Digital skills playbook for educators

Abstract

Welcome to the Digital Skills playbook for educators. In this playbook, we are digging into the challenge of improving the digital skills of students – no matter what age or stage of learning they might be at. Whether young children, vocational students, or older learners, we are looking at how we can best support them. In this context, we focus principally on basic digital skills, rather than advanced digital ICT professional skills. In this playbook, we look at several key areas. First, we review the context of digital skills in the European Union (EU), what they are for, and what some of the challenges are. We then move on to understanding digital skills in more depth, leaning on the European DigComp Framework as a guide, as well as looking at important issues like ethics and sustainability. We then go on to describe practices for improving digital skills for various ages and skill levels. The final section of this playbook looks at the supporting environment for digital skills, including professional development and the role of leaders. This playbook has been produced by a team of deeply experienced education experts at multiple levels of education from across the EU, who make up the Digital Skills squad in the context of the European Digital Education Hub. All contributors are volunteers, and we are deeply grateful for their efforts and contributions.