10 Ways to Work on Digital Competence in the Classroom | Essay Company Research

Digital competence applies knowledge related to the digital domain to solve day-to-day situations or complex problems logically, using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Tasks as ordinary as shopping online, posting a reel on Instagram, or sending a WhatsApp to involve this key competence, so together with essay company, let's see how to develop it in class:

How to develop digital competence?

Digital competence involves using computer applications (safely and appropriately to the situation), information management (truthful and plural), knowledge of computer, textual, iconic or sound languages with which to create and share messages in a safe environment, being aware of their rights and obligations.

We will develop this competence in different areas:

Information

It requires knowledge of truthful information sources, resources to contrast that information, critical thinking to discern the objective from the subjective, and the ability to create new messages to share that information. What activities can we do to work on digital competence?

• Research work: individually or in groups, give your students a starting topic and ask them to research it. They will have to visit different sources, contrast the information, and select the most relevant. Finally, they will have to write their report/paper and even present it to their classmates.
• Dismantle hoaxes: ask your students if they have received any message on WhatsApp "forwarded many times" or if they have seen any "suspicious" news on TV or social networks. Propose to them to investigate the matter, share the information obtained and reach a conclusion together.

Communication

We know how the media works in this area and the tools to create content. Many online platforms are straightforward, but remember that if you use "the typical," there will probably be many other competitors proposing the same thing; allow yourself to be creative!

• Use anecdotal facts, such as "the night of the transistors." Ask your students, once they know what happened on 23-F, why the radio reported what was happening live and not TV. It allows you to introduce the characteristics of both media and, later, you can make programs for radio and TV.
• Create visual, audiovisual, and sound content with specific software. You can ask your students to record a short film for peace day, create a headline for a news program, and anything else you can think of within your subject.

Content creation

Once your students know how to find and select information and have learned how to communicate it, it is time to create messages and share them, aware of the copyrights they and the rest of the users have. This aspect has two aspects: publishing their content and using other people's resources to create their messages since not everything we find on the Internet is in the public domain.

• Search for royalty-free or Creative Commons-licensed content to create a message using only third-party content (but respecting copyright).
• Collect information from the "Debunking hoaxes" activity to create a short report on the radio or TV program (which we saw in the communication area).

Security

Bots, stalkers, criminals are on the other side of the screen, and we must teach our students how to defend themselves from them. We will do this with activities such as:

• Analyzing files to verify if they are safe. Depending on the level, we can do more straightforward or more complex activities: Downloading security software and passing the antivirus to the computer or cell phone. Search for a file online and scan it online for malware. Open downloaded files in secure environments, such as VirtualBox.
• Create a collaborative blog and apply security techniques such as activating the SSL certificate, installing antivirus, blocking spam and specific IPs, etc.

Troubleshooting

This domain prepares students to continuously update themselves in the digital world to identify and solve problems using technology. So you can propose to your student's problems of all kinds that break their schemes:

• Defending against a computer attack
• Escape rooms

Digital competence in primary and secondary school

There are many more ways to develop digital competence. In most cases, they involve ICT, but they are not limited to that. As you know, competencies are the ability to apply knowledge in an integrated way to solve complex problems. In this case, that knowledge is based on media, information management, copyright, and computer security. What contents and objectives can you relate to digital competence in your subject? What activities can you propose to your students to motivate them to learn through technologies, but always in a safe environment? It is the reflection that you should make and reflect on in your programming. Once you have it, you will bring a much more exciting proposal to the court than if you do "the typical." Go for it!