"Our aim is to turn young people not just into users, but into active designers of digital systems," says Prof Dr Frank Heidmann, project manager and research professor for Design of Software Interfaces. "We are focussing on a research-based teaching-learning concept that uses self-determined, creative processes to engage students in their living environment and encourage critical digital thinking." The focus is not only on computer science lessons - other subjects such as English, politics or social studies are also integrated through suitable topics, e.g. "How do I use AI in language lessons?".

Interdisciplinary team and strong partnerships
The interdisciplinary team led by Prof. Dr Frank Heidmann, Prof. Dr Sebastian Meier, Professor for the Design of Knowledge Transfer, and Prof. Dr Judith Ackermann, Research Professor for Digital Media and Performance in Social Work, is supported by three research assistants. The practical work is carried out with the partner schools Anna-Freud-Schule Berlin and Voltaireschule Potsdam, which represent a broad spectrum of educational programmes and social backgrounds. The Berlin Central and State Library (ZLB) is also involved as a partner for the non-formal education sector.

Project implementation: Iterative, modular and participatory
MyAppMyData is being implemented in a multi-stage, iterative process: Based on qualitative surveys with teachers, didactic materials and scenarios are created, which are tested and evaluated in several trial cycles in everyday school life. Human-centred design methods promote technical, social, communicative and creative learning. The flexible approach is suitable for various school formats and subjects - from project weeks to regular lessons. Regular exchange formats with academics, practitioners and administrators ensure sustainable integration into educational structures.

Why app prototyping?
Young people use smartphones every day, but often lack an understanding of the mechanisms behind them: What data is collected? How is my user experience designed? This is where the project comes in, with pupils designing and prototyping digital services themselves in a guided, methodologically sound process - an action-oriented approach that promotes creativity and critical thinking.

Open educational resources and sustainable anchoring
At the end of the project, freely available open educational resources (OER) - analogue and digital - will be available to schools, libraries and informal learning locations such as makerspaces. In addition, the methods developed are to be integrated into framework curricula, further training for teachers and education policy recommendations. "Digital education must not be an exclusive offer," emphasises Heidmann. "We need inclusive, practical and scalable concepts - that's what we're working on."