Basic Digital Skills in Rome

Overview and purpose

Digital skills are not learned only online. They are tested in real life.

Basic Digital Skills in Rome is a five day outdoor learning journey designed to strengthen digital awareness, critical thinking, media literacy, and responsible online behavior through direct interaction with the urban environment. Rome becomes an open air laboratory where participants explore how digital tools influence perception, communication, identity, and decision making.

Through structured urban challenges, verification exercises, communication simulations, algorithm analysis, and ethical content creation, participants move from passive digital consumption to conscious digital autonomy. Historic squares, touristic landmarks, parks, and local neighbourhoods become real case studies for understanding how information circulates, how platforms shape visibility, and how digital reputation is constructed.

Participants do not simply use digital tools. They learn how digital tools use them — and how to navigate them responsibly.

Learning Outcome

By the end of this programme, participants will be able to:

Evaluate digital sources and compare platforms critically
Recognize the difference between online representation and physical reality
Understand how digital footprints influence personal and professional identity
Distinguish between private and public digital presence
Identify misinformation dynamics and online manipulation strategies
Adapt communication style according to audience, platform, and context
Understand how algorithms influence visibility and perception
Conduct structured digital research using multiple verification strategies
Design ethical digital content with awareness of privacy and responsibility
Demonstrate increased autonomy and critical awareness in digital environments

Admission information

Language: English
Target Group: Schools, youth and adult learning organizations
Requirements: No advanced digital background is required. Participants should have basic smartphone familiarity and be open to teamwork and outdoor learning.
Number of participants: From 10 to 20 students + accompanying persons

location

Rome, Italy

The programme takes place entirely outdoors across different urban environments including Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Colosseum and Capitoline hill, Villa Borghese, Piazza di Spagna, Piazza del Popolo and Trastevere.

Rome serves as a dynamic case study of tourism, communication, public space, digital representation, and social interaction.

Duration and Daily Schedule

5 days
Each day includes approximately 4 hours of structured outdoor learning activities.

Day 1 – Exploring the City Through Digital Tools

Location: Historic Center (Pantheon – Piazza Navona – Campo de’ Fiori)
Duration: 4 hours

Activities:

Introduction on how digital tools shape urban exploration and daily decisions
Route planning and real time verification challenge: designing a city itinerary while cross checking transport, access, and service information
Digital vs physical comparison task: analyzing how landmarks and businesses are represented online compared to on site observation
Review and ranking analysis: identifying bias, manipulation, and credibility issues in digital platforms
Final group reflection on trust, perception, and digital mediation of reality

Day 2 – Privacy, Digital Identity & Professional Image

Location: Colosseum – Roman Forum – Capitoline Hill

Duration: 4 hours

Activities:

Digital footprint reflection distinguishing private life, public identity, and online profile
Privacy audit in public space focusing on image sharing, tagging, geolocation, and exposure risks
Responsible sharing exercise analyzing differences between private circulation and public or professional visibility
Framing reality task comparing lived experience and curated online representation
Professional profile and reputation analysis including dual identity photo task for private vs professional contexts
Final discussion on employability, long term digital impact, and boundaries between private and public identity

Day 3 – Communication, Misinformation & Digital Risk

Location: Villa Borghese
Duration: 4 hours

Activities:

Real time coordination challenge using digital tools
Communication adaptation exercise for different audiences and platforms
Digital conflict simulation analyzing tone and escalation
Scam and phishing red flag identification exercises
Misinformation spread simulation
Fake vs real news group challenge
Structured debrief on responsibility in digital communication

Day 4 – Algorithms, Profiling & Critical Digital Awareness

Location: Piazza di Spagna – Piazza del Popolo
Duration: 4 hours

Activities:

Opening group discussion seated in Piazza di Spagna exploring personal experiences with algorithm changes during the week and awareness of personalization
Structured theoretical input on algorithms, profiling, filter bubbles, cookies, and digital tracking mechanisms
Algorithm awareness walk comparing search results across devices and profiles
Data trail mapping identifying personal digital traces generated through searches and platform interaction
Platform result comparison analyzing visibility differences
Debate session on risks of algorithmic unawareness and strategies for conscious and strategic use
Reflection on autonomy versus algorithmic conditioning

Day 5 – Creation, Research & Digital Autonomy

Location: Trastevere – Piazza Trilussa
Duration: 4 hours

Activities:

Ethical interviewing and consent briefing
Urban interview project using smartphones
Public information verification applied to local context
Accessibility evaluation of a public information platform
Digital neighborhood guide design exercise
Creation of a collective digital conduct manifesto
Final presentations and structured reflection on digital citizenship

Why Choose Us

A practical and experiential digital literacy programme set in real urban environments
Combines media literacy, privacy awareness, communication skills, and critical research
Connects digital competence with real world observation and case studies
Encourages responsible online behavior and professional digital identity
Outdoor methodology that transforms the city into a learning laboratory
Suitable for international mobility programmes and applied competence development

This is not simply a digital skills course, it is an applied digital autonomy journey where participants learn to observe, verify, communicate, and create responsibly in a connected world.