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Creating short videos for your class

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Charlie: Hey there! What have you been up to?

John: I have joined this great hub for the ECO Project…

Charlie: Really? What is it called?

John: It is called Videos for teaching, learning, and communication

Charlie: What are you learning about? That sounds a bit technical to me!

John: I create short videos for my class!

Charlie: That sounds really difficult and very expensive, I doubt I can afford it

John: It’s a free course and I don’t need to buy any products at all because I just use the smartphone I have…. THIS ONE!

 

Learn how to create short videos for your class in ECO MOOC “Videos for teaching, learning and communication“. You can still enrol!

Author: Carol Ann Fowler – Teacher of ‘Videos for teaching, learning and communication’

 

The importance of videos in teaching, learning and communication

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Hub 2 - videos for teaching, learning and communication

The topic of videos in teaching, learning and communication is very important at the moment. Most people have videos or cameras with microphones and so easy to use. Video production used to be the domain of the film industry and was usually left to the very few with specialist skills. Now anyone can make a short video, with sound, text and special effects. Some people can also enable interactive video. Look at what the children (and adults) are engaged in these days? If we can catch their attention for more important topics but use the methods that engage them in play, then we have their attention. They can then expand on that knowledge as they do with social media and online gaming!

The MOOC for creating Videos for teaching, learning and communication is learning all about state of the art video production but using free editing software that is simple to use. We also guide you on how to upload, comment, and chat about your creations. Expand your knowledge further afield and be creative, using social media and web 2.0 tools that are free! The innovative course shows you how to access the tools you require to create a short video to promote something in your subject, and engage your students in a way that text and drawing may not. You can bring the imagination alive and encourage students to build on what you have learnt and share with them. The resources you can use are linked to free resources on the internet. Yes, free!

The guide for the MOOC (Videos for teaching learning and communication) has created videos for Virtual Learning Environments and for interactive resources for young students to trainee Doctors. The guide for the MOOC has a good deal of skills and experience in e-learning and especially interactive video creation and is very happy to discuss and comment on your creations. The MOOC is only a pilot at the moment and opinions of learners are very important. So register with the MOOC Videos for teaching learning and communication and start creating your video. We will inform you of the next phase once you register and you can carry along your registration to the next more improved phase 2 in May.

So, come along and register. All are welcome!

Author: Carol Ann Fowler – Teacher of ‘Videos for teaching, learning and communication’

Videos for teaching, learning and communication – FAQ

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The MOOC ‘Videos for teaching, learning and communication’ from the University of Manchester is aimed at any learner who wants to teach, market or communicate via the medium of video. Understanding how to create a basic video from the equipment you already have, searching for and using free editing tools, and knowing how to collaborate and cooperate using web 2.0 technology in a manner that is appropriate and protects privacy and safety online, are some of the learning goals of this course.

In this post, some frequently asked questions have been gathered and answered for those who are interested in joining the course or are currently doing it:

Q: Why take this short course, is it too late?

A: You can make a short video on any subject. You can take a couple of days or a couple of weeks.

Q: How will this course help my classes if I am a teacher?

A: Everyone likes to watch something short, entertaining and visual.

Q: I only have a smart phone, how can I make a video?

A: You will have links to any free software, no matter what device you have. You will also be given tips on how to use your camera on your device.

Q: I am not very creative; my videos may not look very professional, is that OK?

A:  Any short video is practice, practice, and practice. The more short videos you make the better you become and everyone is at different levels. Some are real beginners; some are experts and want some tips. The course is for everyone.

Q: My microphone is not very good and the sound may not be perfect, is that OK?

A: That is no problem, as you are not expected to have expensive equipment, just the equipment you have on your smart phone, tablets or any other device.

Q: I do not have a YouTube space or Facebook or Twitter, or even blog.

A: No problem, you can get one easily and you are given links on simple instructions on how to create on.

Q: My English is not very good and I may find the instructions difficult, how can I do this course properly?

A: All the introduction videos have closed captions for different languages and scripts you can translate with Google Translate. Also there is a short English pre-course starting up very soon on the hub 2 for “Videos for teaching, learning and communication”.

Q: I have hearing problems and my sight is not very good. How can I access this course?

