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This article focuses on the leisure-time center (LTC) as an arena for developing critical digital literacy. The main research question concerns how Swedish leisure-time teachers (LT teachers) work ...

This paper explores how policy makers argue for the importance of digital competence in Swedish teacher education. A policy analysis of key policy documents from the government and from government-affiliated organisations from the time period 2011–2016 is conducted using Carol Bacchi’s ‘what’s the problem represented to be?’ approach. The paper critically examines underlying assumptions and particular viewpoints that underpin how the concept digital competence is formulated in key policy texts.Digital competence is found to be a part of a globalised policy discourse that conceptualises education as a necessity for a competitive work force. Policy makers describe Swedish schools as unsuccessful in providing pupils with adequate digital competence and how this may cause Sweden to fall behind in global competition. Shortcomings in schools are considered to be caused by low digital competence being developed as part of teacher education. In the studied policy documents, the ‘problem’ that digital competence in teacher education is meant to solve is consequently an issue of economic growth and global competition. The strong emphasis on economic benefits and an instrumental perspective on technology expressed in the global policy discourse on digital competence leads to the need for a renewed focus on Bildung and civic competences. (Less)

Educational technology provides an opportunity to improve the quality of education. There is, however, a lack of uptake in utilizing the equipment provided, as well as a lack of well-established methods for monitoring the use of educational technology. In this paper, which is based on one of the largest ICT studies in secondary schools in Norway, we explore the relationship between upper secondary school teachers' digital competence analysed by demographic, personal and professional characteristics. The implications of this study are that demographic, personal and professional characteristics, such as a teacher’s age, work experience, gender, screen time and ICT education, predict teachers’ high or low digital competence in upper secondary school to a certain degree. Further research is recommended in order to validate these preliminary findings.

The focus of this position paper is on the conceptualization of professional digital competence (PDC) in the teaching profession and its consequences for teacher education. The aim is to establish a concept that captures, challenges, and possibilities related to teaching and learning in technology-rich settings. By using three school subjects as cases, we argue the necessity of viewing PDC as comprising a deep understanding of technology, knowledge of students’ learning processes, and an understanding of the specific disciplinary practices and features characterizing individual school subjects.

The aim of the article is to explore opportunities for appropriation of digital competence in teacher education. Digital competence is knowledge, skills and attitudes required in order to use technology critically and reflectively in the process of building new knowledge. According to Wertsch learning to use a cultural artefact is characterized by two processes: mastery and appropriation. The article reports from a case study of two teacher education institutions. Findings indicate that the same challenges are found in both institutions: the conflict between mastery and appropriation, and between personal and educational use of technology, and the resistance towards technology among some teacher educators. The results signify that in order to create opportunities for appropriation of digital competence and encourage use of technology as part of pre-service teachers’ professional didactic competence, technology should be better integrated as pedagogical tools for teaching and learning in all subjects in the teacher education programmes.

The kindergarten project at the The Norwegian Centre for ICT in Education will help to promote the development of digital competence in Early Childhood Education and Care and in pre-school teacher-training in a secure and professionally-oriented way. The main goal of the kindergarten project is to develop and strengthen use of ICT for improved quality, a better learning outcome and learning strategies for children in kindergartens and for students in pre-school teacher training. The key aim is to strengthen the digital competence of the entire kindergarten sector in the future. In December 2011 in Norway, 282,732 children attended kindergartens, and there were 88,823 employees in the kindergarten sector (Utdanningsdirektoratet 2012). Keywords: Kindergarten development, Early Childhood Education and Care and ICT, ICT in kindergarten-teacher training, digital culture of young children, pedagogical use of ICT in the kindergarten

This article studies how digital games are part of the everyday lives of Swedish 6 to 7-year-old boys. The data consist of video recordings from two schools, two after-school centres and four homes ...