Prof. Dr. Daniel Hromada
Digital Culture: Cognitive Context. Prolegomena to Educatio Digitale 2
Seminar, English/Deutsch, 2 SWS, 2 ECTS
Fridays, 10-12 h, weekly, starts 12.4.2019
Grunewaldstr. 2-5, room 306

In order to understand the main principles of human-computer interaction (HCI) one needs to understand both computers and humans. In this course, we shall interpret "humans" as "cognitive systems". The course shall start by explanation of what terms like "cognitive system" and "cognition" mean and how they relate to structures like "brain" and processes like "thought", "communication", "imitation" and "learning". Subsequently, we shall discuss different means and methods how the very presence and design of digital artefacts (e.g. smartphones, tablets etc.) and their interfaces influence and shape such cognitive processes. Strongest focus will be put on impact of digital technologies on pre-school and elementary school children.
To validate the course, students will be divided into small groups and each group will be asked to replicate an experimental protocol of a well-known cognitive psychology experiment.

Literature: Spitzer, Manfred: The smartphone epidemy, 2018.

Requirements for the ungraded Studium Generale credit: regular and active participation. Within group activities replication of an experiment (includes reading a scientific article, developing an experimental protocol, repeating the experiment, writing a report and presenting this).

Schwerpunkte:
Ausrichtung der Veranstaltung: orientierend, vorwärts gewandt
Kompetenz/Aktivität der Teilnehmenden: reflektieren/denken, aneignen

Daniel Devatman Hromada is since August 2018 UdK’s Juniorprofessor for Digital Education at Einstein Center Digital Future. Born in 1982 in Bratislava, he holds bachelor degrees in humanities from Charles University (Prague) and in linguistics from University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis; a master’s degree in artificial and natural cognition from Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (Paris). In 2016, a successful defense of his thesis “Evolutionary models of ontogeny of linguistic categories”, entitled Hromada to carry a double doctorate from both Slovak Technical University (cybernetics) as well as University Paris 8 – Lumieres (psychology). Father of two children, he is a founder and first senator of the oldest Slovak digital community kyberia.sk.