SELFIE for teachers : designing and developing a self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence.
Date: 2023-04-19
Institutions: Joint Research Centre
Subjects: apprenticeship, digital literacy, digital technology, learning technique, new educational methods, report, teacher, teacher training

ISSN 1831-9424 

SCIENCE FOR POLICY REPORT

SELFIEforTEACHERS
Designing and developing a self-reﬂection tool for teachers’ digital competence

Based on DigCompEdu (the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators)

2023

Joint
Research
Centre

Economou, A.

EUR 31475 EN

This  publication  is  a  Science  for  Policy  report  by  the  Joint  Research  Centre  (JRC),  the  European 
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Contact information

Name: Anastasia Economou
Email: Anastasia.ECONOMOU@ec.europa.eu

EU Science Hub

https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu

JRC131282
EUR 31475 EN

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    ISSN 1018-5593        doi:10.2760/40528         KJ-NA-31-475-EN-C

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    ISSN 1831-9424        doi:10.2760/561258       KJ-NA-31-475-EN-N

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How  to  cite  this  report:  Economou,  A.,  SELFIEforTEACHERS.  Designing  and 
developing a self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence, Publications 
Office  of  the  European  Union,  Luxembourg,  2023,  doi:10.2760/561258, 
JRC131282.

Layout: Carmen Capote de la Calle

Abstract

Digital competence is a core element of teachers’ professional profile. Based on 
DigCompEdu, the European conceptual framework for the Digital Competence 
of Educators, SELFIEforTEACHERS is a self-reflection tool to support building of 
digital competence for primary and secondary teachers. Through a self-reflection 
process, teachers can self-assess their digital competence, identifying strengths 
and weaknesses. Based on the tool feedback, they can plan their professional 
learning and further development of their digital competence.

SELFIEforTEACHERS  aims  to  empower  teachers  to  actively  engage  in  their 
professional  learning  process  and  to  support  them  in  their  use  of  digital 
technologies  in  their  professional  context.  It  is  a  learning  journey  rather  than 
an assessment tool. At the same time, it provides a tool for education systems 
to  support  teachers  in  their  professional  development.  Aggregated  results 
generated by self-reflections within a group, support planning of professional 
development programmes.

The report describes the design and development of the tool and presents the 
tool and its content.

SELFIEforTEACHERS is available online for teachers across Europe and beyond. It is 
currently available in 29 languages, including all official languages of the European 
Union. It is an action of the European Commission Digital Education Action Plan 2021-
2027.

Anastasia Economou

SELFIEforTEACHERS
A self-reflection tool for
teachers’ digital competence

Joint
Research
Centre

4. SELFIEforTEACHERS items and feedback........................................................................26
5. Conclusions..........................................................................................................................................85
References..................................................................................................................................................87
List of abbreviations and definitions.......................................................................................89
List of figures............................................................................................................................................90
List of tables.............................................................................................................................................90
Annexes........................................................................................................................................................91
Annex 1. SELFIEforTEACHERS scoring scheme.................................................................92
Annex 2. Results and feedback report (a demo example).........................................93
Annex 3. SELFIEforTEACHERS glossary.............................................................................107
Annex 4. SELFIEforTEACHERS use cases..........................................................................110
Annex 5. SELFIEforTEACHERS items in relation
to the DigCompEdu framework key competences.......................................................116
Annex 6. Expert workshop.......................................................................................................118

Contents

Foreword.........................................................................................................................................................1
Ackowledgements....................................................................................................................................2
Executive summary.................................................................................................................................3
1. Introduction.............................................................................................................................................5
1.1 Policy context and background...........................................................................................5
1.2 The research study....................................................................................................................5
1.3 SELFIEforTEACHERS approach............................................................................................6
2. SELFIEforTEACHERS...........................................................................................................................8
2.1 Content........................................................................................................................................12
2.2 Glossary.......................................................................................................................................12
2.3 Online platform.......................................................................................................................12
2.4 Ecosystem..................................................................................................................................13
2.5 Use cases...................................................................................................................................14
3. Methodology........................................................................................................................................15
3.1 Overview.....................................................................................................................................15
3.2 Conceptualisation...................................................................................................................15
3.2.1 The DigCompEdu framework..................................................................................16
3.2.2 The CheckIn testing tool............................................................................................17
3.3 The process...............................................................................................................................17
3.3.1 Desk research.................................................................................................................18
3.3.2 Content creation............................................................................................................18
3.3.2.1 Defining the self-reflection items................................................................19
3.3.2.2 Creating the items and the proficiency level statements...............20
3.3.2.3 Feedback report...................................................................................................21
3.3.3 Expert consultations....................................................................................................21
3.4 Pilot study...................................................................................................................................24
3.4.1 Pre-pilot.............................................................................................................................24
3.4.2 Pilot......................................................................................................................................25

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence

i

Foreword

The need for fast-developing and complex digital competences overwhelmed the 
whole of European society and economy; it caught, in several cases, our educational 
systems and teacher professional development systems unprepared to respond in 
time and quality.

The digital transition and digital transformation of education for quality teaching and 
learning is high on the European agenda. Teachers are to build digital competences 
for themselves as professionals, in their teaching, and for their students’ learning. 
Specific policies to implement this goal are being developed. SELFIEforTEACHERS, 
an online self-reflection tool to support the building of teachers’ digital competence, 
provides a contribution to this policy mission.

In  the  European  Commission  Digital  Education  Action  Plan  2021-2027,  digital 
competence is considered a core skill for all educators and training staff, that should 
be  embedded  in  all  areas  of  teacher  professional  development.  Following  the 
publication  of  the  European  Framework  for  the  Digital  Competence  of  Educators 
(DigCompEdu) in 2017, SELFIEforTEACHERS serves as a tool to facilitate and support 
the building of teachers’ digital competence.

The tool draws on DigCompEdu by transforming its key concepts into statements that 
are practical and relevant to teachers’ everyday practice, providing teachers with a 
self-reflection roadmap for their digital competence. By encouraging teachers to ask 
and answer the questions “where do I stand with respect to my digital knowledge, 
skills and attitudes?” and “where do I go next and how?” and providing personalised 
feedback, it encourages teachers to take the initiative and actively engage in their 
professional learning to build this relatively new, core competence.

By  developing,  piloting  and  making  openly  available  SELFIEforTEACHERS,  along 
with other initiatives -such as DigComp 2.2 (the Digital Competence Framework for 
Citizens for the general digital competence of citizens across the EU and beyond), 
DigCompOrg  (the  European  Framework  for  Digitally  Competent  Educational 
Organisations)  and  the  SELFIE  tool  for  schools  and  Work  Based  Learning  for  the 
development of schools’ digital capacity- the Joint Research Center (JRC) and the 
Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and (DG EAC) contribute concretely 
to the efforts of the European Commission and national policy makers to support 
the  building  of  educators’  digital  competence  in  all  areas  of  their  professional 
development.

There will also be further research and development, currently underway, to assess 
the  tool  effectiveness  at  large  scale  and  to  explore  and  identify  key  factors  and 
practices that support its use and further improvement.

Yves Punie, Deputy Head of Unit 
Algorithmic Transparency
Directorate T – Digital
Transformation and Data
Joint Research Centre
European Commission

Michael Teutsch, Head of Unit
Schools and Multilingualism
Directorate B – Youth, Education
and Erasmus+
DG Education, Youth, Sport and Culture
European Commission

1

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceAcknowledgements

SELFIEforTEACHERS  is  the  result  of  a  collaborative  process,  during  which  several 
people  contributed  to  its  various  stages  of  design  and  development.  The  author 
would like to express her gratitude to all the people involved and in particular the 
SELFIEforTEACHERS team and all the experts who contributed through consultations, 
workshops, and contractual work:

Stefania Bocconi, Margarida Lucas and Conor Galvin, who in close collaboration with 
the JRC team revised the tool content for the pre-pilot, as well as discussed and 
suggested revisions after the pre-pilot and pilot results. Tabetha Newman for a final 
edit of the tool content for the pre-pilot version. 

The pilot study consortium and their collaborators who studied the tool reliability 
and validity: Mart Laanpere, Stefania Bocconi, Margarida Lucas, Valentina Dagienė, 
Gabrielė  Stupurienė,  Vaino  Brazdeikis,  Chiara  Malagoli,  and  Linda-Helene  Sillat.  
Artur Pokropek for his support in the analysis of the study psychometric results.

