“History Education in the Digital Age” GENERAL REPORT Second annual Forum for History Education

Description

The 2nd Annual Forum of the Council of Europe on History Education took place in Brussels on 7 and 8 March 2023. The Forum was held by the Council of Europe Education Department and co-hosted by the Flemish Department of Education and Training and the Pedagogical co-ordination Department “Démocratie ou barbarie” from the Ministry of the Walloon-Brussels Federation. 70 participants from 26 countries gathered to learn about and discuss the challenges and opportunities posed in history education by the digital age and artificial intelligence (AI). The main outcome of the Forum was the acknowledgment that digitalisation, use of digital tools in education processes and AI are here to stay. There was a need to discuss the history education processes which are being challenged by digital technologies and the rise of AI. Showcases and discussions were held, focusing on the opportunities and limits of digital technologies in history education. After two days of intense keynote lectures, panel discussions, workshops and presentations, it was clear that basic historical methods – use of primary sources and critical reading are still important and irreplaceable despite all the fascinating developments that technologies bring. Teachers have the opportunity to supplement traditional methods with innovative technologies.

Keywords

Digitalisation

Video games

Digial literacy

Civic online reasoning

Critical thinking