Page 130 - International Perspectives on Effective Teaching and Learning in Digital Education

Milena Ivanuš Grmek, Monika Mithans, and Sabina Ograjšek

that (future) teachers are competent users of ICT, plan their professional de-
velopment and actively improve their skills in this area during their studies.
In addition, teacher education programmes should focus on developing the
skills needed to work successfully in a digital society (Orazbayeva et al., 4),
as appropriate competencies are crucial for the effective introduction of new
technologies in education (Hakkarainen et al., ).

Digital Competence
Due to the rapid advancement of ICT, individuals need to acquire more so-
phisticated digital skills that enable reliable and critical use of technology on
a daily basis (Juvan et al., 16). UNESCO (Law et al., 18, p. 6) defines digital
literacy as follows:
Digital literacy is the ability to access, manage, understand, integrate, com-
municate, evaluate and create information safely and appropriately through
digital technologies for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship. It
includes competencies that are variously referred to as computer literacy, ICT
literacy, information literacy and media literacy.
This competence is crucial for the acquisition of other skills and active partic-
ipation in society (Ferrari et al., 14; Kiryakova, 3), as it includes understand-
ing media, critically evaluating information, and communicating using digital
tools (Brečko, 15). As it facilitates functioning in a variety of contexts, personal
development, and independence, it plays an important role in work, learning,
and social interaction (Javrh et al., 18). Moreover, it helps individuals under-
stand how digital media affects their behaviour (Tomczyk & Potyrała, 1).

Digital Literacy in Education
In order to engage effectively and successfully within society, individuals
must be digitally literate, which introduces new challenges for the education
of young people. Teachers need new knowledge, skills and relevant digital
competencies to effectively implement and integrate digital tools into the
learning process (Kiryakova, 3). In comparison to digital literacy in other
professions, digital competence for teachers is characterized by its complexi-
ty, as it also demands pedagogical skills that enable the effective integration
of technology in educational settings with children and young individuals
(European Commission, 13).
The rapid development of digital technologies, therefore, raises questions
about the digital training of future teachers. Educational curricula typically
incorporate ICT courses to equip students with basic skills and the confi-
dence required to effectively utilise digital tools (Falloon, ). Nevertheless,

13