The consultation workshop experts: Katrien Bernaerts, Stefania Bocconi, Rodríguez-
Antonio  de  Padua-Palacios,  Nuno  Dorotea,  Conor  Galvin,  Mina  Ghomi,  Georgia 
Gyftoula, César Herrero-Rámila, Anna Kostetska, Mart Laanpere, Margarida Lucas, 
Laura Mattioli, Kleanthis Noou, Robert O‘Dowd, and Clara-Maria Vizoso-Martin.

The members of the Education and Training 2020 Working Group on Digital Education 
(DELTA) who provided useful insights from the different national perspectives. The 
DELTA WG coordinators Simona Petkova and Kristina Larsen for their support. 

The JRC, DG EAC and DG CONNECT colleagues who at different stages contributed based 
on  their  expertise  and  experience  to  the  tool  development:  Jonatan  Castano-Munoz, 
Nikoleta  Giannoutsou,  Andreia  Inamorato-dos-Santos,  Panagiotis  Kampylis,  Annika 
Östergren-Pofantis, Arianna Sala, Margarita Spasova, Maria Spyridonos, Ana-Maria Stan, 
Riina Vuorikari, and Lilian Weikert-Garcia. Romina Cachia for her review of this report.

2

The IT colleagues at JRC who provided their expertise and experience in the online 
platform  development:  Miguel-Angel  Lopez-Lontro,  Rafael  Gonzalez-Manzano, 
Esperanza Moreno-Cruz, and Estrella Vaca-Campayo.

Carmen Capote for designing the layout of the report in a creative way.

Thanasis Hadzilacos for taking the role of a critical friend and provided his review 
and suggestions on this report.   

Above  all,  special  thanks  are  given  to  the  SELFIEforTEACHERS  team:  Georgios 
Kapsalis for his continuous support and input, and Laura Molina Iglesias for her work 
on  the  tool  platform  and  tool  communication.  Deirdre  Hodson,  the  project  officer 
from DG EAC, for her valuable input and continuous support.  

Lastly but not least, special thanks are due to Ioannis Maghiros and  Yves Punie, Head 
and Deputy Head of the Human Capital and Employment Unit (JRC.B4) and Michael 
Teutsch and Anna-Maria Giannopoulou Head and Deputy Head of the Schools and 
Multilingualism Unit (DG EAC.B2), who provided their support and input at all times.   

Author

Anastasia Economou

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceExecutive summary

Policy context

Education systems in Europe are increasingly promoting the use of digital technologies 
in  teaching  and  learning,  pursuing  a  digital  transformation  in  education.  In  2017, 
the  European  Framework  for  the  Digital  Competence  of  Educators  (DigCompEdu) 
captured  and  described  the  digital  competence  of  educators,  responding  to  the 
growing awareness that educators need a set of digital competences specific to their 
profession to be able to seize the potential of digital technologies for enhancing and 
innovating  education  (Redecker,  2017).  The  COVID-19  health  crisis  imposed  online 
and remote teaching to many schools across Europe, leading to a growing demand for 
educators’ professional development programmes and support to build their digital 
competence (Di Pietro et al., 2020; OECD, 2021; Carretero Gomez et al., 2021). The 
European  Commission  Digital  Education  Action  Plan  2021-20271,  Action  5  under 
Strategic Priority 1 “Fostering the development of a high-performing digital education 
ecosystem”, suggested the launch of an online self-assessment tool for teachers.

their  digital  competence.  The  tool  provides  32  items  which  correspond  to  the  six 
areas of competences in the DigCompEdu framework and describe six proficiency levels 
per item with examples relevant to teachers’ professional practice. On completing 
their self-reflection, teachers receive a report with their results and feedback with 
suggestions on how to level up.   

The tool is based on work carried out by the European Commission’s Joint Research 
Centre (JRC), on behalf of the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and 
Culture (DG EAC). It was launched on 5 October 2021 (World Teachers Day) in five 
languages (English, French, German, Greek and Slovenian), and as of January 2022 
is available in 29 languages. 

SELFIEforTEACHERS links:

 ‣
 ‣
 ‣

The tool: https://educators-go-digital.jrc.ec.europa.eu
About the tool: https://ec.europa.eu/educators-go-digital
#SELFIEforTEACHERS_EU

Key conclusions - SELFIEforTEACHERS

Main findings 

The research undertaken led to SELFIEforTEACHERS. SELFIEforTEACHERS provides a 
two-fold solution: a tool to guide teachers in self-assessing their digital competence, 
and a process to help teachers reflect on their results and support them to further 
build their digital competence. 

SELFIEforTEACHERS  moves  from  the  DigCompEdu  conceptual  framework  to  a 
practical  tool  for  primary  and  secondary  teachers,  transforming  the  competence 
descriptors in the framework into self-reflection items to help teachers self-assess 

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52020DC0624
1 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52020DC0624

SELFIEforTEACHERS is a valid and reliable tool for primary and secondary teachers in 
Europe to self-assess their digital competence, as confirmed by the tool pilot study. 
At the same time, there is high acceptance and appreciation of the tool among users, 
as confirmed by the follow-up study in the pilot implementation using quantitative 
and qualitative approaches.

The use of a solid and scientific conceptual framework, DigCompEdu, as a benchmark 
for  the  tool’s  self-reflection  items  proved  to  support  the  scientific  soundness  of 
the  tool,  as  confirmatory  factor  analysis  confirmed  the  tool’s  six  areas  and  the 
corresponding  items.  The  tool  design  and  development  process,  which  included 

3

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceiterative  consultations  with  experts  and  education  representatives  from  Member 
States, increased inclusivity and collective work. The co-construction process created 
a sense of ownership, and several countries have already included the use of the 
tool in their national digital education strategies. 

The tool can be adopted as is by education stakeholders, but it has the flexibility to 
be adapted to meet institutional and contextual requirements in different countries 
and different educational sectors. 

Related and future JRC work

The  JRC  has  developed  a  number  of  reference  frameworks  for  individuals’ 
competence development. The first of these, the Digital Competence Framework for 
Citizens (DigComp), was published in 2013 (with a recent update to DigComp 2.2 
in 2022). Since then, a number of other frameworks have been developed, such as 
the Entrepreneurship Competence Framework (EntreComp), the Personal, Social and 
Learning to learn competence framework (LifeComp), the European sustainability 
competence  framework  (GreenComp),  the  European  Framework  for  Digitally 
Competent Educational Organisations (DigCompOrg) and the European Framework 
for  the  Digital  Competence  of  Educators  (DigCompEdu).  These  frameworks  can 
provide a common reference for policy makers, researchers, regional authorities and 
other stakeholders, and serve as a starting point for discussing, planning, designing 
and developing different instruments, actions, policies, strategies and research for 
developing a competence.

A self-reflection tool, SELFIE that incorporates a module on work-based learning (SELFIE 
WBL), has been developed based on DigCompOrg to support the building of the schools’ 
digital capacity. SELFIEforTEACHERS is a new tool based on DigCompEdu, developed to 
support the building of the teachers’ individual digital competence.

Quick guide to the report

This  report  aims  to  contribute  to  the  efforts  of  education  stakeholders,  including 
teachers, trainers, researchers, regional and national authorities, to offer meaningful 
and effective professional development opportunities for teachers to further build 
their digital competence. 

It  consists  of  three  parts  in  addition  to  the  introduction.  The  first  part  gives  an 
overview  of  SELFIEforTEACHERS;  the  second  part  explains  the  process  for  the 
design and development of the tool; and the third part presents the tool items and 
feedback.  Each  self-reflection  item  is  presented  under  the  relevant  competence 
area with an introductory statement explaining what the competence entails, the six 
proficiency level statements and the feedback with suggestions for each proficiency 
level.  The report also provides a glossary for the tool, as well as ‘use cases’ for the 
tool implementation. 

More detailed and in-depth analysis of a complete tool pilot study will be available 
in  additional  reports,  describing  the  validation  of  the  tool  through  psychometrics 
and  quantitative  methods,  and  user  perception  of  the  tool  through  a  qualitative 
study. A toolkit, providing information about the tool and step-by-step guidance for 
users, has been also published2. Some small excerpts from the Toolkit publication 
are included verbatim in this report.

4

2 Economou, A., SELFIEforTEACHERS Toolkit  - Using SELFIEforTEACHERS, Publications Office of the 
European Union, Luxembourg, 2023, doi:10.2760/626409

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence1. Introduction

1.1 Policy context and background
The provision of high quality and inclusive digital education for all learners is high on 
the European agenda. Education and training systems are increasingly developing 
strategies and policies to support the digital transition in education, acknowledging 
educators’ key role in the digital transformation of education.

