The Digital World - In Businesses, Schools and Private Life

The digital world is constantly changing and has more and more influence on every area of life. Especially in professional life, but also in education, digital elements are becoming more and more important. What might the digital world look like in the future?

You can find out more details about the "Education in the Digital World" strategy of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany and about the aspects of ethics, consumer protection and security in the digital world in the following article as a guide to the digital world.

Fields of Action of the "Education in the Digital World" Strategy

The competences in the digital world KMK (Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany) deal with various areas of the digital world. These include the following fields of action, which can be subdivided again in relation to schools, higher education institutions and institutions for continuing education:

• Education plans
• Lesson development
• Education, further education and training of educators (teachers and educators)
• (Digital) equipment and infrastructure
• Educational media
• E-Governance
• School management programmes
• Education and Campus Management Systems
• Functional and legal framework

Consumer Protection in the Digital World

Consumer protection in the digital world is of great importance. Because people want to feel safe in the digital world and not be afraid of their very personal data being stolen.

Consumer protectionists and data protectionists therefore look closely at the introduction of new digital tools and systems. All aspects of the digital world should therefore always have the consequences for the consumer in mind and identify possible deficits even before the introduction of new digital services and tools.

Ethics in the Digital World

Ethics in the digital world is also a factor that must be taken into account in the future. Digital ethics encompasses all ethical norms and values that apply in the digital world. This includes, for example, the handling of artificial intelligence. How far will artificial intelligence develop in the future and to what degree do humans want to be surrounded or even influenced by it? What if AIs start making decisions on their own?

Topics such as surveillance and privacy also play a role in the ethics of the digital world. How much data can one reveal about oneself without disturbing one's privacy? Are digital data really safe and how should the use of social media be regulated in the future? All these questions will still occupy us frequently in the future.

Teaching in the Digital World

Teaching in the digital world depends on the quality of the equipment, but also on the will of the teachers. Constantly learning new things and teaching them digitally to children and young people requires flexibility and constant further training in dealing with the latest developments.

What is modern today may already be considered outdated in two years, so that regular further development is necessary. In schools, universities and training centres, not only the use of digital media must be trained, but also the pedagogical handling of it.

User Orientation in the Digital Transformation

Despite all the technical advances in the digital world, the focus should always be on the end users. Not every new tool or app is really useful. The use of digital tools should be as simple and self-explanatory as possible and lead quickly to the goal. This can be the online conclusion of an electricity contract on the internet, but also ordering in shops, using learning apps and other tools.

Only if digital products and services are oriented towards the needs of users will they survive on the market in the long term. Many useless apps and digital tools have therefore been replaced by new applications shortly after their introduction.

The Digital World in the Future

What will it look like, the digital world of the future? It is not possible to say exactly. The technical and global developments that have a strong influence on it are too rapid. However, there is already a lot that can be done today to make a company or school fit for the digital future.

In the future, companies and schools must increasingly be able to offer training and further education as well as lessons digitally. This requires flexibility and openness to new things. After all, the market situation is constantly changing and new products and services must be adapted to it.

In human resources development, the digital world is also important. Because when hiring new employees, more and more emphasis is being placed on digital skills, which are ideally already learned at school and are constantly brought up to date on the further training path.

The Changing Digital World of Business

Once employees are hired, there is a regular need for further training to keep up with the latest technical developments.

One way to save time and money is to use e-learning tools to train employees regularly on many topics of the digital future.

For well-functioning e-learning concepts, easy to produce and vividly conveyed multimedia offers are especially important. For example, learning moderations, explanatory videos, audio books, digital tests and many other possibilities are used. They constantly train the entire team, including the managers, in the digital field and thus support the company in the process of digital change.