EFFECTIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGIES TO PROMOTE SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.3 How students use technology
Technologies are used daily by young people, including for educational purposes. According to the “Survey of Schools” of the European Commission, in 2013 more than one in two students in secondary schools used desktop computer for learning purposes at least once a week. It also revealed that young people tend to consider mobile phones as a learning tool. Yet, while it is commonly assumed that young people have a good command of technologies, being born in a digital age does not mean they can use those technologies appropriately. The same year, a communication of the European Commission observed: “Although digital competences are essential for employment, today's young people lack the ability to use them creatively and critically. Being born in a digital era is not a sufficient condition for being digitally competent. […] on average, only 30% of students in the EU can be considered as digitally competent; and still 28% of students in the EU have practically no access to ICT, neither at school or at home.” The communication goes on to plead for improved digital skills through informal and non-formal teaching and in adapted curricula. The same Communication observes that EU education fails to keep pace with the digital society, and is lagging behind the US and Asia, noting that “only 20-25% of students are taught by digitally confident and supportive teachers”. This leads to a new and increasing digital divide between those who have access to innovative, technology-based education and those who do not.
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