DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-1461-0.ch008
ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the integration of digital literacy in competency-based curriculum (CBC). In the introduction, the authors discuss the 21st century skills and their relevance to the competency-based curriculum. The discussion funnels from global, regional, and local contexts. Theoretical perspectives in ICT and the CBC are dealt with to provide a background. Multiple approaches of integrating digital literacy within the curriculum are highlighted later in the chapter. These issues are discussed in the light of the extant literature on digital literacy and the competency-based curriculum. The discussion revolves around the trends, controversies of digital literacy in the CBC with possible solutions put forth towards the end of the chapter. Finally, recommendations and future research directions are made. The chapter concludes with a summary of the major issues discussed in the chapter and recommendations for further reading.
INTRODUCTION
The demands of the 21st century has created the need to equip the new generations of millennials with new skill sets that will enable them to contribute positively to the challenges of the new order of things.
These demands have precipitated the need for a curriculum that incorporates the desired skills – the 21st Century skills. The development of the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) is an effort to make this a reality. This chapter discusses issues relating to digital literacy and how they can be integrated in the CBC. The concept of CBC is discussed from a global and regional perspective and various issues surrounding the integration of digital literacy in the CBC are discussed in great length. In many devel- oping countries, there is a mismatch between the curricula and the needs of the labour market. Youth graduating from the education system are unable to fit properly in the job market. Many countries around the world have implemented the CBC curriculum to address the challenges faced by the employment sector and bridge the gap between the skills requirement and education. Digital literacy is one of the
Integrating Digital Literacy in Competency-Based Curriculum
Daniel Otieno Kenyatta University, Kenya
143 Integrating Digital Literacy in Competency-Based Curriculum
necessary skills. This chapter will discuss some of the ways through which digital competencies can be taught through the curriculum.
In Kenya, the Ministry of Education has piloted a new competency-based curriculum and is in the process of implementing it to replace the previous system that has been too exam oriented. The impetus for the new curriculum is to teach new competencies to school-age children that will enable them face the challenges of the 21st century. Among the competencies embedded in the new curriculum is digital literacy. The chapter discusses some of the pertinent issues around digital literacy and the competency- based curriculum. Drawing on global and local experiences, the objectives of the Chapter are to provide a general understanding of the issues of digital literacy and its integration in the CBC. It seeks to discuss the issues, perspectives and challenges in the integration of digital literacy and contribute to the discourse around competency-based curriculum and digital education.
The chapter is organised as follows. After a description of the underlying concept of digital literacy, the issues around the competence-based curriculum, perspectives and challenges surrounding the inte- gration are discussed. The final recommendations for further reading and research are provided for the purposes of extending the discourse.
BACKGROUND ICT in Education
The aim of education is to prepare a labour force that will meet the requirements of the labour market.
Information communication and technology has received adequate attention in education. The United Nations and other global partners in education have mainstreamed ICT in their developmental agendas.
The UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers was developed to support countries to put in place policies and standards that provide guidelines for national teacher ICT competency. It aimed at providing an important component for governments to develop legal frameworks for the integration of ICT in Education Masterplans (Olsson, 2006). The framework has three different approaches to devel- oping teachers’ competencies. These are: the development of technology literacy, enhancing knowledge deepening and eventually the creation of knowledge. The use of ICT in teaching is essential because it makes learning to occur more efficiently and effectively. Through the use of ICTs, students are able to deepen their understanding and create new knowledge in their subject areas. They can innovatively apply this to solve the complex problems that face modern societies (UNESCO, 2011).
The use of technology in education necessitates the equipping of teachers with new pedagogical competencies and new approaches in teacher education. Teachers should become aware of policy goals and be able to identify the various areas of education reform that are related to these policy goals. The policy goals identified in the UNESCO ICT framework are technology literacy, knowledge deepening and knowledge creation. These policy goals are discussed in the followings sections under the broad sub-heading of digital citizenry, collaborative learning/teaching and lifelong learning. They provide essential building blocks for erecting the digital edifice in educational institutions that will provide a basis for efficiency and effectiveness.
