Abstract:

The Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdown periods have made necessary and accelerated the evolution and the spread of education and training through the digital technology revealing positive and negative aspects. The European (Eurydice, 2021) and international (OECD, 2021; OECD 2022) reports urgently call for the development of lifelong learning to increase digital skills by using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) by adults. Their aim is to increase the resilience and protection against economic and social risks. While recognizing that the educational relationship developing in the face-to-face lessons is not replaceable, it is now essential to get the most from using technological tools within training processes and develop inclusive, dialogical and interactive educational strategies. Furthermore, today, we can simultaneously benefit from the positive aspects of both face-to-face and through using digital technologies training, in an appropriate and flexible combinations. Education is essential to learn knowledge and new skills, soft and digital skills included. To acquire them, it is important to stimulate active interaction between teacher and students, and between students and students, both face-to-face and enriched by digital tools. Within this framework, this paper reports some significant data from a research project carried out with university students within an autobiographical writing laboratory through using digital tools and e-learning – differently from the previous years when it had been carried out totally face- to-face. The main objective is to identify and analyse the positive and/or negative elements of the two different ways. The research methodology mostly used was qualitative: participant observation, critical-hermeneutical methods and an original model based on the Grounded Theory as regards the analysis of data from autobiographical writings. The results of this research project showed that the additional options provided for some items of the e-learning autobiographical Laboratory enhanced greater enrichment, stimulation and motivation for the participating students. Despite the initial perplexities relating to having to come across an innovative way of education and of carrying out the autobiographical laboratory, it was confirmed that even using technologies it is possible to create educational settings based on a warm, welcoming, empathetic climate, with active listening, flexible and stimulating human interaction and educational relationship. The e-learning autobiographical Laboratory has confirmed as a pedagogical strategy aimed at implementing digital skills, mutually profitable social interaction and soft skills for new life projects in the Lifelong Lifewide and Lifedeep Learning perspective. All this is crucial today because we are aware that it is needed to use and carefully manage digital technologies, knowing how to catch positive aspects, both in e-learning and face-to-face education.

Keywords:

Education, e-learning/face-to-face education, digital skills, soft skills, autobiographical laboratory.