There is more to the competent use of digital technology than swiping on a smartphone aiming to promote students from digital consumers to digital producers. Media education and computational thinking must complement application skills.
Children may be able to operate technical devices, but many lack reflection in dealing with digital media. I am a student teacher and part of the computer science workshop at the Institute for Computer Science Didactics, where we not only address computing science concepts, but increasingly also media education content in workshops with children of all ages. I am also able to contribute my part to the DigitFit4All project in order to make children fit for the digital age.
Informatics education is an essential part of general education with the aim to form responsible and mature citizens. Therefore it is crucial for all children (including all girls!) not only to master the digital technologies given. All children also have to understand and judge them based on the time independent principles of informatics and should be able to take part in creating digital technology themselves, as well.
We can provide children and young people with meaningful information for their lives in the digital world, if it remains relevant in the long term and can be adapted to possible future living conditions. This could be concepts, principles, and ideas that come from computer science and computational thinking. The way of communicating this information is important: with joy, curiosity, benefit, creativity, together, and mindfully.
Children and young people 'know digital,' that is for sure. The Corona pandemic has catapulted the youngest generations beyond TikTok & Co into the digital age in education. Digitization will create new, exciting job profiles and fields of work in the coming years that we cannot even imagine today. The talents of tomorrow will help shape these if we make them fit for this digital future now. Anyone who starts a STEM education today with curiosity and enthusiasm can change the world tomorrow!
The manufacturing and related (IT) service industries both face a significant lack of STEM talents and related applicants for open posts in the industry. Covid-19 and an upcoming post-Covid-phase of economic catch-up just additionally highlight a situation evolving for years. We need more graduates and qualified employees with technical skills and broad digital knowledge. In the mid-term only education can be the key to secure a leading position in an innovative, modern and knowledge-based society.