Vytautas Magnus University

ENKDIST

European Network for Knowledge Diffusion of Digital Storytelling

  • Number of the Project: 518967-LLP-1-2011-1-IT-KA3-KA3NW
  • Duration of the project: 1/11/2011 – 31/10/2014
  • VMU Budget: 149.233,00 Litas
  • Main executor: Instituto Luigi Sturzo
  • Institution at VMU: Innovative Studies Institute
  • Responsible person (s) at VMU: Airina Volungevičienė

Aim of the project

To provide suggestions and support on transversal issues related to the creative use of digital contents and to the employment of basic software tools to create digital stories involving actively people from the educational and learning sector, from pupils to teachers, from students to professors, from professionals to trainers and adults.

Actors involved

Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas, Instituto Luigi Sturzo, Perpsectives asbl, Yale College of Wrexham Yale college Centre for Digital Storytelling, Storyteller Museum, National and Kapostrian University of Athens, AcrossLimits ltd, WYŻSZA SZKOŁA BIZNESU I NAUK O ZDROWIU.

Short description of the project

The project is funded by the European Commission, DG Education and Culture, under the Lifelong Learning Program, Transversal KA3 Measure, and meets the purposes of the Life Long Learning program with the intention of exchanging the best practice at the European level, endorsing the vision of technology serving lifelong learning. Specifically the project aims to address the ICT’s contribution considering the digital storytelling as a mean of Lifelong Learning. The Network aims at providing suggestions and support on transversal issues related to the creative use of digital contents and to the employment of basic software tools to create digital stories involving actively people from the educational and learning sector, from pupils to teachers, from students to professors, from professionals to trainers and adults. To reach these objectives the Network connects knowledge, experiences and best practices between eight European partners and the third country partner from United States, during a series of events over three years in which the DST approach, tools and related issues are analyzed, deepened, critically compared and updated. During the first months of the project, the network worked towards achieving a common and shared knowledge on DST, in order to test it and to perform piloting activities with different beneficiaries within seven EU countries. So far, the network has organized two “Train the Trainers intensive workshops” on DST methodologies, in UK and in Malta, which focused on capacity building and sustainability of the DST project within the partner organizations. Facilitators in training practiced facilitation methods with the guidance of the lead CDS trainers (Third Country Partner).

The network has also organized two Road shows, in UK and Poland, that enabled the community to gain information on the current situation and trends in the field across Europe, while offering the opportunity to disseminate and to promote the undertaken activities and achieved results. Furthermore, the above-mentioned events created an opportunity to get in touch with relevant people who can positively contribute to the work to be carried out, favouring the dissemination of different points of view and exchange ideas for future activities. The Network has developed a leaflet, prepared as an international informative material to be distributed among all interested parties, and designed in EN, IT, LT, BE, GR, PL languages. The network also started the implementation of the Community of Practice (CoP) online, created with the purpose to exchange information on DST practices and theories. The community is called dTellers.