How Tech Changes Education — Three Premises
The smartphone has become our daily companion: for many people it is the first thing they look at in the morning. It is our alarm clock, our shopping mall, news hub and shortest connection to friends via messenger and social networks. We even control some of our household appliances with our mobile phones. Always on — always available — has made the world go faster, at least that’s how it feels to me. That is mostly exciting. I love new technological innovations — to develop them in a team of like-minded, creative people at the Porsche Digital Lab and to use them to make my every-day life easier.
However, the increasing digitization is also associated with major questions regarding our future: How will we work in the future? Which occupations will still exist — and which will no longer be needed? Which qualifications and competencies will be necessary for a working world of the future? The answers to these questions will have decisive consequences for education and will transform the way we learn.
Children are already using smartphones and tablets from an early age on, very naturally. As a result, technologies are increasingly having an influence on education. If we are to discover the potentials of digital technologies in the future and use them to the best for society, the necessary knowledge and skills must be taught at school.
I agree with Tom Wiedemann, trainer at HABA Digitalwerkstatt in Hamburg, and believe that three fundamental premises are necessary for a successful digital education at school:
1) The basics
Schools need proper equipment in order to advance digital education. This applies not only to the hardware, but also to the network infrastructure and maintenance by system administrators. And of course, they do need modern software to teach children how to learn and work effectively with them.
2) The support of important stakeholders
It is obvious that digital education will not be possible without the know-how and technical support of large tech companies. For this reason, in particular, politicians are called upon to advance the legal framework for digital education in Germany and to make the necessary funds available. The civil society must be actively involved in monitoring the implementation of these measures. Because it is crystal clear that education must always be of highest priority for our society.
3) The underlying concepts
Technology inspires, technology is lots of fun. However, it is not an end in itself, but rather a useful tool. It is not enough just to provide modern technology. We also need to develop new digital concepts and contents. Teachers need to become coaches for their students. We have to give up the thought that you can learn everything from a book. Instead, we should focus on enabling pupils to search for the right information, to teach them effectives methods for problem solving and show them the right tools — that will be the most important digital competencies in the future. This does not only apply to the subject of computer science and coding, but rather refers to a sovereign and responsible handling of technology in general.
I am convinced that it always depends on the human being and his will to shape. Technological developments provide us with every opportunity to do so. Against this background and with this knowledge, we can look into the digital future with great optimism. Concepts like HABA Digitalwerkstatt show that it is possible to find a new, fun approach to digital education — for kids, parents and teachers alike. And, in my opinion, that is a very important point: Digital education is not only for pupils. We all should never stop learning, broadening our horizon and skills is not a question of age. And as myndseed shows: digital technologies can help on our personal learning journeys.
So, stay hungry, stay foolish — and join one of our First Tuesdays at the Porsche Digital Lab to learn something new and meet inspiring people.
Desislava Belokonska is Software Engineering Student at CODE University in Berlin and Working Student at Porsche Digital Lab.
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