Integrating Digital Literacy in Competency-Based Curriculum
Digital Citizenry
In relation to technology literacy, the pertinent policy goals include increasing enrolment, developing high-quality teaching and learning resources and improving literacy skills (UNESCO, 2011). Writing in
“The unfinished revolution”, Abbot & Ryan (2000), explain that if we are to be successful in education in the 21st century, we should assist each child to develop and transcend the traditional boundaries of literacy and numeracy. Our children need to be prepared to be creative, innovative and solve the emerging global challenges. The world is rewarding creativity and there is need to move beyond the singular focus on academic schooling and achievement (Abbot & Ryan, 2000). Apart from academic qualifications, employers are looking for additional skills such as the ability to communicate, work in teams, adopt to change, innovate and be creative. These are the skills that need to be imparted in the current generation as they move into the new century. Other than these skills, the current generation of people will require digital skills for them to fit in the emerging world. This is a call for a new generation of digital citizenry.
Karaduman and Ozturk (2014) have defined digital citizenship as the application and advocacy for behav- iours necessary for legal, ethical, safe and responsible use of information communication technologies in online environments. As digital citizens we must be aware of the role of technology in our lives and make efforts to use it in an ethical and responsible manner.
As children transition into young adult lives, it is imperative to invest in their education in a manner that makes them take responsibility for their own learning (Abbot & Ryan, 2000). This can be achieved when the children have developed basic literacy and numeracy skills in tandem with higher order skills of metacognition. It is possible for learners to learn independently by being able to access online infor- mation and use community-based resources such as museums, local libraries and resource centres. The number of children using digital resources in schools need to be increased. There is need to create an all-inclusive environment where learners with special needs can also successfully use digital resources.
Writing in the International Handbook for literacy and technology, Kame’enui and Wallin (2010) reiter- ate that many children with special needs are behind in reading development and the use of technology.
It is imperative to provide an environment where they can learn successfully and develop literacy and digital competencies. This will increase the momentum towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal of providing quality education, enhancing access and inclusiveness.
Teachers need to know where and when to use technology to manage tasks and activities in the classroom. For them to do this, they need certain competencies. Teacher competencies related to tech- nologically based literacy approach include digital literacy skills and digital citizenship. The teacher should be able to select and use online resources such as educational tutorials, games, web content in computer laboratories, software to complement curriculum objectives. There is a plethora of web-based resources which teachers can use in their teaching. The challenge for many teachers in the developing countries is the lack of awareness of these resources. Those who are aware neither do not know how to use these resources or do not have the time and means of using them in their instructional practices.
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Collaborative Learning and Teaching
In relation to the knowledge deepening approach, teachers should design classroom experiences that en- able students to apply knowledge gained in classroom subjects to solve complex problems encountered in real-life situations. The pedagogical approaches associated with this include collaborative problem solving and project-based learning. In collaborative learning, teachers and students share goals and agree to work on common projects to achieve these goals (Collins, Harkin & Hind, 2002). Apart from working with students, teachers can demonstrate collaborative learning through team teaching. Team teaching demonstrates the value of teamwork and mutually assists the teachers to build and benefit from each other’s strengths. Conversation is important in collaborative work. Through conversations, teachers can generate relational knowledge about teachers’ biographical connections and differences. This increases the complexity of thinking and acceptance of different ideas (Collins, Harkin & Hind, 2002). The em- phasis on conversations as an approach to teaching is a shift from the traditional models of teaching. It adopts the model where the teacher is engaged in a structured conversation with the students to achieve learning outcomes. Teachers can engage learners in structured conversations that help them develop their self-worth and esteem.
Teaching must move from the traditional roles of the teacher as the sole repository of knowledge to that of a facilitator. In a digital environment where a vast amount of information is readily available on the internet at the click of a button, the teacher plays the role of facilitating learning by assisting the learners to acquire the most relevant information and use it to solve current problems. This can be done by showing skills that can be used to search for information online and apply critical and analytical thinking abilities to synthesis the information and use it practically in daily life. By engaging learners in conversations, teachers can assist them build on the knowledge they have discovered and apply it in the real-world situation. This provides the scaffolding that is necessary for effective knowledge acquisition and development.
Digital-based classroom assessment is another area that needs to be addressed in digital instruction.
