New knowledge centre will improve digital literacy among children and young people
Universities and university colleges have joined forces on a new initiative to develop a knowledge base for digital literacy as a subject in primary, lower-secondary and upper-secondary education. The new knowledge centre for digital literacy has received DKK 50 million in funding.
What actually is an algorithm? And how can we create technology that is compatible with a meaningful everyday and professional life? A new centre for digital literacy will explore how children and young people can be constructive and critical co-creators of the digital technology that creates the framework for our lives, communities and society. The knowledge centre for digital literacy will equip primary and secondary school students with knowledge about digital technology in collaboration with a range of stakeholders and research environments. The aim of the centre is to create a knowledge base across educational sectors that can form the basis for new educational initiatives and the further development current subjects.
“The ambition is that all children and young people, regardless of gender, postcode or social background, can develop digital literacy so that they can participate constructively and critically as democratic citizens in a digitalised society. The centre will develop knowledge that will give children and young people the opportunity to co-create the digital technologies that create the framework for our everyday lives, communities and society”, says Ole Sejer Iversen, professor of interactive design and director of the Center for Computational Thinking and Design at Aarhus University. Ole Sejer Iversen will also direct the new knowledge centre.
A centre with full ministerial backing
With a grant of DKK 50 million from the Villum Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation and Lundbeck Foundation, the new knowledge centre will contribute to creating a solid and shared academic foundation for digital literacy over the next five years – based on Danish educational traditions and the latest international experience. Researchers and teachers from universities and university colleges will contribute to this endeavour.
“As a society, we’ve tended to overestimate the digital competencies of our children and young people. Sometimes we even refer to them as digital natives, but the truth is that many children feel alone and left to deal with the digital world without support from adults. Especially children from disadvantaged homes. That’s why it’s important that we take responsibility and better equip our children and young people. The new knowledge centre will play a key role in this process”, says Lars Bo Andersen, senior associate professor at University College Copenhagen and deputy director of the new knowledge centre.
This is an issue that also interests the Danish minister for children and education, Mattias Tesfaye:
”Digital technology is not going to disappear from our lives. It’s here to stay. For both adults and children. That’s why it’s vital that we generate more knowledge about how children can develop healthy digital habits. I am keen for children and young people to learn about the implications of technology for both themselves and society as part of their school education. So I’m delighted that this new knowledge centre has been created,” says Mattias Tesfaye.
Three foundations to support digital literacy
The knowledge centre has been made possible with support from the Villum Foundation, the Novo Nordisk Foundation and the Lundbeck Foundation, who all regard digital literacy as a priority.
Agi Csonka, programme director at the Villum Foundation, says:
“We have chosen to support this national initiative because digital technologies are playing an increasingly large role in our society. All children and young people need to be able to use these technologies constructively whilst understanding how they affect our society – so that they can make intelligent decisions as informed citizens”.
Jan Egebjerg, director of science at the Lundbeck Foundation:
“There is no longer an doubt that many of our day-to-day activities and our access to information are increasingly affected and determined by digital technologies. It’s vital that we explore how digital literacy teaching can be best integrated into various levels of education, so this project is both timely and important for ensuring that all children and young people in Denmark can improve their understanding of how digital technology impacts themselves, our communities and our basic social values.
Berith Bjørnholm, senior vice president of Education and Outreach at the Novo Nordisk Foundation:
“At the Novo Nordisk Foundation we are proud that we can support the establishment of a national centre that will create an interdisciplinary environment and a knowledge base for our shared efforts in the area of digital literacy – and in doing so help children and young people in Denmark develop digital competences.”
The centre’s mission
The centre will build on previous studies and projects, and it will be the first of its kind to bring together Danish professionals across universities, university colleges, schools and upper-secondary schools to develop a unified Danish approach to digital literacy in primary, secondary and all types of upper-secondary education.
It’s essential that the further development of digital literacy takes place in schools and upper-secondary schools – and that it is part of school practice. Teachers and pupils in schools and upper-secondary schools will therefore come to play a major role in this process. For the same reason, the centre will also be advised by central parties in school and adolescent education.
Structure and partners
The knowledge centre is being established as an equal collaboration between universities and university colleges. It is nationwide and consists of eight partners: the six university colleges in Denmark, Aarhus University and the University of Copenhagen.
Aarhus University and University College Copenhagen are host universities on behalf of their respective sectors. Aarhus University will be responsible for anchoring digital literacy in upper-secondary and higher education, and University College Copenhagen will do the same for primary and secondary education as well as teacher training degrees. The centre will be supported by DKK 50 million from the Lundbeck Foundation, the Novo Nordisk Foundation and the Villum Foundation between 2023 and 2028.
The opening ceremony for the new centre is scheduled to take place later this year and will include the country’s leading experts and decision-makers within the field of digital literacy.
For more information, please contact:
Ole Sejer Iversen, professor and centre director, tel.: 50546778, e-mail: oiversen@cc.au.dk
Lars Bo Andersen, senior associate professor and deputy director, tel.: 41897574, e-mail: lboa@kp.dk