The  teaching  profession  needs  educators  equipped  with  even  broader  and  more 
sophisticated competences to respond to rapidly changing demands in teaching and 
learning. The COVID-19 health crisis exposed education systems to the challenge 
of continuing educational provision through online and remote settings. As not all 
educators were necessarily equipped with the skills and competences to respond to 
the new challenges, there has been an increasing need to support skilling, reskilling 
and upskilling of educators in order to harness the benefits and opportunities, as 
well as the challenges that digital technologies can offer for teaching and learning.

According to the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) in 2018, 
just over half of teachers (56%) across participating countries had received training 
in ‘use of ICT for teaching’ as part of their formal education or training, and only 43% 
felt well or very well prepared for this element (OECD, 2019). While Member States 
are responsible for the content of teaching and the organisation of their education 
and training systems, the DEAP consultation (European Commission, 2020) showed 
that respondents believe that action at European level should support professional 
development for teachers, and they rated teachers’ digital skills and competences 
as a very important component of digital education. Supporting actions can include 
trainings through cooperation, the exchange of good practice, frameworks, research, 
recommendations and other tools to contribute to the development of quality and 
inclusive education.

This need is addressed in the European Commission Digital Education Action Plan 
2021-2027 (DEAP), where the digital competence of educators is addressed as one 
of the guiding principles:

Digital  competence  should  be  a  core  skill  for  all  educators  and  training 
staff  and  should  be  embedded  in  all  areas  of  teacher  professional 
development,  including  initial  teacher  education.  Educators  are  highly 
knowledgeable  and  skilled  professionals  that  need  the  confidence  and 
skills to use technology effectively and creatively to engage and motivate 
their learners, support the acquisition of digital skills by learners and to 
ensure that digital tools and platform used are accessible to all learners. 
Teachers  and  trainers  should  have  access  to  ongoing  opportunities  for 
professional  learning  and  development  tailored  to  their  needs  and  their 
discipline. (European Commission, 2020)

Moreover, under the DEAP Strategic Priority 1 “Fostering the development of a high-
performing digital education ecosystem” Action 5 includes the launch of an online 
self-assessment  tool  for  teachers  based  on  the  European  Framework  for  Digital 
Competence of Educators.

1.2 The research study

Responding to the need to offer effective professional development opportunities 
to  foster  digitally  competent  teachers  across  Europe,  the  European  Commission 
undertook  the  present  research  study  with  the  main  objective  to  develop  an  up-
to-date and scientifically valid and reliable tool to support the building of primary 
and secondary teachers’ digital competence. The online tool is an integral part of a 
comprehensive professional learning process through self-reflection. Through self-
reflection, teachers are encouraged to actively engage and assume a central role 

5

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competencein their professional learning, by capturing their current digital competence through 
guiding self-reflection items and by receiving feedback that helps them plan training 
activities. The study took into account that while education systems should provide 
teachers with education and training opportunities and support, teachers should at 
the same time be encouraged to take ownership of their professional learning and 
development  and  act  as  reflective  practitioners,  capable  of  identifying  their  own 
training needs and mapping out their learning pathways in a context of autonomous 
lifelong learning (European Commission, 2007). 

The  research  study  used  the  definition  of  competence  as  a  combination  of 
knowledge, skills, and attitudes, as introduced in the European Recommendation on 
Key Competences for Life-long Learning (European Council, 2006), as well as the 
updated  definition  of  digital  competence  in  the  Council  Recommendation  on  Key 
Competences for Lifelong Learning in 2018: 

Digital competence involves the confident, critical, and responsible use 
of, and engagement with, digital technologies for learning, at work, and 
for  participation  in  society.  It  includes  information  and  data  literacy, 
communication  and  collaboration,  media  literacy,  digital  content 
creation  (including  programming),  safety  (including  digital  well-being 
and competences related to cybersecurity), intellectual property related 
questions,  problem  solving  and  critical  thinking.  (European  Council, 
2018)

The DigCompEdu framework was used as the basis for the SELFIEforTEACHERS tool, 
guiding teachers to understand what is meant by educators’ digital competence and 
helping  them  to  position  themselves  at  a  digital  competence  proficiency  level.  It 
did this by transforming the framework key competences into practical statements, 
with examples relevant to teachers’ practice, to facilitate their understanding of the 
framework and guide their self-reflection. The framework 22 key competences were 
studied and deconstructed through their descriptors, aided by the activity examples 
provided in the framework. From the 22 competences 32 self-reflection items were 
derived (in some cases, multiple items are associated with one competence, and in 
other cases new items were created to emphasise some aspects of teachers’ digital 
competence based on emerging educational needs), providing six proficiency level 
statements based on the framework progression model. 

6

The research study incorporated a pilot implementation to test the reliability and 
validity  of  the  tool,  using  psychometric  statistical  methods  in  combination  with 
quantitative and qualitative research to explore users’ reception of the tool.  

In summary, the research study proposed a solution that entails an online tool and 
a self-reflection process and envisions an ecosystem around it that can empower 
teachers’  active  engagement  and  agency  in  assuming  a  central  role  in  their 
professional learning, initiating and designing their learning pathways.  The output 
of the research study was SELFIEforTEACHERS.

1.3  SELFIEforTEACHERS approach

SELFIEforTEACHERS supports teachers reflect upon and further develop their digital 
competence. After completing their self-reflection, users receive a personal report 
with their results, showing their proficiency level in each of the 32 items and also 
averaged by competence area. Teachers also receive suggestions for next steps for 
further development. 

SELFIEforTEACHERS is not designed for external assessment of teachers’ performance 
but  for  empowering  teachers  to  identify  their  strengths  and  gaps  and  plan  their 
professional learning and development. The tool can be used by individual teachers 
or by a group of teachers (e.g. within a school, region, or discipline). In the latter case, 
the  tool  creates  an  aggregated  report  for  the  whole  group.  As  such,  the  tool  can 
contribute to European, national and regional efforts to support all citizens develop 
the  necessary  competences  to  use  digital  technologies  critically,  responsibly  and 
creatively,  by  fostering  digitally  competent  educators  who  can  facilitate  digitally 
competent students.

SELFIEforTEACHERS  follows  a  professional  learning  approach  using  critical  self-
reflection to support teachers identify their own needs through guided self-reflection 
items  and  to  take  action  based  on  their  results  to  further  develop  their  digital 
competence. Engaging in critical self-reflection can lead to engaging in strategies 
such as setting goals for continuing personal, professional and career development 
(Cheng,  2005).    The  self-reflection  process  in  SELFIEforTEACHERS  involves  firstly 
teachers reflecting on their digital competence using the tool items to self-assess 
their digital competence, and secondly reflecting on the tool feedback to plan their 
professional learning.    

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceThe full use of SELFIEforTEACHERS is a learning process in itself. Its items correspond 
to and describe the various aspects of a teacher’s digital competence. By reviewing 
statements about educator digital practices, teachers reflect on their own practice, 
and  by  positioning  themselves  on  each  item  they  realise  their  current  stage  of 
development  on  each  particular  corresponding  competence.  SELFIEforTEACHERS 
aims to enhance teachers’ agency in their professional development and support 
them as designers of their professional learning, based on their needs and aptitudes, 
by providing a report giving results and feedback with suggestions on how to level up.  
The  tool  allows  teachers  to  start  the  process  of  professional  learning  on  digital 
technologies, either for their personal professional learning path or for a group with 
which  they  choose  to  work.  Properly  used,  the  tool  can  help  teacher  trainers  and 
policy  makers  to  support  teachers’  professional  development.  For  this,  they  must 
provide  a  self-reflection  facilitating  context  for  teachers  to  use  the  tool,  and  use 
of  anonymised  aggregated  results  to  support  planning  training  programmes  and 
creating resources (Figure 1).  

Figure 1. SELFIEforTEACHERS scope

SELFIEforTEACHERS  supports  individual  teachers  to  initiate  their  professional 
learning  paths  by  using  the  tool  at  any  point  in  time,  independently  of  any 
organisational context. Teachers can benefit from both (a) the self-reflection as a 
learning and development process, and (b) the self-reflection outcomes based on 
what further action is to be taken. At both stages, teachers can work individually or 
in collaboration with peers. The tool gives them the option to set up or participate 
in  a  group,  making  it  possible  to  plan  collaborative  learning  activities,  exchange 
practices  and  monitor  progress  over  time  or  measured  against  group  and  global 
averages. In addition, from a policy perspective, the tool allows education authorities 
to use anonymised aggregated data to support teachers’ professional development. 
Moreover, it provides a professional development context for teachers, which can 
be further enriched by training programmes, tools, resources and other measures 
introduced by education stakeholders. 

