Our future life in a digital world

Project summary

CONTEXT/BACKGROUND The idea for this project originated in the teaching of social studies in vocational schools. Under the main topic "Technical Progress and Social Change" we increasingly dealt with the structural changes and developments in the course of increasing digitisation, discussed in Germany under the keyword "Industry 4.0". This topic has already been implemented at the David Roentgen School for several years in the field of technology. Of central importance is the project Industrie4.0@school, an interactive learning project in which students demonstrate how industry 4.0 works and its philosophy using a real, functioning production scenario. In the social studies and ethics lessons, however, the students became aware that digitisation is more than a technical development; social, political, ethical and pedagogical issues also play a very important role. In particular, young adults were concerned about the security of their own jobs. PARTICIPANTS The topic becomes even more exciting with a view to the European Union. Despite all the successes in enlargement and integration, the differences in the structural development of the economy are considerable, and the framework conditions and prerequisites diverge. In this way, the individual member states, regions and cities create their own individual way of dealing with the current and future challenges of structural change and digitisation. The selection of our 3 partner schools is supposed to reflect part of this diversity: - Romania (Liceul Tehnologic Petru Poni) suffers strongly from the emigration of young, well-qualified workers to Central and Western Europe and at the same time fights for the settlement of high-tech companies and service providers. - Estonia (Tallinna Mustamae Humanitaargumnaasium) enjoys the reputation of a progressive, digitised education landscape and relies primarily on the information and services sector. - Italy (Liceo Orso Mario Corbino) is currently suffering from economic and financial problems, with Sicily occupying a special position as an island tourist magnet. GOALS/AIMS The diversity of these four countries/regions serves to achieve two main objectives: 1. The learners gain a differentiated view of digitisation/structural change from different perspectives. The assignment to the partner schools takes place according to their competences and experiences: Germany: A View to Technology - How is digitisation changing our world of work? Romania: A View to Social Policy - What responsibility should politics and companies have? Sicily: A View to Ethics - What role does the human being play? Estonia: A View to Education - How must tomorrow's skilled workers be qualified? 2. The learners get to know other regions of the EU and their respective structural challenges. They discover parallels to their own real life, but also very different framework conditions. ACTIVITIES AND METHODOLOGY In order to achieve the above mentioned objectives, the procedure is as follows before, during and between the meetings: PREPATORY: Creation of a uniform working basis; preparation of the participating students in a teaching unit on the topic of Digitisation/Structural Change and development of the four view points (24 students per country) PER MEETING: intensive discussion of relevant questions from each view point (6 students per country) through texts, documentations, involvement of experts and excursion (obligatory!) Elaboration of the results, e.g. in recommendations for action, presentations, comments, interviews Getting to know the partner region through lectures/presentations by the hosts, excursion to extracurricular place of learning SUBSEQUENTLY: written and visual processing of one's own impressions of the newly discovered region, collage, illustrated book Processing the subject matter in a mind map Presentation and transmission of the work to their own classmates DURING the project: creation of a student video (e.g. with the app iMovie) about their life, wishes, future worries in their region; publications in local and regional media RESULTS AND BENEFITS The materials used as well as the results of the students' work and elaborations will be combined on eTwinning to form a comprehensive teaching unit on the subject of Digitisation/Structural Change. The aim is to contribute to the further development of teaching in the subjects of technology, social studies, economic geography and ethics. The four videos will later serve as a motivating introduction to the topic. In Estonia, however, the teachers will also gain insight into the question of the right qualification of future skilled workers and the associated school digital offerings.