Digital Literacy and Digital Tools for Teachers

Confident, critical and creative use of technology in post-primary and vocational education

Alicante, Spain | 14–18 June 2027

Erasmus+ KA1 Teacher Training Course | 5 days | 25 contact hours

1. Course at a Glance

Duration: Five days, with five contact hours each day and 25 contact hours in total.

Format: Face-to-face and hands-on. Participants bring a laptop and teaching materials from their own professional practice.

Group size: 12 to 18 participants, with an optimal group size of 14 to 16.

Language: English. A minimum B1 level is recommended.

Target audience: Post-primary and secondary teachers, further education and VET teachers, instructors and trainers, programme coordinators, learning support teachers, school and college leaders and teacher educators.

Entry requirements: No technical prerequisites apply. Participants should bring one unit, module, assignment or scheme of work that they are willing to develop during the course.

Certification: Certificate of Attendance, Europass Mobility documentation support and a learning agreement mapped to DigCompEdu.

Framework alignment: DigCompEdu, DigComp 2.2, the EU Digital Education Action Plan 2021–2027, EU ethical guidance on using AI and data in education, GDPR and the EU AI Act.

2. Course Rationale

Digital competence is now an essential part of professional teaching practice. However, digital training can sometimes focus on applications without considering pedagogy or provide policy information without giving teachers practical resources.

This course connects digital tools directly to the work educators undertake every day, including:

  • Planning and resource creation.
  • Teaching and learner engagement.
  • Assessment and feedback.
  • Accessibility and inclusion.
  • Online safety and data protection.
  • Learner progression.
  • Practical and portfolio-based assessment.
  • Work-placement documentation.

3. Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

  • Locate, evaluate and verify digital information.
  • Apply structured source-evaluation and lateral-reading techniques.
  • Recognise manipulated and synthetic media.
  • Understand content provenance and misinformation.
  • Explain how generative AI works and identify its limitations.
  • Apply GDPR and basic cybersecurity principles when using digital tools.
  • Evaluate tools against data protection, accessibility, language, cost and educational criteria.
  • Create accessible and differentiated teaching resources.
  • Design digital formative assessment activities.
  • Develop efficient feedback workflows.
  • Use digital portfolios to demonstrate practical and transferable skills.
  • Apply Universal Design for Learning principles.
  • Support learners with literacy, language and additional learning needs.
  • Redesign assessments for an environment in which learners have access to AI and online information.
  • Respond appropriately to suspected academic integrity concerns.

4. Course Methodology

Approximately 70 per cent of the course is devoted to practical work.

Participants use their own modules, assignments and teaching materials throughout the course. Every resource is reviewed against an agreed professional and pedagogical standard before it is retained.

The methodology includes:

  • Hands-on workshops.
  • Build-and-critique activities.
  • Tool-evaluation exercises.
  • Cross-national collaboration.
  • Individual and group reflection.
  • Practical work under realistic technology and resource constraints.

5. Pre-Course Preparation

Participants will be asked to:

  • Complete a SELFIEforTEACHERS self-reflection activity.
  • Set up relevant digital platform accounts.
  • Bring one unit, module or assignment that requires improvement.
  • Complete a short needs-analysis form.
  • Bring relevant organisational or national guidance on digital tools, learner data or AI.
  • Bring a laptop and suitable teaching materials.

6. Programme Outline

Day 1: Digital Competence, Evaluation and Safety

Participants assess their current digital competence, review SELFIEforTEACHERS results and examine the foundations of generative AI.

The day also covers GDPR, learner data, online safety, cybersecurity and the evaluation of digital platforms.

Day 2: Information and Media Literacy

Participants develop practical skills in online research, source evaluation, lateral reading, verification and the identification of manipulated or synthetic media.

They also create a short media-literacy activity for use with learners.

Day 3: Creating, Curating and Communicating

This practical build day addresses resource design, visual literacy, accessibility, Universal Design for Learning, language support and digital resource organisation.

Participants create classroom-ready resources using digital tools that are relevant to their teaching context.

Day 4: Assessment, Feedback and Academic Integrity

Participants develop digital formative assessment activities, efficient feedback processes and portfolio-based evidence systems.

The course also considers assessment redesign, appropriate approaches to academic integrity concerns and the limitations of AI detection software.

Day 5: Capstone, Showcase and Forward Planning

Participants complete and present their capstone projects.

They translate their learning into practical departmental proposals and develop a 30, 60 and 90-day action plan for applying the course learning within their institutions.

7. Capstone Project

Participants will complete A Digitally Literate Teaching Sequence based on a group they currently teach.

The project will include:

  1. A sequence of connected lessons or learning sessions.
  2. At least two digital resources developed and edited during the week.
  3. A clearly defined learner digital-literacy objective.
  4. A digital assessment or feedback activity.
  5. Clear learner-facing expectations regarding AI and internet use.
  6. An accessibility or differentiation provision.
  7. A one-page explanation of the pedagogical approach and tool choices.
  8. A mapping to relevant DigCompEdu competences.

Participants working in vocational or applied education may base the project on practical skills evidence, digital portfolios, placement documentation or another relevant competence-based workflow.

8. Tools and Resources

The course may include:

  • Wayground for formative assessment.
  • Canva for Education for visual and accessible resources.
  • NotebookLM for source-grounded research.
  • MagicSchool for planning, resource creation and differentiation.
  • Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace for collaboration and workflow.
  • General-purpose AI assistants for drafting and critical evaluation.
  • Digital portfolio and screencasting tools.
  • Accessibility and text-to-speech tools.
  • DigCompEdu.
  • SELFIEforTEACHERS.
  • DigComp 2.2.
  • European School Education Platform.
  • eTwinning resources.
  • EU ethical guidance on AI and data in education.

9. Assessment and Certification

Formative assessment includes:

  • Daily reflection.
  • Peer review.
  • Practical resource-development activities.
  • Accessibility audits.
  • Policy-drafting exercises.
  • Facilitator guidance and feedback.

Summative assessment includes:

  • Completion of the digitally literate teaching sequence.
  • A short presentation or showcase.

Participants receive:

  • A Certificate of Attendance detailing 25 contact hours.
  • A learning agreement mapped to DigCompEdu.

10. Follow-Up and Impact

Participants will receive access to a shared collection of course resources and capstone projects.

An optional online follow-up session may be provided to review implementation, identify successful approaches and examine changes made following the course.

Participants will also complete a 30, 60 and 90-day action plan and identify opportunities to share their learning through:

  • Staff and departmental meetings.
  • Local and national professional networks.
  • Education and training networks.
  • eTwinning activities.
  • The European School Education Platform