FROM INFORMAL TO FORMAL USAGE OF TECHNOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING ROMANIAN CHILDREN INTERCULTURAL AND DIGITAL COMPETENCES
FROM INFORMAL TO FORMAL USAGE OF TECHNOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING ROMANIAN CHILDREN INTERCULTURAL AND DIGITAL COMPETENCES

Summary/Abstract: Taking into consideration the actual social changes that emerged due to unprecedented digital technology development and the increased usage of internet by more than 59% of global population, this article will focus on children and adolescents, estimated as being one in three internet users around the world (UNICEF report, 2017). Most of the researches over the habits and patterns of children and youth internet usage show that they are using it a lot, mainly for entertainment, being exposed to many risks, but also gaining lots of advantages. The gap between the rapidly development of technology and its integration within educational systems position the internet as an informal learning, less integrated in the formal school educational activities. This raise lots of concerns and schools need to adapt and include in the curriculum new subjects and transform the older ones in order to develop children competences needed for life in a digitalized future. The European Union established since 2006 a new educational reference framework in this direction, strengthening on eight key competences that should be developed through education. In the actual globalized inter-connected technologized world the digital and intercultural competences are on the forefront. In this direction, this paper will conceptualize on the bi-directional relationship between children digital communication and intercultural competences development, through the lens of informal learning brought by internet usage and formal education provided by school system.

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