Digital Libraries and Cooperative Learning Networking: Experiences from the DEAN Project

DEAN, Digital Edition and Apprenticeship Networking, is an European Union LLP-LdV funded project which aims to create cooperative learning networking in order to build up a digital library with the help of ICT tools. In the project, a digital book database was developed for use as support to learn by doing and network training. The cooperative learning networking was shaped into the structure of an apprenticeship networking: 3 initial nodes was created at the beginning and called Dean Group (Spain, Greece and Turkey). Dean group will have other nodes connected to it. These were called associated nodes. Dean group achieved to form associated nodes. Each associated node had a coordinator and one monitor. As a result a collection of digitised books from 4 areas of the education field (theoretical and philosophical issues, methodologies, techniques and European policies) and added to other digitised books taken from existing digital libraries and collected by the associated nodes. The trend of the project towards the digital library drew the bigger efforts and interest on the part of the participants and have biased them against the cooperative learning networking. The creation of a digital library through the cooperative learning networking fostered independence and empowerment on the part of the teacher, learner and citizen.