This kind of assessment focuses on complex problem solving which is incorporated in the learning ac- tivities. The competencies related to these approaches include the ability to mange information, structure problem tasks, and integrate software tools and applications with learner centred teaching. Collabora- tive learning teaches academic and social skills including how to set goals, negotiation of authority, personal responsibility, inductive and deductive approaches to learning, creativity and interdependence with children of different backgrounds (Collins, Harkin & Hind, 2002). All these skills are essential for success in a connected and globalised world. It is essential to assess the extent to which learners have developed these competencies. The virtual environment is replete with various tools that can be used to assess the development of these skills. The teacher can access these resources through open access or regular subscriptions.
Life-Long Learning
Pertaining to the knowledge creation approach, the teacher should design classrooms that engage students in creating knowledge, innovation and engage in lifelong learning. Knowledge should go beyond school curriculum to include social skills that are essential to develop new knowledge. These skills include problem solving, effective communication, collaboration, critical thinking, decision-making and cre- ative expression. These are among the 21st century skills that are necessary for workplace productivity
Integrating Digital Literacy in Competency-Based Curriculum
in the current dispensation. The role of the teachers is to structure the classroom activities and learning experiences to provide scenerios where students can apply these skills and assist them in knowledge acquisition. Learners must be equipped with positive attitudes towards life-long learning. The world today requires individuals who are committed to continuous learning both inside and outside the formal setups. This will ensure that the current and future generations are able to produce and use knowledge that will contribute to sustainable development and the achievement of the sustainable development goals. Digital literacy is an essential skill for developing life-long learning.
The internet provides a vast amount of resources for continuous learning and a person must be digi- tally literate to navigate through this vastness and make meaning out of it. As Kılıç & Yılmaz (2019) report, it is important to mainstream lifelong learning at all levels of education. The amount of knowledge available in the world is huge and is constantly changing. Individuals must be able to adjust and change in consonance with the changing global information and knowledge landscapes. In this regard, lifelong learning provides an opportunity for people to adjust to these changing landscapes. The realities and potentialities in the use of ICT can be achieved if the developing countries can increase the efforts in mainstreaming and strengthening the application of ICTs in education and all spheres of society. Fol- lowing in the implementation of UNESCO ICT-CFT, different countries were required to establish local policies that make the framework a reality on the ground (Olsson, 2006). Several developing countries have taken the right steps in this direction.
ICT POLICY IN KENYA
The government of Kenya has prioritised digital literacy as demonstrated by several policy frameworks such as the Sessional Paper No. 1 of 2005 that recognizes the many ways ICTs are utilized to improve the quality of learning in schools. Digital literacy is a key component of ICT integration in the education system. The National Policy on ICT of 2006 mainstreamed digital education in private and public sectors.
The development of this policy was guided by the need to develop relevant infrastructure and human resource capacity. The key stakeholders were engaged in the development of an appropriate policy and regulatory framework. The policy was later revised in 2016 to realign it with the new constitution 2010.
It is important to understand the frameworks that provide the legal basis for enhancing digital literacy in our education system. A good understanding of the ICT policy (Republic of Kenya, 2016) provides a basis for entrenching digital literacy in educational institutions in Kenya. The National ICT in Education Vision is a product of the National Policy on ICT. In this document, the Ministry seeks to promote ICT as a universal tool for education by equipping every institution, teacher, learner and the community with appropriate ICT competencies. The Sessional Paper No. 1 of 2019 on Reforming Education, Training and Research for Sustainable Development gives a lot of emphasis on ICT in Education, Training and Research. To implement this policy the government intends to “build the capacity of lecturers, trainers, teachers and instructors to integrate ICT in education, training and research” (Republic of Kenya, 2019, p. 60).
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ICTs and Teacher Competencies
The major driver for successful educational reform is capacity building for educators through educational and professional development. Teachers can be supported to understand how to use ICTs in their class- rooms and to engage with students and enrich their experiences. Currently, there exists a gap between what learners achieve and their potential. This gap is widened by the lack of adequate capacity building for teachers. In Sweden, although computers have been used for a long time in schools, teachers do not have adequate competencies in ICT (Olsson, 2006). The Learning Resource Centre at Stockholm Institute of Education has identified several learning competencies for teachers. These include information literacy, technology literacy and creativity (Olsson, 2006). Teachers need to be trained on the use of communica- tion and learning platforms, designing homepages, using web evaluations, smart boards among others.
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and UNESCO have developed an ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (Schrum, Strudler & Thompson, 2011). The framework defines various competencies for teachers that those engaged in developing learning resources can use to do so.