A: There are links for people who have problems with accessibility.  For example, there are  links to special software to help, such a sign language Apps. Or links to help you access your computers magnifying options.

Join Europe’s MOOC teacher community: Teach.Learn.anywhere.everywhere

Enrol now!

Author: Carol Ann Fowler – Teacher of ‘Videos for teaching, learning and communication’

 

open education europa

Find your educational resources here

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Are you looking for open educational resources online? ECO MOOC has sought collaboration with the platform Open Education Europe to enlist the 16 ECO MOOCS.

The main goal of the Open Education Europa portal is to offer access to all existing European Open Educational Resources in different languages in order to be able to present them to learners, teachers and researchers. Open Education Europa is a dynamic platform built with the latest cutting-edge open-source technology, offering tools for communicating, sharing and discussing. The portal is structured into 3 main sections: Find, Share an d In-Depth.

Video introduction to the platform:

SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook // Twitter //LinkedIn //Google+
www.openeducationeuropa.eu

Videos for teaching, learning and communication

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videos

Este es un curso de la Universidad de Manchester desarrollado en el marco dell Proyeto ECO propone el desarrollo de competencias para la creación de vídeos para la enseñanza, el aprendizaje y la comunicación partiendo de lo más básico de los videos interactivos adaptándose al nivel del alumno y a sus objetivos. Los estudiantes tendrán oportunidades a lo largo del MOOC para pasar a niveles más avanzados o completar las tareas básicas.

Objetivos de aprendizaje

Las personas que se aproximen a este curso podrán aprender a:

  • Comprender como desarrollar las capacidades de otros alumnos y crear nuevos cursos basados en este modelo.
  • Crear un vídeo básico con el equipo que tenga y utilizar las herramientas de edición libre.
  • Diseñar, crear, cargar, descargar, implantar y utilizar herramientas de vídeo para la enseñanza, el aprendizaje y la comunicación.
  • Colaborar y cooperar utilizando tecnología web 2.0 de manera apropiada protegiendo la privacidad y la seguridad en línea.

Requisitos recomendados

El curso está abierto a todos los que tienen interés por la producción de vídeos como recurso de aprendizaje y comunicación. Deben tener acceso a herramientas de la web 2.0, Internet, cámara y software de edición. Sin embargo, esto se puede lograr compartiendo recursos o equipos en el trabajo o la escuela.

A quién va dirigido

Cualquier docente que quiere enseñar o comunicarse a través del video. Aunque el curso ha sido diseñado en inglés, la mayoría de los recursos de este MOOC están disponibles en la mayoría de los idiomas a través de subtítulos y guiones cargados.

Se tiene una especial atención a la accesibilidad para los alumnos con necesidades educativas especiales para lo que disponen de información para mejorar su participación.

La profesora responsable es Carol Fowler @carolfowler de la Universidad de Manchester, CEO en @klobomedia con trayectoria en redes sociales y Web 2.0.

Si crees que puede serte útil, accede al mismo.

International_conference

1st International Conference “MOOCs: Present and Future. International Perspectives”

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1st International Conference

MOOCs: Present and Future. International Perspectives”

28th-30th November

ECO Project, approved by European Commission in February 2014, created a consortium of 20 universities and European enterprises from 7 different countries that joined to develop an innovative accreditation program aimed at teachers. One of its objectives is presenting e-learning strategies through MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) in the 1st International Conference “MOOCs: Present and Future. International Perspectives”

International special guest speaker George Siemens

George Siemens is one of the most relevant international e-learning theorists. He proposed Connectivism as a learning theory for the digital era, in which people learn through creativity and innovation. For Siemens, learning is no longer a copy or transmission of knowledge.

