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The RURAL WINGS Goals
The project aims the development of an advanced technology environment to support learning activities based on a user-centered methodological approach placing the user demands as priority. Throughout this approach it is aimed to support the development of a “digital” culture in rural areas to ease the resistance of local communities to the use of new technologies. The ultimate goal is the transfer of knowledge and the adjustment of these practices in different knowledge spaces - learning@school, learning@work, learning@home - as a mean for interaction between user needs and technological developments. The project has the ambition to provide constructive learning environments for the development of shriving community of users throughout an extensive network of users in 13 countries on European Scale in various application fields such as schools, workplaces and homes.
Specifically, the Rural Wings project’s objectives are:
a) To create of a world-wide network of Learning Hubs in rural areas.
b) To introduce a new learning culture and to provide a range of learning methods empowering people in all the stages of their life to become independent learners.
c) To perform an extended validation process and a usability evaluation
during the development and integration of the technology, scenario settings and services that will be offered to the users.
d) To mobilize a large group of stake holders to take-up the results and create a sustainable plan for exploit them.
e) The project targets several types of users through the development of different educational scenarios (educational pathways) that will cover different contexts (Learning at School, Learning at Work and Learning at Home), users (students, teachers, doctors and health personnel, farmers, local administrators and public authorities) and will touch upon several subjects from different perspectives.
f) To enhance the communication between rural communities.
The aim of Rural Wings is to create a virtual learning community where people will be encouraged to communicate and will get familiarized with the idea of cooperation and networking. The Rural Wings learning environment will be, among others, an integrated communication tool.
Potential Establishment of Working Groups
In order for the Rural Wings project to meet its ambitious objectives a multidisciplinary team (satellite communications’ providers/operators, software experts, telecommunications companies, experts in distance and life long learning methods as well as a large number of users’ communities in Europe and Africa) has been established. The partnership will support and contribute to the creation of working groups on educational (distance and life long education methods and applications) and technology (method of installing or utilizing the existing and emerging technologies) issues aiming in the enhancement of dissemination and clustering between the members of these potential working groups.
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