In  summary,  SELFIEforTEACHERS,  aims  to  help  teachers  take  initiative  in  their 
professional  learning  to  further  build  their  digital  competence,  and  to  provide 
support  for  institution  and  system-level  action.    Its  ultimate  goal  is  to  support 
teachers build their digital competence for their professional practice and their use 
of digital technologies to enhance teaching and learning, allowing students to reach 
their greatest learning potential while supporting development of their own digital 
competence.

Source: SELFIEforTEACHERS toolkit, 2023.

7

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence2.  SELFIEforTEACHERS

The  outcome  of  this  study  is  SELFIEforTEACHERS,  a  self-reflection  tool  to  help 
teachers build their digital competence through a self-reflection process.

The tool guides teachers through the construct of digital competence of educators 
as described in the DigCompEdu conceptual framework. By responding to the tool’s 
32  self-reflection  items  in  the  6  digital  competence  areas,  teachers  self-assess 
their  digital  competence  and  position  themselves  on  a  6-level  proficiency  scale. 
On completion of the self-reflection, teachers receive a personal report, with their 
results for each area and each item, and feedback and suggestions on how to level 
up. Teachers can identify their weaknesses and strengths and plan their professional 
learning paths to further build their digital competence. Teachers can initiate a self-
reflection at any time and complete it at their own pace in as many sessions as they 
need.

The tool can also be used for self-reflection within a group, for example a group of 
teachers of the same discipline (e.g. mathematics), a group of teachers from the 
same school or network of schools, a group of teachers in a training programme, or 
the teachers in a region. In this case, the tool provides a report with aggregated data 
which can be used to plan professional development activities as a group.

Teachers  can  monitor  their  progress  over  time  by  comparing  the  results  of  their 
self-reflections, as well as by positioning themselves with respect to the aggregated 
averages for their group or the global results (for all teachers using the tool).

Teacher’s  general  digital  competences  as  described  in  the  Digital  Competence 
Framework  for  Citizens  are  not  described  in  the  DigCompEdu  framework,  nor  in 
SELFIEforTEACHERS.  The  tool  comprises  items  for  the  educator-specific  digital 
competences as described in DigCompEdu, relevant to school teachers.

Figure 2. SELFIEforTEACHERS areas and items.

8

Source: SELFIEforTEACHERS tool infographics, 2021.

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence1. Professional 
engagement

Digital technologies can 
help teachers in their 
professional practice to 
access information and 
enhance their teaching and 
learning practices. Teachers 
can also use technology 
to communicate with and 
support students and 
parents, and to share and 
learn with colleagues and 
others beyond the school. 
Through digital technologies, 
teachers can enhance 
their own professional 
development, and support 
the overall improvement 
of their organisation and 
profession.

1.1. Organisational 
communication

Using digital technologies 
to enhance communication 
with colleagues and/or 
learners and/or parents.

1.2. Online learning 
environments

Managing online learning 
environments taking data 
management and ethics into 
account.

1.3. Professional 
collaboration

Using digital technologies to 
engage in collaboration and 
interactions with colleagues 
and/or other education 
stakeholders.

Table 1. SELFIEforTEACHERS overview.

2. Digital resources

3. Teaching and learning

4. Assessment

Digital technologies can 
enhance and improve 
teaching and learning 
practice in a number of 
ways. A key skill of teachers 
is to design learning with the 
use of digital technologies 
to help students to engage 
actively in authentic learning 
experiences. Advanced 
practice involves a shift from 
teacher-led to learner-
centred activities.

Digital technologies 
can enhance existing 
assessment practices 
and facilitate new and 
innovative ones. Teachers 
can use digital technologies 
to collect data to better 
support and assess learners, 
while enabling them to 
reflect and adapt their 
teaching practice.

Teachers have potentially 
a wide range of digital 
resources available to them. 
It is important for them to 
effectively identify resources 
that best fit their needs, 
their teaching style, and 
their learners. They may also 
need to learn how to modify 
and adapt resources to meet 
their exact requirements 
or create new ones. At the 
same time, they need to 
learn how to share digital 
resources responsibly, 
protect sensitive data, and 
manage content ethically 
and respect copyright rules.

2.1. Searching and selecting

3.1. Teaching

Using searching and selection 
criteria to identify digital 
resources for teaching and 
learning.

Designing, developing and 
support learning with the 
use of digital technologies to 
enhance learning outcomes.

2.2. Creating

3.2. Guidance

Creating digital resources that 
support and enhance teaching 
and learning aims.

2.3. Modifying

Modifying existing digital 
resources to support and 
enhance teaching and 
learning aims, respecting 
copyright and licencing rules.

2.4. Managing, protecting

Organising digital content, 

Using digital technologies 
in order to provide feedback 
and opportunities for 
reflection, leading to 
readjustment of teaching 
and learning practices for 
both teachers and learners.

3.3. Collaborative learning

Using digital technologies to 
foster and enhance learner 
collaboration for individual 
and collective learning.

4.1. Assessment strategies

Using digital technologies 
to support formative and 
summative assessment of 
learning.

4.2. Analysing evidence

Using digital technologies 
to collect and analyse 
evidence on students´ 
learning processes and 
outcomes.

4.3. Feedback and planning

Using digital technologies 
to provide feedback to 
learners, facilitating 
planning of further action.

5. Empowering
learners

Using digital technologies 
can help teachers to 
create innovative learning 
experiences, resulting in 
learners becoming more 
actively engaged. Digital 
technologies can be used 
by teachers to personalise 
learning and tailor it 
according to individual 
learners’ levels, interests 
and needs. However, it is 
important to avoid amplifying 
inequality, for example in 
terms of learner access to 
technology or lack of skills. 
Accessibility for all learners is 
crucial, including those with 
special educational needs.

5.1. Accessibility and 
inclusion

Ensuring access to digital 
resources and learning 
activities for all students, 
taking into consideration 
any contextual, physical or 
cognitive constraints to their 
use.

5.2. Differentiation and 
personalisation

Using digital technologies 
to address diverse learning 
needs and capabilities, by 
allowing learners to advance 
at different levels and 
speeds, and follow individual 
learning pathways and 
objectives.

6. Facilitating
learners’ digital 
competence

Teachers’ digital competence 
is important to support and 
facilitate the development 
of their learners’ digital 
competence.

6.1. Information and data 
literacy

Incorporating learning 
activities, which require 
learners to use digital 
technologies to search, 
evaluate and manage 
information and data in 
digital environments.

6.2. Communication and 
collaboration

Implementing learning 
activities that require 
learners to communicate 
and collaborate using digital 
technologies.

6.3. Content creation

Incorporating learning 

9

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceenabling easy and secure 
access for students, 
parents and teachers, while 
protecting sensitive and 
personal data.

2.5. Sharing

Sharing digital content 
with respect to intellectual 
property and copyright rules.

3.4. Self-regulated learning

Using digital technologies 
to enhance students’ 
self-regulated learning 
processes, fostering active 
and autonomous learning 
making students more 
responsible for their own 
learning, thereby shifting 
the focus from teaching to 
learning.

3.5. Emerging technologies

Using emerging technologies 
in ethical ways to explore 
novel learning experiences 
and content.

5.3. Actively engaging 
learners

Using digital technologies to 
foster learners’ active and 
creative engagement in their 
learning.

5.4. Blended learning

Using digital resources 
and tools, online learning 
environments and platforms 
to ensure students’ learning 
within and beyond the 
classroom.

activities that require 
learners to express 
themselves by creating 
digital artefacts.

6.4. Safety and wellbeing

Empowering learners to 
use digital technologies 
safely, while mitigating 
risks to ensure physical, 
psychological and social 
well-being.

6.5. Responsible use

Empowering learners to 
use digital technologies 
responsibly and ethically, 
managing their digital 
identity digital footprint and 
digital reputation.

6.6. Problem solving

Incorporating learning 
activities, where learners 
use digital technologies 
to understand and solve 
problems.

1.4. Digital technologies 
and school level 
infrastructure

Using digital technologies 
(devices, platforms and 
software) and infrastructure 
(internet access, local 
network) available in my 
school to enhance education.

1.5.  Reflective practice

Reflecting on my own and 
collective professional 
practice with the use of 
digital technologies.

1.6. Digital life

Contributing positively 
and ethically in the digital 
world, considering safe and 
responsible digital practices.

