The Guidelines - Full Collection of Guidelines

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💡Note: Below, for completeness, is the entire set of guidelines. You can dive into each section for detailed bullet points and examples. Any texts below appearing in blue are hyperlinks to help you jump directly to the resources within this document.

0. Quick-Start Overview

Suggested Steps:

1. Define Your DT Project Goals: e.g., problem domain, timeline, skill objectives.
2. Identify Actors & Roles (Section 1): Who’s involved (students, teachers, principal, external stakeholders)?
3. Check the Learning Environment and Platform & Infrastructure (Sections 1.2 & 1.4): Are resources, platforms, online/blended modes, and security in place?
4. Plan Teaching & Learning (Section 1.6): Outline DT phases, group work strategies, and reflection times.
5. Prepare Materials & sources, and Teacher Professional Development (Sections 1.3 & 1.5): Ensure teacher readiness, relevant digital competencies, AI usage guidelines, etc.
6. Address Perspectives (Section 2): Student inclusivity, teacher mindset, stakeholder collaboration, technology ethics, and sustainability.
7. Check Competencies (Section 3). Ensure students, teachers, and other stakeholders have or can develop the needed skill sets to engage in DT with ET effectively.
8. Evaluate & Iterate (Section 1.7): Collect feedback, assess student outcomes, and reflect with all stakeholders.

1. Guidelines on Components

1.1 Actor Component

• Identify and consider relevant actors’ needs and expectations in your context.
  • Example: Think of all individuals or groups (students, teachers, parents, principals, policymakers, researchers, EdTech developers) who will be crucial for planning, funding, or running DT activities with ET, including those who only participate online.
• Communicate and coordinate with actors who should participate in the initial decisions or any other possible formalities requiring permission.
  • Examples: Communicate early with principals or administrators if you need formal permissions (like installing new apps or collecting student data). If external research is involved, coordinate with ethics boards or legal teams.
• Communicate actors’ roles and manage conflicts.
  • Examples: This could involve creating role-specific guides that outline the responsibilities, tasks, and contributions expected from each actor, as well as any specific skills or expertise required for their role. Encourage the actors to create their own checklists or protocols so that each one can track their responsibilities and progress. Develop strategies for managing conflicts or disagreements among actors, as navigating diverse perspectives and interests may sometimes pose challenges in collaborative endeavours.
• Provide actors with the data and information they need to be productive partners.
  • Examples: Ensure the joint modes of communication and information exchange are accessible and intuitive to everyone. Provide all actors with supporting material regarding the design of the activities (e.g., templates, exemplary activities/projects), digital tools (e.g., manuals, tutorials), assessment methods, etc. Consider online platforms or asynchronous channels for actor communication.
• Cultivate and establish common values and vision through regular partnership activities.
  • Examples: Coordinate with other teachers in the same school or relevant school networks and organisations, and/or get inspired and organise joint activities.

1.2 Learning Environment Component

• Consider different situations such as online, blended, or face-to-face classroom learning.
  • Examples: Consider the barriers of these environments, such as certain places where it is harder to carry out some tasks. Consider the learning environment preferences of students, and some may learn better in certain situations. Consider and ensure students’ accessibility to technology in case of online learning activities.
• Ensure physical and virtual learning environments are accessible and adaptable to promote inclusivity and accommodate diverse learner needs.
  • Examples: Support of accessibility on the web for students with different abilities (learning disabilities, neurotypical-neurodivergent, physical impairment issues). Ensure that all children are not disadvantaged if they do not have the appropriate technology to use independently of the learning environment.
• Keep in mind the decisions on the multimedia that will be used in learning to ensure adaptability to the different situations and contexts.
  • Examples: Provide multimedia content in multiple formats (e.g., digital using web-based platforms) and ensure they can adapt to and are compatible with different devices (e.g., desktop computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones) across different operating systems.
• Include clear instructions and documentation on integrating the digital tools in different settings, such as online or blended learning environments.
  • Example: Collaborate with educational technology providers to ensure the digital tools align with their interoperability standards. Consider using an all-in-one platform that facilitates the seamless integration of digital tools into various virtual learning environments.

