It’s quite appropriate that the first topic that we face is focused on online participation, because the main challenge of the first week is exactly to understand one’s own degree and mode of participation. In my case, I was quite unable to follow the many platforms on which we were expected to communicate, which led me to reflect on how the capacity to enjoy online education is contingent on the level of literacy. Which in turn depends on age, culture, access. I belong to the generation of the “digital natives”, the generation that was exposed to information technology as it was blooming, and therefore as it was not yet accessible or user-friendly: this gave (some of) us a deep understanding of the mechanism of computers and networks, which gifted us with a good versatility. How can we ensure the same in all other users? This education technique means that, like in early schooling, the methods and the means have to be taught (or facilitated) just as much as the actual content.

Topic 1: online participation and digital literacies