Ana Pérez-Escoda

La competencia digital de la Generación Z: claves para su introducción curricular en la Educación Primaria

Media convergence and massive usage of Internet-connected devices, distinguishing features of our current society, cause changes in the way that new generations learn and access knowledge. In addition, emerging new digital skills are necessary for the Z generation to face the challenges of a digital society. This quantitative study, with a sample of 678 Primary School students, aims to provide empirical evidence about the level of digital skills of students belonging to this generation. The results show that the acquisition of digital competences is not inherent to use, but require specific instruction. Otherwise, there is a danger of creating a digital divide, not due to frequency of use or access to connected devices but to lack of instruction on how to use them. The absence of significant variance in the overall level of digital competence among Primary School students of different grades reflects, to some extent, that this level is largely acquired by informal activities with ICTs in an informal context, rather than by developing competences in a school context that affords gradual and progressive skills acquisition. The results show the need to address digital competence in schools, focusing on the systematic development and enhancement of its component areas to move beyond the informal level and reach the academic level, thus facilitating digital natives’ access to future employment.

Digital literacy and digital competences in the educational evaluation: USA and IEA contexts

We live in a world that is, increasingly, shaped by technology. Is globally accepted that the continuing rapid development of computer and other information technologies has transformed the environment in which young people access, create, and share information. According to this many countries have recognized the imperative of digital technologies, acknowledging the necessity to educate their citizens in them. Taking into account this new requirement it might be imperative to assess this kind of competences: digital competences. This article presents the review of different educational evaluations focusing on digital literacy and digital competences, understood as the set of skills, knowledge and attitudes needed in the 21st century for citizens and, needed to be taught at schools in the digital age. The first goal of this essay is have an overview on how digital competences can be assessed with four different examples: three in the context of USA: iSkills Assessment, 2002, ACTS21 Assessment, 2009 and the TEL Assessment, 2014; and secondly, one from the IEA context: the ICILS Assessment, 2013. Secondly, the essay pretends to show how crucial is the measurement of these digital competences, that constitutes the first step for policymakers to introduce formal learning programs about digital competences in the curricula of educational systems from the elementary school to higher education.

Media literacy for an inclusive knowledge society: international indicators

One of the biggest concerns in current societies involves the proper literacy that citizens should have in order to access a participatory society and a competitive market; influenced by technological evolution. Media literacy, which is understood as a holistic concept of literacy enriched by different literacies needed in this century, has the leading role in this context. Even though European stakeholders, policy makers and international institutions have been working for a common framework, key indicators in media literacy are a continuously changing set of competences that evolve rapidly with technological and digital transformation. In this regard this essay presents an in depth study of international indicators in media literacy in its most relevant contexts. Due to the changing nature of the indicators, it is important to keep updated on the latest achievements that different institutions and governments have reached. Particularly significant is the study of the European framework, with special attention focused on work carried out in the United Kingdom. UNESCO also served as a pioneers in expanding and developing media literacy and media education. Finally, ACMA dimensions for media literacy from Australia allow us to draw an updated road map of media literacy in the knowledge society. The main conclusion refers to the multidimensional meaning of media literacy deduced from the study of different contexts, which is the starting point for a real study of media literacy today.

Nurturing digital citizenship: teachers and students facing digital competences

A world shaped by technology has not changed the aim of education to prepare young people to contribute to society, to enhance it and to make it grow. Nevertheless, the increasingly connected world and the unstoppable use of new devices connected to the Internet have really changed the requirements and abilities needed by new generations. Digital competences are the set of new abilities that the international community is integrating into compulsory education and lifelong learning programs to deal with this pressing concern. Boosting these digital skills should be a priority in every governments agenda, not only through lifelong learning programs, but also by including them in compulsory education. This essay presents some of the results from a broader research project on the digital competences of primary school teachers and students in Castile and Leon (Spain). The main goal of the study is to evaluate digital competence levels drawing on an earlier study on the specific international assessment of digital literacy and digital skills. The sample consists of 678 students, ranging in age from seven to twelve years, from public and private schools in urban and rural contexts, and 67 primary school teachers. The comprehensive statistical analysis of the results reflects that both teachers and students lack digital skills. This means that teachers cannot make pedagogical use of them, so that teacher-training policies in this field should be reconsidered. In students it reflects the danger of a digital gap that would not be brought about for reasons of use or access, but from lack of training.

Mobile Apps and Social Media: Enablers of Media Literacy in Primary School Students

1The increasing penetration of smartphones among global population, especially among youth and children, has define a mobile and interactive media use without any precedent. A global connected world is the context in where our offspring are developing self-competences in media literacy because they manage technological devices at very early ages. This context is the state of affairs of this article in which we present two different steps: firstly, a theoretical study, showing the impact of mobile devices, focusing on smartphones and mobile applications where the question arisen is: What are children and young doing while online? Media literacy is also described in order to apply its dimensions to the empirical study. Secondly, we present a pilot study in a sample of 140 students aged from 10 to 13 focusing on the access to mobile apps, and social network access and use. This research is based on the hypothesis that Primary School students, from 9 to 13 years old, are massive users of some specific social networks that are providing them abilities, skills and competences from a media literacy needed in the 21st century. Conclusions show that ubiquitous mobile broadband connectivity and the mass adoption of increasing powerful smartphones is radically changing how people communicate, interact, produce knowledge, exchange information and understand their living, and specifically, children. The pilot study shows first evidences on how children are using YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat and Musical.ly in regard of media literacy dimensions.

