Mikulas Gaussman: a citizen digitally resourced for the future?

step 1: think about someone you know

Think of someone you know who is under 16 years of age.

How would you describe…

·      The kinds of digital activity they engage in both in an out of school

·      The type of digital world they will inhabit twenty years from now

Compare your description with the one in the commentary section.

step 2: commentary

Mikulas Gaussman is currently attending a school in the UK. He’s an average student from a fairly average family. At age of 12, he’s far from digitally illiterate. On the contrary, he interacts with technology on a daily if not hourly basis. Digital devices are common features in both his school and leisure life: at school he is obliged to take computing as this is part of the National Curriculum he must follow; at home he uses internet and online games. His favourite is Clash of the Clans.

Twenty years hence, we can envisage digital technologies continuing to be intertwined with daily life. Twenty years hence, various social, economic, and geo-political forces, and ongoing trends will shape the context that current 12 year olds might inhabit.