Bitbot Challenge 2020

Submitted by esther.subias@… on Mon, 22/06/2020 - 14:47

General Info


Bitbot Challenge 2020
Language
Catalan
Purpose (100 words)

Bitbot Challenge 2020 is a competition that promotes technology-themed summer camps to encourage ICT vocations among children and young people, with a special focus on girls and female teenagers. It aims to promote leisure technology activities in the territory during the current situation of confinement.

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Bitbot Challenge, framed in the Bitbot program of the SmartCatalonia strategy, is an initiative promoted by the Ministry for Digital Policy and Public Administration of the Government of Catalonia with the support of the i2CAT Foundation. It represents the spirit to bring technological knowledge and resources to citizenship, accompanied by the goal of fostering STEM among young generations, which will transform tomorrow’s society.

Issuing date
09 June 2020
Originating country/region
Spain
Policy approval authority
the Department of Digital Policies and Public Administration of the region of Catalonia

Applicability and Audience


Applicability area
Regional
Educational Framework
elementary/primary school
middle/junior high school

Details


Reason for policy

It aspires to inspire young girls who want to pursue a career in the STEM disciplines, framed in the Government of Catalonia’s DonaTIC program. It represents the spirit to bring technical knowledge and resources to citizenship, accompanied by the goal of fostering STEM among young generations, which will transform tomorrow’s society

The competition aims at creating summer tech camps with an emphasis on gender equality and to answer the needs of the Covid-19 crisis. It will strongly promote the participation of girls in technological activities, which constitutes a paramount approach to reach equality in ICT.


Description of the policy

The competition is aimed at companies and entities that offer leisure activities in the field of digital technology for children and young people, and seeks proposals for summer camps that work on the themes of digital manufacturing, programming or educational robotics or cybersecurity and digital cyberactivism.

The 20 activities selected in the first phase will receive a prize of € 1,500 to carry out their proposal between the beginning of July and mid-September. At the end of the activities, they will be able to compete for one of the 3 prizes in the second phase of the competition.


Implementation procedures and plan

Bitbot Challenge 2020 calls on companies and entities that offer leisure activities in the field of digital technology to develop summer camp proposals in post-confinement conditions. These activities will have to focus on topics in the digital field such as digital manufacturing, programming or educational robotics, or cybersecurity and digital cyberactivism and will be aimed at children and young people between 8 and 14 years old.

The proposed activities may be carried out in person, online or by combining the two modalities, provided that the restrictions and safety measures established by the health authorities in relation to Covid-19 allow it.

The “Participating Entities” must comply with all the requirements and obligations and have all the authorizations required by current regulations to carry out all their activities as well as those described in this document.
In this sense, "The Organization" will exclude any of the "Participating Entities" if they do not comply with existing regulations or do not comply with any other required conditions.


    Structures for implementation

    The entries have to consider some key aspects, all focused on creating opportunities for everyone and everywhere around Catalonia:

    • At least 50 % of the slots should be reserved to female participants
    • Free or discounted spots should be offered to vulnerable groups
    • The topics should include educational robotics, digital fabrication, programming, cybersecurity or digital cyberactivism
    • A minimum of 20 hours is required, and more than half of them have to be dedicated to digital technology
    • The activities can be carried out either remotely, on-site or in a mixed environment, always adapted to the current restrictions and security measures established by the health authorities regarding the Covid-19
    • The activities must have a minimum duration of 20 hours

    The proposals of the "Summer Camps" must be published in the catalog of programming activities and educational robotics of the Bitbot program (http://bitbot.gencat.cat), in the category "Bitbot Challenge 2020", within the deadlines indicated in point 8. To be able to To post these proposals, the “Participating Entities” must have previously registered on this portal.

    The topics  are:

    ▪ Digital manufacturing;

    ▪ Educational programming or robotics;

    ▪ Cybersecurity and digital cyberactivism;

    ▪ Other topics related to digital technology that contribute to the development of computational thinking.

    The materials and tools used must be safe for children who take part in leisure activities and always within the current regulations in force.


    Monitoring and evaluation

    The “Participating Entities” that carry out any of the 20 “Summer Camps” selected in PHASE 1 must present a report of activities and solutions developed by each of the “Summer Camps” and that they must present through of a form that it shall be provided for this purpose within the period indicated in point 8.