PROGRAMME

FRIDAY, November 28th (ON-SITE & ONLINE)

15:00 – 15:15: Opening
15:15 – 17:00: Round table: Technological perspectives and proposals for MOOCs environments in the EU (ECO Project)

Coordinator: Javier Viñuales (Geographica, Spain)

Jorge Driesner (Telefónica Learning System, Spain)
Marco Re (Politecnico di Milano, Italy)
Alberto Asuero (Geographica, Spain)
Francis Luong (HUMANCE AG, Germany)

17:00 – 17:30: Break
17:30 – 19:30: Virtual tour through ECO (presentation of ECO MOOCs)

Coordinator: Alfonso Gutiérrez (Universidad de Valladolid, Spain)

Maria do Carmo Pinto (Universidade Aberta, Portugal)
Alessandra Tomasini (Politecnico di Milano, Italy) Tiberio Feliz (UNED, Spain)
Vicente Montiel (TABARCA Consulting, Spain)
Adeline Bossu (Université Paris 3 Sorbonne Nouvelle, France)
Aquilina Fueyo (Universidad de Oviedo)
Sunne Eichler (SUNNE EICHLER, Alemania)
Carol Fowler (video presentation Manchester University)

19:30: End of session

SATURDAY, November 29th (ON-SITE & ONLINE)
09:00 – 10:30: Keynote session and open discussion: “After the MOOC:What remains and what is the next?” George Siemens (Canada)

10:30 – 12:00: Round table: Pedagogical and communicative models of MOOCs. European perspectives (ECO Project)

Coordinator: Francis Brouns (OUNL)

Maria Gomez Patiño (Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain),
António Teixeira (Universidade Aberta, Portugal)
Carlos Rodríguez Hoyos (Universidad de Cantabria, Spain)
María Jordano (UNED, Spain)

12:00 – 12:30: Break

12:30 – 14:30: Round table: MOOCs methodology and assessment. European perspectives.

Coordinator: Divina Frau-Meigs (Université Paris 3 Sorbonne Nouvelle, France)

Santiago Fano (Universidad de Oviedo, Spain)
Lina Morgado (Universidade Aberta, Portugal)
Alejandro Silva (Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain)
Javier Nó (Universidad Loyola Andalucía, Spain)

14:30: End of session

SUNDAY, November 30th (ONLINE)

10:00 – 14:00: Online Communications
14:00: End of session.

Participants:

Is Germany truly e-savvy? Conversation with MOOC designer Sünne Eichler

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A total of 16 MOOCs will be developed by 15 Universities, not only from Europe but also from North and South America. The MOOCS serve as examples and best practices for the targeted 4000 selected teachers. They will be invited to actively participate on the ECO platform and create their own MOOC. Very similar to that of an ECO-system in learning, becoming a leading platform in a few years time for Massive Open, Ubiquitous Learning. What does this really implicate for the teacher? The product of this collaboration of universities, tech partners and partners in communication are the 16 base-MOOCs, a set of modules organized in 5 different overall topics:

1. COMMON COURSE

2. e-learning

3. Digital literacy

4. Arts and Creativity

5. Computing and math
Ms. Sünne Eichler of Eichler Beratung is responsible for MOOC which will designed and set up 100% for a German target audience. A lot of responsibility to grow the MOOC eco-system in a country that has warmly embraced digital and distance learning.

Can you please tell us more about the content of the German ECO-MOOC you will be launching November next?

“The ECO-MOOC is about E-Learning project management at schools. In Germany some schools

are using already E-Learning and there are a lot of initiatives to support teachers. But very

often they are not sure about the way to handle the project. That is why we are focusing with

this MOOC on E-Learning project management.”


What is the target group of your MOOC?

“Our target group are teachers from any type and size of schools. And we address additionally

student teachers and students qualifying for teaching.”

 

What can you tell us about the general use of MOOCs in Germany?

 

“MOOCs are quite popular in Germany offered by some universities and institutions such as

Hasso Plattner Institut, Potsdam. But even companies are starting organizing own MOOC –

mostly in the way of SPOC (small private online course).”

 

After the launch of your MOOC, will you be promoting the module somewhere in the next

few months?
“Yes, sure. We are working very close with teacher organisations, the state ministries for

education and some universities. And of course we will promote the MOOC in the press and

new media channels.”

What do you think would be the main hurdle for your target audience teachers to embrace the MOOC ideology?

 

“I think, the most important hurdle could be a technical one: we have to offer easy access to the MOOC and a very good usability. Spare time could be the second hurdle, but we organized that MOOC in a way that offers a maximum of flexibility and a good value of input. The investment of time is about 1-2 hours per week.”

What other MOOC modules would you like to see spring from your e-learning project management?

