PREPARING FUTURE TEACHERS FOR THE USE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN THE CONTEXT OF NETWORKED EDUCATIONAL COMMUNICATION

Abstract

Modern digitalisation processes highlight the need to transform teaching activities in new conditions – within a networked educational environment that utilises digital technologies and tools. The integration of digital learning tools requires systemic changes in the preparation of future teachers, manifesting in the transformation of pedagogical activities, demanding the consideration of principles of digital didactics, methods, and techniques of networked educational communication. It is substantiated that digitalisation processes drive new educational demands for teachers to be trained for professional activities within networked educational communication. This underscores the necessity of revising and updating the professional training of future teachers at both the substantive and instrumental levels, taking into account the digitalisation process. It is summarised that networked educational communication transforms the electronic educational environment for interaction between future teachers and students, the principles of structuring educational material, and facilitates the expansion of digital tools and technologies. Within the scope of the article, new roles for future teachers are defined in the context of digitalisation of the educational environment (future teacher ↔ student or group of students; future teacher ↔ digital technologies and tools ↔ student or group of students; future teacher ↔ digital technologies and tools – as an architect of digital learning tools and a developer of digital educational environments). The didactic features of the pedagogical activities of future teachers in the conditions of networked educational communication are revealed (implementation of new forms, content, and networked learning tools). The primary outcome of preparing future teachers to use digital technologies in networked educational communication is determined by their readiness to search for and evaluate online educational materials, create visually engaging materials, use social networks for professional development, distribute high-quality educational resources; create and disseminate multimedia content; and use online tools to implement modern pedagogical practices.