German
Shaping digitalization in schools together - Jena networking meeting brings stakeholders together
How can digitalization in schools be designed in a meaningful, everyday and collaborative way? The first cross-school networking meeting on digitalization on 8 August 2025 - initiated and moderated by Christoph Voigt, digital agent in the Jena Smart City project, together with the Thuringian Institute for Teacher Training, Curriculum Development and Media (ThILLM) - was dedicated to precisely this question.
Around 60 participants - including school principals, teachers responsible for media, municipal representatives from specialist departments and educational specialists - accepted the invitation to the auditorium of the Adolf Reichwein Gymnasium. Their common goal: to network, learn from each other and create the basis for sustainable networking on the topic of digitalization at schools in Jena.
Impulses, exchange, perspectives
After Christoph Voigt opened the event, he presented the concept and objectives of the event. Host Christoph Buschner, Headmaster of Adolf Reichwein Grammar School, then welcomed the guests. This was followed by words of welcome from Christine Wolfer, Head of Youth and Education at the City of Jena, and Melanie Hey, Media Studies Advisor at the ThILLM.
The keynote speech by Prof. Dr. Steffi Zander, Professor of Educational Design and Digital Learning Culture at the University of Jena, was a focal point of the event. She shed light on the use of digital media to promote learning from a scientific and practical perspective. Against the backdrop of current debates in Sweden, Denmark and Hesse about a return to more analog forms of learning - especially in primary schools - she posed the question: How do learning and teaching research evaluate such developments? And what does this mean for digital practice in schools?
Sharing knowledge, learning from each other
The second part of the event focused on exchange: in moderated round tables, the participants discussed key issues of digital school development - from technical infrastructure to pedagogical concepts and AI-supported learning. Topics included "Pedagogical use of digital devices", "Qualification and further development" and "Role of the media concept in school development".
The topics chosen were based on specific needs from everyday school life. The open dialog between practitioners, expert advisors and representatives of the media center showed that the challenges are diverse - but often similar. And this is precisely where the potential of cross-school collaboration lies.
Digitization as a joint task
The fact that almost all of Jena's schools were represented makes it clear that digitalization has long been a central topic in school development. Many institutions have already tried out their own solutions and concepts - the meeting provided a space to make these visible and take away new ideas.
Continuation desired
The desire for continuation was unmistakable: many participants spoke out in favor of regular, cross-school exchange formats - practical, open and at eye level. The feedback encourages the organizers to continue along this path.
The cross-school networking meeting showed how much is possible when expertise, motivation and mutual support come together. In Jena, digitalization is not seen as an individual project - but as a joint educational task.
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