Abstract:

Digitalization can be defined as a socio-technical process of applying digitalization techniques in social and institutional contexts that make digital technologies infrastructural. The context of increasing digitalization and connection of the real world to the digital world has led to changes in people everyday lives, markets, business relationships and value chains. Education accompanies and adapts to the new digital age. Digital education is a political intention. But is it already a reality?

The holistic intention of digital education is inserted in one of the priorities of action of the recent European Commission, which places the digital strategy in an intention to build a digital future for Europe and that includes education through the construction of skills and jobs. But education is realy present in all the Commission's six priorities for 2019-2024.

The pandemic situation outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 came, suddenly, to put the use of technologies at an immediate and high level, but perhaps without full preparation. This unexpected use demonstrates the imperative need for concerted action to guarantee conscious and democratic access.
If education as a whole values digital, another question arises as how to use the new ways to achieve a priority for the European Union: education about the European Union. It seems so obvious and simple and it is still so fragile and scattered. Only 65% of European citizens feel familiar with the reality of the EU. And European literacy is still a skill to be acquired at a minimum level for the majority of the population in the Member States, as known by the Commission.
It is intended to discuss the extent of digital education as already a reality.

In this context, it is intended to debate the valuation of the European Union's intentions in achieving access to digital media for education.

This study, based on the literature review methodology, intends to look at the legislative and preparatory documents and cases presented in the literature that consecrate the issue of digital education. For this purpose, an integrative literature review will be used. Theoretical-academic, it is consolidated through systematic and methodologically selected normative interpretation of national, international legal texts and European Union law.

Without presenting quantitative data, the aim is to bring to discussion and debate the role, value and capacity of access to digital education as intended by current legislative intentions.

The analysis of the progress achieved historically towards the objectives of consolidating the right to digital education leads to the recommendation to States, in its internal aspect and as members of international organizations, to value education as a vehicle for the realization of democratic values. To this end, citizens' access to new technologies will be paramount if and to the extent that public policies value and promote it.

Keywords:

Digital education, democracy, European Union.