Programma della conferenza

The paper focuses on examining the critical factors associated with digital illiteracy and the digital divide, which affect people living in conditions of cultural and socio-economic disadvantage, especially those on low incomes, and which translate into forms of exclusion that affect multiple aspects of the individual's existence. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear worldwide that digital literacy is now a necessity at all levels. In fact, the increase in the use of technology has highlighted the forms of exclusion of those groups who, being socially disadvantaged, have suffered most from the halving of access to devices. Based on an analysis of available data, the paper shows how, as poverty rates rise, digital literacy remains lower, leaving people unable to interact with the digital world. By analysing quantitative and qualitative secondary data published after 2018, the study describes how, for the different populations most at risk of digital poverty, new technologies represent a real opportunity, but also end up creating real digitally disadvantaged sub-groups. With the increasing digital integration of society, production, education and daily life, we are witnessing large-scale and unprecedented changes that are ultimately creating a world divided in two. The focus here is on the causes of digital inequalities, the protective factors and the inclusive policies that can combat them.

Disability is a conflict between someone’s functional capability and the world we have constructed - be it the physical or digital world. Looking through the lens of the social view of disability, it is therefore the product (course and content and workflows) that creates the barriers, not the person accessing the content. ( "A web for everyone" by Sarah Horton and Whitney Quesenbery )

So to create truly inclusive courses, we need to avoid creating the barriers, and remove the ones that are there and adopt the practice of accessibility - putting people and their needs first.However, without understanding what the barriers can be this is a tall ask.

This session will look at some of the common barriers that get created in online content and how to avoid building them.

Technologies are part of youngsters’ everyday life in both spare time and education. Various digital tools have been used to promote children’s and adolescents’ cognitive development: among them, video games appear particularly effective. Identifying effective tools to empower Executive functions (EFs) and working memory (WM) capacity (i.e., cognitive resources predictive of academic success both in typical and atypical neurodevelopment) is of primary relevance. This review explores which video games are more suitable and how they succeed in improving EFs and WM capacity in primary school children.

Following the PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search was conducted on four databases, namely PsycInfo, PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus. The inclusion criteria pertained to experimental, cross-sectional, pilot or case studies investigating the use of video games (namely commercial, serious games and exergames) to foster EFs and WM in samples of children with both typical and atypical (ADHD, SLDs, ASD) development.

Thirty-one studies matched the inclusion criteria and were scrutinized in detail. The key finding of the present review is that exergames and action video games have the most positive impact on EFs while serious games and structured programs in playful and virtual environments are more effective in improving WM capacity.

Most of selected studies report EFs and WM capacity can be empowered by different types of video games: this opens many possibilities of intervention within educational settings. However, still not enough studies target atypical development, specifically children with SLDs. More research is needed to understand the effectiveness of these intervention in atypical samples.

Social media plays a pivotal role in our lives and influences almost every aspect of our daily routines. It has become so ingrained that, for most people, practical life without social media is inconceivable. With the emergence of social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and others, extensive research has been conducted to explore their impact on various facets of our lives, including our social interactions, personal interests, and cognitive abilities. This paper narrows its focus to two specific dimensions: academic performance and everyday life perception. To investigate this influence, an online questionnaire survey was conducted, targeting both undergraduate and graduate students and recent graduates. The survey captured responses from a diverse group of students, examining their patterns of social media usage, academic achievements, and attitudes toward social media. A total of 100 responses were collected (56 females and 44 males). The questionnaire encompassed variables such as age group, academic qualifications, current academic grades, and the amount of time spent using social media daily. It also documented the specific social media applications used by the respondents, with WhatsApp being the most commonly used (96%), followed by Instagram (91%), and Snapchat (46%). Demographic interpretations are discussed further in this paper. The results, indicate a significant impact of social media on academic performance and its perception in our daily lives.