“I would like to dive deeper into the topics learner motivation and stakeholder management. If we can broaden the MOOC in that way, it would very very helpul for the teachers.”

What is in it for teachers to participate and actually create their own MOOC?

“For teachers the MOOC has three main benefits:

 he /she is getting used to new ways of learning by using a MOOC

 he /she is receiving state of the art knowledge on E-Learning project management

 he /she can exchange ideas with experts and other teachers.”

Press release: Making the most of your experience beyond the walls of the classroom: how digital teaching and learning will expand the teacher`s horizon.

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Madrid, 17th of November 2014

At the beginning of November, 14 brand new Massive Open Online Courses MOOCs were released on the central platform ECO-Learning. 2 More are set to be uploaded by the end of this month. The purpose of the MOOC platform is to attract students to participate and experience what ubiquitous and community learning is like during the course of 6 weeks. The 16 ECO-MOOCs cover 5 different topics at the start of the project and are set up to impulse the creation of new MOOCs, adding a growing number of courses and topics to a self-sustaining ECO-system within the next 2 years.

One of the project` goals is to motivate teachers to create and design their own MOOCs. The consortium ECO-learning is therefore looking to recruit 4,000 teachers from 7 different countries specifically for the purpose of becoming an active member of the ECO-learning community. Whether either teachers are experienced and enthusiastic users of the digital tools available for education or dread the learning curve and time that is required to learn how to use the tools, ECO-Learning is an open community for both.

The project´s central message Learn. Teach. anywhere, everywhere refers not only to the freely accessible nature of these massive online courses, but also in the social inclusive concept behind the methodology. In addition it refers to the paired mobile app, as to enable users to access and participate wherever and whenever they can and want.

The content of the MOOCs varies from e-learning methodology, computing and digital skills to creative skills and the classical foundation of our education system such as mathematics. These MOOCs are all content orientated , whereas a Common Course will be developed where teachers will be offered a training in the basics of MOOC design.

All available MOOCs can be accessed via https://portal.eco-learning.eu, where new users will be prompted to create a login. The MOOCs are offered in 5 different languages:

  1. In English: Videos for teaching, learning and communication
  2. In German: E-Learning-Projektmanagement an Schulen (E-learning and project management at schools)
  3. In Portugese:
    – Introdução aos Sistemas de Informação Geográfica (Introduction to basic Geographic Information systems GIS)
  4. In Italian:
    – Introduzione alla matematica per l’università: Pre-Calculus (Preparation course mathematics for university: Pre-Calculus)
    – M’appare il mondo: dalle carte alla Terra digitale partecipata (Geomatics course)
  5. In Spanish:
    – Sexualidad Amigable y Responsable (Assertive and non-abrasive sexuality)
    – Innovación Educativa y Desarrollo Profesional. Posibilidades y límites de las TIC. (Innovation in education and in professional training: Possibilities and limitations of ICT)
    – Competencias creativas para el profesorado (Creativity MOOC Camp. (Creative skills for teachers)
    – Necessidades Educativas Especiales. Como enseñar, como aprender (How to teach & learn. Special needs in education)
    – Flipped Classroom
    – Comunicación y aprendizaje móvil (mobile communication and learning)
    – Alfabetización Digital para Personas en Riesgo de Exclusión: Estrategias para la Intervención Socioeducativa (Digital literacy for people with high risk of ssocial exclusion. Strategies for digital, socioeconomic intervention).
  6. In French:
    – DIY Education aux médias et à l’information – DIY Media Education and information

Contact details

Contact person Spanish MOOCs: Mr. Rodríguez Hoyos Carlos, at the University of Cantabria, rodriguezhc@unican.es
Contact person English MOOC: Ms. Teresa Rasgado, teresa.rasgado@manchester.ac.uk
Contact person German MOOC: Ms. Eichler Sünne eichler@eichler-beratung.de
Contact person French MOOCs:  Ms. Divina Meigs divina.meigs@orange.fr
Contact person Italian MOOCs: Mr. Stefano Menon, stefano.menon@polimi.it

“Your chances to teach, share and build knowledge are going to expand and there is no need to be afraid.”

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Consortium member Divina Frau-Meigs from the University of Sorbonne and PhD Matthieu Cissel, specialising in MOOCs were interviewed this summer by the UNED-Radio about the added value of MOOCs in the digital learning landscape.

