Digital transformation is happening all around us

changing many aspects of daily life

from entertainment and retail to how we work, learn and communicate.

Teaching is also impacted by this digital change.

Education plays a key role preparing learners

for the challenges of an increasingly digital world.

Educators through the education and training system need to be confident and competent

in using digital technologies in their profession.

Many national and international projects define digital skills

for educators and support teachers to acquire them.

The European Commission has worked with education authorities, educators

and other experts to develop a shared definition of educators’ digital skills.

The European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators,

also known as DigCompEdu, is used widely in Europe

to discuss educators’ digital competences, to help them embed technology

in teaching practice and facilitate reflection on their digital competence.

DigCompEdu maps educators’ key digital competences under three pillars.

The first describes how teachers use technology in their work to collaborate with colleagues,

parents and others and to support their professional development.

The second pillar describes educators’ digital competence related to pedagogy.

It is about using digital technologies and resources efficiently

and effectively to support teaching, learning and assessment.

The third pillar focuses on

helping learners develop their digital competences so that they can use technology

in confident, critical and creative ways.

DigCompEdu is for educators in all levels of education from early childhood to higher education,

adult learning, general and vocational education as well as non-formal learning contexts.

It helps inform education policy, supports regional and national initiatives on digital competences

and can be a guide for governments, organisations and training providers

to create digital competence programmes for educators.

The framework includes a progression path describing six stages of technology use,

from awareness and exploration to leadership and innovation,

guiding educators on how to further develop their skills.

Using the framework, the European Commission,

with experts from across Europe, is building a free online tool

which will enable educators to reflect on their digital skills, help them identify

their strengths and where they can improve further.

Join us and find out more about teaching and learning in the digital age.