Zentrale für Unterrichtsmedien im Internet

The Zentrale für Unterrichtsmedien im Internet e. V. (ZUM) is a German non-profit association founded on 11 September 1997 and based in Merzhausen near Freiburg im Breisgau. Its mission is to use and shape the internet as a learning and teaching aid for all school types and for out-of-school education in the German-speaking region. The association grew out of a website titled "Das WWW als Lern- und Lehrhilfe" (The WWW as a Learning and Teaching Aid), created in 1995 by grammar school teacher Margit Fischbach, which developed into a portal for all school forms and federal states. That portal provided the basis for the association's founding in 1997. ZUM offers a range of free, openly licensed platforms and tools. Its current main offerings, presented centrally on the ZUM.de homepage, include ZUM-Unterrichten (an open, non-commercial platform for teaching materials and ideas), ZUM-Apps (a free online storage for interactive H5P content), ZUM-Tools (a collection of various tools for teaching), ZUM-Projekte (a wiki workspace for projects with and for students), ZUM-Grundschule (offers for primary school pupils), and ZUM Deutsch Lernen (an open learning platform for German as a foreign and second language). Other services include ZUM-Pad, ZUM-Digiscreen, a newsletter, ZUMinare (online sessions/webinars), and a blog. The association has been run on a voluntary basis since 1997, though it incurs costs for hosting, development, and administration, and it solicits donations to continue providing free teaching content. Between 2020 and 2023, ZUM restructured itself: the former ZUM-Wiki and Projektwiki were renamed and reorganized into ZUM-Unterrichten and ZUM-Projekte. The ZUM-Wiki, established at the end of 2004, was awarded the OER Award 2016 at the OER Festival 2016, but was closed to new users in 2018 and eventually deleted at the end of 2021 due to excessive maintenance effort. ZUM continues to operate as a non-commercial, community-driven provider of open educational resources (OER) in the German-speaking world.

The origins of ZUM lie in a website created in 1995 by grammar school teacher Margit Fischbach under the title "Das WWW als Lern- und Lehrhilfe" (The WWW as a Learning and Teaching Aid). This site evolved into a portal serving all school forms and federal states. At that time, before the establishment of state-run education servers in the German federal states, it was a nearly unrivaled offering for the school sector. On 11 September 1997, the portal provided the basis for the founding of the non-profit association "Zentrale für Unterrichtsmedien im Internet e. V.", which is active throughout the German-speaking region. Some parts of the classic FTP-ZUM, such as the dwu materials for mathematics and physics, became popular as an information source and download option for teaching materials. At the end of 2004, the ZUM-Wiki was established as a wiki project for teaching materials and teaching ideas. In March 2006, the ZUM-Grundschulwiki went online with the aim of introducing children not only to consuming the internet but also to actively shaping it; the Grundschulnetz project was supported by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media and the Federal Ministry. In September 2012, the Projektwiki was launched. At the OER Festival 2016, the ZUM-Wiki was awarded the OER Award 2016. In 2018, the ZUM-Wiki was locked for new users, and its various use cases were split into ZUM-Unterrichten (teaching ideas, interactive exercises, learning paths, teaching materials) and ZUM-Projekte (projects with learners). ZUM-Unterrichten went live at the end of November 2018 with slightly over 1,000 content pages and has grown steadily since. In May 2019, the Projektwiki was relaunched under the name ZUM-Projekte with updated software and a visual editor. On 17 June 2021, it was announced that the ZUM-Wiki could no longer be edited from 1 September 2021 due to excessive effort and would be deleted at the end of the year. Between 2020 and 2023, ZUM restructured itself: the former projects ZUM-Wiki and Projektwiki received new names, and the current offerings are presented centrally on the ZUM.de homepage. With ZUM-Pad and ZUM-Apps, ZUM responded to the growing need for platforms for collaborative and cooperative work between teachers and their students and for creating interactive teaching materials. These tools support the development of 21st-century 4C skills: communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. Since November 2022, ZUM-Digiscreen has been available, though it is not yet presented on the homepage. ZUM also regularly offers a newsletter and ZUMinare (eSessions or webinars) and operates a blog. The association has worked on a voluntary basis since 1997 and continues to rely on donations to cover hosting, development, and administration costs.

• 2022

  ZUM-Digiscreen becomes available in November.

• 2021

  On 17 June, it is announced that the ZUM-Wiki will no longer be editable from 1 September and will be deleted at the end of the year.

• 2020

  Between 2020 and 2023, ZUM restructures itself, renaming former projects and centralizing current offerings on the ZUM.de homepage.

• 2019

  In May, the Projektwiki is relaunched as ZUM-Projekte with updated software and a visual editor.

• 2018

  The ZUM-Wiki is locked for new users; its use cases are split into ZUM-Unterrichten and ZUM-Projekte. ZUM-Unterrichten launches at the end of November with over 1,000 content pages.

• 2016

  The ZUM-Wiki receives the OER Award 2016 at the OER Festival 2016.

• 2012

  In September, the Projektwiki is launched.

• 2006

  In March, the ZUM-Grundschulwiki goes online, aiming to involve children in actively shaping the internet.

• 2004

  The ZUM-Wiki is established at the end of the year as a wiki project for teaching materials and ideas.

• 1997

  On 11 September, the non-profit association Zentrale für Unterrichtsmedien im Internet e. V. is founded, based on the portal.

• 1995

  Margit Fischbach creates the website "Das WWW als Lern- und Lehrhilfe", which becomes a portal for all school forms and federal states.

Non-commercial, volunteer-run provider of free and openly licensed educational resources (OER) for German-speaking schools and learners.

• ZUM-Unterrichten

  An open, non-commercial platform for teaching materials and teaching ideas, launched at the end of November 2018 with over 1,000 content pages. It publishes OER under CC BY-SA.

• ZUM-Apps

  A free online storage for interactive H5P content for use in teaching.

• ZUM-Tools

  A collection of various tools for teaching.

• ZUM-Projekte

  A wiki workspace for projects with and for students, formerly Projektwiki, relaunched in May 2019 with updated software and a visual editor.

• ZUM-Grundschule

  Offers for primary school pupils, including the ZUM-Grundschulwiki that went online in March 2006.

• ZUM Deutsch Lernen

  An open learning platform for German as a foreign language (DaF) and German as a second language (DaZ).

• ZUM-Pad

  A collaborative tool for teachers and students, responding to the growing need for platforms for cooperative work.

• ZUM-Digiscreen

  Available since November 2022, not yet presented on the homepage.

1. 1Zentrale für Unterrichtsmedien im Internet e.V. – Official websitezum.de
2. 2Zentrale für Unterrichtsmedien im Internet – Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Zentrale für Unterrichtsmedien im Internet – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org