This module aims to develop student teachers' professional digital competence through developing their technical, pedagogical and ethical knowledge related to digital technology use in education. The module firstly introduces students to techno-deterministic understandings of educational change and the assumptions underpinning these perspectives in order to develop a critical perspective amongst students. To contribute to the students' development of digital competence, the module introduces the concepts of critical media literacy to ensure they are more critical consumers of online content. From the perspective of education for sustainable development, the concept of radical digital citizenship is also introduced to ensure students are aware of critical sustainability issues arising from digital technology and the wider social, human and environmental costs of digital technology production and consumption. This module also introduces students to cyber-ethics examining the legal and ethical aspects of digital technology through the topics of data protection, GDPR, data analytics, online welfare and child safety, privacy, defamation and copyright. A core focus of the module is to empower students to capitalise on the personal, social and educational benefits of the technologies whilst recognising the critical questions raised by an increasingly technological society.

Reconceptualising teaching and learning in the context of ICT; rationale for the integration of educational technologies in schools; technology and social determinism; national and international policy trends in educational technology; critical perspectives on educational technology; critical media literacy; radical digital citizenship; digital technology and sustainability; cyber-ethics; cyber bullying and child welfare issues; information security and legislative requirements; technologies in the classroom; assistive technologies in education; Virtual reality in education; Communication and collaborative learning technologies; use of ICT in supporting independent learning; Evidence-based uses of technologies in the classroom; emerging trends and technologies in education.

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to: Adopt a critical perspective on digital technologies recognising their potential benefits and drawbacks in education. Through the lens of critical media literacy, apply a critical perspective to web content to unpack hidden assumptions in online material in order to understand the complex ways in which values and agendas are communicated online. Through the lens of social justice, adopt a critical perspective on digital technology consumption recognising the social, political and economic consequences particularly for under-developed countries. Understand the importance of cyber-ethics as a core part of a teacher's professional digital competence and apply core cyber-ethics principals in an appropriate manner in their practice. Develop appropriately targeted educational resources to assist student learning within their subject areas Critically evaluate the use of ICT and commercial educational software in light of best practice and assess the merits of its use in the classroom Effectively utilise learning technologies to assist their own learning as students Recognise the range of different assistive technologies available to support learners with special educational needs.

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to: Appreciate the motivational potential of ICT to enhance the learning experience of the student Appreciate and value the importance of child safety in relation to digital technology use and social media

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to: N/A

This module will be taught through lectures, online learning activities and lab-based project work. The lectures and associated readings will provide students with the relevant theoretical perspectives which are then subsequently applied within the lab-based tasks and projects. Lecture content addresses the main topics outlined in the syllabus and online learning activities run in parallel to these lectures enabling students to further explore the topics addressed. Lab work in the early part of the semester contains a series of digital tasks required to be completed by students to develop their technical and pedagogical competence. Later in the semester the students work on a group project to develop a substantial digital artefact to be used in their teaching. Research Findings Incorporated into the Syllabus: Emejulu, A., & McGregor, C. (2019). Towards a radical digital citizenship in digital education. Critical Studies in Education, 60(1), 131-147 Kellner, D., & Share, J. (2007). Critical media literacy, democracy, and the reconstruction of education. Media literacy: A reader, 3-23. Kellner, D., & Share, J. (2005). Toward critical media literacy: Core concepts, debates, organizations, and policy. Discourse: Studies in the cultural politics of education, 26(3), 369-386. McGarr, O., & McDonagh, A. (2021). Exploring the digital competence of pre-service teachers on entry onto an initial teacher education programme in Ireland. Irish Educational Studies, 40(1), 115-128. McGarr, O. & McDonagh, A. (2019) Digital Competence in Teacher Education, Output 1 of the Erasmus+ funded Developing Student Teachers' Digital Competence (DICTE) project. https://dicte.oslomet.no/