OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

Using Internet in a safer way does neither depend exclusively on the implementation of technical controls in the client or server services neither on restrictive norms in relation to contents. Safer use of the Internet means, specifically, an Internet that offers its users (who may include parents, teachers, adolescents, local authorities and librarians) a potentially powerful tool to know better our world and to live better in it.

However, to achieve this, we have to build up a social and educational understanding of the Internet, establishing a culture that protects individual rights while providing freedom of intercommunication. While we have established procedures for managing knowledge in print, the speed and openness of the new media present new challenges.

The central objective of the S.I.F.K.aL. project is to elaborate and disseminate information and recommendations about the educational and socially relevant possibilities of the Internet in multilingual and in different formats. The project will focus on actual contributions, initiatives, and on examples of best practice using the Internet as a media for knowing and living.

Main Objectives

1. A critical assessment of the way Internet is used to promote educational and social relevant ideas and relationships.
2. Provision of relevant information to social and educational agents of the possible dangers of using the Internet.
3. Elucidation of a democratic and responsible way to promote safer use of the Internet without making use of technical and restrictive norms.
4. Creation of a permanent place (OFSI) for the member states and the European citizens to get ideas, experiences, practices and advice to improve Internet in a safer way.
5. Collaboration towards to the creation of a network with others groups in European Union working for a educational and social relevant use of Internet

On the need of this Project

Our project was initially motivated by four different and complementary elements:

The considerations made by differents document published by the European Commission in relation with the challenges for European society and specifically for education in a constructing Europe. The considerations made by different documents published by the European Commission and other international Institutions and Organisations in relation with the deep economical, educational, cultural and social challenges of the Internet and the New Digital Technologies. Our experience as researchers, NGO´s and Entrepreneurs of the importance of importance of the Internet for education, the decision making and the creation, diffusion and the access to knowledge. In other sense, our experience as educators tells us, that a safer use of the Internet supposes an educational introduction in a social relevant use of his possibilities for living and knowing.

Consequently considering these observations the need to inform and to educate for the Internet represents an important part of the process to build a Europe of Citizens.

All these strengthen directly a set of points we like to enphasize, as a resume:

We can not conceive a Europe of Citizens without understanding that we are in an Information Society. The development of the digital technologies represent one of the most innovative and fastest processes in the history of humankind. The digital technologies are changing deeply our economy, culture, society and education. It is urgent in an Information Society to educate the Europe citizens in the possibilities to use digital technologies and the Internet in a socially relevant way. Safer Internet means, normally, the development of certain kind of legal regulations and the improvement of the technical supports (hardware and software) . But safer Internet for a Society of Information in the context of a Europe of Citizens, has to mean fundamentally a use of the Internet that promotes the creation and the diffusion of knowledge and a democratic way of living.

TARGERT GROUPS OF THE PROJECT

Our main goal is to orientate the process of education and to inform, to advice and to give ideas how to use the Internet in a safer way. It is directed to all social agents involved in the education tasks of the European citizens of tomorrow. Furthermore it will be directed as well to people, who have not much experience with Internet in their common life.

According to the above, we have selected four target groups to whom the objectives, the products and the processes are focused:

Parents, Teachers, Local Authorities and Librarians.

Parents are responsible for the children's access to Internet at home. We think that the parents need recommendations, advice and ideas to help their children during the first steps in, what for most parents, is a new medium. As the nature of knowledge and warrants for truth change fast, Teachers have the responsibility to use the Internet in a clearly educational way, without promoting myths, and false hopes, and apart from commercial interests. Local Authorities and other local agencies can take an important role in the introduction of community services related to the use of the Internet. In fact a considerable part of those services like digital networks are actually in charge of the local authorities. Librarians, in a complementary position to the other target groups, are placed between parents, teachers and local authorities. With the emergence of the 'hybrid library', libraries become more concerned regarding where to get information and where to participate in cultural activities and performances and where to interact with others engaging in those activities.