Researchers from CCTD – Professor Marianne Graves Petersen, postdoc Karl‑Emil Kjær Bilstrup, postdoc Mille Lunding, and PhD students Luke Connelly and Maja Dybboe – will help shape how children and young people learn to understand, question, and creatively engage with digital technologies, including AI.

About the project

Although 73% of Danish children already use AI tools, many lack a deeper understanding of how these technologies work and how they influence everyday life. Strengthening that understanding is a core mission for CCTD.

“Children are already using AI extensively, but use is not the same as understanding. If we want to prepare children for the future, we need to give them insight into how technologies work and what they mean for their lives and society,” says Professor Marianne Graves Petersen.

From ultra:bit to ULTRA:BYTES

ULTRA:BYTES builds on the experiences from ultra:bit but expands the scope to a broader technological literacy across school, home, and leisure. The project will develop teaching materials, learning activities, and competence development programmes ahead of the introduction of technological literacy as a subject area in 2027/28.

“It’s not just about learning how to use technology, but about being able to question it, challenge it, and use it creatively. That understanding is essential if children are to participate actively in a digital society,” says postdoc Karl‑Emil Kjær Bilstrup.

A long-term national initiative

Running from 2025 to 2029, ULTRA:BYTES will involve schools across Denmark and aims to equip children, teachers, and parents with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate an increasingly digital everyday life.

The project runs from 2025 to 2029 and involves schools across Denmark. Read more about the project [in Danish].