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The Incorporation of “Digital Know-Hows” During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Teachers have had to adapt their teaching-learning processes and use their digital knowledge to teach their classes during confinement due to the pandemic.

The Incorporation of “Digital Know-Hows” During the COVID-19 Pandemic
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June 14, 2021 By Marisol Salazar
Reading time 4 minutes

“Many teachers were self-taught by turning to video tutorials, websites, and webinars on technologies in education to train in a short time.”

The pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus thrust the educational world into implementing Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) (Hodges, Moore, Lockee, Trust and Bond, 2020). The virus forced all levels of education to suspend face-to-face classes and migrate to virtual spaces. In Higher Education, teachers had to adapt their teaching-learning processes and use digital knowledge to teach classes that facilitate meaningful learning in students.

The need to adapt to the changes wrought by the pandemic meant that teachers quickly had to develop digital knowledge. Like learn various types of devices and specialized systems and platforms, manipulate digital content in various formats, and use communication and socialization systems in various digital environments. Acquiring this knowledge, teachers became digitally creative to interest and motivate their students (Bradford, 2021).

Many education professionals self-taught with video tutorials and websites and webinars on technologies in education to achieve this. In addition, many institutions trained their teachers in topics related to using digital tools, educational platforms, designing multimedia materials, and using new educational methodologies for remote education.

“Although ICTs are widespread globally, their use is not homogeneous, their characteristics are not necessarily used following educational needs, nor are they integrated into the classroom with pedagogical support.”

Nowadays, higher-education teachers have increased their mastery of digital knowledge, allowing them to maintain quality education. However, it is still necessary to continue strengthening them with ongoing training to overcome their fears and prejudices regarding information and communication technologies (ICTs) (Saavedra, Casillas, and Ramírez, 2019). ICTs mark vanguard education and help all students to develop their full potential. Moreover, there must be an emphasis on reclaiming interest in education and reflecting on its aims, considering what post-pandemic changes and dynamics should follow (Hughes and Akkari, 2021).

What is digital knowledge?

In Mexico, Alberto Ramírez Martinell and Miguel Casillas of Veracruzana University are the best-known exponents of the term “Saber Digital” (SD) [Digital Know-How] They define it as a graduated structure of theoretical knowledge and skills with computers and informational devices that university actors must possess relevant to their academic disciplines (Ramírez and Casillas, 2016). There are ten “digital know-hows” grouped into four areas

Digital know-how

  1. Management of digital systems: knowing how to use devices, manage files, and use specialized programs and information systems.

  2. Content manipulation: knowing how to create and manipulate rich text and text content, datasets, media, and multimedia.

  3. Communication and socialization in digital environments: knowing how to communicate, socialize, and collaborate in digital environments.

  4. Information management: knowing how to exercise and respect digital citizenship and literacy (Ramírez-Martinell, 2015).

The video ¿Qué son los saberes digitales? [What are digital know-hows?] abounds with comprehension of this concept. It indicates the sources that Ramírez-Martinell used to identify and classify digital knowledge, resulting in eight computer types and two informational systems types. In addition, the video features a sample of the interviewees who discuss how they integrate this knowledge into their disciplines.

This work at the University of Veracruzana (UV) consists of analyses to promote digital knowledge development in its students through reforms and updates to the university curricula. In addition, research has been done to measure the degree of appropriation of the modified curricula. Another of the most relevant UV projects is to develop a MOOC course on digital knowledge (the SDs) in collaboration with the MéxicoX platform.

Useful platforms that support developing these SDs in university teachers include Interamerican Development Bank, Coursera, edX, mexicoX and The Open University, which offer free courses.

Moving forward

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, 2019) uses Learning to Become to describe learning as a lifelong process that focuses on accepting the new, flexibility, and change. Thus, the focus of teacher training should be lifelong because, although ICTs are widespread globally, their use is not homogeneous. Furthermore, their characteristics are not necessarily leveraged per educational needs or integrated pedagogically into the classroom.

Supported by the wide variety of digital tools and infrastructure, one must contextualize the teacher’s environment. Consider the professor’s academic level and the degree of appropriation of digital knowledge that he or she possesses. Also, the student’s social, economic, and cultural conditions and the available infrastructure are relevant. Then, one must identify the needs and purposes of the education, i.e., what students should learn and, most importantly, for what reasons. Finally, having a clear context and need, one can answer the how of learning. Consequently, the digital tools are selected to determine how the teacher should be prepared to cover the learning objectives and incorporate them into the instructional designs.

About the authors

Marisol Salazar Márquez (msalazar19@udavinci.edu.mx): has a bachelor’s in Primary Education and is an intern for the Master’s Degree in Educational Technology at Da Vinci University. Teacher and director commissioned in the St
ate of San Luis Potosí.

Luisa Rosa Isela Aguilar Vargas (laguilar19@udavinci.edu.mx): has a bachelor’s in Education, is an intern for a Master’s degree in Educational Technology from Da Vinci University, professor on the Faculty of Education of the Autonomous University of Yucatán.

Karla América Braun Mondragón (kbraun@udavinci.edu.mx): has a bachelor’s in Educational Psychology, is an intern for a Master’s degree in Educational Technology from The Da Vinci University, a Freelance Instructional Designer and a Specialist in Technological Platforms at Tecnologico de Monterrey.

Ivonne Tatiana Alcántara Llanas (ialcantara@udavinci.edu.mx): has a bachelor’s in Computer Systems Engineering, is an intern for the Master’s Degree in Educational Technology at Da Vinci University, subject professor for the Technological Institute of Querétaro, and Software Engineer for a private initiative.

 

References

Brandford, A. (2021). Curiosity, collaboration, and connectedness during a pandemic. https://www.eschoolnews.com/2021/03/24/curiosity-collaboration-and-connectedness-during-a-pandemic/2/

Hughes, C. y Akkari, A. (2021). Education needs a refocus so that all learners reach their full potential. https://theconversation.com/education-needs-a-refocus-so-that-all-learners-reach-their-full-potential-154649  

Hodges, C., Moore, S., Lockee, B., Trust, T., y Bond, A. (2020). The Difference Between Emergency Remote Teaching and Online Learning. EDUCAUSE Review. https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/3/the-difference-between-emergency-remote-teaching-and-online-learning

Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (UNESCO). (2019). Future of Education. UNESCO Building peace in the minds of men and women. https://en.unesco.org/futuresofeducation/initiative

Ramírez-Martinell, A (2015). Saberes Digitales: Hojas de Trabajo. Universidad Veracruzana. https://www.uv.mx/personal/albramirez/2014/08/24/hojas_saberes_digitales/#:~:text=Los%20saberes%20digitales%20son%20un,y%20saber%20hacer%20con%20las

Ramírez, A. y Casillas, M. A. (2018). MOOC: Saberes Digitales para Docentes. México: Lulu.

Saavedra, C., Casillas M. y Ramírez A. (2019). Saberes digitales: un desafío para los maestros de hoy. Revista electrónica de Investigación e Innovación Educativa, 4 (3), 84-91. https://www.uv.mx/personal/mcasillas/files/2019/07/Captura-de-pantalla-2019-07-02-a-las-13.05.12.png

Edited by Rubí Román (rubi.roman@tec.mx) – Observatory of Educational Innovation.

Translation by Daniel Wetta.

Marisol Salazar

This article from Observatory of the Institute for the Future of Education may be shared under the terms of the license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0