VIRTUAL MUSEUM: AN OPEN DOOR TO DIGITAL COMPETENCE IN PRIMARY EDUCATION

A 3rd grade experience that found inspiration on a previous project developed in our Secondary School. It was based around a student led inquiry process within the framework of the iTEC international project (www.itec.eun.org), where the students collaboratively designed their own “real world orientated” learning content. It was implemented within the framework of IB Primary Years Programme (http://u.to/E6wYDQ), that enhances the inquiry process as one of its main principles. Along the school year six complete Units of Inquiry are designed in a transdisciplinary way, including main aspects of different areas taking investigation as the key tool.

The transdisciplinary theme of the “How we Express Ourselves” Unit, serves as a springboard for students to design their own Virtual Museum. The objective of this project consisted in the selection and definition of any number of object d’art that they wish to include, having previously partaken in a critical observation of their local environment.

We reflected about the need of developing the digital competence within different subjects in order to satisfy the learning demands on 3rd grade students. We integrated the objectives and skills as part of the Unit of Inquiry. We set a quite simple goal, the projection of their results during the first Open Day celebrated in our school in December giving parents the opportunity to visit us and enjoy the project results. However, students’ demands and enthusiasm for developing new e-skills and learning how to use digital tools fostered the integration of the activities in new Units of Inquiry increasing the time slot dedicated as well as its interdisciplinarity.

Any new challenges encountered along this investigative journey were met with new iTEC solutions, therein adapting to the students’ learning rhythm all the while. The new knowledge, investigative and reflexive skills acquired throughout this process enabled students to compile a constantly incrementing and flexible image bank and data base which was then shared with the rest of the learning community, and which at the same time served as an enriching learning tool which reinstates the importance of maintaining the many idiosyncrasies of our cultural patrimony.

The project introduces a range of new abilities via 2.0 tools in order to solve daily challenges. E-mail is one of the tools aimed to familiarize them with, and this gave us the opportunity to emphasize the necessity for a responsible use of digital devices. They also used digital cameras or mobile phones to take pictures so they could understand these are more than toys to have fun or play with, but they are also working tools that allow them to be creators of content.
Along the process students developed the social skills increasing the time dedicated to cooperative work, in such a way that highflyers collaborated with less able students. We also found that this e-tools are highly motivating for students that show learning difficulties in writing or spelling because they are allowed to make progress according to their own learning rate.

Throughout the entire process the teacher acts as a guide, supervising the activity and encouraging class discussion in order to elaborate materials that are useful in the management of the information compiled in the researching activity, The teacher is always ready to encourage and comply with the learning method, so students’ prior skills are taken into account and respected.