Cluster – Educating City

The Cluster research project investigates how digital technologies can support the learning of children aged 3-12 years in the daily school teaching.

Area

Contexts and technologies in learning processes

Focus

Digital , Technologies

Duration

2014 - 2018

Partner

In an era where technological innovation and digital solutions lead to new opportunities, but also to new challenges, schools are invited to make an effort to rethink their learning models.

The relationship between society and technology is constantly evolving and schools, starting from childhood, have the task of promoting the education of active and aware citizens who learn in collaboration with others and who know how to use and interpret the opportunities offered by new digital technologies, a tool to expand adults’ and children’s learning opportunities.

In two preschools and two primary schools in Reggio Emilia, children and adults have been involved in mixed research groups to design innovative technological devices.

A research path has been built together with the children and the devices they designed have become the object of experimentation. By using sensors connected to an app, they monitored physical and natural elements of the school environment, collecting on a shared platform the resulting data. A second phase of research focused on the exploration of virtual reality by means of a body scanner and 3D modelling software.

“Innovation and knowledge resources can make a valuable contribution to “sewing up” responsible, supportive and intelligent communities.”

The four schools involved created a virtual community for the exchange of materials and ideas about the tools and strategies used in the explorations.

In an innovative path, with the direct involvement of schools and partner companies, it was possible to create an innovative environment capable of fostering a learning process based on information sharing and a collaborative approach.