Edu-social Algorithm

Edu-social Algorithm is a doctoral research project included within the course Health Promotion and Cognitive Sciences (XXXVII Cycle) of the Department of Psychology, Education, Human Movement and Training afferent to the University of Palermo. 

In a historical period strongly characterized by technological and digital hyperconnectedness within social networking platforms, the project answered the educational question: is it possible to use smartphones and social networks for educational purposes in the classroom? The positive answer was derived from the results obtained with the Edu-social Algorithm experiment. At the same time, work was done on giving equal opportunity to bring digital transition and educational innovation to marginal settings in the cities of Palermo (Italy) and Bragança (Portugal), thus fostering equal opportunity among students with fewer economic, cultural and educational opportunities. Congruently, we sought to educate a healthy, ethical and responsible use of social networking platforms by anticipating anti-community phenomena such as online hate and cyberbullying.

Through a common methodological model co-constructed with teachers from the schools involved, a way to teach and learn with Instagram was found. Through signing up educational accounts bearing the prefix "edu," teachers and students created a virtual community of practice among themselves by creating and sharing mediaeducational posts that talked about tasks, lessons, and learning experiences initiated in the classroom and completed on instagram. The project involved more than 200 students and 70 teachers from two different countries, Italy and Portugal. Instagram project page: edu_social_algorithm.

Over two years, the Edu-social Algorithm project has involved more than two hundred pupils from the Palermo and Braganza districts, along with their respective teachers. These areas are marked by educational poverty and high school dropout rates. Our intervention focused on engaging their interests to initiate a paradigm shift in classroom teaching, transforming the entire teaching and learning process. Through the use of Instagram, participating students developed a greater appreciation for school, and teachers were comprehensively trained to better meet the needs of this generation of students.

Researcher Alessio Castiglione was born and raised in Brancaccio, a suburb of Palermo known for its educational and economic challenges. As a young person, he was a user of educational centers for minors, an experience that shaped his decision to pursue a career in education. He went on to become a pedagogue and later a doctoral researcher, driven by a commitment to address complex issues such as school dropout rates, social marginalization, and youth distress—challenges he had personally faced. Supported by his department and scholarships, Castiglione now dedicates himself to aiding peripheral neighborhoods through pedagogical and educational research aimed at fostering significant change. His objective extends beyond merely identifying the weaknesses and prejudices associated with certain city areas; he is passionate about disseminating educational innovation, particularly in schools that are resource-deficient.

The Edu-social Algorithm project is an innovative pedagogical initiative that has integrated the use of Instagram into school learning. The aim of the project was to use social media, particularly Instagram, to engage students from Generations Z and Alpha in a more interactive and contemporary educational environment. What began as an experiment in 2022 has now evolved into a replicable methodological model that has reached Portugal and is spreading in the Italian context, thanks to targeted training for teachers in partner schools. Involved teachers create Instagram accounts with "Edu" prefixes to post educational content, thus transforming didactic concepts into digitally accessible and appealing formats for students. This approach has bridged the generational gap in education, using a platform familiar to young students to increase their interest and involvement in the learning process. In terms of impact and scope, the action-research underlying the Edu-social Algorithm project has, to date, been conducted in Italy and Portugal. It has involved 305 students and 107 teachers, suggesting a direct impact on this group of participants. The results achieved so far have shown an increase in student engagement and understanding, highlighting the potential of Instagram as an effective educational tool. Furthermore, this has led to the development of a virtual community of practice that fosters collaboration and school creativity, as well as the development of digital skills among students.

Through Solve, I aim to expand the opportunities offered by the Edu-social Algorithm by broadening its methodological model to other contexts and partners within an educational network. This network will enhance the learning experiences of this generation of students, young individuals who require a real transformation in the current educational system. By acknowledging their generational characteristics, my goal is to address their interests and concerns. I am eager to facilitate an exchange between successful educational and didactic experiences, seeking new changemakers and edupreneurs, and offering my expertise to the community.

