Abstract
In the age of digitalization, Digital and Media Literacy (DML) has gained increasing attention in European compulsory education, blending insights and experiences from the media education and digital literacy domains. Teacher education, starting from pre-service education, is central for the actual integration of DML education in classroom practice. This article discusses the case study of a two-credit introductory course to DML education for pre-service pre-primary and primary school teachers in Switzerland. The course, partially co-designed with its participants, intentionally explored many topics (as opposed to the in-depth analysis of a few) and focused on hands-on experimentation and reflection. The data collected with a pre/post survey and follow-up interviews offer insights on the evolution of pre-service teachers’ approach to DML, on their perceived role as teachers in this domain, on self-efficacy, and on potential enablers and obstacles to implementing DML activities in class. The case study suggests that, despite the limited space in the curriculum and resources available, even a short course can make a difference and enable teachers to integrate DML in their profession.
Highlights
In the age of the digital revolution, Digital and Media Literacy (DML) has become a priority in compulsory education in Europe and internationally (EU Council, 2006; UNESCO, 2011; Johnson, Adams & Haywood, 2011; EU Commission, 2016; Carretero, Vuorikari & Punie, 2017), as many countries are updating their national school programs to integrate digital skills or digital competences (Guitert, Romeu & Baztàn 2017; Kozma, 2008)
The data collected confirmed that pre-service teachers believe in the importance of DML for their profession and for their pupils (Gretter & Yadav, 2018)
Without the need for explicit theoretical discussion, critical media literacy came to the foreground, indicating a new awareness of their children’s learning needs, and of what they can achieve as teachers, and possibly, a move one step away from tabloid-style discourse
Summary
In the age of the digital revolution, Digital and Media Literacy (DML) has become a priority in compulsory education in Europe and internationally (EU Council, 2006; UNESCO, 2011; Johnson, Adams & Haywood, 2011; EU Commission, 2016; Carretero, Vuorikari & Punie, 2017), as many countries are updating their national school programs to integrate digital skills or digital competences (Guitert, Romeu & Baztàn 2017; Kozma, 2008). The promotion of an early start in DML education, from as early as primary school (Share, 2015), is part of a picture in which pre-service teacher education (TE) plays a key role. This article presents the case study of an introductory course to DML education for. 148 LUCA BOTTURI pre-primary and primary school pre-service teachers in Switzerland. Through the data collected before and after the course (including follow-up interviews), the case provides insights on the impact of a general and relatively short introductory course, and on its value for prospective teachers. After a discussion of the concept of DML and of the research on DLM pre-service TE, this article presents the course design, illustrates the data collection methodology, and eventually discusses the key results
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