Working Together for Transforming Informatics Education: First Insights from our Dialogue Clubs – Croatia

The DIGITAL FIRST project proposes a new approach to teaching computer science, in which the function of computer skills is in the foreground and serves as the ultimate goal of the educational process. By emphasising functional understanding and problem-solving skills, the project aims to empower students to become active creators rather than passive consumers of the digital world. Innovative pedagogical approaches view digital technology as the first language of digital natives and improve traditional approaches to teaching computer science by applying Halliday’s seven functions of a child’s language: personal, informative, interactional, instrumental, imaginative, heuristic and regulatory.

One of the project’s aims is to involve all stakeholders in shaping the future of IT education through dialogue clubs, which will be organised in each country where the project is implemented.

Dialogue Clubs are platforms for the joint creation of a sustainable dialogue about teaching informatics, the new role and competencies of teachers and the integration of effective pedagogical approaches in teaching. The Dialogue Clubs encourage participants to analyse current pedagogical approaches, strategies and curricula in informatics education to identify gaps in knowledge transfer. The ultimate aim of this dialogue is to establish inclusive and supportive environments for learning and teaching and create space for dialogue on the effectiveness and evaluation of different pedagogical approaches, aligned with current trends and needs that require education in the face of rapid technological development. In dialogue clubs, pedagogical strategies for applying each of Halliday’s seven functions of child language in the classroom will be discussed, as well as methods of assessment.

So far, three dialogue clubs have been held in Croatia where teachers discussed important topics for supporting students in solving real-life challenges.

The first Dialogue Club: Personal function of digital technology

At the first Dialogue Club organised by the Partners in Learning in Croatia, teachers discussed the personal function of digital technology, technology used to express personal opinions, attitudes and feelings, including one’s own identity.

The key topics discussed by the participants in the first dialogue club relate to media literacy, digital identity and communication on social networks, with an emphasis on how students use technology to express their own identity. Participants also discussed assessment methods that include the use of digital portfolios in which students create and edit content that expresses their own identity.

                                                                                                                        Picture 1. The first dialogue club

Teachers had an active discussion in groups about:

  • how students use digital platforms to express emotions or create their own identity,
  • which digital tools or applications students prefer when sharing personal experiences or opinions, and
  • how the use of social media or other digital platforms contributes to students’ self-expression compared to face-to-face communication.

The Dialogue Club offered a motivating environment for participants to discuss these topics and collect their insights on a digital Padlet board.

The first Dialogue Club resulted in the creation of an extremely stimulating environment in which participants shared experiences and developed ideas, collaboratively thinking about young generations as active creators of the digital world, not passive consumers.

The main conclusions of the first Dialogue Club are:

  • How do students use digital platforms to express emotions or create their own identity?

Children use digital platforms to create and share content, which helps them form virtual identities and connect with others. Messaging apps are used to express emotions using emojis, GIFs and memes, making communication easier and faster. Experimenting with avatars in games helps children understand their own identity and emotions.

  • Which digital tools or applications do students prefer when sharing personal experiences or opinions?

TikTok and Snapchat are popular for privacy and anonymity, allowing the sharing of personal experiences through short videos and disappearing messages. WhatsApp and Messenger are favourites for privacy and group communication. Discord is popular for text, voice and video communication within communities, fostering a sense of community.

  • How does using social media or other digital platforms contribute to student self-expression compared to face-to-face communication?

Digital platforms allow for more concise and simplified communication, often with the use of emojis and short messages. The digital environment provides a safer space for expression without immediate reactions and the pressure of physical presence, children communicate more freely and with less uncertainty that can be present in face-to-face communication. Anonymity on digital platforms encourages expression without fear of judgment or prejudice, which can lead to more honest and open self-expression.

The second dialogue club: Informative function of digital technology 

                                                                                                                       Picture 2. The second dialogue club

A highly stimulating discussion resulted in a variety of examples of how students organise and share data and information through digital tools, the methods students use to clarify or improve their understanding of information when using digital media, and the contexts in which students use digital technologies to help others explained complex concepts and the role of technology in this communication.

Discussions focused on:

  • How do students organise and share data and information through digital tools?

The tools most often used by students to organise and share content are: Teams (used for communication, content sharing and task storage), Canva (popular for creating infographics and visual content), OneDrive (storage and sharing of works), Padlet (used for publication of papers and peer evaluation), Google Classroom (sharing work materials and submitting homework) and Whiteboard (drawing and writing key information in real-time). In elementary schools, students use digital tools to create research papers, presentations, posters, infographics, and story collections, share work through Teams, Padlet, and other digital boards, and use tools such as PowerPoint, Sway, Prezi, and Kahoot! Quizizz, and MindMeister for presentations, quizzes and mind maps. In secondary schools, they create escape room tasks with questions related to the teaching content and prepare video tutorials. Students are more organised when they use tools that allow storing and sharing information in one place. They are motivated to create digital content using newer tools instead of traditional tools. Additional work is needed to understand the purpose of different digital formats (infographics, posters, presentations).

  • What methods do students use to clarify or improve their understanding of information when using digital media?