1.3 Materials & Resources Component

• Think about materials and resources that are needed and are related to teaching and learning in your context, to seamlessly integrate the learning experience, also within a fixed curriculum.
  • Example: Consider financial resources, such as public funding of individual schools. Consider human resources, such as teachers, school leaders, and other administrators. Be aware of physical resources, such as location, buildings, and equipment.
• Think about any other relevant resources, such as time availability, pedagogy, and curriculum materials that support inter-disciplinarity for lesson and activity plans.
  • Examples: Consider using the DT Activity Plan Template to organise and implement a DT activity in the classroom with ET. Filling in the activity plan template could help them structure the activity according to the DT phases, reflect on the added value of technology in each stage, and think of some important issues, e.g., timing, preparation, and DT topics.
• Consider materials and resources that are flexible and revisable, able to sustain real-time adjustments based on student responses or practical challenges during implementation.
  • Examples: Refer to an activity plan, for example, the DT Activity Plan Template, that can be scaled to accommodate different time schedules, class sizes, and subject intersections.
• Consider online supporting materials for students that leverage technologies and resources and support classroom implementations, e.g., video tutorials, brief and extensive manuals, and guidelines for the technologies and educational resources.
  • Examples: Advise the use of the resources available on the Exten.(D.T.)² website about using specific technologies to support DT activities.
• Check and ensure that the teaching/learning materials and resources about religious and cultural beliefs and practices are handled with sensitivity and are appropriate to the age group of students.
  • Examples: Translate supporting materials into the language that teachers and students speak. Ensure that all materials and resources use proper inclusive language and incorporate diverse perspectives and cultural content, abiding by laws concerning ethics and moral principles. Be aware of the use of AI-generated materials and the ethical issues accompanying it.
• Encourage teachers to develop additional supporting materials for students.
  • Examples: Prepare spreadsheets to guide students in learning and understanding the main functionalities of the tools they will use for their DT activities, and incorporate visual, structured tracking tools to serve as both a timeline manager and a linguistic reference for students new to DT.

1.4 Platform & Infrastructure Component

• Select tools and platforms designed in a way that students find appealing to use, allowing them to create, model, co-construct, and share rapid prototyping and providing tangible and accessible means to structure the DT process.
  • Examples: Consider using MaLT2 (MachineLab Turtleworlds2) to create and tinker with 3D dynamic graphical models during rapid prototyping. Consider using SorBET (Sorting Based on Educational Technology) for playful learning through classification games. Consider using ChoiCo to embed choice-driven simulation games related to various real-life problems. Consider using nQuire to conduct surveys, understand the needs of the target group for which they are designing a solution, and collect feedback for game prototypes. Consider using educational robotics to enable the development and testing of realistic prototypes in virtual spaces.
• Use an easy-to-use and secure technical infrastructure and platform.
  • Examples: Use a platform hosting an ecosystem of diverse web-based learning environments that will enable the seamless and interactive execution of digital DT activities. In the case of online learning, consider letting students connect through a VPN to the platform to ensure its security. Ensure the collected data are stored in cloud infrastructure with a private school network and preferably a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
• Consider the collection of data in the platform at both the individual and group/class levels.
  • Examples: When selecting a platform, consider data privacy requirements (particularly for user logs and personal information) and look for learning analytics dashboards that offer flexible, customisable ways to visualise DT activities and individual student and/or class performance data in an anonymised way.
• Assign dedicated persons and mechanisms to manage and monitor the platform.
  • Examples: Consider some actors like school technicians or IT administrators to manage the platform, monitor the security of data storage, and make sure that the platform is always available for physical and online learning. If using AI modules, schedule them for regular maintenance or algorithm checks.
• Offer support, advice, and ongoing training on how to use the platforms
  • Example: Dedicate time to training on how to handle the platform and provide adequate technical support for actors experiencing difficulties with the platform or technology used in DT activities.
• Allocate time and support for hosting and regular updates of the platform.
  • Examples: Provide 24-hour technician support for those who are hosting the platform (e.g., school technicians or IT administrators). Technologies need to be updated constantly, along with the updates in the programming languages and security.
• Establish mechanisms for users to provide feedback on their experiences with the platform and suggest improvements or enhancements.
  • Examples: This could include surveys, feedback forms, and user focus groups to gather input on the usability, functionality, and overall user satisfaction of the platform.
• Offer offline alternatives for situations where internet access might be limited or unavailable.
  • Provide offline alternatives or low-bandwidth versions for partially connected areas.

