# The Role That Doesn't Exist Yet ## A pilot proposal for Educational Technologists at Berlin schools → [[Startseite]] --- Berlin's schools have infrastructure. Tablets, networks, platforms – most of it in place. What's missing is the role that makes it pedagogically useful. Teachers are expected to integrate digital tools into their daily practice. But in Germany, there is no established position whose sole responsibility is to support them in doing so – continuously, from within the school, on pedagogical terms. The result: tools go unused, individual teachers burn out trying to bridge the gap alone, and digital transformation stalls at the classroom door. ## The numbers behind the proposal Findings from the largest study of teacher workload ever conducted in Berlin (Mußmann/Hardwig, University of Göttingen, 2024/25, n = 2,385 Berlin teachers): - **75 %** of Berlin teachers want *more* digital elements in their teaching – only 5 % show clear disinterest. - **71 %** experience digitalisation as an additional burden; only 6 % experience it as relief. - **27 %** confirm sufficient IT support from designated contact persons; **66 %** cannot use digital tools meaningfully due to recurring failures. - **65 %** of Berlin school principals identify the lack of professionally supporting staff as one of the greatest challenges to good teaching. - WHO5 well-being score of Berlin teachers: **41.3** (compared to **64.0** in the German workforce average); **79 %** in the moderate or high burnout-risk range. International context (OECD Digital Education Outlook 2026, TALIS 2024 data): **36 %** of lower-secondary teachers use generative AI – the strongest single predictor of use is institutional, on-site support. The OECD names the conditions but not the role that creates them in schools. ## The Estonian model Estonia introduced the Educational Technologist (ET) role in schools in 2005 ([[Quellen#Education Estonia / Estonian Association of Educational Technologists|Education Estonia]]). ETs are experienced teachers with specialist training in technology integration, typically a Master's degree from Tallinn or Tartu. They don't fix computers. They work alongside colleagues – helping them design lessons, try new approaches, and build confidence over time. The role is funded through regular school budgets as standard staff, not through special programmes. Adoption grew gradually – from around 7 % of Estonian schools in 2012 to around 50 % today. Pata et al. (2022, *Technology, Knowledge and Learning*; n = 962 self-evaluations from 499 Estonian schools, ≈ 81 % of all schools in the country) identified educational technologists as one of eight catalyst variables for school-wide digital transformation, with *teachers' role* being the strongest. The Forum Bildung Digitalisierung (FBD), Germany's leading civil-society organisation on school digitalisation, named the Estonian model as European best practice in its January 2026 orientation paper. ## International evidence base, in brief - **Virginia, USA** – the *Instructional Technology Resource Teacher* (ITRT) role has been in the Code of Virginia since 2005: two FTE positions per 1,000 students, one for instructional support, one for technical support – the pedagogical/technical separation is statutorily mandated. - **Digital Promise (USA, 2018)** – field study across 50 schools, 20 districts, 5 states: > 80 % of coached teachers showed measurable improvements in digital teaching practice. Critical condition: **non-evaluative coaching**. - **Kraft, Blazar & Hogan (2018)** – meta-analysis of 60 studies: continuous coaching has effect size 0.49 SD on instruction quality – nearly twice the effect of one-off training formats. - **Holmes (2026), EP Briefing PE 784.573 (CULT Committee)** – the integration of AI in education must prioritise teacher autonomy; without structural pedagogical guidance, the *flipped AI divide* threatens equity. ## The Berlin pilot proposal This project proposes introducing the ET role at Berlin schools – grounded in Berlin's own curriculum frameworks and adapted to the German school system. The proposal addresses the structural conditions that don't yet exist in Germany: qualification pathways, role profiles, and financing models. The case is made separately for two audiences: the Berlin Senate (public schools) and independent school operators (*freie Trägerschaft*). A scientific evaluation framework is part of the design (multi-perspective: school leadership, accompanied teachers, students; pre/intermediate/post; building on Estonia's *Digital Mirror*) – with the goal of building an evidence base for scaling. ## About this project This proposal was developed by **Thomas Nadler**, a primary school teacher in Berlin with a background in geology and over 20 years of MINT teaching practice. It is an independent initiative, not affiliated with any institution. Since its publication in early 2026, the proposal has prompted exchanges with researchers, policy practitioners, and school operators in Germany and internationally. First conversations are underway. If you are working on related questions – in research, policy, or practice – I would be glad to exchange perspectives. → [[ET Szenarien|ET scenarios: Nine practical examples (German)]] → [[Strategiepapier|Pilot proposal (German)]] → [[Quellen|Full source database (German)]] → [[Profil Thomas Nadler|Thomas Nadler – personal profile (German)]] → [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) --- *Alle Seiten: [[Startseite]] · [[Strategiepapier]] · [[Strategiepapier Berliner Senat|Strategiepapier Berliner Senat]] · [[Strategiepapier Freie Trägerschaft|Strategiepapier Freie Trägerschaft]] · [[ET Szenarien]] · [[Profil Thomas Nadler|Profil Thomas Nadler]] · [[Quellen]] · [[English]] · [[Impressum]] · [[Datenschutzerklärung]]*