Estonian National Office holds conference on Digital and Artificial Intelligence.

What can we gain from AI in schools? How can students use it well? What should teachers do to ensure that the use of AI brings them only positive benefits and at the same time avoids the potential dangers of AI? What digital competences do we need to have to stay competitive? These and similar questions were discussed by participants at a conference on digital and AI organised by the national office in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, from 19-22 September, which was attended by one of our colleagues.


^{Source: Gordius Learning Ltd.}

The conference was organised under the Erasmus+ programme. Every year, the Estonian National Agency organises an event closely linked to the programme's principles, and this year's theme was digital. The research and experience of the invited speakers, including Birgy Lorenz (Senior Scientist at Tallinn University of Technology), Pasi Silander (Head of European SALTO Digital Resource) and Mart Laanpere (Professor of Mathematics & Computing Education), showed that AI is developing at a rapid pace and is becoming part of our everyday lives, and that it is therefore strongly recommended to learn about it and to apply it in a professional way in the field of education.

In between the fascinating presentations, there was always enough time for guests to connect with each other. Italians, Germans, Austrians, Poles, Portuguese, Estonians, Maltese and Hungarians all represented their countries. The common working language was English, so English language skills - as well as cultural sensitivity - played a role in the overall realisation of the event.

The main objective of the Estonian National Office was to develop partnerships between international organisations. All the presentations, whether on the technical programme or on the Erasmus+ framework itself, served to make the participants reflect on the presentations in joint KA2 projects. In digital skills, Estonian colleagues are very strong, but project implementation experience was more evident in Southern and South-Eastern European countries.

4 days and 3 nights are not enough to see the whole city of Tallinn for a first-time visitor, but a walk through the old town, a nice dinner in a local restaurant and a visit to a popular interactive museum in the city centre were all included in the programme.

All in all, despite the usefulness of the questions and answers raised during the event, the result is only a taste of the data in the ever-expanding digital bubble. Thanks to the new contacts made, conference participants can continue to work together on their digital project ideas.