Prof. Dr. Odej Kao, Spokesman of the Board of the Einstein Center Digital Future (ECDF), has been appointed to the new State Advisory Board for Digitalization of the State of Berlin. The high-caliber committee was constituted in a video conference on December 2, 2020 at the invitation of Education Senator Sandra Scheeres. The mission of the State Advisory Board is to develop a comprehensive "Strategy for Schools in the Digital World", drawing on the diverse expertise of the Advisory Board members. The aim is to redesign all areas of Berlin's educational system and administration in such a way that they can very well meet the opportunities and requirements of the digital age. The digital strategy already developed in the Senate Education Administration will be taken up here.
The work of the "Landesbeirat Digitalisierung" is divided into several fields of action: A central point is to think about the educational and administrative requirements together. After all, the comprehensive digitization of Berlin's education system is by no means limited to issues of equipment. A comprehensive strategy includes digital teaching and learning and media education, as well as the digitization of administrative processes, data security and needs-based training programs.
Sandra Scheeres, Senator for Education, Youth and Family Affairs: "Our society is digitizing, and it is doing so at an ever faster pace, in more and more areas of life. The Berlin education system also needs a comprehensive digitization strategy. We want to further develop such a strategy, which is suitable for everyday school life, with the support of experts from the State Advisory Council for Digitization. We can also draw on considerable preliminary work from my Senate Administration. My main concern now is to bring together the educational and administrative applications.
Prof. Dr. Christian Thomsen, spokesman of the State Advisory Council on Digitization and President of Technische Universität Berlin: "This is the right path that Berlin is taking with the establishment of the committee. We have been able to recruit people who bring a wide range of professional experience, but who also always have great expertise in digitization in the education sector. Our aim is to provide advice on digitization in schools, especially during the pandemic phase. We want to help create a more modern school for both students and teachers. There is a great need for action in this area, but there are also many people who want to get involved."
Prof. Dr. Odej Kao is looking forward to working together in the State Advisory Board for Digitization. "The digitization of education plays an important role in the ECDF. We conduct interdisciplinary research on effects, solutions and technologies. Among other things, we are investigating how communication is changing or how digital didactics can be applied meaningfully. We also develop digital learning and teaching formats that can be implemented sustainably. I would like to contribute this expertise to the State Advisory Board for Digitization.
The State Advisory Council will meet regularly under the moderation of State Secretary for Education Beate Stoffers.
The spokesperson of the State Advisory Council on Digitization is Prof. Dr. Christian Thomsen, President of Technische Universität Berlin. Other members of the advisory board are Angela Behns-Vespermann (Siemens Professionell Education, Regional Director North-East), Prof. Dr. Stephan Breidbach (Director Professional School of Education, Humboldt University Berlin), Jacob Chammon (Board Member of the Forum Education Digitalization), Dr. Ralph Hippe (Joint Research Centre, European Commission), Prof. Dr. Christian Thomsen (President of the Technical University Berlin), Prof. Dr. Christian Thomsen (President of the Technical University Berlin), Prof. Dr. Christian Thomsen (President of the State Advisory Board Digitalization), Prof. Dr. Christian Thomsen (President of the Technical University Berlin). Dr. Odej Kao (Board Spokesman Einstein Center Digital Future), Dr. Jens Klessmann (Director Digital Public Services, Fraunhofer Institute Focus), Christiane Mücke (Vice Principal of Martin Buber High School, Berlin-Spandau) and Arnd Niedermöller (Principal of Immanuel Kant High School, Berlin-Lichtenberg). In addition, several senior staff members of the Senate Education Administration are permanent members of the advisory board.
The State Advisory Board invited the Berlin Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, Maja Smolczyk, and the Chairman of the VBKI Committee "Science and Education", Henning Banthien, as guests to its next meeting.