SPACIT at the 2014 International Technology, Education and Development Conference

The “Spatial Citizenship” project, co-funded by the European Commission’s Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP), was presented at the 8th International Technology, Education and Development Conference (INTED), organised by the International Academy of Technology, Education and Development (IATED), which was held in Valencia (Spain), on the 10th, 11th and 12th of March, 2014.

The international event brought together more than 600 participants from over 75 countries, who attended the conference to share innovative projects and ideas about education and technology. CESIE participated with an oral presentation based on the Spatial Citizenship training course for secondary education teachers.

The concept of Spatial Citizenship, hence of the active participation of citizens in their societies through web 2.0 technologies that utilize geo-location, was well received by the audience of the “In-service teacher training” session, and raised a discussion on the necessary approaches of citizenship education in today’s society. The paper “Spatial Citizenship: Empowering Citizens with Geomedia”, which inspired the presentation, is published by IATED, and available on their website.

SPACIT aims to train teachers on the use of new technologies that can be instrumental in a more active participation of citizens, especially younger citizens, in our societies. The pilot Spatial Citizenship course will be held in July 2014 in Iasi, Romania, and will prepare the learners to support the engagement in society by their own students.