DEVELOPMENT OF DIGITAL COMPETENCIES OF FUTURE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS THROUGH INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGIES

Abstract

The ability to integrate digital technologies into the educational process is one of the key skills of the XXI century, a must for practicing teachers. However, research shows that despite the technological advance, teachers' digital competencies today do not meet the required level. This paper reports a study on the training course designed to improve the digital competencies of primary teacher students and explore these competencies in depth based on the DigCompEdu framework. The study involved 29 fourth-year bachelors majoring in primary education (6B01301 – Pedagogy and Methodology of Primary Education) at the Zhetysu University who attended a 14-week course named Interactive Technologies in Education. During the course, students completed assignments, created questionnaires and portfolios, and wrote a reflective report, based on the results of which the researcher assigned each student a certain level of competence. As a result, participants learned how to select, create, and organize digital resources, taking into account the specific learning goal, context, pedagogical approach, and student needs; they learned which digital technologies allow them to monitor student progress in order to adjust the learning process if necessary. It is concluded that attention needs to be paid to experiences in developing individualized learning plans that enable future educators to address all of their students' individual learning needs and preferences through the use of appropriate digital resources.