The Directorate for Digital Literacy and Transversal Skills has a key role in promoting good practices of digital competences in the classroom. The Embed Awards recognise those educators whose exemplary work provides a model for teaching and learning in the digital age.

Educators are invited to submit projects based on a number of experiences and activities related to digital literacy, carried out over a period of time, so as to give ideas the time to develop and mature. Educators who have never participated in Embed are highly encouraged to take up this opportunity.

Categories

1. Dedicated Digital Educator Early Years: This category is for educators (teachers, kindergarten educators and learning support educators) of early years (Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2). Three educators will be awarded.
2. Dedicated Digital Educator Primary: Three educators from Year 3 – Year 6 will be awarded.
3. Dedicated Digital Educator Secondary: Three educators from Middle Schools and Secondary schools (Form 1 – Form 5) will be awarded.
4. Mobile Learning: This category is for mobile-mediated teaching and learning projects. Two educators from the primary school and two educators from the secondary school will be awarded.
5. Collaborative: This category is for educators who collaborate in a project together. Two educators may submit the project together and both will receive certificate of participation and may potentially be winners. Two projects from the primary school and two projects from the secondary school will be awarded.
6. Research and Innovation: This category is in collaboration with the Directorate for Research, Lifelong Learning and Employability within the Ministry for Education. The criteria are different from the other categories – see below. Two educators from the primary school and two educators from the secondary school will be awarded.

Criteria for EMBED Awards

EMBED Award judges will use the following selection criteria: 1. Quality: The project should give clear evidence that the use of technology enhances learning. Without technology learning objectives would have been difficult to achieve. Technology is used to make learning more effective and offer experiences that cannot be achieved effectively by other means. 2. Pedagogical value: From a pedagogical standpoint, curricular objectives should meet different ways of learning. The use of technology can promote learning modes based on exploration, collaboration, creation and reflection. 3. Participation: Students have made extensive and relevant use of technology. 4. Collaboration: Collaboration between students (not necessarily online) should be rewarded.

Criteria for Research and Innovation Category

Research and Innovation applications will be assessed on the following criteria: 1. Originality: Does this innovation represent out of the box thinking? Is this innovation original? 2. Quality and creativity: How can this innovation improve the quality and the way things are done? 3. Cost-effectiveness /Affordability: How will the innovation reduce the costs? 4. Replicability: Can this new innovation be used in other areas? And how can this innovation plan be implemented? 5. Enthusiasm: Will this innovation lead to new ideas in future? Has this new innovation led to new ideas and how these ideas can be integrated? 6. Impact: What fundamental changes will this new innovation bring? What gap will this innovation fill and will it reach one of the targets of the strategic plan of your school? Does this innovation identify ways how work can be made more efficiently?

Projects are to be submitted using the online form: http://bit.do/embed2019 by the 29th June 2019

Rules and Regulations

1. The objective is to encourage and award educators, and not educational institutions. Whilst DLTS acknowledges that participants have the support of their respective schools and their administrators, only educators who participated are awarded.
2. A project entry should cover a school’s activity, lesson, resources or project which has been developed and/or used during scholastic year 2018-2019. Previously submitted projects cannot be resubmitted, unless there have been significant developments.
3. Submissions must be supported by evidence that projects abide to the above criteria, as these will be evaluated by the judges. Projects are to be submitted using the online form which will be made available later on. Participants have to submit their names, email, project title, learning outcomes, and brief description of project together with photos and videos of their work only.
4. Participants may participate in more than one category but may not participate with the same project in more than one category.

Deadline for the submissions of entries for the Digital Literacy Embed Awards is Wednesday 28th June 2019. For further information please visit: https://digitalliteracy.skola.edu.mt/embed-digital-literacy-conference-and-awards-ceremony-2020/.

All participants are going to be presented a certificate of participation.

For any queries kindly contact Mr Omar Seguna via email: omar.seguna@ilearn.edu.mt tel: 25981565 / 25981569