1.7. Professional 
learning (through digital 
technologies)

Using digital technologies 
for one’s own professional 
learning.

1.8. Professional learning 
(about digital technologies)

Engaging in professional 
learning activities for the 
development of teachers’ 
digital competence.

1.9. Computational thinking 

Engaging with computational 
thinking concepts and 
processes as part of teacher 
digital competence.

10

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceEach item in the tool comprises an introductory statement, followed by six statements 
reflecting different proficiency levels. Based on this model, each self-reflection item 
provides six proficiency statements with an allocation of one to six points (Annex 1).  
To help teachers understand their competence level, each statement (i) indicates the 
proficiency level by highlighting the action verbs, (ii) provides help text for complex 
terms, and (iii) gives indicative examples. Teachers are asked to choose the statement 
that best describes their current competence level. 

The six proficiency levels follow the progression model described in the DigCompEdu 
framework. To help users, the statements use ‘action verbs’ related to the proficiency 
level (Figure 3) and provide indicative examples relevant to teachers’ practice. The 
tool  also  provides  a  glossary  of  terms  and  help  text  related  to  teachers’  digital 
competence.  This  feature  supports  teachers’  learning  about  digital  competence, 
while at the same time supporting their understanding of the related competence.

Figure 3. SELFIEforTEACHERS proficiency levels.

A  seventh  option  ‘I  am  not  aware  of  this  competence’,  was  added  following  a 
suggestion in the pilot study, to ensure that all teachers can find a best fit for their 
current competence level. This option has zero points assigned towards the scoring 
of the competence level results. 

The tool generates an automated personal report for the teachers (Annex 2) with 
their results (Figure 4).

Figure 4. SELFIEforTEACHERS personal results (an example).

C2

C1

B2

B1

A2

A1

Source: SELFIEforTEACHERS tool infographics, 2021.

Source: SELFIEforTEACHERS toolkit, 2023.

The tool also provides teachers with personalised feedback based on their competence 
level in each self-reflection item with suggestions how to level up (Figure 5). Based 
on their results and the feedback received, teachers are encouraged to plan their 
professional learning to further develop their digital competence.

11

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceFigure 5. SELFIEforTEACHERS personalised feedback with suggestions on how to level up
(an example).

2.1 Content 

SELFIEforTEACHERS comprises 32 self-reflection items in 6 competence areas.  Each 
item is introduced by a description of the competence and provides six competence 
statements  following  a  six-level  proficiency  model.  Teachers  receive  their  results 
based on a score for each one of the items. They also receive feedback according to 
their competence level for each of the items, with suggestions on how to level up.  

In section 4 of this report, we present each one of the competence areas with its 
description,  the  items  underneath  each  area  with  their  introductory  statements, 
and  the  six  proficiency  level  statements.  For  each  proficiency  level,  the  feedback 
provided to the teachers is also presented.

2.2 Glossary

SELFIEforTEACHERS includes some terms from recent literature that might not be well 
understood by teachers in all contexts, for example ‘learning design’ or technical terms 
such as ‘maker spaces’. Some other terms are also used in the context of the tool 
with a specific meaning, for example ‘various’. To facilitate teachers’ understanding 
of the competence level statements, these terms are indicated as text with help text 
available on hover. The glossary used for these terms is presented in Annex 3.

Source: SELFIEforTEACHERS toolkit, 2023.

The tool was launched on 5 October 2021 in five languages and as of January 2021 
is available online in 29 languages.

2.3 Online platform     

Translation  of  the  tool  into  the  EU  official  languages  was  undertaken  by  the 
European  Commission  translation  services.  As  the  translation  was  more  of  an 
adaptation than a linguistic translation alone, each translation was then reviewed 
by national education experts, to ensure the quality of the translations in reference 
to  terms  used  in  the  educational  context  of  the  countries.  The  following  process 
was  established  for  translation/adaptation  of  the  tool:  (1)  Linguistic  translation, 
(2)  Review  for  adaptation  to  specific  language  context,  (3)  Reverse  translation 
(random selection of 10% of the content to translate back to English and compare), 
(4) Testing of translation with teachers (about 10 teachers from both primary and 
secondary education), and (5) Finalisation of the translation. 

SELFIEforTEACHERS  is  hosted  online  on  an  in-house  custom-made  platform.  This 
provides the flexibility to build a user interface with features to fit the design and aims 
of the tool, while allowing for quality control based on the European Commission’s 
ethics and policies, such as data privacy and security, and free and equal access.  

The design of the platform follows learning design principles, supporting teachers’ 
learning  needs  as  adult  professionals.  This  includes  providing  a  user  dashboard 
where they can manage their self-reflections, save their results in different sessions, 
compare  results  over  time  and  with  averages  for  groups  of  users,  access  their 
results and feedback reports whenever needed, and download and print their digital 

12

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competencebadges and certificates of participation. The platform also supports teachers to take 
initiative  for  their  own  learning,  as  any  teacher  can  begin  their  self-reflection  by 
simply creating an account at any point in time. Furthermore, it allows users act as 
a group creator and invite teachers to take self-reflection within a group, with the 
option of sharing their anonymised results to help plan professional development 
activities for the group. Group creators have access to the group’s aggregated results 
for further analysis if needed.

An important aspect of the design of the platform hosting SELFIEforTEACHERS is 
that  it  gives  flexibility  and  adaptability  through  planned  features  that  will  allow 
adding a new education sector or new area, or adding or removing items to suit the 
needs of a specific group.

2.4 Ecosystem  

The  SELFIEforTEACHERS  tool  aims  to  help  teachers  further  develop  their  digital 
competence  and  subsequently  use  digital  technologies  for  the  benefit  of  their 
students. The tool encourages teachers to take action following their self-reflection 
results,  and  aims  to  establish  an  ecosystem  to  support  its  users  on  their  learning 
journeys.

Supporting material – including videos, infographics and other resources – has been 
developed to provide information about the tool and guidelines on how to use it. A 
dedicated website serves as the gateway to this material and provides news and 
updates about the tool.

Moreover,  good  practices  by  various  users  in  implementing  the  tool  are  being 
collected and shared. Teachers are starting to share stories on how they are using 
SELFIEforTEACHERS, with some already presented in webinars and on online shared 
platforms (such as the DigCompEdu ePosters platform). Furthermore, the DigCompEdu 
community serves as an initial hub where researchers, educators, teachers and other 
stakeholders can start discussions about SELFIEforTEACHERS and its implementation. 

The SELFIEforTEACHERS expert network brings together experts and practitioners who 
contributed to the tool development to further support the use of SELFIEforTEACHERS 
by implementing various use cases in different contexts across Europe and exchanging 
practices.  The  network  aims  to  facilitate  knowledge  and  experience  sharing  while 
building a strong community for SELFIEforTEACHERS users. A workshop on 2-3 June 
2022 marked the kick-off of the expert network.

While  SELFIEforTEACHERS  encourages  teachers  to  have  agency  and  active 
participation in their learning, institutional and systemic support is also very important 
to facilitate their further development and to provide support on their professional 
learning paths. Teachers need access to learning resources and to communities to 
meet their learning needs, to receive feedback and to exchange good practices (steps 
4 and 5, Figure 6).

Figure 6. SELFIEforTEACHERS professional learning process.

6

Take the self-reﬂection 
again to see progress

1

Take the 
self-reﬂection 

Apply new competences 
in professional practice

2

Receive the individual 
feedback report

Implement the plan – e.g. training 
courses, communities of practice, 
working with colleagues 

3

Design a professional 
learning plan

Source: SELFIEforTEACHERS tool infographics, 2021.

5

4

13

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceA  number  of  projects  have  been  launched  in  relation  to  SELFIEforTEACHERS  by 
different stakeholders, including the development of teacher training programmes, 
and educational resources, and the implementation of teaching and learning using 
digital  technologies.  The  SELFIEforTEACHERS  ecosystem  envisages  to  promote  a 
repository for all this material, which would correspond to the six digital competence 
areas, and which would support teachers in implementing their professional learning 
paths and in sharing their learning achievements.

2.5 Use cases  

SELFIEforTEACHERS is not a test or a survey; it is a tool for self-reflection to support 
teachers’  digital  competence  and  encourage  them  to  take  action  based  on  their 
results and the feedback provided.