In the last decade, schools have struggled with the widespread use of smartphones, often banning them due to their perceived role as distractions. This situation reflects a broader generational conflict about technology's place in education, a debate intensified during the pandemic when technology became an essential learning tool.

Addressing this challenge, Dr. Alessio Castiglione, from the University of Palermo, developed the Edu-social Algorithm project. This innovative initiative redefines the role of smartphones in education, proposing their constructive integration into the learning process. Unlike traditional methods where notebooks and tablets are the main tools, the Edu-social Algorithm employs Instagram as a key educational platform. This project has been implemented in four schools, showing significant growth and potential.

The Edu-social Algorithm leverages Instagram, transforming it from a platform for personal interaction to a space for educational engagement. Teachers and students create "Edu" prefixed accounts, converting classroom discussions into digital posts. This method makes learning materials constantly accessible, linking classroom activities with students' digital lifestyles. The project particularly focuses on third-year secondary students in Italy, aligning with the legal age for social media account ownership.

A pivotal aspect of the Edu-social Algorithm is its potential to modify the algorithm within "Edu" profiles, contrasting educational content with personal interests. This strategic use of social media challenges the prevalent negative perceptions and showcases its potential as an effective educational tool.

The project's impact goes beyond content delivery. It fosters a collaborative and dynamic learning environment, creating a virtual community of practice among students and educators. This initiative helps students view social media as an educational platform, while teachers explore new pedagogical strategies, utilizing digital tools familiar to their students.

The Edu-social Algorithm represents a significant shift in education, aligning technological habits with educational needs. It underscores the importance of understanding and leveraging digital behaviors in younger generations, potentially leading to more engaging, relevant, and effective learning experiences. The project is not just about integrating technology into the classroom; it's about reshaping the educational process to resonate with a digitally inclined generation, thus fostering a learning environment that is contemporary and effective.

The project has produced significant results on the impact of the addressed issue, as reported in several scientific articles published in the last year. 

Professor De Spinosa, teaching in one of the Colozza-Bonfiglio classes, adds further testimony with an anecdote, addressing potential doubts.

"During lessons, we discussed Leopardi and then created a post on pessimism. They realized the beauty of sadness and that it doesn't always correspond to the theft of happiness. This revelation was a treasure, and the Edu-social Algorithm project is a map,".

Valeria Catalano, the principal of the same school, recounts the beginning of this journey.

"Dr. Castiglione harmoniously combines his knowledge and skills, a brilliant pedagogue and social animator who consistently comes up with fresh and successful ideas. I warmly welcomed this new proposal, as did the teachers. The effect on the classes has brought them closer together. They share what they can, in fact, they tell us. They're conveying something that is usually overlooked, and this project is a highly effective means,".

Regarding academic performance, the Edu-social Algorithm helps to make visible some current but often invisible and standardized evaluation criteria, overcoming any hostile skepticism.

"The commitment is more easily observable, even in objective terms," says Professor Marchese from the Principessa Elena di Napoli school, "especially in those with hidden and particularly personal abilities. This gives them even greater awareness of their totality. Several students are shining before our eyes thanks to this project, and this happens without any finger-pointing; I think they were waiting for this moment."

Francesco Paolo Camillo, the principal of the third school initiating this collaboration, expressed his desire to explore new horizons: "Creating a virtual community of practices within Instagram allows teachers to get closer to our students. Edu-social is a novel learning environment where we can expand the educational offerings."

Professor Luppina discussing the difficulties outside the school setting that hinder harmonious education and how the use of social networks can alleviate these challenges.

"When I entered the class and told them we would participate in a project, their first question was, 'Is it in the afternoon?' – she recalls, smiling. When I informed them it would take place during regular school hours using their phones, they showed curiosity and some suspicion. This is indicative of our responsibility and dispels the great myth of youth indifference. The results have been surprisingly positive, making me eagerly anticipate something like the Edu-social Algorithm."