1.5 Teacher Professional Development Component

• Consider the practicalities regarding the expected teacher’s professional development, e.g., what percentage of a teacher's working hours should be dedicated to these aspects.
  • Examples: Continual professional development is needed to ensure teachers are proficient and can support students.
• Consider teacher training materials, e.g., tutorials, presentations, exercises, templates/lesson plans, examples of use, and videos.
  • Examples: Provide pre-service or in-service teachers with video tutorials in advance. Create video tutorials showcasing how to use each involved digital tool. Create example games that teachers and students can play with before they start developing their own games. Point teachers to project supporting materials related to the use of ET available on the Exten.(D.T.)2 project website.
• Provide teachers with a clear structure of the professional development module, with clear guidelines and learning goals for every step.
  • Examples: Consider using the Co-creation Planet Platform to guide teachers through the different phases of developing a digital-based DT intervention, complemented by the Exten.(D.T.)² Open Learn Course to deepen their knowledge and skills for technology-rich settings. Offer interactive training workshops for teachers and engage them in multidisciplinary groups to help them prepare for developing and implementing DT projects for their students.
• Use DT as a framework to educate teachers and help them reframe their approach to curriculum and activity planning, encouraging more student-centered, creative, and problem-oriented learning oriented learning from the earliest stages of design.
  • Examples: Encourage teachers to take the role of the “student” while designing DT activities with ET. Ensure teachers recognise the value of DT during teacher professional development, pointing out the differences with traditional teaching. Offer teachers the opportunity to co-design DT activity plans to develop their knowledge of the DT methodology and the use of digital technology to implement DT in the classroom.
• Consider the level of readiness of individual teachers in terms of technology and understanding of DT, and point them to the right set of training resources.
  • Example: Recognise that teachers need some learning curve and skills/experience to use ET (such as learning analytics and virtual robotics). Prepare teachers for professional development on different levels, depending on the pre-knowledge of the participating teachers. Develop teachers’ confidence in their own 21st-century skills, which maps to what they expect their students to struggle with.