Various use cases have been described for the tool; these are general descriptions of 
how the SELFIEforTEACHERS tool can be used in a particular setting (i.e. hypothetical 
but  possible  scenarios  of  how  it  could  be  implemented).  Implementation  of  a 
SELFIEforTEACHERS use case refers to how the use case will be carried out in practice 
(i.e. the application of a potential scenario for a use case). The various use cases are 
defined by who is using the tool (e.g. individual teachers, groups of teachers, school 
leaders,  teacher  educators,  teacher  trainers,  education  authorities)  and  for  what 
purpose (e.g. design individual learning paths, use aggregated data for planning). A 
number of use cases are presented in Annex 4, following a structure that describes 
the target of the use case (who), the context in which it may take place (context), 
actions to be taken (action), how it can be implemented (how to) and how to follow 
up (follow up). 

These use cases can support exploration of how the tool can be used effectively in 
different educational contexts and settings, for example by networks of teachers and 
schools, in initial teacher education, by in-service training institutes and by education 
authorities. Implementations of the use cases can provide practices and insights into 
key factors – enablers and barriers - that can support the aim of the tool, i.e. to build 
teachers’ digital competence. 

14

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence3.  Methodology 

3.1  Overview  

3.2  Conceptualisation  

To  develop  SELFIEforTEACHERS,  the  research  team  used  the  European  Digital 
Competence  of  Educators  (DigCompEdu)  as  a  benchmark  for  teachers’  digital 
competence.  As  DigCompEdu  addresses  educators  of  all  education  levels,  we 
performed a content analysis of the framework to adapt it specifically to primary and 
secondary teachers in Europe, taking into consideration emerging educational needs 
and  approaches.  We  then  designed  a  number  of  self-reflection  items  following  the 
framework six competence areas and reflecting the framework key competences and 
crucial aspects/subsets. These items are presented with a title name, an introductory 
statement describing the specific competence they correspond to, and six proficiency 
level statements with teacher practice examples to guide teachers identify their current level.

To address the need to support building teachers’ digital competence through an 
online self-reflection tool for teachers based on the European Framework for Digital 
Competence  of  Educators  as  described  in  DEAP  Action  5  (European  Commission, 
2020),  we  conceived  the  research  study  in  two  aspects:  (a)  the  design  and 
development  of  the  tool  content,  which  includes  the  reflection  items,  examples, 
help  text  explaining  the  terms  used  and  proficiency  level-based  feedback  with 
suggestions on how to level up, and (b) the design and development of the online 
platform to host the tool, which includes tool functionalities and usability. A further 
aspect includes the tool ecosystem to support users in their self-reflection process 
and in further development of their digital competence.

In  order  to  ensure  the  tool  suitability,  quality,  validity  and  reliability  we  relied  on 
previous research and literature and an extensive network of experts who contributed 
to the development process through iterative consultations, workshops and in some 
cases  contractual  work.  We  also  conducted  a  pre-pilot  and  a  pilot  study  in  five 
countries with more than 4.000 participating teachers.

Figure 7. Overview of the SELFIEforTEACHERS design and development methodology.

Primary and Secondary Teachers
Emerging education needs and approaches

Desk research

Expert consultations

DigCompEdu
content analysis

Item and content
creation

Revision

Pilot

Pre-pilot

Regarding  the  tool  content,  DigCompEdu,  being  widely  accepted  across  Europe, 
served  as  the  conceptual  reference  for  the  tool  content.  Content  analysis  of  the 
framework has been performed to respond to the specific needs of the target group 
of  the  tool,  i.e.  primary  and  secondary  teachers  in  Europe,  As  DigCompEdu  was 
published  in  2017,  the  tool  content  was  enhanced  by  desk  research  and  expert 
consultations to meet up-to-date educational needs and trends. 

In order to offer meaningful and effective professional development opportunities to 
teachers, SELFIEforTEACHERS design took into account important aspects of teachers’ 
professional  learning,  including  learning  approaches  and  teachers’  professional 
characteristics,  to  support  the  development  of  teachers’  digital  competence  as  a 
learning outcome, while at the same time providing a continuous learning process.  

In summary, the tool design and development was guided by the following elements: 
(a) transforming the conceptual framework concepts and descriptors into statements 
that are more concrete and relevant to teachers’ professional context, with examples, 

15

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence(b)  taking  into  account  emerging  and  up-to-date  pedagogical  needs  and  trends, 
(c) ensuring scientific evidence of the tool’s validity and reliability, (d) providing an 
opportunity that is meaningful to teachers’ professional development and follows 
effective professional learning approaches, (e) providing a learning experience for 
teachers through a self-reflection process with personalised feedback, (f) supporting 
teachers’ active engagement and agency in the design of their professional learning, 
(g)  encouraging  collaborative  learning  design  and  activities,  and  (h)  providing 
aggregated data to support planning and monitoring of professional development.

3.2.1 The DigCompEdu framework   

The European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators (DigCompEdu) 
captures and describes 22 educator-specific digital competences in six areas. These 
areas  correspond  to  three  dimensions:  educators’  professional  context,  pedagogy 
and learners’ competences (Figure 8). 

Figure 8. The European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators (DigCompEdu).

1

2

3

4

5

6

Source: European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators report, 2017.

For each competence, a competence descriptor is provided, complemented by a list 
of typical activities that are examples of the competence. A series of proficiency 
statements exemplify the activities at six proficiency levels.   

16

The  DigCompEdu  framework  sets  out  a  six-scale  progression  model  to  capture 
educators’ competence proficiency level: A1 = Awareness, A2 = Exploration, B1 = 
Integration, B2 = Expertise, C1 = Leadership, C2 = Innovation (Figure 9).

Figure 9. European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators (DigCompEdu), 
Progression Model.

Source: European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators report, 2017.

According  to  the  framework  report  (Redecker,  2017),  the  proposed  progression 
model  describes  different  stages  or  levels  of  digital  competence  development, 
linked  to  the  six  proficiency  levels  used  by  the  Common  European  Framework  of 
Reference for Languages (CEFR), ranging from A1 to C2, for ease of reference. The 
CEFR levels were coupled with motivating role descriptors, ranging from Newcomer 
(A1) to Pioneer (C2). These stages and the logic of their progression were inspired 
by  Bloom’s  revised  taxonomy3,  which  explains  the  subsequent  cognitive  stages 
of  any  learning  progress  from  ‘Remembering’  and  ‘Understanding’,  to  ‘Applying’ 
and ‘Analysing’, and finally to ’Evaluating’ and ‘Creating’. Similarly, in the first two 
stages  of  DigCompEdu,  Newcomer  (A1)  and  Explorer  (A2),  educators  assimilate 
new information and develop basic digital practices; at the following two stages, 
Integrator (B1) and Expert (B2), educators apply, further expand and reflect on their 
digital practices; at the highest stages, Leader (C1) and Pioneer (C2), educators pass 
on their knowledge, critique existing practice and develop new practices (Redecker, 
2017).

3 3 Anderson, L.W., and Krathwohl, D. R. (eds.), A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching and Assessing: a 
Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. Longman, New York, 2001

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence3.2.2 The CheckIn testing tool   

3.3 The process

A testing tool (CheckIn)4, had been developed by the JRC in 2018 and was available 
online on EUSurvey, the European Commission’s official survey management system5. 
The aim was to test educators’ understanding of the DigCompEdu framework and to 
offer them an initial assessment of their individual strengths and learning needs The 
CheckIn tool was studied along with DigCompEdu for the design and development 
of the SELFIEforTEACHERS tool.

As  described  by  Ghomi  and  Redecker  (2019),  the  tool  consisted  of  22  items 
representing each competence in the framework. Each item consisted of a statement 
describing  the  core  of  the  competence  and  five  possible  answers,  which  were 
cumulatively structured and mapped onto the proficiency levels, as described in the 
DigCompEdu progression model. As it was decided that each competence should 
be represented by only one item, in some cases a choice had to be made between 
different aspects crucial to a given competence. For example, for competence 2.3 
(Managing, protecting, sharing) it was decided to focus on data protection, rather 
than on copyright rules or the use of shared content repositories. 

The  five  possible  answers  to  each  question  corresponded  to  a  five-point  scale 
progression,  assuming  that  digital  competence  development  comprises  the 
following stages: no use, basic use, diversification, meaningful use, systematic use 
and innovation. In some cases, the categories of meaningful and systematic use 
were merged, as it was deemed difficult for users to differentiate between the two 
options. In other cases, the highest competence level (C2), was left out, as it was 
expected that current usage patterns were unlikely to display innovative strategies. 
The  resulting  CheckIn  instrument  presented  five  answer  options,  for  which  points 
ranging  from  0  to  4  were  allocated.  In  the  feedback  report  generated,  the  total 
score - ranging from 0 to 88 points - is mapped onto the six different DigCompEdu 
proficiency levels (Ghomi and Redecker, 2019). 

