School: #PrizeScuolaDigitale
A videogame on climate change and a project for motor rehabilitation, here are the winning Institutes of the #PremioScuolaDigitale
A video game, entitled "The wizard of the climate", to raise awareness of the little ones about the problems deriving from global warming. A wheelchair transformed, thanks to technology, into a tool for programmable rehabilitation exercises. These are the two winning projects of the #PremioScuolaDigitale, the initiative of the Ministry of Education created to promote the excellence of Italian schools in digital learning and teaching.
This year, the Prize was extended to all first and second cycle schools. The schools have nominated projects aimed at enhancing innovative and experimental teaching models, curricular and extra-curricular learning paths based on digital technologies, technological prototypes and applications.
The #PremioScuolaDigitale took place through a provincial phase and a subsequent regional phase. 784 first-cycle schools and 536 second-cycle schools participated, involving 35.000 students and over 2.500 referent teachers for individual projects.
The comprehensive Institute "Oton Zupancic" of Gorizia won the first prize in the section dedicated to the first cycle, thanks to the "Climate Wizard", a video game dedicated to the theme of climate change whose drawings were made entirely by children, so like all instructions. Little pupils are also the narrating voices. The students practiced, in their didactic path, with coding and, in particular, with the Scratch program, learning to program various types of video games.
The "Olivetti" Institute of Ivrea, on the other hand, won the first prize in the section of the second cycle thanks to the 'PERLA' (Programmable Exercises for Rehabilitation of Legs and Arms) project through which the students have created an aid capable of mobilizing joints of those people who, due to problems due to accidents, degenerative diseases or, simply, due to age, have difficulty in arm and leg movements.
Thanks to two automated armrests, which are applied to a wheelchair and are made from recycled and low-cost materials, users will be able to regain basic motor skills. The project was developed in collaboration with a physiotherapist (former student of the school) and a person with disabilities.
"To the winning schools, but also to all those that participated, I congratulate you for the commitment and the ability to get involved, for having seized, in the difficult challenge of the moment, an extraordinary opportunity for change and participation - commented the Minister of Education Lucia Azzolina -. As a Ministry we believe in change and innovation. The wide participation in this national award shows us that many of us believe in it ”.