    The activity reports must include at least:
    ▪ File of the “Summer House” (in case more than one edition of the same “Summer House” has been made)
    ▪ Final activities carried out.
    ▪ Developments by the participating children that must include the final solution and the software used to reach it.
    ▪ Total number of participating children.
    ▪ Percentage of female components in relation to the total number of children.
    ▪ Plan for a possible educational use of the solutions presented.
    ▪ Other documentation that is considered relevant.

    On the other hand, the resulting products developed during the activities must be shown.


    Definitions

    The evaluation of the proposals and projects of "Summer Homes" will be done with the following criteria:


    ■ Inclusion. With a weight of 55%. Gender can condition the choice of studies in scientific and technological branches and, on the other hand, the opportunities to participate in this type of activity are not equal in the territory.
    ▪ Gender perspective with a weight of 50%: the proposal includes this perspective in a realistic and detailed way;
    ▪ Other aspects of inclusion: territorial perspective and, where appropriate, social perspective with a weight of 5%: the activity is offered online or the same club is organized in different locations throughout the territory; some kind of facility is offered to promote the participation of people in a situation of vulnerability, ...

    ■ Innovation. With a weight of 30%. Carrying out educational leisure activities under the conditions imposed by the COVID-19 crisis will require innovative pedagogical methodologies and the use of adapted technological solutions.
    ▪ Pedagogical innovation with a weight of 15%: new methodologies, new formats, new contents, ...
    ▪ Technological innovation with a weight of 15%: new platforms, new applications, ...

    ■ Viability. With a weight of 15%. Since the initial selection involves an economic contribution to the development of the activity, it must be proven that the proposal submitted is viable from different perspectives, not just economically.
    ▪ Temporarily with a weight of 3%: it can be carried out within the proposed period;
    ▪ Commercially with a weight of 3%: it has a commercial interest (it will attract the public);
    ▪ Economically with a weight of 3%: the proposed business model makes it sustainable;
    ▪ Technologically with a weight of 3%: the proposed technology exists and works
    ▪ Work with a weight of 3%: we have the human team to carry out the activity

    The selection of the 20 proposals by the evaluation committee will be based on compliance with the following parameters:
    ▪ Originality and degree of innovation of the activity
    ▪ Degree of focus on the female group
    ▪ Registration facilities for participants from vulnerable families
    ▪ Objectives of the activities

    ▪ Degree of software of the activities
    ▪ Other aspects such as proposals to facilitate the participation of people in vulnerable situations.

    The selection of the three final prizes, from among the 20 proposals selected at the beginning of the challenge, by a specialized jury and from the reports presented at the end of the "Bitbot Challenge 2020" initiative will be made from consistency between the activity proposed in PHASE 1 and the results obtained in PHASE2, based on compliance with the following criteria:

    ▪ Consistency between the initial project (PHASE 1) and the report presented (PHASE 2):
    → Degree of achievement of the objectives set;
    → Number and typology of “Participants:
    • Number of “Participants” with respect to the initial forecast;
    • Percentage of girls and girls in relation to the total number of “Participants”, and with respect to the initial forecast;
    ▪ Quality of the service offered by the “Participating Entity” in the “Summer House”:
    → Supporting documentation (satisfaction surveys, audiovisual documents, materials developed, ...);
    ▪ Applicability of the proposals in other educational or leisure areas.
    ▪ Results obtained: presentations made, software developed, final proposals developed by the “Participants”)

    The experience of possible visits made by the “Organization” online or in person during the development of leisure activities may influence the final evaluation if it is detected that some requirements of these bases have been breached or any kind of inaccuracy is detected in the information provided by the “Participating Entities”

    JURY
    An evaluation committee made up of technical staff from "The Organization" will evaluate and choose the 20 winning projects of PHASE 1.
    A jury made up of experts in educational leisure, education, technology, development and programming, as well as in the social field; designated by "The Organization", will evaluate and choose the 3 winning projects of PHASE 2.

    The members of the evaluation committee and the jury will not be able to have any link of interest with the “Participating Entities”.



    Educational Material/Resources


    Material/resources (file/URL) accompanying the policy
    BASES DE PARTICIPACIÓ Bitbot Challenge 2020

    Language

    Catalan

    Policy File
    Attachment Size
    Bases Bitbot Challenge 2020.pdf 493.87 KB

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