1.6 Teaching & Learning Component

• Pay attention to all the DT phases rather than just the prototyping /developing phase. You can check the phases here: *https://extendt2.eu/digital-design-thinking-model/*.
  • Examples: The minds-on activities (e.g., empathy and understanding phase) of the DT process generate student buy-in, which is crucial and fundamental for successful design outcomes; therefore, they should receive adequate attention as the hands-on activities (e.g., prototyping and developing phase) of the DT process.
• Ensure sufficient resources to structure and motivate students in the empathy phase.
  • Examples: Allocate some time to introduce the DT issue to students and discuss one example that they find interesting. Encourage students to ask questions and identify what they do not know about it. Provide students with opportunities to empathise with the design issue and users (e.g., encourage students to conduct field observations, interviews, surveys, and consultations with external actors/stakeholders who can share their needs with students).
• Create reflection sessions that allow students to participate, find new, creative ways of learning, and get excited about learning.
  • Examples: Identify the learning goals and plan the activities to allow pauses and time for reflection and creativity. Focus on skill development and self-reflection through the online sharing of digital productions and feedback gathering.
• Check the references to the curricula and align them with educational objectives.
• • Examples: Coach students and instruct them on the learning tasks, pedagogical objectives, and experience. Communicate the learning goals to the students in the beginning, including what DT is and what the stages of it are.
• Engage students in personally meaningful projects with shared ownership.
  • Examples: Avoid framing DT projects with topics inappropriate for students’ age or unrelated to their experience.
• Before starting a DT project in the classroom, organise a short session with students to become familiar with the technology they will use.
  • Examples: Manage students’ expectations of what the DT project for students can achieve due to limitations of time or technology.
• The amount of time devoted to the activity, the available time for instruction, and sufficient teaching time are required for good learning outcomes.
  • Examples: Be realistic in estimating the time needed for implementing DT projects in practice and avoid skipping some DT stages or significantly shrinking them (e.g., feedback and redesign, the presentation of results).
• Consider the time required to use multiple tools and technologies throughout all the DT phases.
  • Examples: Allocate the time needed to enable teachers and students to familiarise themselves with tools, technologies and the learning environment, perhaps devoting some time to testing it beforehand.
• Develop students’ time management skills and help them manage their own time for their DT projects.
  • Example: Creating supporting materials for time management, like checklists and simple Gantt charts. Discuss their priorities during the DT project with your students, and make them comfortable adjusting their planning according to emerging needs. Remind them that DT is an iterative rather than a linear process. Consider implementing exercises to build up time management skills.
• Align the class size with the optimal setup for the collaborative learning experience for the students.
  • Examples: Manage the classroom in a way (e.g., monitoring class time, conflict resolution, and fostering teamwork) that is conducive to learning.
• Focus on group formation and dynamics before the activity, considering students’ preferences and complementarity of skills.
  • Examples: Consider students' interests, previous experiences and prior knowledge. Group students according to shared interests to motivate them to create something together.

1.7 Evaluation Component

• Think about the evaluation in your context in terms of measures to evaluate students’ learning and experience in DT activities.
  • Examples: Evaluate students’ DT knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are stimulated and enabled by using ET during DT. Check students' learning goals (and refer to rubrics) to get inspiration for assessment. Consider incorporating various assessment methods, such as formative and summative assessments, performance tasks, portfolios, and self-assessments, to capture the multifaceted nature of DT learning with ET. Collect data from learning outcomes, surveys and interviews, and learning analytics to systematically evaluate how students’ DT knowledge, 21st-century skills and attitudes are stimulated and enabled using ET during DT.
• Consider the evaluation in your context regarding measures to evaluate the use of ET in DT projects.
  • Examples: Evaluate the usability of the tools/platforms and the impacts on learning outcomes. Triangulate data from various sources, such as student performance, teacher feedback, and tools/platforms usage analytics, to strengthen the evaluation of the usability of tools/platforms.
• Consider the evaluation in your context regarding measures to evaluate the effectiveness of DT activities with ET.
  • Examples: Implement regular data collection and use the feedback and data collected to inform ongoing iterations of DT activities with ET. Continuously analyse the data to identify areas of strength and areas for improvement and adjust the DT process, curriculum, and instructional practices based on the findings.
• Consider the evaluation in your context regarding measures to evaluate the teacher’s professional development.
  • Examples: Encourage teachers to keep reflective diaries or notes to document the variations from their initial design of the learning activities. Evaluate the quality of pre-service and in-service teachers' professional development outcomes based on interviews, focus groups, or other means. In addition to enabling teachers to evaluate students, allowing students to give feedback at the end of the learning period via anonymous surveys helps teachers improve their teaching practices and reflect on how demanding or effective the learning process was.
• Consider the gendered, cultural, geographical, and societal effects regarding the use of ET in DT activities as aspects of evaluation.
  • Examples: Promote participatory evaluation approaches involving stakeholders in the evaluation process to incorporate diverse perspectives and consider the broader societal impacts of DT with ET.
• Maintain transparency and open communication with stakeholders regarding the evaluation process and evaluation results, highlighting successes, challenges, and areas for improvement.
  • Examples: Facilitate regular meetings and check-ins between teachers, students, or other educational stakeholders who might be relevant to discuss the progress, challenges, and strategies for implementing DT and ET in their teaching practices.

