LEADERSHIP FOR A DIGITALLY COMPETENT SCHOOL

Since 2003 a biennal national survey has monitored the devolpment of pedagogical use of ICT in norwegian schools. The survey, «ITU Monitor», contains data from school leaders (context and priorites), teachers (goals, competences and practices) and students (practices, competence and motivations). During its four iterations (2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009) the study sharpened its focus on the measurement of digital literacy.

In 2007, four indicators of digitally competent schools were developed from school leaders answers on a set of items designed to measure organisational traits with the schools. These indicators correlated positive with school-level priorites, for example the active procurement of subject-specific pedagogical software. Another section of the study adressed the students self-reported level on a set of items designed to measure aspects of their digital literacy. However, no clear correlation could be made between the students self reported digital literacy and their corresponding indicator of digitally competent schools.

The survey from 2009 redesigned the measurement of digital literacy into a practical test, more like a quiz, with clear-cut assignments within certain dimensions of digital literacy (i.e. practical problem solving with ICT, skills in logical programming, basic ICT skills etc.). This did increase objectivity regarding the students levels of digital literacy. The 2009-study also repeated the items concerning the digitally competent school, and found that the indicators could be constructed again. Preliminary findings indicate that it is possible to establish an empirical sound connection between indicators of digitally competent schools and aggregated measures of students scores on the test of digital literacy. Still, more work is needed to complete these analyses, and to see if any conclusive findings makes conceptual and theoretical meaning within existing knowledge of school development with ICT.