We're talking about a generation that hasn't just witnessed the digital revolution but was born into it, observing significant changes around them and experiencing the drama of a lack of experiences. As young explorers of their individuality, they contribute to the collective, despite a stagnant governance system that responds to electoral age rather than a forward-looking perspective that keeps pace with new needs and values. In an increasingly connected and globalized society, the so-called "Generation Alpha" brings new perspectives, surpassing old traditions characterized by judgmental and paternalistic attitudes, validating their increasingly misunderstood and thus unexpressed voice. 

The objectives outlined and achieved by the Edu-social Algorithm project are:

1. Utilizing smartphones, social media, and apps for educational purposes:
   - SDG Goal: SDG 4 - Quality Education.
   - Indicator: an increase in the use of digital technologies in teaching practices, measured through surveys and usage data analysis. This goal reflects a commitment to enhancing the educational experience by integrating modern technology into learning processes.

2. Promoting healthy use of mobile technological tools:
   - SDG Goal: SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being.
   - Indicator: a reduction in cyberbullying incidents and an improvement in awareness of the risks associated with excessive technology use, evaluated through questionnaires and interviews with students. This objective demonstrates a dedication to safeguarding students' mental and emotional well-being in a digital age.

3. Bridging the generational gap between different generations:
   - SDG Goal: SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities.
   - Indicator: qualitative and quantitative analysis of intergenerational interactions within the educational environment, based on feedback from students and teachers. This aim underscores the importance of fostering understanding and communication across generations.

4. Facilitating coexistence and dialogue between the analog and digital worlds:
   - SDG Goal: SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure.
   - Indicator: the number of initiatives and projects integrating analog and digital tools, monitored through reports and curriculum analysis. This goal highlights the project’s vision of a harmonious integration of traditional and modern teaching methods.

The Edu-social Algorithm's research-action methodology, supported by participatory observation and netnography, underpins the development of a virtual community and the descriptive analysis of "mediaeducational" content. The mixed-method approach and social media analysis, particularly through Instagram Insights, provide tools to measure the project's impact and effectiveness. In the long term, the project aims to transform the traditional use of Instagram and social networks for a positive impact on school communities, fostering a global educational network.

Long-term vision indicators include:
- The amount of educational material shared on "Edu" Instagram profiles.
- The frequency and quality of interactions between students and teachers from different countries, assessed through Instagram data analysis and periodic feedback.
- The expansion of this model to schools and universities in various geographical areas, tracked through partnerships and collaborations.

Edu-social Algorithm project aspires to blend traditional education with digital innovations, promoting ethically responsible and aware educational outcomes. This alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is a testament to the project's commitment to a more inclusive and sustainable educational future.

The foundational technology powering the Edu-social Algorithm project is rooted in the innovative use of smartphones, digital platforms, and social media, particularly Instagram, to reinvent the educational process. In this context, technology is not limited to just software and devices; it also encompasses digital teaching methods and strategies.

Instagram, the widely used social media platform, is transformed here into a pedagogical tool. Teachers create accounts with the "Edu" prefix, where they publish educational content. This approach transforms traditional lessons into a digital format, making learning more accessible and engaging for Generations Z and Alpha. The platform serves not only as a repository of educational materials and digital portfolio but also facilitates interaction and dialogue between students and teachers, overcoming both physical and generational barriers.

A critical element of this solution is the use of action-research methods, participatory observation, and netnography. These approaches provide essential qualitative and quantitative data to assess the project's impact and guide further improvements. Through the analysis of collected data, such as Instagram Insights, valuable insights into the effectiveness of using social media in education are gained.

This innovative use of modern technology in the educational field addresses real issues such as the generational gap, social collapse, digital divide, educational poverty, misuse of technology, and digital alienation. Simultaneously, it integrates with traditional teaching techniques, creating a hybrid approach that reflects a balance between innovation and cultural awareness.

Therefore, the Edu-social Algorithm project is not just about incorporating technology for the sake of innovation; it aims to substantially transform education, making it more digital, mobile, social, visual, and global, in line with the needs and behaviors of new generations. Moreover, this intervention emphasizes educating on the healthy use of existing technologies before moving on to newer ones. It aims to address the problems still inherent in more familiar technologies, namely smartphones and social networks.

