How can the specific focus on 'Demokratiebildung im digitalen Zeitalter' in the Bitkom awards contribute to reshaping digital media education to better prepare students for critical engagement and participation in a digital democracy?
The difference between extracting meaning and embedding it lies in the fact that traditionally, one might think that meaning is already contained within the text and that the task is simply to "extract" this objective meaning. However, an analysis of the presented materials shows that the meaning of a text is not something predetermined or objectively existing. On the contrary, it emerges in the dialogue between the reader and the text; meaning is "embedded" in the text when the reader, relying on their cultural, personal, and contextual experience, ascribes significance to it.
Passive reading, during which only individual letters and words are perceived without active mental involvement, does not contribute to quality memorization because this method of processing information lacks deep understanding and creative participation. In other words, when a person simply registers information without active reflection, they fail to build the internal connections and meaningful images necessary for reliably storing knowledge.
Reading in the form of a dialogue with the text creates a space for an active search for both explicit facts and hidden subtexts. When a reader asks questions of themselves or participates in a discussion about what they have read, they are not merely receiving information—they begin to interact with the text, uncovering details that might have been missed during passive consumption. This approach promotes analytical thinking, allowing the text to be examined from different perspectives and its profound layers of meaning to be revealed.
Collective decision-making plays a key role in forming a sense of unity and solidarity within a group. When participants are actively engaged in developing a common course of action, they not only exchange ideas but also collectively define the goals that will stimulate their further cooperation. It is precisely through this process of collective discussion and consensus that the feeling emerges that every member of the group has an opportunity to contribute, fostering a shared set of interests and mutual trust.