How we interact

Mastering the art of digital communication and collaboration requires not just knowledge, but a strategic approach. Inspired by the DigCompEdu framework, we've segmented this vast domain into five distinct yet interrelated roles. Each plays a critical part in shaping an educator's digital prowess:

1. Bridge Builders are the social butterflies of the digital realm. They effortlessly weave through digital platforms, engaging in meaningful interactions that enhance the teaching and learning experience. They understand the nuances of digital conversations and ensure every interaction is productive and respectful.

2. Info Sharers take pride in disseminating knowledge. With an acute awareness of the best platforms and tools, they share resources, insights, and information effectively, ensuring that their audience, be it students or peers, benefits maximally.

3. Digital Citizens are the champions of responsible and informed digital participation. They promote digital rights and responsibilities, ensuring that educators and students alike understand their roles in the expansive digital society. Their focus? A harmonious digital world that thrives on mutual respect.

4. TeamTech Coordinators provide creative spaces. They harness the power of digital tools to foster collaboration among students, peers, and the larger educational community. Their expertise lies in creating spaces where ideas merge, evolve, and transform into innovative solutions.

5. Digital Diplomats: They champion the protocols and manners of the online universe. With every interaction, they emphasize the importance of respect, kindness, and understanding, setting the gold standard for online discourse and ensuring that the digital world remains a welcoming space for all.

6. ePersona Guardians are the caretakers of our digital self. Just as we present ourselves in the real world with care and understanding, these guardians ensure that our digital reflections – our ePersonas – are true to our values, protected, and leave a positive lasting impact. They have a clear understanding of the digital footprints we leave behind and take proactive steps to safeguard our online image.

Navigating the multifaceted world of digital education is much like organizing a school prom. Each role has its own importance, ensuring the event (or in this case, the digital teaching experience) is memorable, efficient, and seamless. Here's a closer look:

Digital Bridge Builders: Imagine the prom planning phase, where communication with students, teachers, and service providers is crucial. These builders are like the committee members sending out surveys and ensuring everyone's voice is heard through the right digital tools.

Info Sharers: On prom night, moments like dances and speeches are captured. ShareMasters act as the photographers and videographers, choosing the best platforms and methods to share these memories.

Digital Citizens: Consider the prom's rules, from appropriate behavior to the theme. Digital Citizens champion responsible online behavior and ethics, mirroring the guardians of prom decorum.

TeamTech Coordinators: Various teams come together before the prom: the decorators, music selectors, and event planners. TeamTech Coordinators ensure effective collaboration, selecting the right digital tools for coordination.

Digital Diplomats: Post-prom, memories are shared and opinions vary. Digital Diplomats act as moderators, ensuring respectful conversations, just as a mediator would after the event.

ePersona Guardians: Picture them as the stylists and image consultants, making sure each student presents their best self at the prom, reflecting authenticity while looking out for any potential wardrobe malfunctions.

With this analogy, the connection between a well-organized school prom and a streamlined digital teaching experience becomes clearer.

Step 1: Tech Selector: Identify the optimal foundational digital technologies to foster interaction, considering the distinct needs of your classroom.

Step 2: Context Decoder: Assess the environment and nuances of the communication taking place to choose the right digital tools that align with the situation.

Step 3: Communication Optimizer: Utilize a mix of digital channels, adjusting based on the teaching setting, to guarantee clear and effective interaction.

Step 4: Adaptive Strategist: Periodically evaluate and modify your selections, adapting to feedback and emerging classroom requirements.

Guidance: Browse through our collection of videos for Digital Bridge Builders.  

Step 1: Tech Identifier: Explore a range of digital tools and platforms, determining which ones align best with your educational sharing needs and the content you're distributing.

Step 2: Basics of Credit: Recognize the educational value and ethical importance of citing sources and get acquainted with fundamental techniques for referencing and attributing content.

Step 3: Sharing Strategist: Disseminate information through your chosen digital medium, making sure that all content, whether original or sourced, is accurately credited and acknowledged.

Guidance: Browse through our collection of videos for Digital Bridge Builders.  

Step 1: Service Spotter: Delve into a variety of digital services and platforms, determining which ones can best facilitate and augment your role as an educator within the digital society.

Step 2: Tech Empowerment: Understand the digital tools that enhance teaching effectiveness and encourage a culture of active digital participation among students and peers.

Step 3: Civic Engagement: Employ these digital technologies and services in a way that promotes responsible and constructive digital participation, ensuring that your digital footprint serves as a model for students and the larger educational community.

Guidance: Browse through our collection of videos for Digital Citizens.  

Step 1: Tool Triage: Explore the vast array of digital tools and platforms available, pinpointing those that can optimize collaboration in educational settings.

Step 2: Collaboration Catalyst: Acquire the expertise to select tools that align perfectly with the unique collaborative demands of educational projects and classroom teamwork.

Step 3: Process Perfection: Integrate these digital solutions into your collaborative strategies, ensuring that educators and students alike can work together with utmost efficiency and harmony.

Guidance: Browse through our collection of videos for TeamTech Coordinators.  

Step 1: Cultural Navigator: Explore the multifaceted digital landscape, grasping the unique behavioral norms and etiquettes to engage students, parents, and colleagues from diverse cultures and backgrounds respectfully.

Step 2: Communicative Chameleon: Hone the skill of adapting your digital communication styles to resonate with various student groups, ensuring that your teaching methods and strategies are effective and inclusive.

Step 3: Generation Whisperer: Deepen your understanding of the digital preferences and habits of different student age groups, allowing you to tailor your approach for a harmonious and effective teaching experience.

Guidance: Browse through our collection of videos for Digital Diplomats.  

Step 1: Identity Foundations: Delve into the elements of a digital identity specifically for educators, understanding its importance in online teaching and engagement with peers, students, and parents.

Step 2: Reputation Shield: Equip yourself with strategies tailored for educators to protect and uphold a professional online reputation amidst the digital challenges of the teaching realm.

Step 3: Digital Footprint Awareness: Recognize the trail you, as an educator, create across different digital teaching tools and platforms, ensuring the data you produce remains professional and aligned with teaching goals.

Step 4: Identity Mastery: Reinforce and consolidate your understanding of digital identity, ensuring that as you navigate the digital educational sphere, you remain authentic and secure in your interactions.

Guidance: Browse through our collection of videos for ePersona Guardians.

After finishing this module of the Educator Guide, you should have acquired the following six competences at the basic level:

1. Interacting Through Digital Technologies

2. Sharing Through Digital Technologies

3. Engaging Citizenship Through Digital Technologies

4. Collaborating Through Digital Technologies

5. Netiquette (Behavioral Norms in Digital Environments)

6. Managing Digital Identity