An analysis of digital competence as expressed in design patterns for technology use in teaching

Teachers cannot presume that their learners have the competence to use the technology brought to the classroom. Therefore, the learners’ abilities to use technology may be a concern for teachers. This paper reports on digital competence through an analysis of designs for learning in design patterns, written by upper secondary teachers. Learning activities found in the design patterns were analysed with the aim to understand how teachers perceive the learners’ digital competence when using technology. A framework that compromises digital competence was utilised for inferring the digital competencies. The qualitative analysis of these learning activities reveals that competences of information and data literacy, and of communication and collaboration predominate. By analysing the characteristics of learning activities and hence the teachers’ ideas of technology use in teaching, it is concluded that design patterns can be used to identify the competences teachers believe are relevant for the learners to acquire. The result therefore involves aspects of how teachers perceive learners’ digital competence when using technology in teaching.

"The mini-learning activities that are proposed as solutions to educational problems are incomplete and fragmented but reveal the concerns of upper secondary teachers regarding the development of learners’ digital competence in the areas of information and data literacy and of communication and collaboration. We conclude that the perceptions of upper secondary teachers regarding the learners’ digital competence can be discerned from an analysis of the design patterns for technology use in teaching written by teachers." (Authors, 3373)