COMPUTER LITERACY OF POPULATION 50+

1. COMPUTER LITERACY OF POPULATION 50+ A case from Slovenia Barbara Vogrinec CPZ-International, Centre for Knowledge Promotion, Slovenia e-mail: barbara.vogrinec@guest.arnes.si

2. Project »Computer literacy of population« (CLP project)

3. Some general information about the CLP project • Period: 2001 – 2004 • Carried out by the CPZ-International, Centre for Knowledge Promotion, in cooperation with the Institute Jozef Stefan • Research team: dr. Sergij Gabrscek* (principal researcher), Metka Ursic*, Jelka Piskuric*, mag. Pavle Golob**, Aljosa Soklic** • Slovenian national targeted research program project * CPZ-International, Centre for Knowledge Promotion ** Institute Jozef Stefan

4. Some more information about the CLP project • One of the projects of a series of projects of computer (or ICT) literacy of population that already exists in Slovenia • Also a project that is worth to be set out - because of the following two reasons: • it is a matter of a project that was actually the first of this kind in Slovenia, pertaining older adults - adults, older than 50 years - and mass of population • this project brought a new, innovative programme or curriculum for training of older adults for (and with) the use of ICT, i.e. the so-called brain learning based curriculum - which then also became the basis for the development of another curriculum of the same kind, curriculum developed within another project...

5. Main goals of the CLP project • Development of the curriculum (programme, approach...) for mass basic computer or ICT literacy of adults 50+ and still or not anymore working • Pilot version of the programme and educational materials

6. More about the target group of the curriculum developed within the CLP project • Population of adults 50+ and still or not anymore working - the population characterized by the following: • it represents an increasing part of today’s so-called ICT (european, or rapidly ageing european) society • mostly is not well acquainted with or does not well master ICT • it also have negative attitude to ICT • as a part of today’s ICT (european, or rapidly aging european) society, this is the population for which the mastery of ICT is necessary - as far as it is necessary for its working performance and for keeping jobs (or for bigger employment possibilities), in case of those still working, or for raising the quality of life and enabling active aging, in case of the retired people

7. About the programme developed within the CLP project • It is concieved in a way to: • effectively train older adults to acquire the basic competences of the use of ICT, and also to • influence on the abolition of their fear of ICT, and on the development of positive attitude to ICT, and, consequently, to • influence that these people become (more) active, creative, useful, and satisfied, also healthy etc. members of today's ICT (european) society

8. About the training approach developed within the CLP project • It considers the following three important issues: • psychological principles of older adult education • senzorical-motorical and cognitive characteristics of older adults, and • health and social condition • Or: the CLP project brought a new, innovative, i.e. a brain learning based curriculum

9. About experimental workshops, where the curriculum developed within the CLP project was checked • Prior to each workshop two things were carried out: • an interview with each of the participants to test, first of all, the individual's interests and his/her previous knowledge (which includes not only the individual's acquintance with ICT, but also his/her interest for learning, and the acquaintance with novelties), and • a capability test to test the individual's senzorical-motorical and cognitive capabilities

10. More about the experimental workshops carried out within the CLP project • On these workshops the learning environment defined first of all by the following was set up: more personal attitude of trainers - including lecturer (mentor) and assistants (co-mentors) - to trainees, which means: • their role was, as it is used to say, being the »guide on the side« rather than being the »sage on the stage«, more concretely • they are not giving direct answers (to questions of trainees), but rather questioning trainees to make them to get answers by themselves (on the basis of the use of their previous knowledge), or to make them to think, to be active, creative etc., - where praising of trainees is also very important -, or they are performing a kind of socratic method, by the help of which trainees are becoming more and more autonomous etc.

11. About the work of the participants of the CLP project workshops out of these workshops • It is a kind of work that contributes significally to success and progress of each (individual) trainee, and to which - either performing at home or in libraries and cybercafés (in case of those not having computer at home) - the participants were also stimulated

12. Project »Specific experiences in collaborative work using ICT - Photographic internet gallery project« (PIG project)

13. Some general information about the PIG project • Period: 2006 – 2007 • Carried out within the partnership of: • Ajuntament de Manresa, Spain (coordinator) • CPZ-International, Centre for Knowledge Promotion, Slovenia • VUC Nordjylland, Denmark • E-ÜLIKOOL/Estonian e-university, Estonia • Slovenian research team: Metka Ursic (principal researcher), Helena Caf, mag. Barbara Vogrinec • Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP) project or Grundtvig project

14. Main goals of the PIG project • To build transnational european network to share experiences in the use of ICT in adult education/training • To carry out workshops/courses on collaborative work using ICT in each of the project partner countries

15. About courses on collaborative work using ICTcarried out in Slovenia • They were carried out according to the curriculum developed on the basis of the CLP project curriculum

16. About the curriculum according to whichthe courses in Slovenia were carried out • It is dedicated to the following target groups: • adults 50+ • unemployed

17. More about the curriculum according to whichthe courses in Slovenia were carried out • The main programme goals are the following: • to acquire the basis of computer use - on the first level • to acquire the basis of moodle technology use - on the second level • to realise the Photographic internet gallery project - on the third level

18. More about the curriculum according to whichthe courses in Slovenia were carried out • The programme contents - that are choosen on the basis of the previous knowledge of students etc. - are - on the first level - the following: • computer and other equipment (like printer, modem, scanner) • connecting computer to the world net • using programmes for electronic mail • exploring internet • editing texts with text editor

19. More about the curriculum according to whichthe courses in Slovenia were carried out • On the second level the programme contents are: • access to information about e-courses, timetable and pedagogical staff (e-mentors), access to e-contents and other tools of particular course • communication with e-mentors and other e-students (adding comments and notes to the whole e-content, participating in forums, chats, and similar - like audio and audio/video conferences) • receiving exercises, homeworks, sending them to e-mentor, reviewing work results, and similar.

20. More about the curriculum according to whichthe courses in Slovenia were carried out • And on the third level the programme contents are the following: • realisation of the Photographic internet gallery project, with the first proposal for the realisation as follows: concerning content - choosen also on the basis of the cooperation between e-mentor and e-students: exploring the capital of Slovenia - Ljubljana -; and concerning other tools: forum, chat and audio or audio/video conferences

21. More about courses carried out in Slovenia • The first of (the three of) them was a lab course • During them the competences for e-learning and e-mentors were tried to be developed • They - the second and the third - were taking place also online

22. About the dissemination of the informationconcerning the PIG projectcarried out by the slovenian project partner • The (slovenian) project courses were taking place also online, and in this way in different regions in Slovenia • Pamphlets describing the courses were provided and disseminated to different relevant institutions (including employment services, lifelong learning institutions) in different regions in Slovenia • The project was presented at the Regional Development Centre in Zagorje (Slovenia) - where an interest for the introduction of the courses for unemployed persons was expressed

23. About the slovenian project partner’s future planslinked to the project • To continue with courses on collaborative work using ICT • To develop several e-learning courses on the basis of the (PIG and also CLP) project experiences • To develop the competences for e-learning and e-mentors