Currently in its second year, the project is led by coordinator Alessio Castiglione, a doctoral research student, and his supervisor Gioacchino Lavanco, a full professor, both at the University of Palermo. All other components, the teachers involved, appear to be participants and were included through partnerships with schools. 

The research project began with a theoretical bibliographic study in 2021, followed by implementation in schools starting in September 2022, and is currently ongoing.

Our commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within the Edu-social Algorithm project is a central aspect of our mission and methodology. Under the leadership of Alessio Castiglione, a doctoral researcher, and Gioacchino Lavanco, a full professor, we have endeavored to create a digital environment where every member of the community, both teachers and students, regardless of their background, feels welcomed and valued for their differences.

In these two years, the community's diversity has aimed to include various stories, ages, and regional perspectives. As a research project, our future goal is to form an extended team of professionals and researchers from diverse disciplines, genders, nationalities, and life experiences, ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, inclusive, and transparent. In the meantime, this goal has been intertwined with the participants of the project. Indeed, the plurality of teachers and students has brought to light different teaching styles, life stories, and professional expertise that have enriched the community of practices since its inception.

Here is the business model that has been implemented so far:

1. Customer and Beneficiary Target: the primary beneficiaries are educational institutions, teachers, and students. This includes secondary schools seeking to integrate innovative technologies and pedagogies into education.

2. Products and Services Offered:
   - Teacher Training: providing workshops and training courses for teachers on how to effectively use digital tools and social media in an educational setting.
   - Digital Educational Material: developing customized educational content for use on digital platforms and social media.

3. Delivery Methods:
   - Online Training and Onsite Workshops: offering training and materials through online platforms and physical workshops in schools, in collaboration with partners like the training entity Discentis.
   - Continuous Consulting and Support: providing ongoing consultancy, supervision, and assistance to teachers for the implementation and updating of teaching methods.

4. Market Motivations:
   - Need for Modernization: the necessity for schools to modernize their teaching methods to effectively engage new generations.
   - Reducing the Generational Gap: the desire to bridge the generational gap and integrate technology into daily teaching.

The target market for this intervention includes schools, universities, training limited liability companies (SRLs), the social sector, and public and private funding for investments in educational startups. This significantly broadens the scope of the Edu-social Algorithm model, inspired by Philip Zimbardo's Heroic Imagination Project, aiming to positively influence a wide spectrum of educational stakeholders.

The goal is to impact teachers, students, entire schools, edupreneurs, investment companies, and funding entities, inviting them to join the Edu-social Algorithm community as partners or sponsors. The model could potentially be adopted in every school nationally and internationally. What makes this model unique is its intuitive approach to Mobile Learning, differentiating it from traditional educational platforms like Argo, We School, or Google Classroom, and instead preferring a social media platform familiar to the new generation of students.

This initiative aims not only to create an educational algorithm but to include the Edu-social Algorithm approach as an educational tool for the design, theoretical development, and implementation of a methodological model. The ultimate goal is to form a virtual community of practice that is functional for teaching new generations of students.

Planning for future development, the project aims to create a website, patent the model, promote it, and disseminate it nationally and internationally through agreements with the University of Palermo (SPPEFF Department). The goal also includes training new experts and creating job opportunities for digital educators who will disseminate the model in new contexts. These efforts represent a significant step towards integrating the Edu-social Algorithm as a vital tool in the educational landscape, aiming for a positive and lasting impact on future generations of students.

The Edu-social Algorithm research project has garnered attention from several training companies, which have engaged Alessio Castiglione to bring the training to new institutes. This initiative allows teachers in both Italian and Portuguese territories to acquire necessary training. Among these companies are Discentis (Turin) and ATSonline (Palermo). Being in its growth phase, the Edu-social Algorithm project is gradually spreading. Participation in MIT Solve aims to further disseminate its mission and intervention, which, at present, is primarily funded by the ongoing doctoral scholarship.