We are talking to Divina Frau-Meigs, Professor at University Sorbonne Nouvelle, one of the partners of this European project and Matthieu Cisel is a PhD student at the Cachan École Normale Supériere, in France.

INTERVIEWER: Matthieu, in your opinion, what is the added value of MOOCs versus traditional courses?

MATTHIEU: “First of all: they are open and allow for a large variety of people with different interests to participate. People who perhaps cannot study because they do not have financial resources or the required time. The format of the open, ubiquitous course as is a MOOC allows them to strike these barriers and do a course, anywhere and anytime. That is for me the added value.”

INTERVIEWER: And Professor Frau-Meigs, what is according to you the added value of MOOCs versus traditional courses?

DIVINA: “Well, to complement Matthieu’s answer, I think the implications of social networks in the workings of a MOOC increase the value of e-learning or distance learning. This is a novel factor of the MOOC that permits teachers to control the subjects and use resources different from those typically used in the traditional learning sphere adding a shared dimension. And as I usually say: “a MOOC without social networks is like a bird without wings”.

INTERVIEWER: What ECO project proposes is totally new and something to take into account: networks joining an open online course, massive and free. How do you see the situation of MOOCs in France, particularly, and in Europe, in general?

MATTHIEU: “There are several countries in Europe creating their own MOOCs but in France there are still less than a 100 as of today. There are for instance a much larger volume of available MOOCs in Spain. I believe it is more of a cultural thing than anything else. We are still getting to know more about distance education and its culture so it is going to take some time to learn the pedagogy, how to make videos and all that.”

INTERVIEWER: UNED leads the European Project ECO, a project that focuses on the analysis and design of MOOCs. There are 24 partners from different countries, universities, enterprises and other institutions, some of them experienced in distance education and others that will have their first contact with these courses. Universities are opting more and more for distance education and, especially, the design of MOOCs.

Divina, how do you see the situation of MOOCs in France, particular and in Europe in general?

DIVINA: “It is true that from an international point of view MOOCs are in an early stage in France. Some colleagues call that “effet diligence” (diligence effect). We are living a period where we need to promote the transition from traditional courses to modern courses. There is not a French MOOC model yet. And I think every country is going to create its own model, a sign of cultural diversity. I believe this is a good thing. But the transmissive model is still deeply rooted in France because it is a very centralized country. For the moment, the French MOOC-model considers this new MOOC initiative as a learning stage with deeply resounding ripple effect in the academic community.”

INTERVIEWER: Do other countries in Europe share this view? Or can we identify different views on the use of MOOCs? It is a new initiative but many countries are going for this kind of education.

DIVINA: “I see it as an opportunity for all countries to make universities moves intro the possibilities of the 21st,, isn’t it? Furthermore I believe the Union´s way of seizing this possibilities is as diverse as its joint cultural and linguistic heritage. Moreover, I believe the smaller countries will be able to adopt the MOOC-way of teaching and learning more easily than big countries, such as France, that are slower in their response to necessary change. But there is a real interest in it and little by little decisive authorities are assimilating the topic of digital and distance learning.”

INTERVIEWER: What kind of resistance against MOOCs have you encountered, Matthieu?

MATTHIEU: “First, a lot of teachers are scared of losing their jobs with this new model. I do not believe this will affect them but the fear and therefore the resitance is palpable. The thing is, it requires the teacher to make drastic adjustments. To make MOOCs you need to be flexible, fast and very efficient. It is a very different culture, it is working in groups, it is all very new… The biggest resistance is that MOOCs require a new way of working, a new organization… that is for me the biggest resistance.”

INTERVIEWER: Divina Frau-Meigs…

DIVINA: “I would like to add to what Matthieu just indicated is the factor of Intellectual property. The fact that for the teachers who are creating MOOCs they have no certainty about what will happen with their material they created. They believe that others are going to seize their knowledge and competences. So, there is a strong resistance against this in France, which has been a flagship for intellectual property. We are pushing ahead with MOOCs, the idea of an exception to intellectual property in education, a right to “re-mix” and the use of Creative Commons licenses, because there are solutions. But France does not really believe in these solutions and there is resistance in the very heart of ministries (of culture, media education, education) in general. So, we kind of know how to create MOOCs but spreading and adopting the model is a different matter that we need to address separately.”

