European Digital Older Learners (EDOL)
Aims and objectives
EDOL introduces learners over the age of 50 to ICT, teaching them a range of ICT skills. Through ICT, EDOL allows learners across Europe to communicate with and learn about one another, and also provides non-English speaking learners with the opportunity to improve their language skills.
Activities and lessons learned
The widely available TikiWiki content management system has been adapted to create an EDOL website: http://edoltiki.forumtrust.co.uk. Learning groups from each partner country learn ICT skills to enable them to use the EDOLTiki to create their own web pages, message one another, upload pictures or files, write blogs and much more. Learners form an online community, sharing information about themselves, their families and their lives, their culture and their memories. Learners are also given the opportunity to meet face-to-face with their online friends at transnational meetings.
Achievements
The main achievement of the project so far is the introduction of new technology to learners over the age of 50, most of whom had never been near a computer before. EDOL has given many of these learners new confidence, skills, hobbies and friends, some, a new lease of life!
Materials produced
The EDOL partners are in the process of producing a DVD about the project, each partner organisation and each learning group. The DVD will be available in 2007.
In addition the http://www.educaline.com/edolproject/edol.html website was established to share good practice and information about the project and its wider aims.
Partnership organisations / countries
Italy: lead partner;
UK: two learner groups;
Ireland: two learner groups;
Belgium;
The Netherlands;
Denmark;
Spain.
The organisations include teaching institutions, a registered charity and an educational resource centre for the disabled.
Learner involvement
Learners were key to the project’s work as teaching and learning were the main focus of the project. Learners make up the online community and create the website which most lessons are based around.
Impact
On the organisation
The EDOL project is one of a range of projects and activities, which The
Forum Trust is undertaking and represents a small part of the Trusts work. Even
so, EDOL has contributed greatly to the Trust’s research and development work on
e-learning and the use of online communities in education.
On staff
The EDOL project has allowed several of the Trust’s staff to develop their
teaching and ICT skills as well as helping them to gain a greater understanding
of the educational system and teaching methods in partner countries.
On adult learners
The EDOL project has made its greatest impact on the learning group. The
learners have summed it up themselves as follows:
“Excellent chance to learn so many new skills – BRILLIANT!”
“It’s given me a new hobby, a new way of meeting people and a new lease of life!”
“Since my illness, it has given me my independence … I can do all of my shopping online”
“It makes you realise that we are part of Europe and not just a little quaint island off the coast of France … we are all very much alike!”
“It’s very important that I can now join in with the younger generation”
“The class projects have brought back many childhood memories”
“Best of all, I can now keep in touch with all of my family who spend a lot of time overseas”
“It’s given me a sense of ‘belonging’ and not just ‘being’”
“It’s transformed my life!”.
On outside organisations
The project has alerted other organisations such as the Educational Centres
Association, who have adopted the Tiki for their own Grundtvig 2 Project
entitled TeACH. Other organisations that have taken an interest are the
University of East Anglia who are keen to explore ways of developing the project
and possibly integrating it into an intergenerational project with a sister
project that has been heavily funded by the Creative Partnership organisation,
and to a smaller extent by Norfolk County Council and the East of England
Development Agency (EEDA). BT, who provided a PC for a sheltered housing complex
where many of the students are resident, have also expressed an interest in
developing a joint future project with us.
Contact details
Name, organisation and address:
Andrea Cox
The Forum Trust
2 Millennium Plain
Bethel Street
Norwich
Norfolk
NR2 1TF
Telephone no.: 01603 727932
Email: anj.cox@theforumnorwich.co.uk
Classification data
Focus of project
| Active citizenship | |
| Essential skills | |
| Inter-generational learning | |
| Cultural/multi-cultural | |
| ICT and learning |
X |
| Foreign languages | |
| Other* |
Project Type: Grundtvig 2 (Learning Partnerships)
UK project base
| East Midlands | |
| East of England |
X |
| London | |
| North East | |
| Northern Ireland | |
| North West | |
| Scotland | |
| South East | |
| South West | |
| Wales | |
| West Midlands | |
| Yorkshire and the Humber |
