La competencia digital docente en tiempos de pandemia: actitudes, prácticas y procesos formativos.

This research article aimed to characterize the attitudes, practices, and education processes related to digital competence in Colombian public-school teachers during the period of lockdown due to Covid-19, a contingency which dramatically accelerated the inclusion of technologies into teaching and learning processes. Within this study, 102 teachers from urban and rural public educational institutions in Cali, responded to an online survey of 34 multiple-choice questions, and 3 open questions. Before the pandemic, it was found that the participants were frequent users of digital technologies, in particular of social networks, but they lacked sufficient training to integrate them into their teaching practice. Likewise, they experienced feelings of worry and uncertainty regarding their own digital skills, which decreased during the confinement through self-study and self-training, although with little support from their schools and limited access to resources. Results show the role played by the teachers' information technology competences for access and selection of digital educational resources, as well as the importance of their communication and collaborative skills to maintain interaction with students and families. Also, it was observed that the frequent use of technology is not a sole condition to guarantee its intentional and critical usage in teaching and learning practices. Thus, systematic training and support for educators is required to facilitate the development of their digital competences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]