The  SELFIEforTEACHERS  development  process  involved  an  iterative  collaboration 
between  the  main  researcher  of  the  study,  the  JRC  team  and  education  experts 
from  the  EU  Member  States,  complemented  by  desk  research  on  international 
developments in the field of educators’ digital competence, competence frameworks 
and self-assessment tools. Minimising the possibility of bias and building collective 
and shared ownership were important for the tool development, its dissemination 
and  use,  as  well  as  its  testing  and  collection  of  data  for  further  development. 
Subsequently, we organised a workshop in which a group of around thirty experts –
including researchers, policy makers, teacher educators and teachers– discussed the 
items and provided their input. We edited the items based on the feedback received 
in collaboration with three education experts and one expert in assessment items 
development. More input was received on the updated items by the experts as well 
as education stakeholders from the DG EAC Education and Training 2020 Working 
Group on Digital Education. 

Finally, a pilot study was undertaken to scientifically confirm the validity and reliability 
of  the  tool,  along  with  a  usability  study  to  collect  user  feedback  to  improve  the 
online platform hosting the tool. Next steps include implementing various use cases 
of the tool to identify key factors for its effective use. Finally, future plans involve 
qualitative and quantitative research of the tool use and analysis of collected data 
to support policy planning. 

Figure 10. SELFIEforTEACHERS design and development path.

March 2020

Desk research

February 2021

Revision of content for the tool

April-May 2020

Content development for ﬁrst version of the tool

March - April 2021

Pilot study

26 May 2020

Expert consultation workshop

May - June 2021

Finalisation of content

June - November 2020

Review and updates, development of online platform

July - September 2021

Translations of the tool

30 November 2020

DELTA WG consultation workshop

December 2020 – January 2021

Pre-pilot study

5 October 2021

Oﬃcial launch of the tool in ﬁve languages

January 2022

Launch of the tool in all EU oﬃcial languages 

https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/digcompedu/digcompedu-self-reflection-tools_en
4 https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/digcompedu/digcompedu-self-reflection-tools_en

https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey
5 5 https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey

17

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence3.3.1 Desk research  

Since the publication of the DigCompEdu framework in 2017, social and technological 
changes have led to new needs and development in education, with a number of 
education reforms taking place in Europe. The COVID-19 pandemic also had a major 
impact on how education is offered. In order to capture these emerging pedagogical 
needs and trends and incorporate them into the tool self-reflection items to ensure 
an  up-to-date  tool,  desk  research  was  conducted,  along  with  consultation  with 
experts and practitioners.

This exploration did not repeat the mapping exercise of tools and frameworks done 
for the DigCompEdu framework. It involved a narrow selection of recent tools and 
reports  (after  the  publication  of  DigCompEdu)  related  to  digital  competence  in 
education,  based  on  specific  elements  proposed  by  the  researchers,  practitioners 
and experts, as extensive review of academic and grey literature had already been 
conducted  for  the  framework.  The  selection  included  websites  and  reports  from 
national  education  ministries,  councils  or  agencies,  in  order  to  identify  relevant 
instruments  and  digital  competence  frameworks  at  national  and  European  level 
that  appeared  or  were  in  development  after  the  release  of  DigCompEdu.  It  also 
included relevant policy reports on emerging trends. 

The key aim of the desk research was to identify any teachers’ digital competences 
that  were  not  explicitly  mentioned  in  the  framework,  and  to  provide  evidence  of 
the  analysis  of  such  key  competence  descriptors.  The  desk  research  led  to  some 
elements being considered for greater prominence among the tool items, such as 
computational  thinking,  emerging  technologies  and  artificial  intelligence,  distance 
and blended learning, data management and ethical considerations. 

3.3.2 Content creation 

The research team performed a content analysis of the DigCompEdu key competences 
and their descriptors adapting it specifically for primary and secondary education 
teachers in Europe. The work encompassed the following tasks: (a) analysing and 
simplifying  the  key  ideas  in  the  framework,  (b)  transforming  the  framework  into 
self-reflection items with concrete practices that primary and secondary teachers 

18

in Europe could relate to (c) bringing forward competences that are relevant to up-
to-date educational needs (d) describing the progression within a competence to 
guide teachers position themselves in a six-scale competence level, (e) providing 
personalised feedback to teachers according to their individual competence level to 
help them plan further development.

The creation of the tool content was based on the following principles:

 ‣

 ‣

 ‣

 ‣

 ‣

 ‣

 ‣

 ‣

The tool follows the six competence areas in the three dimensions presented 
in the DigCompEdu. The first dimension covers teachers’ competence in their 
professional  engagement  and  development,  the  second  covers  teachers’ 
pedagogic competence and teaching practices, and the third covers facilitating 
students to build digital competence. 
Each  self-reflection  item  lies  within  a  DigCompEdu  competence  area, 
according to the area description.
The tool presents competences, using a simple and practical approach, and 
contains examples to help teachers reflect on their digital competence.
The  tool  considers  competence  as  a  complex  construct  that  combines 
knowledge (being aware of, understanding), skills (applying, performing) and 
attitudes (developing a mindset for critical, ethical and creative use).
Teacher-specific  digital  competences  as  introduced  in  DigCompEdu  are 
supported by the general digital competences described in DigComp, as well 
as teacher subject specific, pedagogic and transversal competences.
Each  item  consists  of  an  introductory  statement  giving  the  overall  scope 
of  the  competence  and  six  proficiency  level  statements  associated  with 
teachers’ level of competence.
The  six  proficiency  level  statements  show  progression  in  terms  of  ‘skills 
complexity’ and not in terms of points on a scale of competence or frequency 
(e.g. a 6-point Likert scale). This also indicates that a level reflects a ‘range’ 
and not an absolute number.
Teachers  receive  a  score  for  each  one  of  the  items  that  indicates  their 
cumulative points (one point for each level, thus a range from 1 to 6 points 
for each item).

Some practical aspects were also anticipated to make the tool useful and usable for 
teachers. For example, the number of items could not be exhaustive as this would 
require too much time and effort from teachers. Similarly, provided feedback at a 

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competencelarge scale, was designed to be as personalised as possible (e.g. responding to the 
teacher competence level for each item) while at the same time introducing scoring 
of  the  items  to  provide  a  quantitative  representation  of  the  teachers’  results  in 
addition to the qualitative feedback.

3.3.2.1 Defining the self-reflection items

We  started  with  a  preliminary  analysis  of  the  DigCompEdu  key  competences, 
involving understanding the descriptor for each competence along with its proficiency 
statements, as well as the activities presenting some examples of the competence.  
We then analysed each competence for its key elements, as some of them were 
quite complex involving more than one crucial aspect which could not be described 
by  one  simple  item.  Based  on  the  desk  research  and  consultations  with  experts 
and practitioners, we considered whether to use each aspect as a proficiency level 
statement within the same item, indicating the complexity increment for each level 
(for  example  under  competence  1.2.  (Professional  collaboration),  ‘collaborative 
innovating  pedagogic  practices’  was  viewed  as  a  more  advanced  level  of  ‘using 
digital  technologies  to  engage  in  collaboration  with  peers’)  or  whether  we  would 
create additional items. In a number of cases, a crucial aspect of a competence was 
considered important enough to be analysed further and presented as a separate 
item. For example, competence 2.2. (Creating and modifying digital resources) was 
split  into  two,  so  as  to  include  the  learning  design  aspect  in  the  ‘Creating’  item 
and the copyright aspect in the  ‘Modifying’ item.  In other cases, a crucial aspect 
was selected to become a new item to emphasise and to show the different areas 
within one competence. Such an example is the new item ‘Managing online learning 
environments’  under  the  area  of  ‘Organisational  communication’,  to  include  data 
management  and  ethical  considerations.  Finally,  based  on  emerging  trends  and 
needs in education, aspects were identified that needed greater prominence, either 
in the progression level analysis or as new items. This resulted either in new items, 
such as ‘Emerging technologies’ and ‘Computational thinking’, or in new elements 
embedded  in  existing  competences,  such  as  data  management  and  ethical 
considerations.

Figure 11. Defining the items.

Key
Competence X 

Deconstruction of
competence descriptor
into its crucial aspects

Desk
research /
emerging needs
and trends in
education

Item X

Item X1

Item X

New item

+

+

Item X2

New item

During the process, we tried to ensure that all key competences and their crucial 
aspects  were  included  in  the  tool  items,  either  vertically  (i.e.  under  an  area  as  a 
separate item) or transversally (i.e. embedded in the items proficiency levels). 

