Turin, Italy.
Alessandro’s work focuses on policies and practices for developing digital skills and competences and the use of digital technology in education and training. He has been working in Eastern Partnership countries (EaP), Western Balkans (WB) countries and Turkey.
He is author of several publications and since 2014 is a member of the European Commission’s working group on digital education.
Prior to joining ETF, he worked as software analyst in the private sector.
Alessandro is graduated in Computer Science in Milano (Italy), with a postgraduate diploma in Management of Software Projects at the Open University of London (UK).
Biography
Ms. Milena Jocic Tanaskovic, MSc, is an Expert on Digital Connectivity at the Regional Cooperation Council. The focus of her work is in the field of connectivity and digital skills in the Western Balkan region, including developments in roaming, broadband and 5G.
Milena has been working in the line ministry for telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia for more than 10 years and has extensive knowledge and experience in the field of electronic communications, in both legislation and technical issues.
Milena holds an MSc degree in the field of telecommunications from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade.
Biography
Margrethe Vestager has been the European Commission Executive Vice-President for a Europe fit for the digital age since 2019 and Commissioner for Competition since 2014.
A Danish national, Vestager was a Minister for economic affairs and the interior as well as political leader of the Social Liberal Party from 2011 to 2014. She was Minister for education from 1998 to 2001 and Head of secretariat with the Danish Agency for Financial Management and Administrative Affairs from 1997 to 1998. She holds a Master of science in economics from the University of Copenhagen.
Biography
Background
The new Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027) is the EU’s flagship policy initiative supporting the sustainable and effective adaptation of Member States’ education and training systems to the digital age.
The Action Plan is key to achieving the EU’s vision of achieving the European Education Area and Europe’s Digital Decade.
Digital education is also a subject of numerous national initiatives, including those supported by the Recovery and Resilience Facility.