On February 17, during the Safe Runet Week, the Russian Civic Chamber held an open meeting of the Safe Information Environment Expert Council. Alyona Fyodorova, Deputy Head of the Department of Pilot Projects under the Russian Presidential Children’s Rights Commissioner’s Office, and Olga Rubtsova, President of the Academy of Innovative Education and Learning, Editor-in-Chief of the Vneshkolnik magazine, moderated the event.
The meeting attracted both experts from public organizations, representatives of IT companies and instructors, as well as professional medical workers who evaluated the impact of digital consumption and content from a clinical rather than mental perspective.
The participants discussed the challenges of maintaining the mental, physical, and psychosomatic health of children and young adults in the digital environment, including the impact of digital content and advertising on them. Specifically, they spoke about whether it is acceptable to alter the content of classical works in advertising videos, presenting them as mini-screen adaptations. It was noted that for the works included in the school curriculum, such interpretations may have a negative effect on the educational process, the understanding and perception of the original text.
Director of the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ Andrey Vorobyev delivered a presentation on the ecosystem of the Study the Internet educational project. The project is aimed at improving digital literacy and culture among schoolchildren and their teachers. The ecosystem was built on the principle of incorporating gamification into learning. According to Andrey Vorobyev, the Study the Internet gaming portal is the heart of the project. Experts learned about the main components of the project’s ecosystem. In addition to the Study the Internet and Govern It game, these components include the Secrets of Coding online course, which teaches both coding and the ethics behind software development. There is also the Study the Internet Mentors’ School, a project designed to raise awareness and improve teachers’ qualifications.
Andrey Vorobyev shared insights into the development of the project’s section designed for visually impaired and visually challenged users. As many as 1,352 participants with low vision have signed up to the project. They have access to ten study modules, and the entire section has been adapted for screen readers.
“Currently, we are planning to include the people from the Schyolkovo Branch of the House of the Visually Impaired in Puchkovo into our project. The Coordination Center has long supported this facility. This year, we will organize lectures on the safe use of the internet for them. They will also learn about the Study the Internet and Govern It project and will be able to take advantage of all the features of the project section for the visually impaired,” said Andrey Vorobyev.
The Safe Runet Week continues. Stay tuned for the updates.
