Education in the Digital World

Challenges and Pitfalls in the 2020s

Abstract

This editorial places the topic of the special issue “Education in the Digital World” in a wider national and international context: At a national level, the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (‘Kultusministerkonferenz’) initiated a national strategy in 2016 that aims to enable learners to lead a self-determined life in the digital condition (Stalder 2016). In this context, new technologies but also didactic scenarios for the various teaching contexts are to be developed and tested. This is where this Special Issue comes in with its interdisciplinary and multi-perspective contributions. Educational processes in the digital world that are based on innovative technologies, adequate didactic scenarios, and well-trained teachers, as called for by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs, not only serve to implement a nationwide strategy but can also to solve problems worldwide: It seems plausible that cutting-edge solutions in the field of Education in the Digital World can be a key part of the human response to technological innovation in juxtaposition with international crises and conflicts. Finally, future challenges and opportunities for Education in the Digital World are identified and the contributions in this special issue are presented.