At the end of March, partners of the Digital First Network gathered in A Coruña, Spain, for a two-day consortium meeting hosted by Universidade da Coruña. Bringing together partners from across Europe, the meeting provided an important opportunity to reflect on progress, strengthen collaboration, and align on the next steps as the project moves into its final phase.

Day 1: Reflection, Alignment, and Shared Understanding

The meeting opened at the Rectorate of the Universidade da Coruña, where partners were welcomed before moving into a full day of discussions and exchange.

The first day focused on reviewing progress across earlier project activities. Partners explored developments related to teaching approaches in informatics education, the outcomes of Dialogue Clubs, and ongoing work on teacher education and training frameworks. These sessions created space not only to present results, but to critically reflect on them – what is working well, where challenges remain, and how different national contexts influence implementation.

Beyond the formal agenda, the in-person setting allowed for more open and direct conversations, helping partners better understand each other’s perspectives and align expectations for the next phase.

The day concluded with an informal walk through the Old Town of A Coruña, offering a moment to continue discussions in a more relaxed setting.

Day 2: From Frameworks to Practice

The second day took place at the CITIC research centre and was held in a hybrid format, with additional partners joining online.

The focus shifted from frameworks to implementation. Discussions centred on the ongoing piloting phase, including teacher training, classroom implementation, and stakeholder engagement across participating countries. Partners reviewed how the developed learning scenarios are being tested in real school environments, as well as the tools used to collect feedback from students, teachers, and parents.

This phase is a key step in the project, moving from design to practice and ensuring that the developed approaches are relevant, adaptable, and effective in diverse educational contexts.

What Stood Out: Collaboration and Progress

As part of the second day, partners reflected on their key takeaways from the meeting. The feedback highlighted a few clear themes:

• Collaboration is the strongest value of the meeting
• A clear sense of progress and direction
• The importance of having a shared overview of where the project stands
• Continued networking and exchange across partners

There was also a shared feeling that the project is on the right path, with many milestones already achieved and a clear focus on what comes next.

Looking Ahead

With more than half of the project completed, the A Coruña meeting marked an important checkpoint. It helped consolidate progress, identify remaining challenges, and align efforts for the final phase.

The coming months will focus on completing piloting activities, finalising key outputs, and ensuring that project results are both impactful and sustainable beyond the project’s lifetime.

At its core, Digital First continues to work towards a shared goal:
Rethinking how informatics is taught – so that learners don’t just use technology, but understand it, question it, and actively shape it.