INTERVIEWER: And what is the future of MOOCs, Matthieu?

MATTHIEU: “I am not sure yet. I hope we will create a viable ECO-system of MOOCs in France. The hurdle here is that we as of yet lack a feasible, stable economic model as for the MOOC-modules to offer a certain longevity.”

INTERVIEWER: In fact, this particular topic is being addressed by ECO-learning consortium. Embedding the MOOCs into a stable future economical ontext is one of the objectives of the ECO project, if not, one of the strongest commitments the European Commission isdemanding of all project members to provide a definitive answer for.  

Divina, what is the future of MOOCs in your opinion?

DIVINA: “I think MOOCs themselves are going to evolve and will be further integrated in education. In my opinion there is a clear future for MOOCs in life-long learning.”

“It is going to be difficult from the perspective of primary education, but perhaps, eventually we will make it happen. This is what I say to teachers who are afraid: “This is going to take a weight off your minds, these are the steps to follow. Your chances to teach, share and build knowledge are going to widen and there is no need to be afraid.” But it is a very important change in mind-set and this will be difficult given the fact that there are so many teachers who represent a traditional generation of teachers. It will be easier for the next generation of teachers who are more accustomed to the digital world. Digital skills are new and some teachers still have to acquire them.”

“The response of teachers so far however is promising. After sending out a call for MOOC proposals and we have received over 50 proposals. I think there will be teachers who profit from this chance and there will be others who will not go down that road until they see clearer future perspective.”

MOOCs minimising the ICT gender GAP?

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GenderGAP_ICT_ECOMOOCs

Image taken at the Women’s Race, A Coruña Spain 2013 by The Owl nº30 Source link: Flickr licensed CC BY-SA 2.0

Women tend to experience barriers when it comes to accessing technological environments and in particular Internet. In addition, we must add the difficulty in producing content, its visibility as a female identity and advanced use of the Internet. The first gap is about usage and equipment and the second one is related to literacy and the digital culture. Both hinder equal opportunities. Given this scenario, the MOOC philosophy (universal, accessible, open, free) represents a learning potential beyond the multidisciplinary education.

The national Institute of Statistic in Spain (INE) assures that in 2013 that the digital gender gap has been reduced in 2012 in the main indicators analyzed (using computer and Internet usage) over the previous year, except for the frequent use of the Internet, which has increased at one point. The highest value corresponds to frequent Internet use (6.7 points), followed by the use of the Internet (5.2 points), and useage of the computer in general (4.9 points). Always with regards to these three indicators, gap values have declined over the last years.
Nevertheless, gender gaps are still existent. The first ICT (quantitative) gap we identify is the difficulty of access to the technology itself. The second difficulty is a gap related to usage of ICT, and has a qualitative nature and thirdly a sifnificant is the limited use of more advanced ICT services, such as mobile Internet. This is where the percentage of usage drops significantly.

Beyond equipment and Internet access to include, as indicated by Castells and Cecilia Brown, there are a set of factors such as educational level, personal training, access to employment, culture and social and family background. “A second cause of social division which is much more important than connectivity in terms of technology, is the educational and cultural ability to use the Internet.” ECO foresees a relevant role for ECO MOOCs in this respect.

It is a complex problem that requires solutions and coordinated responses between different fields, disciplines, individuals and social institutions. ECO plans to embed findings from the following proposals from the source Mujeres en Red, as a roadmap for equal opportunities in relation to MOOCs:

  • Connect with the interests of women.
  • Generate strategies of appropriation and self-esteem of women through the use of ICT.
  • Become agents of equality in ICT. Change the persception of basic issues such as: sexist language and stereotypes inside Websites.
  • Promote the leadership of women in different areas of ICT and the called “Information Society”.
  • Highlight best practices from the perspective of gender.
  • To coordinate families, schools, political institutions and media projects that convert the digital environment in a space with equal opportunities.

Author:José Antonio Gabelas, University of Zaragoza. Adaptation of the blog post Crystal Rooms: http://educarencomunicacion.com/2014/04/brecha-digital-to-genero