Francesca Tornatore has a degree in Classics and has attended master classes in Writing and Historical-Religious Studies. She currently teaches literature at the Liceo Chris Cappell College, but she also has experience teaching various secondary schools. She has collaborated with a national magazine dedicated to education and worked in adult education in both didactics and communications. Moreover, she directed the news desk for school daily Agorà, which in 2017 received an award from the National Order of Journalists. With the “Our School” Community, she has co-developed a course on local historical and cultural heritage.
Today, with Francesca Tornatore, this is the 38th instalment of “Our School” Professors. As usual, we share a short self-presentation video and then the interview with researcher Ilaria Gaudiello, who coordinates the works of the open source community of professors and educators.
INTERVIEW
Digital tools and humanities: how do the two fit together at school?
Traditionally, humanities are associated with the past and to bygone tools, while digital tools appear to be the key to the future. Apparently, it is difficult to connect these two spheres. The challenge is to overcome this temporal chasm and to introduce modernity into classical studies and humanities into new digital technology to reveal the complementary nature of these two areas, especially at school, where youth strive to find new approaches to discover their cultural roots.
You joined the “Our School” Community codeveloping a course on local historical and cultural heritage with educational technology. What were the most significant aspects of this collaboration?
Every time that we embark on a new adventure, we find a part of ourselves that we had forgotten about. And this provides us with a rich and pleasant experience. It was stimulating to work in a virtuous spiral of exchange and debate with colleagues teaching different subjects and at other schools on new courses and creative activities to share concretely with others. New challenges and goals were addressed in a convivial climate of enthusiasm and joy.
Do you have any advice that could provide inspiration to the community?
I am so pleased to have had this opportunity to collaborate with the Fondazione Mondo Digitale. It was the spark that allowed a multitude of ideas I had to fully blossom, especially in this period in which new stimuli and tools were essential to transmit my desire to continue teaching with pleasure and dedication. I would like to truly thank the splendid colleague with whom I shared this adventure and all those who made this extraordinary experience possible. I hope it will continue to expand and involve more and more schools, more teachers, and more students.
