The manual on Phyrtual Innovation Gyms: towards a national network to promote education, life and work in the 21st century by Alfonso Molina, Professor of Technology Strategy, University of Edinburgh and Scientific Director, Fondazione Mondo Digitale, is now on-line.
Summary
Italy is currently undergoing a period of marked economic, social, cultural, scientific and technological change, whilst experiencing a both crisis and opportunity. On the one hand, there are school drop outs, unemployment and NEETs, while on the other, technological progress is giving rise to specialized jobs in ICT.
In order to find a solution to such a complex historical period, we have to open our minds and train them to react in real-time to a constantly evolving situation. And it is important that we do this beginning with schools and universities, where the future generations are being moulded. We need to begin a process of life education that will empower our youth to face these challenges.
As even Europe indicates, it is important that young men and women acquire the key skills that are necessary as individuals and society, as well as awareness, problem-solving, learning to learn, knowing how to plan, etc. In fact, the European Commission Report on New Skills for new Jobs addresses e-skills and the combination of generic standardized skills with technical and specialist ones.
A perfect example of how to contribute to the European vision and kick start an innovation process in the Italian educational system is that of the Phyrtual Innovation Gym, launched by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale (FMD) in March 2014 and integrated into the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research Report on The Good School: today we need to promote our gyms as innovation gyms and stimulate creative skills and problem solving in our students.”
The Phyrtual Innovation Gym is a physical and virtual (phyrtual) environment that promotes self-awareness, creativity, entrepreneurial spirit and 360-degree innovation: technological, social, civic and personal. It is a place that allows young and old alike to find the right tools for their personal and professional development. The Gym makes use of all the most advanced types of learning: from digital manufacturing to immersive and virtual realities, to self-awareness and problem solving, to gaming and robotics. The language used is that of experimentation and creativity as it acquires users to acquire fundamental skills for living and working in the 21st century.
The main environments at the FMD Phyrtual Innovation Gym include:
• Activity Space: this edutainment space is dedicated to leadership, team building and motivation through physical and mental exercises and games to learn and practice 21st century skills.
• Ideation Room: a didactic area to improve creativity, 360-degree innovation and enterprise through the practice of self-awareness, problem-solving, decision-making, business modelling, drawing and coding.
• Fab Lab: this area is dedicated to both digital and traditional manufacturing and is animated by makers, the new craftsmen. It is open to all citizens, organisations and schools.
• Robotics Centre: the centre is dedicated to developing new didactic methodologies to teach young students about scientific and technological subjects and professions.
The true challenge, writes Prof. Molina, is to innovate not only outside of, but also within the school system to influence the lives of all the individuals and the surrounding areas so that everyone (schools, universities, companies, associations, institutions) plays an active role in this process.
Besides maths, physics and chemistry labs, there also will be phyrtual innovation gyms. This is the challenge launched by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale: the creation of myriad phyrtual innovation gyms that can be custom-tailored and configured based on local and scholastic needs. A grassroots movement of Phyrtual Innovation Gyms that will enable schools to shared acquired knowledge, experiences and resources. This is why the creation of a network of Phyrtual Innovation Gyms is fundamental. They must be open locally to all citizens, to spark a process of life education that will provide answers to this century’s needs.
