Category: Vocational education in a knowledge-based society
Last week I attended the 5th Conference on “Digital Media – Analogue Reality”, a conference series organised by the Federal Insitute for Vocational Education and Training, this time in collaboration with the largest German supermarket corporation EDEKA. This 5th edition focused on learning and teaching environments in commercial occupations. A lot of good ideas from both businesses and vocational schools attracted my attention. However, as shown by the following critical but constructive reflections, there is still much to be done.
The conference „Zukunftssicherung Digitaler Kompetenzen – Herausforderung für Wirtschaft und Bildung“ [safeguarding the future of digital competences – challenges for economy and education], held on 27 November 2014 in Hannover by eBusiness-Lotse and partners, focused on how to disseminate eBusiness knowledge and skills in Lower Saxony. Since teachers are important multipliers, my approach ist to identify teacher training as a potential key factor. Still the current state of computer competences and use at school is quite sobering, as the ICILS 2013 study shows. My German presentation contains the most important study results with regard to teacher training and possible ways out of the crisis: