IGF 2018 WS #297
Digital Citizenship and Accessibility for

Organizer 1: Zeynep VAROGLU, UNESCO
Organizer 2: Irmgarda Kasinskaite, UNESCO

Speaker 1: Petra Bodrogini, Intergovernmental Organization, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 2: Djama Mohammed Hassan , Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 3: Robert Okinda, Technical Community, African Group
Speaker 4: Adel Ben Taziri, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 5: Ferdinand Blancalfor Pitagan, Technical Community, Asia-Pacific Group

Moderator

Zeynep Varoglu; Irmgarda Kasinskaite

Online Moderator

Annapoala Coppola

Rapporteur

To be determined.

Format

Panel - 90 Min

Interventions

The speakers foreseen provide inputs from diverse prespectives as follows:
- Inputs from the university prespective, including with a focus on inclusive education from Africa, the Arab States, and Asia and the Pacific
- Inputs on experts from the field of digital skills development from Asia and the Pacific and the Arab States

Diversity

The speakers represent Experts from Asia Pacific, Arab States and Africa from various types of institutions (Ministry of Education, university, intergovernmental organization)

The session will consist of an interactive discussion aiming to to trigger debates and reflections on best practices for teacher training in the area of digital inclusion and accessibility with a view to building inclusive knowledge societies and achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The discussion will be structured around the areas below:

- How can the aspects of inclusive education: Universal Design for Learning (UDL), principles of non-discrimination, information accessibility, gender equality be incorporated into teacher training programmes for the use of ICTs?

- What opportunities and challenges does teacher training for digital inclusion raise to advance human Rights and Freedoms?

- What are examples of good practice that can be incorporated in an overarching manner for digital inclusion and accessibility in the area of teacher training for the use of ICTs ?

4 panelists will provide interventions on the above points, and the floor will then be opened for discussion with a focus on producing recommendations from the workshop discussions

Intended session format:
- Introductions of 4 main questions addressed , and speakers by Moderator (3 minutes)
- Each speaker will be given 7 minutes to address the 4 questions (35 minutes)
- The Moderator will open the floor to discussion, alternating inputs/ questions from online participants and audience members (45 minutes)
- The Moderator will close the discussion and synthesize the recommendations from the discussion (7 minutes)

Digital citizenship and accessibility are the cornerstones for the development of inclusive Knowledge Societies. Contemporary societies are increasingly based on information and knowledge, and the ubiquity of technologies.

The attainment of these social and economic goals is a key focus of education systems worldwide. Teachers need to be equipped with the digital skills necessary to guide the next generation to embrace and be able to achieve these goals.

National policy makers are currently working to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and particularly Goal 4, ‘Inclusive Lifelong Education’. SDG 4 aims to ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’, while SDG Target 16.10 pledges to ‘ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements’.

Online Participation

Online attendees will have a separate queue and microphone, which will rotate equally with the mics in the room; the workshop moderator will have the online participation session open, and will be in close communication with the workshop’s trained online moderator, to make any adaptations necessary as they arise, etc. The workshop should have its own trained remote moderator who has been part of the issue and workshop development, and is prepared to manage this responsibility.