Exploring Digital Citizenship
Year Awarded
2020
Amount
€47,143
- Organisation:Technological University of the Shannon (TUS)
- Audience:Primary Students, Transition Year Students, Primary Teachers, Post Primary Teachers - Junior Cycle, Post Primary Teachers - Senior Cycle, Parents, Third Level, General Public
- Location:Kilkenny, Laois, Tipperary
- Topic:Technology
Project Summary
On the 12th of March 2020, Ireland was thrown into a new stay at home norm. Families were required to communicate via digital technologies. The eldery were asked to remain at home introducing activities such as online shopping, social media, and entertainment. Education followed a new traditractory with stakeholders being exposed to a new mode of virtual education. Patients were asked to communicate with doctors via virtual consultations. Governments were required to regulate remotely, Businesses were forced to engage online for survival Finally technology and data science was paramount in the fight against this disease, we were able to track the spread of this disease and combat it’s destruction. Although many lives were lost, many too were saved.
Unknown to each of us we adopted a new form of citizenship: a Digital Citizenship which would replace all previous forms of social interaction at least for the foreseeable future. It became evident that the use, understanding and confidence with digital technology was a necessity for every Irish Citizen. This pandemic or indeed any unforeseen future scenario will require every citizen to have a minimum proficiency in digital technologies and indeed Digital Citizenship. This project proposes to ensure that Irish Digital Citizenship is understood and aims to prepare our citizens for engagement in the rapidly changing Social, Economic and Education environments in which we live. It aims to demonstrate how participants’ exposure to technologies, their use and understanding can build individual confidence,supporting and changing the way we live forever.