Six weeks ago today I attended an event with Silke Müller (“Hombuch 2024” [ https://www.hombuch.de/hombuch24 ] ) in which participants were invited to engage in a Q&A discussion with the author (see “Fragen an den Autor” episode, broadcast just earlier today).
I wish to post this here today so interested people can be informed of the publishing of the recording (not only 6 weeks later, but also abridged). In light of the discussion topics, I find it quite ironic that the broadcast media decided to abridge (and thereby censor) not only the interview and discussion a month and a half after the fact “over the air” but also in audio digital media format. I understand that an over-the-air broadcast might be constricted by time constraints, but there is little or no reason whatsoever to manipulate the actual historical facts this way. To say that digital media are limited and must be edited to save a few seconds here and there is ludicrous. This is simply inexcusable, and the irony is definitely not lost on me.
The audio file of the Silke Müller presentation is available via http://pcast.sr-online.de/feeds/SR2_FADA_P/feed_pcast.xml [direct link to mp3-file: https://storage01.sr.de/podcast/SR2_FADA_P/SR2_FADA_P_37238_20241016_055953.MP3 ]
I will write more about this later, so please watch this space in case you wish to learn more about my writings (as I will be sure drop links below).
European Politics 
Translation of Q&A @ [17:35 – 19:48]
(see also https://europa.politics.blog/2024/10/20/technologie-kultur-ethik-erziehung-in-deutschland-interview-mit-silke-muller-aufruf-zur-transkription/#comment-3 )
[Question:] Do you feel, schools ought to teach pupils to competently interact in the world, so that they are not sent out into the world without a clue regarding deceptive companies such as Google and Tiktok which monitor, manipulate and exploit them?
[Answer:] I believe I would not single out individual firms, but you are fundamentally right with your expectation that schools ought to teach pupils, and yes: schools indeed ought to teach pupils not only with respect to competencies — in a skills and tech-knowhow manner — but also schools ought to teach pupils to become critical thinkers, critical theorists, to creative actors who are able to pose critical questions. This leads directly to a competence known as critical reading (and reading / literacy in general). And also numeracy, mathematical and logical knowhow — in other words: teaching capabilities, which children ought to learn in school, in order to be functional participants in the world of today and tomorrow. Which brings me to a topic — and thank you for addressing it: we school leaders are not doing it very well momentarily. We have a school system, which I often refer to as a charming ruin-administration [applause], because our school system originates from the world of about 200 years ago, in the way we administer it today. Namely: a group of people sitting together with one person standing in the front attempting to convey knowledge. Despite suggested reforms, this has not yet fundamentally changed. The problem is, that we simply do not have time to actually adequately convey such new competencies because we are still bogged down by old structures. We would need much more time devoted to building relationships with the children in order to begin discussing today’s numerous moral dilemmata, we need more time to support them about their worries, and we also naturally need to completely rethink technological and digital learning.
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