Vice President Safina de Klerk asks MPs to log on
NITO's Vice President Safina de Klerk warns against demonization of screens and technology in schools. Now she hopes that the Storting's 169 representatives will spend the summer reading up.
NITO's Vice President Safina de Klerk works as head of the science centre at the National Museum of Science and Technology in Oslo and is, according to herself, "an engineer at heart and an educator at heart".
She is worried that the pendulum is now swinging too far in the direction of "no to screens in schools".
"The debate about screens in schools is extremely polarized. For me, it is frustrating to see how screens are demonized, and that several key politicians adopt the rhetoric," says de Klerk.
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She is a contributor to the book "Log on!" about technology in schools (ed. Torgeir Waterhouse and Elisabeth Palmgren). The aim of the book is to bring knowledge into an unnuanced debate about screens and technology in schools. Before the summer, one copy of the book was handed over to every single member of parliament, a total of 169 books.
"All politicians who are going to have an opinion about screens in schools should read this book, which is why we are distributing it to all members of parliament.
"It is a crisis if the demonization of screens that we are seeing now contributes to less use of digital tools in schools.
Safina de Klerk, Vice President of NITO
"We have a science crisis in Norway, far too few people choose science subjects. Getting technology into school early is incredibly important for igniting the spark for science subjects in children and young people. It is technologists and engineers who will create the new, green solutions of the future," she continues.
Safina de Klerk has worked for eight years at the Oslo Science Centre, and has seen up close how access to technology and digital tools has allowed the students to flourish in exploratory and practical work.
Must ignite the spark for science subjects
"It is in school that we have the opportunity to ignite the spark for science subjects in children, through the use of technology. The school must not suffer because parents are unable to set limits for the use of screens at home," she says.
After 169 copies of the book had been delivered to the Storting's postal reception, Safina de Klerk and Torgeir Waterhouse were granted an audience with the Conservative Party's Margret Hagerup and Heidi Nordby Lunde. The two politicians promised to read the book, but could assure that they already support the book's message.
Safina de Klerk has also spoken to VG about screens in schools, read the article here:
Vice President of NITO: Warns against demonization in schools