Media Literacy and Digital Skills for Enhancing Critical Thinking in Networked Society

1 The development of media literacy and digital skills in citizenship is one of the main challenges acknowledged within the context of the European Unions 2020 Strategy. Boosting these digital skills and media literacy as necessary requirements in the digital society are viewed as essential, and must be included in the educational curriculum. In general programs and educational policies, the key issue for implementing effective measures and specific actions is to foster critical thinking within media literacy education to achieve a true integration of media and digital skills in educational contexts. In this regard, this essay presents a research project for an effective and active inclusion of media literacy; for critical participation of citizens in the digital society. The main goal of the study presented, although the project has broader scopes, is to first conduct in-depth review of the state of the art in order to compare international models and issues. The study of media literacy and digital competences will help establish the main dimensions for this study. This project aims to provide evidence-based guidance to those responsible for the education of children and young people on the proper use of the available digital media tools and knowledge, that is, teachers and families. To achieve this objective a first step is taken in the reviewing of national and international studies and programs by collecting different proposals of dimensions in the study of media literacy and digital skills. The result is a design of key dimensions for the present study that will serve to collect data demonstrating the impact that digital media are having in the new consumption habits of children and young people outside of the classroom. These dimensions will be the bases for the design of an assessment instrument.

A world of digital competences: mobile apps, e-citizenship and computational systems as learning tools

Mobile devices provide communication possibilities unthinkable just a few years ago. From the educational point of view, the use of mobile devices is leading to an adaptation and modification of teaching and learning processes that require teachers to adjust their methodology to the interests and motivations of the students of the XXI century. Today, any space or environment in which a subject unfolds becomes a ubiquitous and personalized learning space, open to new discoveries and in which learning in both conventional and unconventional contexts thereby multiplies personal, social and professional opportunities in a world in which the changes occur at a high rate. To train competent citizens, able to express themselves in many and varied situations, contexts and realities it is necessary to provide them with rich, exciting and vibrant learning scenarios where the only task is not only to learn but also to develop, acquire and implement new educational opportunities. In this track we intend to reunite all research in the field of educational mobile technologies, which play an important role in the autonomous use that students make of these resources to enhance the skills acquired in the classroom. In this sense, the communications presented, confirm that to an increasingly greater extent, teachers are making a good use of mobile technologies in education thereby reducing the existing gap between the educational sphere and the reality experienced by students in their daily lives.The asthonishing1 increase in the use of mobile devices in recent years has led to a media convergence with an enormous impact on every aspect of life: education, communication, healthcare, administration, policy, economy, etc. From the educational point of view, the use of mobile devices is leading to a transformation of teaching and learning processes that not only requires teachers to adapt their teaching methodologies, but also involves changes in competences that teachers, students and citizens in general need to acquire. The dominant trends in the world of digital competence: mobile-apps, media literacy, digital competences, computational systems and digital learning environments, call for rethinking education taking account of ubiquitous broadband connectivity and the mass adoption of increasingly powerful mobile devices. This context leads to a new concept of citizenship in Networked societies: e-citizenship. Governments and the international community are supporting efforts to train competent citizens who are able efficiently and effectively function in this digital age, express themselves in a broad range of situations, contexts and realities, develop, acquire and implement solutions in different contexts, and use all sorts of tools and applications developed in the digital context. In this vein, we intend to gather all the available research in the field of educational mobile technologies, which play an important role in the autonomous use that students make of these resources to enhance the skills acquired in the classroom. In this sense, the communications presented, confirm that teachers are making an increasingly good use of mobile technologies in education, thereby reducing the existing gap between the educational sphere and the reality experienced by students in their daily lives.

Digital competence in use: from DigComp 1 to DigComp 2

Given the enormous and growing importance of technology in our everyday lives, digital competences have become the key question for real digital citizenship. During first years of the 21st Century, new skills and abilities were defined by international organizations and different governments in order to establish the new Framework for Digital Competencies that the citizens need. These new competences have become necessary life-long learning competences not only for students from all levels [16] but for all citizens. In the European framework, digital competence was firstly acknowledged in 2006 by the European Union as one of the key competences for life-long learning. However it was in 2013 that the concept was really developed, with a more through understanding provided by the DigComp Project launched by the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS), under the supervision of the Education and Culture DG. This article aims to present two scopes of understanding: firstly, to provide a complete overview of digital competence in Europe, presenting a study of the DigComp (2011-2013) Project and the latest version of the project, DigComp 2.0 (2016) which emphasizes the digital environment; and, secondly, to disclose the main differences, mainly promoted by digital changes in society. The main conclusion could be summarized as the enormous importance that digital competence has acquired in our society as a result of digital transformation and the inclusion in the Europe Strategy 2020, which makes its inclusion in education a priority requirement.