(ANS - Rome) – There are several national and international experiences, including the Salesian "iCNOS" project, which show that there is a paradigm shift occurring in schools, with the move away from education on paper to digital education. Yesterday, 12 November, at the Salesianum in Rome, there was a gathering of experts to explore this issue and lay the foundation for good results.

The initiative was called a "Consensus Conference", that is, an event that brought together members of the scientific community and educators from schools to share their experiences and then draw up a set of guidelines for an approach to education, based on consensus between the most influential people involved.

The success of the Project iCNOS forms the backdrop to the conference. Thanks to the sponsorship of the Apple technology company through Rekordata, iCNOS has introduced iPads and other digital devices in 26 Salesian centres, with a total of more than 2,100 students and 600 teachers involved in a new and innovative way of teaching.

The iCNOS project has developed a guideline, the result of three years of research and experimentation, and the Consensus Conference was intended to collect information and to improve the document, in order to reach the highest consensus and finally to give the scientific community and schools a series of educational, organizational and technological recommendations, useful in the implementation of a balanced and fruitful innovation.

The education-on-paper style of education was a result of the invention of printing. Books and notebooks were the main tools of education in the classroom, at the teacher’s desk and in the student benches. Digital educational requires new ways of teaching with multiple spaces, flexible timing and a variety of learning resources. To deal with the change without losing the richness of tradition, the new approach requires research and pedagogical planning.

Present at yesterday's conference were, among others, Daniel Barca from the Digital Innovation Sector of the Ministry of Education; Alessandra Cenerini from the Italian Teachers’ Association; Alfredo Rubinacci from Tuttoscuola; Andrea Benassi from the National Institute for Documentation, Innovation and Educational Research (INDIRE); and Cesare Benedetti fromApple Distinguished Educator.

These activities continue today with a discussion session reserved for members of CNOS (National Centre for Salesian Works).

Published 13/11/2015