SELFIE Forum – Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age

The SELFIE tool, launched by the European Commission in October 2018, aims to support schools with the use of digital technologies for teaching and learning. SELFIE consists of a series of reflection questions and statements for school leaders, teachers and students from upper primary, secondary and vocational schools. Schools can customise the questionnaires and can add up to eight questions of their own. Once participants have replied to the statements, the school receives a detailed report with insights as to how technology is being used. It can help identify gaps and start a discussion in the school and form the basis for an improvement plan. SELFIE is one of 11 actions in the Digital Education Action Plan adopted by the Commission in January 2018. Under the action plan, SELFIE is to be made available to 1 million users, including schools in Western Balkan countries. SELFIE has been developed by the European Commission with more than 80 education policy and research experts from across Europe. In the first six months since its launch, over 300,000 students, teachers and school leaders have used the tool that is available in 31 languages. The first SELFIE Forum took place on 4-5 April 2019 in Madrid. The event was hosted and co-organised by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Vocational Training. The 1.5-day event gathered almost 200 policy makers, researchers, students, teachers and school leaders from 35 countries, EU Member States, Western Balkans, European Free Trade Association and non-EU countries, which had participated in the pilot phase of SELFIE. Participants discussed feedback on the tool, shared practical examples of SELFIE use and in particular, discussed how schools could be supported with the next steps once they had completed SELFIE.