Digital technologies facilitate the publishing information more than ever before. On the one hand, this is a great opportunity in which everyone can share and read information and opinions. On the other hand, there is the challenge for the recipients to distinguish between true and fake news. In contrast to traditional media, online spaces allow for a dramatic increase in the speed at which information is spread .
The recently published OECD PISA-report ‘21stCentury Readers: Developing literacy skills in a digital world’ shows that there is still a digital learning gap among students in Europe. The focus of this report is on reading skills in a digital context. The main findings are that 88% of students had both a connection to the Internet at home and a computer they could use for schoolwork. However, there are disparities regarding the access of students to digital technologies and training on how to use these technologies among different socio-economic backgrounds. Thus, the study reports a lack of literacy skills in students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The ERASMUS+ project ACTIon aims to close this gap by promoting active citizenship through civic education and active online participation of youth role models from socially disadvantaged groups in both formal and nonformal/ community-based education settings.
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