freelancing

Gate of University Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy. Sky in the background

Just returned from an enlightening final multiplier event of the Erasmus + project on Digital Freelancing (DiFRee) conducted by universities in Italy, Spain, Greece and Portugal to support digital freelancing in the European Union. The event was hosted by the University of Tuscia in Viterbo. It was a bilingual event thanks to our wonderful host Anna Romagnuolo.

Professora Anna Romagnuolo opening the event

Speakers focused on a range of dimensions linked to digital freelancing including accounting and taxation (Massimiliano Meschini), being a digital nomad (Giovanni Luchetti), the role interculturalism plays to survive and thrive (Sonia di Vito) together with a series of further competencies, including Digital competencies and critical AI literacy. We heard Fadia Nordveit highlighting why inclusion is important also in the context of genAI and what this means for humanity in the way data is represented. She also discussed digital privilege and its implications. If we want democracy we need to participate. Universities need to sit at the table, have a voice, influence and shape, she said. This is so true.

Cover slide from presentation Living the curriculum letters connected via a string, simple lines and drawings of 2 people, a cactus and a boat

My contribution was around living the curriculum and how we can awaken curiosity, imagination and experimentation in our students but also ourselves as educators, design this into the curriculum and work with our students as partners so that learning is meaningful, stimulating, relevant and creative and part of the tapestry of life. Spending time creatively and critically with our students, learning with them, the learning relationships we create and nurture, the human connections we make, the eureka moments we have and the pure excitement of learning together and making a difference. Reimagining the curriculum and thinking about value, variety and volume could do wonders as a starting point towards a curriculum that is dynamic, flexible, evolving and transformative if we are prepared to let go…

… to let go of things we know don’t work.

… to let in things that can make a real difference.

I will also be following up on work by Anna Romagnuolo, Yannis Skarpelos, Mario Pireddu, Vasilis Bokolas, Isabella Querci, Jose Sanchez, Maria Velez, Cristina Pennarola (also a Leeds Uni alumna!) and many other wonderful colleagues I met. Thank you for the inspiration!

Grazie mille Anna for your warmth and hospitality, and Nicoletta – who wasn’t there, but thanks to her I was.