DEVELOPMENT OF DIGITAL COMPETENCE OF YOUNGER SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE CONDITIONS OF INFORMAL EDUCATION

Abstract

Martial law conditions do not create favorable conditions for the education and development of children, but at the same time encourage the search for innovative tools. Temporal challenges determine the need to develop digital competence in younger schoolchildren. Modern society increasingly uses digital technologies in various aspects of life, including education and communication. In addition, the ability to use digital resources is also determined by the requirements for the professional skills of a modern teacher, because today mastering the basics of computer literacy is the basis of educational activity. The importance of non-formal education in the digital competence formation, especially in summer camps, increases. The article presents the authors’ practical experience in the development of digital skills of school-aged children in the summer camp «IT for Kids», which was organized by the NGO «Megasocium» in cooperation with the Center for Information Technologies of Uzhhorod National University with the support of the international humanitarian organization «People in Need Slovakia». Educational content included the basics of computer literacy, cyber security, internet safety, media literacy, programming and robotics. The main educational research goals: determination of key aspects of digital competence, approbation of pedagogical tools effective in the conditions of a military conflict; analysis of scientific research and European practices; assessment of the effectiveness of the application of these methods and approaches in the educational process; designing further work on the development of IT competence in conditions of non-formal education; outlining prospects and opportunities for digital skills developing of school-age children vis summer camps.