Abstract:

The intensive development of the information society is changing the way many industries operate. Over the last few years, a particular type of transformation can be observed among educational institutions. It is educational institutions that are now making more efficient and courageous use of cyberspace resources and the potential of information and communication technology (ICT). Media-enhanced learning and teaching is mainly carried out by educators who, either intentionally or forced by circumstances, implement ICT in their school teaching. This is a natural and common process, though it is limited by many individual or macro-social factors (e.g. administrative, financial, cultural). This paper attempts to isolate the key factor responsible for the implementation of ICT in education, which is the possession of digital skills among future teaching staff.

Given that each profession uses ICT differently and the style of use changes with the development of e-services and hardware performance, it is important to ask the question about the set of skills that a modern teacher should have. The aim of this text is to provide a phenomenological overview of the components of digital competence among the teachers of the future. Young students of the pedagogical sciences (i.e. students of pedagogical faculties) were asked to describe the necessary knowledge and skills that a teacher in an information society should have. The research was conducted in the period January-February 2022 in two Polish universities educating teachers (the Pedagogical University in Kraków, the University of Silesia). The research involved 250 students who, using an online questionnaire, provided answers to the open question - What, in your opinion, should a teacher be able to do in order to successfully integrate digital technologies into their teaching activity? The students' responses were analysed and categorised using social research methodology. Based on the data collected, the complexity of the concept of the digital competence of teachers was shown in the following perspectives: basic or universal digital skills, methodological knowledge, extended digital skills, lifelong learning, distance education, use of external support to implement new ICT in teaching practice, preparation of digital teaching materials, and motivation. The data collected show firstly the complexity of the concept of digital competence. Secondly, they enable practical implementation within academic courses related to preparation for the teaching profession.

Keywords:

Digital literacy, digital skills, teachers, smartphones.