In September 2025, archive and museum educators from Tartu conducted 15 creative workshops on the use of digital heritage in Tartu schools. Over the course of 45 minutes, students of different age groups were introduced to the fascinating world of digital heritage through interactive flash activities and collaborative group tasks. Using their smartphones, pupils searched for digital images in Estonian cultural heritage web collections and then transformed them into contemporary digital creations.
During the lesson, presentations were created in Google Slides or Padlet featuring freshly made memes from photos found from Meediateek, as well as imagined inner monologues for people depicted in geocoded photos from Ajapaik (with the photo’s location marked on a map). In addition, students learned how to cite the sources they used with proper archival references.
The workshops were carried out as part of the Ministry of Culture–funded research project “Digital Cultural Heritage as a Social Resource” and took place at Tartu Annelinna Gymnasium, Tartu Catholic Education Centre, Tartu Kesklinna School, Tartu Vocational College, Tartu Raatuse School, and at the opening meeting of the academic year of the Tartu NEFA group, the association of young folklore and cultural researchers.