Students often use AI tools to ask questions and get real-time explanations. When using artificial intelligence, it is important to educate students and encourage critical thinking about technology. Students use video tutorials to improve understanding and create new digital content based on acquired knowledge, create video clips, use mind maps, interactive quizzes, online search engines, logic circuit drawing simulations, digital notes and use gamification. Organising into online study groups before knowledge tests is also one of the methods used. Students learn the importance of verifying the information, citing sources and respecting copyright, and the use of rubrics helps with self- and peer evaluation. Students in lower grades often ask their teachers for explanations or send emails to teachers.

  • In what contexts do students use digital technologies to explain complex concepts to others and how does technology improve this communication?

Students use digital technologies to explain complex concepts in different contexts. Training artificial intelligence models and building chatbots help in learning. Digital technologies enable quick feedback, more open communication and the freedom to ask questions. Although students still use more verbal communication, they create quizzes and videos in groups and use digital technology to collaborate, explain concepts, share resources and ask questions. They also use Minecraft, online learning groups and video calls to collaborate and share knowledge. Older students help younger school students to learn about cybersecurity. In the lower grades, students often make presentations for simple projects.

The conclusions of this dialogue club are the result of a thoughtful discussion in which the participants appreciated different perspectives on the representational/informative function of digital technology.

The third Dialogue Club: Interactive function of digital technology

In this Dialogue Club, we discussed the interactional function of digital tech: tech that is used to develop relationships and ease interaction. The interactional function helps in forming relationships and social interactions. For example, saying “Let’s play” invites someone to join in an activity. It is used to establish and maintain social relationships. This function is crucial for building social bonds and includes greetings, farewells, and other forms of social interaction. It helps children learn the norms and conventions of social communication. In essence, the interactional function of digital technology mirrors Halliday’s concept by providing various platforms and tools that facilitate social interactions and relationship building. These digital means are crucial for maintaining personal connections and fostering community in the modern world. The third dialogue club was held on 5th December focusing on the topic of the Interactive function of digital technology.


                                                                                                                      Picture 3. The third dialogue club

Discussions focused on:

  • How do students use digital platforms to establish and maintain social connections with peers?

Students use various digital platforms in their free time to communicate, socialise, exchange ideas, and play games. Younger students use messaging apps for communication and online environments for assignments and video calls, which they find more attractive than email. Lower and upper secondary school students also use online environments for collaboration, including joint assignments. Online games and platforms help students socialise with peers from other countries. Online platforms are used for projects and sharing ideas. These platforms enable global connections, but students need guidance on balancing online and offline socialising and being aware of potential online risks like cyberbullying and technology addiction.

  • What forms of digital collaboration (e.g. online group projects, team games) encourage interaction and communication?

Students enjoy collaborative work both at school and from home, engaging in tasks such as quizzes, which also provide valuable feedback for teachers to monitor learning progress. Tools like Wordwall are highly popular for tracking and evaluating student activities. Interactive group projects are particularly engaging, with students creating content like digital books or posters using. Collaborative projects in Minecraft Education Edition allow students to work together in a shared virtual world, alternating between school and home tasks. Presentations of group or individual projects can be facilitated through shared online boards. Pair programming in coding classes with guided tutorials fosters peer learning, self-evaluation, and mutual support. Debates are another dynamic learning activity, that helps students develop critical thinking and collaboration skills. Older students organise content using shared drives, dividing tasks and collaborating effectively. Collaborative platforms further enhance teamwork, social skills, and self-evaluation, making learning interactive and productive.

  • How do digital tools support or hinder the development of interpersonal relationships compared to in-person interactions?

Digital tools can significantly facilitate the development of interpersonal relationships and communication, especially at a distance. They support collaborative learning, and project work, develop creativity, enable accessibility, easier and faster communication, learning and collaboration. Finding people with similar interests and ideas was once geographically conditioned, but today it is easily accessible, for example following on social networks. The rules of quality communication are the same for the analogue and virtual worlds.  Digital tools are not a substitute for analogue communication, but an aid. Constant availability is both positive and, but at the same time negative in terms of the habit of immediately having to respond to inquiries or requests, view or comment on posts.

One of the negative features is the loss of desire for live communication, as students, and adults alike, feel safer in the virtual world in which they live from the safety of their own room. As in the analogue world, the virtual world contains dangers that it is important to be aware of and to develop competencies and tools to avoid. Interpersonal relationships have changed and will continue to change with the introduction of artificial intelligence. Young people today treat each other differently. It seems that today it is more important to them how others will see and experience them virtually, how they will present themselves there, than to show themselves as they are in reality. Virtual relationships and communication are more superficial and there are fewer emotional quality interactions compared to face-to-face meetings. Although virtual relationships can serve to support or supplement real relationships, in-person interactions remain critical to building and maintaining healthy, intimate relationships.

Live communication is impossible without gestures and facial expressions that say a lot about the person discussing a topic at a certain moment. For the listener, they are a guide on how to approach the interlocutor in a conversation and continue communication. In a virtual environment, especially if it is not visual, it is very difficult to achieve that moment in communication.

We are very satisfied with the responses, engagement and results of the Dialogue Clubs and looking forward to other sessions which will be organised in 2025.

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