2. Guidelines on Perspectives

2.1 Student's Perspective

• Promote diversity and equality in the classroom and ensure that all genders, races, ethnicities, and socio-economic backgrounds are treated fairly when using technology, so everyone can benefit from it.
  • Examples: Remember that students with special education needs should have equal access to all aspects of the learning process. Make educational materials, resources, and learning accessible for different languages and cultures. Refer to the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Framework to offer flexible and inclusive approaches that can be customised and adjusted to fit each student. Refer to the [Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity (EDI) Framework](https://www.apa.org/about/apa/equity-diversity-inclusion/framework#:~:text=The EDI framework is an,coordinated strategy towards dismantling racism.) to sustain an inclusive education for students. Create inclusive supporting materials, taking into account diversity.
• Actively and intentionally confront and dispel stereotypes and biases about the abilities and skills of students.
  • Examples: The school committee could review curriculum materials, textbooks, and resources to ensure they are inclusive and could provide feedback to educators and administrators on ways to improve the inclusivity of teaching materials and learning experiences.
• Honour and respect the diverse ways students process and learn information, striving to be mindful and inclusive in their engagement.
  • Examples: Adapt and develop resources and supporting material based on students’ prior knowledge and skills. Provide neurodivergent students with the appropriate facilitations to meet the expected education level.
• Foster resilience and persistence in students when facing failures and frustrations.
  • Examples: Support students in managing their time to avoid disappointment and frustration. Pay attention to supporting students' emotional well-being. Foster a supportive learning environment where students and teachers feel comfortable discussing personal challenges, ethical concerns, and emotional reactions to the DT process.
• Incorporate students ' voices and perspectives throughout the curriculum and classroom experience.
  • Examples: Give students a voice to inform the design or co-design of the learning activities (e.g., selecting technologies and choosing the topic) for DT projects.
• Promote students to develop open and growth-oriented DT mindsets.
  • Examples: Acknowledge the essence of learning from trials and failures, and collaborative decision-making during DT. Encourage students to seek constructive feedback and iterative development and testing of their design solutions.

2.2 Teacher's Perspective

• Accept role flexibility and be open to quickly changing roles (e.g., teachers, facilitators, supporters, and peers) in the classroom.
  • Examples: Teachers play a different role in DT than one expects in traditional learning contexts. For example, teachers often act as facilitators, organising the learning activities, providing instruction on the DT process and learning tasks, and providing student feedback and evaluation. The dynamic roles and responsibilities teachers experienced in DT also created challenges for them to manage and switch balance frequently depending on the context.
• Develop teachers’ mindsets, entailing openness, curiosity, responsiveness, and willingness to use technology and materials.
  • Examples: Adapt to changes in technology; for example, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) could be allowed in certain cases in the classroom, with the regulation of the school and the teacher.
• Provide teachers with different forms of supporting material and training in their own time and pace.
  • Examples: Provide teachers with regular training opportunities, and the effective use of technology can help them enhance their skills and knowledge.
• Take a human-centered approach focusing on teachers' well-being, health, and rights.
  • Examples: Encourage teachers to develop their emotional intelligence skills.

