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The self-reflection tool for digitally capable schools (SELFIE) [1] is an easy-to-use, online tool that helps schools understand where they are in their use of digital technologies for teaching and learning. It is based on the conceptual framework for Digitally Competent Organisations[2] developed by JRC.
A ´digitally-capable school´ that promotes digital-age learning follows both top-down and bottom-up innovation and it is responsive and supportive of the development of its members.
Thus, SELFIE allows schools to start a dialogue within the school community and become a driver of change towards better teaching and learning practices. In this sense, SELFIE focuses on learning in all its dimensions, and not on specific technologies.
To consolidate progress and to ensure scale and sustainability, SELFIE helps education institutions to review their organisational strategies, in order to enhance their capacity for innovation and to exploit the full potential of digital technologies and content.
Relevance for regional authorities
Regional differences in education are found in many countries[3], including in the use of digital technologies for learning.
SELFIE provides general and vocational schools with a sound, customisable and reliable self-reflection tool to support their digital capacity. Schools can use the snapshot provided by the tool (i.e. the SELFIE School Report) as a basis for their action plans for improvement.
If a representative sample of schools from a region uses SELFIE, the aggregated and anonymised data could also be used for policymaking. As school leaders, teachers and students each respond to a similar set of questions, regional authorities could then compare different perspectives on digital technology use.
Doing SELFIE as an annual exercise could also allow regional authorities to compare the results with previous years and see whether regional policy action has had a real impact within the schools.
Policy context
The Commission Communication on "School development and excellent teaching for a great start in life"[4] calls for the development of "a self-assessment tool on digital capacity so that schools in the EU can, on a voluntary basis, self-evaluate where they stand in relation to common criteria and are supported in developing and improving their effective use of technologies for digital age learning.
Using the tool, schools can choose to report on their progress in the availability, use, competences and attitudes to Information and Communication Technologies".
In addition, the 2018 Digital Education Action Plan[5] underscores the need to "support the digital readiness of both general and vocational schools by strengthening their digital capacity and by making the SELFIE self-assessment tool reach one million teachers, trainers and learners by end of 2019 in all EU Member States and the Western Balkans".
In order to achieve this target, the SELFIE tool is available online into all official EU languages since 25 October 2018.
How to use it
SELFIE is an online tool hosted by the European Commission, which consists of a set of questions on the use of digital technologies in schools.
SELFIE asks questions to school leaders, teachers and students and provides a detailed snapshot of schools’ stronger and weaker points in their use of digital technologies for learning.
Participation in SELFIE by schools and individual school leaders, teachers and students is anonymous and on a voluntary basis. Based on this feedback, SELFIE allows for a better understanding of what happens in schools within and across regions.
SELFIE is a flexible and customisable tool, and each school within a region is able to adapt the SELFIE questionnaires to its needs.
Impact
JRC has already worked successfully with a number of regional authorities in the pilot phase of the project, for example in Spain, Italy, Belgium and the UK.
The tool provides a consistent view of the use of digital technologies by all key actors (school leaders, teachers, students) within a region. In many cases, it will be the first time that such a tool will be used, and hearing the voices of all can have be an eye-opener for both school communities and regional authorities.
The insights generated by the tool proved to be highly valuable. In other cases, the SELFIE tool can strengthen and complement tools already in use.
[1]SELFIE - Supporting schools for learning in the digital age
[2]Promoting Effective Digital-Age Learning: A European Framework for Digitally-Competent Educational Organisations
[3]Hippe R, Jakubowski M and Araújo L. Regional inequalities in PISA: the case of Italy and Spain.
[4]School development and excellent teaching for a great start in life (EUR-Lex)