Digital literacy

People who want to benefit from the full range of advantages offered by digital media must be able to use them safely and confidently. Deutsche Telekom is therefore committed to promoting media skills across the board.

Being able to handle new media with confidence can help to make all areas of people's lives easier and more convenient. For example, media skills make searches for information faster, do away with visits to government offices, keep contacts with family and friends alive and improve career prospects.

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The objective of TeachToday is to assist teachers across Europe in enabling their students to use new media confidently and responsibly.

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The objective of TeachToday is to assist teachers across Europe in enabling their students to use new media confidently and responsibly.

Media education at schools in Europe
For many teachers, tackling problems like Internet security and phone bullying at school is not an easy issue. Often they are fearful of knowing less about the new technologies than their students. Added to this, problems like these still do not appear on official school curricula. Which is precisely where the TeachToday initiative comes in. Together with the European Schoolnet and other European Internet and mobile providers, Deutsche Telekom has launched the website "TeachToday.eu." It offers teachers and educators a broad range of information in six different languages on new mobile and Internet technologies as well as on the latest digital trends. The site focuses on key issues such as Internet and phone bullying, publication of unsuitable photos in online networks, and indiscriminate use of personal data. The object is to actively support teachers throughout Europe so that they can guide their students to handle the new technologies positively, safely and responsibly.

Start young – One Network for Children
The "One Network for Children" initiative has established a safe surfing space that helps children understand the structure of the Internet and gives them practice in using the new medium. Deutsche Telekom is a founding member of this joint initiative, a close cooperation among representatives from politics, business and institutions that protect youth from unsuitable media. 8 to 12-year-olds can visit the Internet site fragFINN.de, an attractive and safe Internet space that allows them to pursue their interests without inadvertently landing on any sites that are not suitable for their age group. The fragFINN whitelist, a list of non-critical Internet sites, is also incorporated in Deutsche Telekom's free youth protection software. Internet offers that are not listed here are automatically blocked.

Startup courses for seniors
Overcoming people's reserve when it comes to using technology is the primary goal of Deutsche Telekom's diverse offers for older people. In the Czech Republic, for example, staff at T-Mobile train senior citizens to use cell phones. Magyar Telekom has launched the "Learn, Grandma!" scheme to help Internet newbies over 55 years of age in Hungary to understand the medium. The courses are held at public libraries and community centers, and, if needed, Magyar Telekom supplies the requisite computer infrastructure.