ABSTRACT
The discussion about digital education refers to what should be taught and learned to prepare for requirements of the digital age and which competencies seem essential for coping with prospective challenges. These projections are based upon assumptions about the future. However, they hide underlying suppositions and, thus, withdraw them from further debates. This chapter contrasts theories from cultural studies about the “next society” with mostly implicit assumptions underlying current competence catalogs for a digital world. In general, they rely on the idea of technology determining society’s development and hide design options in negotiating the future of the – most amorphous – digital technology. We introduce Bildung’s concept in a digital world that has emerged in the public discussion in Germany and describe how Bildung can be interpreted as a teleological concept that relies on generic and domain-specific competencies necessary for building the digital future.
