The goal of the study was to diagnose the needs of instructors working in the area of the digital inclusion of persons who are excluded, at risk of exclusion, marginalized, and discriminated against in terms of using new technologies. The research focused on the phenomenon of the digital divide as seen from the perspective of digital literacy educators of older adults. The study was conducted in 2019 in Poland, using a qualitative research methodology (a structured in-depth interview) and interpretative paradigm. The respondents were 8 specialists, educators of older adults, representing different types of institutions dealing with the digital divide: a activity center, a public library, a nursing home, an NGO, and a University of the Third Age. Triangulation of the results led to several important conclusions regarding to the expectations, experiences, challenges and postulated supporting actions related to digital inclusion. Based on the results gathered, we have noticed that educators readily share their didactic and organizational experience. The respondents were open to the development of their own teaching competences, and recognized the role of lifelong learning. They often highlighted that the digital education of older adults is only one of many additional activities. The activities to improve the digital literacy of older adults are implemented as part of their non-formal education (i.e. it is carried out by educators holding no formal qualifications). For this reason, the teachers expect content-related and methodological support most of all, as well as the promotion of the idea of lifelong education (including digital literacy development) in society.
19 January 2021 in Journal of Education for Teaching
The text aims at measuring digital literacy among teachers of the third stage of education in Poland (lower secondary schools). The study was commissioned by the Ministry of National Education and was conducted in 2018 in Poland, and involved a group of 484 teachers. The goal of the research was to present the teachers’ knowledge and skills related to digital threats in the areas of the assessment of the reliability of information, sexting, cyberbullying, intellectual property rights, the protection of online images, and protection against malware. Digital literacy (DL) was measured using a knowledge and competence test and a diagnostic survey. The ability to enter the LLL process thanks to the ongoing advancement of ICT increases the online safety of all of the school-related stakeholders. A detailed analysis of the results also revealed that the teachers obtained good results in the test in terms of their knowledge about sexting and image protection but scored poorly regarding copyright and the assessment of the reliability of online information; male teachers know more about the technical aspects of digital safety than female teachers; trainees need particular support in the form of informal and non-formal education.
27 February 2021 in South African Journal of Education
In this article we present the level of knowledge and literacy held by the parents of primary school students regarding internet safety (online safety, digital safety) in the context of digital literacy (DL) in terms of both technical skills and knowledge. The study reported on here was conducted in Poland, and was commissioned by the Ministry of National Education. The research involved measuring the knowledge and skills regarding the prevention of electronic threats (e-threats) which are defined as problematic situations and behaviour mediated by digital media and the internet. E-threats are related to mental and physical health, social aspects and technical matters related to the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). In order to narrow down the research area, 6 components related to e-threats were selected, namely: the ergonomics of using digital media; the evaluation of the reliability of online information; the influence of advertising on consumers’ choices; risky online relationships; understanding the mechanisms of secure logging-in; and protection against malware. The DL level was measured using a competence test. An analysis of 514 tests revealed that the most neglected areas were the protection of children against unwanted communication with other users, and secure logging-in. The strongest component was the ergonomics of using ICT. We also noted that more than one fifth of parents showed a satisfactory level of DL related to online safety. Another observation was that DL is a complex and heterogeneous concept. The DL components are related with one another to different extents. Some DL elements are determined by the level of education, place of living, subjective sense of own well-being or intuitive perception (self-evaluation).
Recent civilizational transformations have led us to search for and introduce new didactic solutions. One of these is e-learning, which is a response to the needs of the education system and its individual stakeholders. The e-learning systems currently available offer similar solutions. Only during direct interaction with a given tool can one notice significant differences in their functionality. By carrying out evaluation studies the indicators that determine this functionality can be identified. The paper presents e-learning in the context of the academic training of the future generations of teachers. The reflections revolve around digital literacy and experience in using modern information and communication technologies in education. The goal of the research was to evaluate three areas: the functionality of the SELI platform, individual experiences with e-learning, and digital literacy. The technique used was an e-learning survey appended to the end of two e-learning courses offered on the platform. The survey was addressed to teachers and students of the biggest pedagogical university in Poland. The general impression of the content presented on the platform was, in most cases, rated as being very good or good. The platform itself was also evaluated positively. Based on the analyses conducted, two groups of platform users were identified. One third of the users have diverse experiences with e-learning, which corresponds with their digital literacy. The remaining two thirds of the respondents need more training in the areas evaluated. The authors of the paper believe that this type of study should accompany all activities that introduce e-learning at every stage of education. Only then will it be possible to discover where the digital divide lies among the teaching staff and learners.
27 June 2022 in Technology, Pedagogy and Education
The purpose of this study was to develop and to validate a study tool for determining the levels of academic teachers’ digital competence regarding the TPACK framework and self-reflection questionnaire of the European Competence Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators in the context of higher education. The classic 7-factor TPACK model was changed to a 2-factor model (Pedagogical and Technological Knowledge). A survey was administered to 103 academic teachers from Polish universities. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the goodness-of-fit for the 2-factor TPACK model for higher education studies and internal consistency of the study survey. Descriptive analysis indicated a significant negative correlation between some demographic variables and domains from both factors. However, some positive associations with certain variables from the professional background were also noticed. Implications for professional development and suggestions regarding teachers’ digital competences and TPACK are discussed.
5 June 2021 in Education and Information Technologies
The study explores the school transformation process as evidenced by the opinions of head teachers. The main goal of the research was to present a content analysis study of the Polish educational environment on the basis of primary and secondary head teachers’ views on the risks and perspectives brought by the global Covid-2019 lockdown. The conceptual framework was based on the theoretical perspective (the cognitive and affective processes in multimedia learning, the theory of motivation, and goal setting) as well as the model of the school as a learning organization and the assumptions ofEmergency Remote Teaching.The categorized interviews with the head teachers were conducted using a categorized interview questionnaire and the respondents considered various categories problems within educational practice related to the functioning of schools during the pandemic. The selection of study participants was deliberate using the snowball sampling method, 18 head teachers participated in this study. The research conducted allowed the specification of the different areas of influence ofEmergency Remote Teachingon the transformation of the school as a learning organization (e.g. the functioning of the school in mutual internal and external network cooperation, the dissemination and extending of communication areas using information technologies, the strengthening of the network interaction through information technologies, and other areas). The paper contains numerous recommendations that can improve the school's functioning in the future, based on the experience gained duringEmergency Remote Teaching. These experiences can accelerate the organizational and didactic development of the school as a learning organization.