2.3 Educational Stakeholders’ Perspective

• Be open to collaboration opportunities and technological development opportunities (e.g., seminars) with other educational stakeholders.
  • Examples: The educational stakeholders, in addition to students and teachers, could be, e.g. parents, policymakers, school administrators, education practitioners, education technologists, education designers, and educational researchers. All stakeholders play a crucial role in the educational ecosystem and should be actively engaged in collaboration.
• Be aware of potential challenges in collaboration between educational stakeholders.
  • Examples: The potential challenges could be such as differing priorities, time constraints, or lack of communication channels.
• Promote equity and inclusion and ensure diverse representation within these collaborations between educational professionals.
  • Examples: Arrange workshops that include stakeholders from different backgrounds, thus bridging the gap between what's learnt and how it can be implemented later in the future.
• Build a stakeholder community between teachers and other educational stakeholders.
  • Examples: Create networks of schools in which teachers and students can communicate their relevant projects and practices. Foster a sense of community through skills sharing and helping with information and support.
• Ensure knowledge transferability and best practices in different institutions and sectors (e.g., schools and universities).
  • Examples: Schedule activities together with other institutions and sectors to facilitate discussions and lessons learned among stakeholders. Utilise links with other agencies and educational bodies to support and enhance teaching and learning during DT projects.
• Provide educational stakeholders with adequate access to infrastructure to facilitate potential collaboration.
  • Examples: Provide access to a 3D printer through the city or school network, allowing teachers to reserve it for DT activities incorporating ET.

2.4 Technology Perspective

• Equip students with flexibility in modalities and playfulness in technologies and tools used in DT activities.
  • Examples: Use Blockly programming environments or game design-related tools that are friendly and motivating for students.
• Respect the rights of the users of technologies and ensure they receive clear, straightforward information about the technology's and system's nature and capabilities.
  • Examples: Allocate proper time for familiarization and training on using the technology, and showcase what the technology can do for DT. Explain clearly how data will be collected, stored, and used.
• Legitimise data collection and ensure consent is genuinely informed and freely given; data is truly anonymised.
  • Examples: Secure cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access.
• Guarantee individual privacy in data collection, storage, and management.
  • Examples: Consider the informed consent of the participants of the project (e.g., students, teachers and parents), especially when personal data is collected. Make sure the safe collection of data is in accordance with general data protection regulation (GDPR) requirements and can inform future teaching and learning.
• Adopt clear and transparent obligations with any external agencies involved with the data.
  • Examples: Given the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in educational technologies, efforts should address considerations for ethical AI and mitigating algorithmic bias.
• Respect data ownership and be open about the intentions and objectives of data collection.
  • Examples: Offer users the option to opt out or control their data preferences.
• Encourage the development of long-term plans for integrating DT with ET in educational settings.
  • Examples: This could be done by securing funding, developing teacher professional development programs, and creating partnerships with technology providers.

2.5 Sustainability Perspective

• Consider sustainable education and address global sustainability challenges in DT projects, including climate change, unsustainable use of resources, and inequality.
  • Examples: Ensure the DT projects are relevant and meaningful for students and linked to real-life situations. Connect sustainability issues and sustainability development goals (SDGs) in the DT project to real life so that students can transfer skills learnt in the classroom to their everyday lives.
• Promote sustainable practices in technology procurement, usage, and disposal within educational institutions.
  • Examples: This could be done through, e.g., selecting energy-efficient devices, reducing electronic waste, and promoting awareness of the environmental impact of technology use. Consider the full potential of green data centres and the efficiency of technologies in terms of their use of energy and resources and other sustainability aspects.

3. Guidelines on Competencies

3.1 Digital Competencies

• Give students and teachers opportunities to acquire and enhance the basic skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to use digital tools and technologies.
  • Examples: This includes basic computer skills, understanding of how to access data, internet and information navigation, and proficiency in interactively and effectively using tools. Consider integrating digital competencies into the broader curriculum across different subject areas and grade levels.
• Focus on students' and teachers' understanding of the importance of digital security, privacy measures, and information literacy.
  • Examples: This includes basic knowledge of cybersecurity practices, including password management, protecting personal information, and recognising and avoiding online threats, misinformation and fake news.
• Connect the use of technologies for DT and skills acquisition for students and teachers.
  • Examples: Consider incorporating important digital competencies such as critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and adaptability into DT projects with ET.
• Focus on students' and teachers' ability to create and express themselves using digital tools and platforms.
  • Examples: This may include basic skills in digital content creation, such as video editing, coding, graphic design, and creative problem-solving using digital technologies.

