Course Topics
Basic theories of electronic communication The ecological approach to the study of media Communication and relationships in the Web age Social media between risks and opportunities Digital deviance and addiction Digital detoxification Artificial Intelligence: Risks and Opportunities

Teaching format
Frontal teaching, practical activities carried out directly in the classroom.

Educational objectives
The Digital Ecology course is coherently placed in the educational profile of the social educator, as it addresses a dimension that is now constitutive of contemporary educational and social contexts: the pervasive presence of digital environments in relationships, communication processes, institutions and intervention practices. In this perspective, the course does not intend to propose a merely instrumental learning of technologies, but to develop a critical, ethical-professional and design competence, necessary to read and govern the social implications of digital. More specifically, the course contributes to the formation of skills related to the understanding of the dynamics of digital communication, the assessment of the risks and opportunities associated with the different uses of media, the design of educational interventions aware of the transformations taking place, and the reflection on the inclusive, relational and ethical implications of technologies in the contexts of life and service. This approach is consistent with the European framework of digital competences for citizens, with the international ethical principles of social work and with the recent literature that points out the need to integrate the digital dimension in a more organic way in the training courses of the social area. Essential references - AgID, DigComp 2.2. The Digital Competence Framework for Citizens.agid - IFSW, Global Social Work Statement of Ethical Principles.ifsw - Welforum, Digitalization and social work education.welforum - Welforum, Digitalization and Social work.welforum

Assessment
The achievement of the learning objectives is assessed by means of the following examination procedure: - Intermediate assessments carried out through the publication of critical texts and comments on the course platform. - Final written essay and related discussion interview

Evaluation criteria
Awarding of a single final grade. In intermediate assessments and linked to the development of written comments and considerations on the platform, the following are assessed relevance, logical structure, argumentative clarity, formal correctness. For the final essay, the previous approach applies, while for the interview the following will be assessed: relevance, clarity of argumentation, critical analysis capacity, ability to rework, reflection

Required readings

• Colombi, A.E. (2024). Ecologia digitale. Fublab Press

Supplementary readings

• Negroponte, N. (1995). Being Digital [Italian translation, Essere Digitali, Milano: Sperling and Kupfer].
• Weizenbaum, J. (1976). Computer Power and Human Reason: From Judgment to Calculation. Penguin.
• Lanier, J. (2014). La dignità ai tempi di Internet. il Saggiatore.
• Jaron, L. (2010). Tu non sei un gadget: perchè dobbiamo impedire che la cultura digitale si impadronisca delle nostre vite. Milano: Mondadori

Further information
The Digital Ecology course is coherently placed in the educational profile of the social educator, as it addresses a dimension that is now constitutive of contemporary educational and social contexts: the pervasive presence of digital environments in relationships, communication processes, institutions and intervention practices. In this perspective, the course does not intend to propose a merely instrumental learning of technologies, but to develop a critical, ethical-professional and design competence, necessary to read and govern the social implications of digital. More specifically, the course contributes to the formation of skills related to the understanding of the dynamics of digital communication, the assessment of the risks and opportunities associated with the different uses of media, the design of educational interventions aware of the transformations taking place, and the reflection on the inclusive, relational and ethical implications of technologies in the contexts of life and service. This approach is consistent with the European framework of digital competences for citizens, with the international ethical principles of social work and with the recent literature that points out the need to integrate the digital dimension in a more organic way in the training courses of the social area. Essential references: AgID, DigComp 2.2. The Digital Competence Framework for Citizens.agid -https://www.agid.gov.it/sites/agid/files/2024-05/digcomp_2.2_italiano.pdf IFSW, Global Social Work Statement of Ethical Principles.ifsw - https://www.ifsw.org/global-social-work-statement-of-ethical-principles/ Welforum, Digitalization and social work education.welforum - https://www.welforum.it/digitalizzazione-e-social-work-education/ Welforum, Digitalization and Social work.welforum - https://www.welforum.it/il-punto/welfare-digitale-servizio-sociale-e-gap-formativo/digitalizzazione-e-social-work/