Towards a healthy digital ecosystem:
Values, Competences & Responsibilities
ELIANT’s contribution to Digital Literacy
28 November 2017, Royal Library of Belgium, 1000 Brussels
Digital technology is becoming increasingly pervasive and questions are being raised about its role in business, politics and everyday life. Its implications for the healthy development of children and young people needs urgently addressing.
Prof. Fuchs, an international expert on embodied cognitive science, spoke of how physical activity, social interaction and emotional engagement form the basis of human cognition. Cognition, emotion and action always work together as an integral unit. The brain is a mediating organ that is shaped by continuous interaction with the world, it is not a hard drive or a computer. And Prof. Gertrud Teuchert-Noodt’s final message (quoting Einstein) was: “’Learning is experience. Everything else is just information’. (…) Use your brain more than your smart phone or Sat Nav.”
It is only through human interaction early in life that motivation, tolerance, creativity, empathy and common sense can be developed. And, if it is to create a healthy social ecosystem, Europe needs citizens who uphold these values. ELIANT is committed to support this development. In her opening speech, Martine Reicherts pointed to the importance of the digital debate organized by ELIANT: “We need to return the human being to the centre of society. People like you are needed, it's a question of heart, friendship and common values and we should focus on all that unites us even if we see many things differently".
With more than 160 participants, lively workshops and inspiring presentations the conference of November 28th was a great success. Please find on this site a short conference report, videos, written summaries, pictures and the twitter story of the conference.
Michaela Glöckler, Dr. med. Dr. h.c., President ELIANT, Moderator
Martine Reicherts, Director-General for Education and Culture
Thomas Fuchs, Prof. Dr. med. Dr. phil., University Clinic Heidelberg
Summary and video
Power Point Presentation by Prof. Thomas Fuchs
Workshops (for more information click on the workshop)
1. Leadership in the digital world
Summary
2. Starting strong: building a solid foundation in early childhood to navigate through the digital age
Summary and video
3. Health and development of the digital child
Summary
4. Rural exodus and urbanisation – reconnecting children to the natural world
Summary and video Power Point Presentation by Peter Altmeyer Power Point Presentation by Ronald Heusschen
5. Digital media in education – the view of students
Summary and video (dutch language)
6. Digitalisation of the classroom – age-appropriate digital curricula
Summary and video
7. Digitalisation – added value and risks to the ecosystem
Summary and video
Panel
Shanti George, Learning for Well Being, Moderator
Edwin Hübner, Free University Stuttgart
Joan Almon, Alliance for Childhood
Georg Soldner, Deputy Head of the Medical Section at the Goetheanum
Franz Glaw, Free Waldorf Schools, Germany
Konstantin D. A. Scheller, Directorate General for Education, Youth, Culture and Sport (DG EAC)
Closing Address
Gertraud Teuchert-Noodt, Prof. Dr., Neurobiologist
Pictures (please click on the picture)
About us:
ELIANT is an alliance of 10 European associations of applied anthroposophy set up in 2006 to make a civic contribution towards improving quality of life and cultural diversity in Europe. The main focus of their work is the question of how to make human rights practical and how to bring a sense of human dignity, individual freedom, equality and solidarity into everyday life.
Inspired by the European Citizens’ Initiative before it even became operational, ELIANT was the first organisation to successfully collect over 1 million signatures calling for a greater variety and availability of choices in Europe.
This Conference is organised by ELIANT, with the support of ECAS.