To the extent that digitized instruction has been encouraged in classrooms, there are several issues that need to be addressed. These issues include teacher preparation, availability of equipment and other resources, student characteristic among others. There is need to understand the issues pertaining digital literary to get contextual grounding. Khromov and Kameneva (2016) revealed that there is a gap between digital natives (students) and the digital immigrants (teachers) which conceptually separates the two when it comes to the application of digital knowledge. Both teachers and students need to be prepared to harness digital resources in their classrooms. There are issues related to the technology and student expectations, motivating and engaging learners.
21st Century Skills
The world has undergone tremendous changes over the last few decades. Technology has changed the way people interact and relate with each other. Due to the technological, cultural and social changes, there is need for humanity to learn a new set of skills that will enable future survival in this new dispensa- tion. These new skill sets are commonly referred to as the 21st century skills. The 21st century skills are necessary for a person to survive in the modern workplace. It is essential that teachers are well prepared to integrate technology in their teaching so that children can learn how to use technology in their daily life (Linda, 2010). These skills are referred to differently by various actors such as life skills, competen- cies, soft skills among other references. In October 2013, UNESCO’s Asia Pacific Education Research Institutes Network (ERI-Net) formally begun using the term ‘transversal competencies’ to include all the skills, values and attitudes, such as collaboration, self-discipline, resourcefulness and environmental ap- preciation. The United Nation recognizes that these are the competencies necessary for learners’ holistic development and for them to successfully adopt to the changing global environment. They are essential in fostering deep knowledge and thinking skills in students (Nir, Ben-David, Inbar & Zohar, 2016). The modern world requires reflective thinking and innovative approach to the imminent challenges. This can be achieved if students are trained to think critically through deep learning.
Integrating Digital Literacy in Competency-Based Curriculum
COMPETENCY-BASED CURRICULUM
With the realisation that the 21st Century has brought in its wake the need for new skill sets; a lot has to be done to align the educational systems with these changes. The new generation of young people graduating from the learning institutions need to be equipped with these new skill sets for their survival in the new century. They also need to play a positive role in socio-economic development. These skills are necessary for modern day workplaces and include creativity, reflective thinking, communication, collaboration, intercultural understanding, digital literacy amongst others. There are ongoing dialogues on digital literacy surrounding the curriculum and teacher education programs. The UNESCO studies (UNESCO, 2016; Care & Luo, 2016) found that few teacher development programs address these com- petencies. Nusche (2016) drawing from country reports established that most European Union states have changed their basic education curricula to reflect the competencies recommended by the European Commission’s recommendations. In the case of the African Union and other developing countries many higher education institutions have been supported by their respective governments in developing com- petence-based curriculum that covers a variety of disciplines. (Kouwenhoven, 2003). Examples of such countries include Kenya, Mozambique, Ghana and Ethiopia. Although these are not the only countries where the competency-based curriculum has been rolled out. The following discussion will address the issues related to digital literacy within the spectrum of competency-based curriculum in Africa.
PERSPECTIVES ON THE COMPETENCY-BASED CURRICULUM
Competency based curriculum has been around for a considerable period. It is important to understand how the various countries around the world are integrating digital literacy in their various models of competency-based curriculum. CBC is intended to equip students with necessary new competencies and develop further the competencies which have already been acquired.
This section will discuss the various approaches of integrating digital literacy in the competency- based curriculum and the pertinent issues. Kouwenhoven (2003) has defined competency as “the ability to choose and apply an integrated combination of knowledge, skills and attitudes with the intention to realise a task in a certain context while competence is the capacity to accomplish ‘up to standard’ the key occupational tasks that characterise a profession” p.46. Hager & Gonczi, 1996 has a similar conception of what competencies refer to. Thus, the application of competency-based curriculum within the context of digital literacy includes the use of a combination of digital skills, knowledge and attitudes in digital literacy. In this case, competency is domain specific and relating to this specific area of knowledge.
Electronic Resources in Teaching And Learning
Khromov and Kameneva (2016) affirm that to effectively implement curriculum by means of e-learning, there is need to establish a level of awareness. Teachers need to be made aware of online information resources, e-learning resources, information technologies which ensure student learning. With the introduction of the new competency-based curriculum and digital instruction, the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development is spearheading the development of relevant content for the new curriculum.
These efforts are jointly being supported by public private partnerships. There are pertinent issues around