It is the responsibility of all ITEs in Scotland to ensure that student teachers develop a solid foundation from which they can continue to develop their purposeful and critical use of digital tools and spaces in their teaching and professional development. In order to do this, we propose that the concept of Digital Literacies in ITE should be defined by six themes. These themes allow us to frame the development of digital literacies in a holistic manner that enables ITE providers to focus on the development of digital skills as well as critical consideration of what effective teaching with digital tools and in digital spaces may look like. This is further complemented by the development of a critical awareness of how professional guidelines, research and a continually shifting backdrop of emerging technologies can inform, influence and impact upon teachers’ practice.
The six themes that form the basis from which a solid foundation for career-long professional learning can be established are