3.2 Professional Competencies

• Focus on students' skills, knowledge, and attitudes that support their self-management.
  • Examples: Enhance students' skills and abilities in self-management and organisation, including planning and setting goals, time management and creating schedules, managing resources and self-motivation.
• Strengthen students' collaboration and teamwork abilities.
  • Examples: This includes respecting diverse perspectives, sharing responsibilities in groups, collaborating with peers, and valuing teamwork.
• Actively practice students' abilities in presentation and communication.
  • Examples: Consider developing good verbal and written communication skills such as expressing ideas clearly, presenting information effectively, and listening actively.
• Foster students' 21st-century skills and design literacy.
  • Examples: Design literacy involves teaching students the values of participatory design, raising their awareness about decision-making in technology design, and the potential impact of technology. Ensure the students can empathise with the users and understand the iterative nature of the DT process.
• Focus on teachers’ professional engagement, such as organisational communication, professional collaboration, and reflective practice.
  • Examples: Provide structured opportunities for teachers to engage in reflection, such as through journaling, peer observation, self-assessment, or professional learning communities, to improve teaching practice and continuously strive for professional growth and development.
• Take into account teachers' commitment to continuous professional development.
  • Examples: Promote a culture of lifelong learning and innovation among teachers through continuous professional development opportunities. This includes attending teacher professional development workshops and seminars, participating in professional learning communities, gaining advanced degrees, seeking potential opportunities for growth, and staying abreast of best practices.

3.3 Pedagogical Competencies

• Focus on teachers' content knowledge, e.g., understanding of the subject matter or discipline to teach.
  • Examples: Use technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) as a framework to prepare teachers with related knowledge to integrate DT with ET.
• Consider teachers' teaching strategies and assessment practices, e.g., incorporating diverse teaching techniques to engage and support students.
  • Examples: Empower teachers to practice and be familiar with pedagogical processes and use a wide variety of teaching tools, resources and methods to get the best learning outcomes and meet the needs of diverse students.
• Emphasis on teachers’ DT knowledge and mindset.
  • Examples: Ensure teachers understand the DT methodology and its potential benefits to learning and related 21st-century skill development.
• Consider teachers' technology integration skills, e.g., utilising digital tools, software, and platforms to support teaching, instruction, assessment, and communication with students and other stakeholders in ways that add value to DT.
  • Examples: Align the expected learning outcomes in the curriculum design with the affordance of ET.
• Pay attention to and practice teachers' classroom management skills.
  • Examples: This includes implementing strategies for behaviour and disciplinary management, fostering a respectful and safe classroom culture and promoting a sense of belonging for students.

3.4 Personal-Ethical Competencies

• Beware of and manage their personal experience and well-being, as well as that of others (e.g., students, teachers).
  • Examples: Promote the expression of personal ideas, values, and cultural backgrounds while designing solutions for DT projects. Emphasis on critical reflection and ethical decision-making, and providing support for mental health and well-being.
• Persist in the face of challenges in learning DT with ET and adhere to the intended course of action.
  • Examples: Consider embracing a growth mindset, a willingness to learn and adapt to new learning opportunities continuously, and being open to acquiring new competencies.
• Consider the impacts of digital technologies on people, society, and the environment.
  • Examples: Consider a healthy and balanced relationship with digital technologies, such as managing screen time, understanding the impact of these digital technologies on mental and physical health, and practising self-care in the digital era. This includes understanding the ethical implications of sharing and accessing digital content and the societal implications of technology in decision-making. Also, consider practising responsible online behaviour, respecting copyrights and intellectual property rights, and exercising digital citizenship, ethics, and judgment.
• Consider safety issues with the use of digital ET by students in a DT project.
  • Examples: Designing geolocation games requires getting outside the classroom, students should not use 3D printing unattended, etc.