How schools can use the Digital Pact to make sustainable investments in the classrooms of tomorrow

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is working flat out to implement the DigitalPakt Schule (Digital Pact for Schools). Together with the federal states, the BMBF is promoting digitization in German schools. Five billion euros will be made available over the next five years.

The DigitalPact School follows the principle of “no equipment without a concept.” That is why the submission of a media development plan by each individual school is a key requirement for applying. What makes this special is that consulting services can also be funded with money from the DigitalPact.

The federal states decide how the funds are allocated. They are project partners of the Federal Ministry. The states set up appropriate structures and inform local authorities and other funding bodies about requirements, procedures, and deadlines.

Achieving goals together

There are therefore a number of things to consider when setting up digital learning infrastructures. And not only when it comes to applying for funding, but also if the investments are to pay off in the long term. That is why Thomas Blanke, senior consultant at Bielefeld-based Avanis GmbH, recommends seeking expert advice at an early stage to ensure that funds are used wisely. “Digital investment ruins,” says Blanke, “that are not tailored to the teaching concept of schools are of no use to anyone.” The objective of successful digitization in schools must always be to support and further develop educational concepts that have the long-term goal of maintaining and advancing the level of education. “Only if we succeed in investing sustainably in IT infrastructure will future generations of students also benefit from the funding,” emphasizes Blanke.

He is supported in this by Stephanie Kleta-Bohmann, who holds a doctorate in philosophy. She is the managing director of the company adiuvantis - Partner für Digitale Bildung, which, among other things, draws up media development plans for school authorities, cities, and municipalities. "The era in which small ‘garage companies’ managed school networks is over. In order to work in a pedagogically meaningful and sustainable way, technical industry standards are needed that make digital education scalable. But nothing works without teachers. It is important to get them on board beforehand and work with them to develop educational digital concepts for the school curriculum," says Stephanie Kleta-Bohmann.

Wi-Fi and security

IT consultant Thomas Blanke has already advised many schools and other educational institutions. He knows that in most cases, the foundation for digitization in schools is laid with the establishment of a functioning Wi-Fi infrastructure. The network specialists from Bielefeld, who have been working intensively with Wi-Fi technology since the early 2000s, are currently supporting various large-scale school projects in northern Germany. Avanis also designed and implemented the wireless and wired network technology for the new headquarters of the OWL Chamber of Crafts in Bielefeld.

Blanke considers the security aspect to be equally important: "Hacking and data theft are now a lucrative business model, and it is no longer just lone individuals seeking to prove their skills or expose vulnerabilities. Behind it all is organized cybercrime. Hardly a week goes by without reports of hacker attacks and encryption by ransomware followed by ransom demands."

The risk of an attack from within your own network by tech-savvy students who want to test your limits should not be underestimated either. This could result in a total shutdown of school operations. Against the backdrop of the GDPR, network infrastructures must be equipped with maximum security, especially in public areas—not least where teachers, students, and administrative staff access the same network wirelessly and via cable using a wide variety of devices such as PCs, smartphones, or tablets.

School 2.0: IT meets education

School 2.0 is where information technology and education meet. The DigitalPakt Schule (Digital Pact for Schools) promotes this development. In their strategic partnership, Stephanie Kleta-Bohmann and Thomas Blanke see themselves as perfectly positioned to advise schools on this challenging topic and generate added value from it.