Digital Cultural Heritage as Educational Opportunity in COVID-19 Era

The DiCultHer network argues that the COVID-19 emergency offers a unique chance to forge an alliance between digital technology, culture, and education in Italy. The network's initiatives, including #HackCultura challenge #1 on reuse of open digital content, aim to promote digital cultural heritage as a resource for schools. Museums and cultural institutions are increasingly called to play a key role in education, as outlined in MiBACT's National Plan for Cultural Heritage Education. The MIUR's National Plan for Digital School seeks to innovate Italian education by drawing on external resources. The creation of the Italian Digital Library by MiBACT provides certified digital data for study and creativity. DiCultHer advocates for a shift from distance learning to true digital didactics, where students actively explore virtual realities, create 3D models, and co-create digital cultural projects. The network's activities for the 2020-21 school year, postponed to December, focus on learning design skills and the teacher as a learning curator. The vision is to move beyond passive screen-based learning toward active, creative engagement with digital cultural heritage, leveraging open data from institutions like Europeana, ICCU, and INDIRE.