For each item, we revisited the existing competence descriptor and created a new 
one for the new items, based on recent literature. The competence descriptor plays 
the role of introducing the competence on which each item then elaborates. To decide 
on  the  item  title  and  the  introductory  statement,  we  also  consulted  experts  with 
experience in the area, along with literature. For example, related to ‘computational 
thinking’ terms such as ‘algorithmic thinking, ‘programming’, ‘coding’ were discussed, 
and related to ‘blended learning’ terms such as ‘online learning’, ‘remote learning’ 
and ‘distance learning’ were discussed. 

Based  on  the  recent  literature,  we  also  renamed  the  key  competence  1.4  Digital 
Continuous Professional Development (CPD) to ‘Professional learning’. In addition, 
we  decided  to  include  some  terms  in  the  item  statements  that  are  aligned  with 
more recent pedagogical approaches, as for example the terms ‘Learning design’ 
and ‘Maker spaces’.

The analysis was done in parallel with the CheckIn tool, as each of the tool’s 22 
questions corresponded to the framework competences. 

Table 2 presents the items to be included in the first working version of the tool 
for the expert consultation workshop, while Annex 5 presents this analysis in more 
detail. In summary, the suggested working version for the tool presented 32 self-
reflection items (10 more than the CheckIn tool), corresponding to the competences 

19

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceproposed  by  the  DigCompEdu  framework.  Different  approaches  were  employed 
for  the  introduction  of  new  items.  In  some  cases,  existing  items  were  split  to 
accommodate different aspects of the competence proposed by the framework. In 
other cases, new items were added to emphasise current needs. However, each item 
still lays within one of the six competence areas in the framework.

Table 2. SELFIEforTEACHERS first proposal for new items in relation to DigCompEdu competence areas.

DigCompEdu competence area

New items

1.  Professional learning (using digital 

technologies) (1)

2.  Professional learning (on digital technologies) 

Area 1 – Professional engagement

(1)

3.  Digital technologies and infrastructure
4.  Online learning (management)
5.  Digital citizenship

Area 2 – Digital resources

6.  Creating (2)
7.  Modifying (2)
8.  Sharing
9.  Programming

Area 3 – Teaching and learning

10. Emerging technologies

Area 5 – Empowering learners

11. Distance education

Area 6 – Facilitating learners’ digital 
competence

12. Innovate

(1) These two items were presented as one in the CheckIn tool.
(2) These two items were presented as one in the CheckIn tool.

3.3.2.2 Creating the items and the proficiency level statements 

We started creating the proficiency statements for each item by first writing down 
the basic aspects of the competence corresponding to the item, and then writing a 
range of practices with concrete examples related to teachers’ professional context. 
We  then  tried  to  organise  them  along  the  DigCompEdu  progression  model.  The 
progression was underpinned by the following:

 ‣

 ‣

 ‣

 ‣

 ‣

 ‣

 ‣

The  proficiency  level  statements  follow  the  progression  model  in  the 
DigCompEdu framework (A1 – Awareness, A2 – Exploration, B1 – Integration, 
B2 – Expertise, C1 – Leadership, C2 – Innovation).
The proficiency level statements reflect the increased level of skills complexity, 
describing  different  stages  or  levels  of  digital  competence  development. 
Similarly, each level reflects a ‘range’ of more complex abilities in a continuum 
rather than an absolute number (e.g. 5-point Likert scale).
The progression moves from specific to more strategic (e.g. initiating a school 
policy) and from individual to more collective (e.g. supporting others). It also 
moves from awareness and basic understanding (knowledge) to using and 
applying (skills) and involving others, to initiating actions (attitudes). 
The proficiency level in the statements is reflected in action verbs that are 
used consistently (e.g. I use, I explore, I choose, I apply, I develop).
The  statements  are  stated  in  the  first  person  ‘I  …”’,  so  as  to  provide  more 
relevance to the teacher. 
The proficiency level statements measure a competence that teachers have, 
not their everyday practice. Thus, adverbs expressing frequency of use (e.g. 
often,  sometimes,  always)  or  degree  (e.g.  strongly,  completely,  barely)  are 
avoided.
The items approach the competences at a macro- as opposed to a micro-
level (e.g. specific skills in using a certain digital tool or technology are not 
included), while at the same time providing context for the teachers to relate 
to their practice and specific context.

We applied a structure where each item consists of an introductory statement, giving 
the overall scope of the competence in focus, and six proficiency level statements, 
describing  how  competence  manifests  itself  at  different  proficiency  levels,  with 
examples providing relevance and context for teachers. 

20

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceTo make the proficiency statements for each item easier to read and understand, we 
followed the scheme presented in Figure 12, where the core text of the statement 
appears  in  bold  text,  indication  of  complexity  appears  in  red  text,  and  examples/
explanations appear in italics. 

The  first  working  version  of  the  tool  was  updated  and  shared  for  the  expert 
consultation workshop. 

Figure 12. SELFIEforTEACHERS structure of proficiency statements (an example).

Source: SELFIEforTEACHERS toolkit, 2022.

3.3.2.3 Feedback report  

The SELFIEforTEACHERS feedback report, which users receive after completing their 
self-reflection, was developed using the CheckIn tool feedback report as a starting 
point. This existing report was reviewed and modified to reflect the changes made in 
the content of the new tool (e.g. new items, differentiated proficiency levels).

The  feedback  format  was  restructured  into  two  parts:    (a)  acknowledging 
achievement at the current proficiency level by providing comments focused on the 
key aspects of this level, and (b) providing suggestions on how to level up, with a 
range of suggested actions to take for further development of digital competence, 
highlighting key aspects of the next proficiency level. Thus, the feedback provided for 
each level encompasses elements of the current level and also indicates a direction 
towards the next one. 

The  quality  and  tone  of  the  feedback  language  was  also  addressed,  to  avoid 
authoritative or condescending language and to inspire teachers to take action based 
on their results and plan their professional learning paths based on the suggestions. 

3.3.3 Expert consultations 

A number of consultations were held during the development phase, to obtain expert 
feedback and suggestions. A first consultation took place during a workshop on 26 
May 2020 (see Annex 6). The first working version for the consultation presented 
the 32 items, with the introductory and proficiency statements, under the 6 areas. 
In general, the 32 items were accepted as they had been distributed in the 6 areas 
with the following modifications:

 ‣

 ‣

 ‣

The item related to ‘Programming’, initially positioned under ‘Area 2 - Digital 
resources’ was instead included under ‘Area 1 – Professional engagement’ as 
‘Computational thinking’. 
The item related to ‘Responsible use: To empower learners to exploit digital 
technologies  creatively,  responsibly,  ethically  and  safely,  while  mitigating 
risks to ensure their physical, psychological and social wellbeing.’ under ‘Area 
6- Facilitating learners’ digital competence’ was expanded and divided into 
two distinct items, namely ‘Responsible use’ and ‘Safety and wellbeing’.
The new item ‘Innovate’ proposed under ‘Area 6- Facilitating learners’ digital 
competence’ was excluded as it was considered to overlap with other items 
(mainly ‘Content creation’ and ‘Problem solving’). 

Another  important  change  deriving  from  the  expert  consultation  was  to  start 
the  proficiency  level  A1  from  a  lower  point,  i.e.  from  ‘awareness’  and  not  ‘using’. 
Furthermore, it was suggested to ensure consistency in the use of words (verbs) for 
each proficiency level: A1 = I am aware of, A2 = I use in a basic way, B1 = I choose 
and use suitable digital technologies, B2 = I reflect and modify, C1 = I support (or 
advise/assist/coach) and readjust practices, C2 = I initiate/introduce/invent/develop 
a comprehensive strategy.

Following the workshop, three experts were contracted to work closely with the JRC 
team  to  review  the  tool  and  further  elaborate  on  the  items  based  on  the  expert 
feedback. These three advisers had expertise in digital technologies for education, 
and  more  specifically  on  digital  competence,  teachers’  professional  development 

21

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceand assessment tools. The work took place between July and October 2020. It then 
went through a final language review and edit by another expert, with experience in 
developing assessment items.

The  involvement  of  external  experts  was  designed  to  ensure  that  all  steps  were 
counter-checked and that the quality of the final tool was covered in all its aspects. 
The expert team worked closely with the JRC team and provided recommendations 
on improvements to overall content. Each expert worked on one or two areas (with 
each area covered by two team members for a degree of cross-validation) and during 
regular online meetings each item was discussed and agreed, in terms of content, 
language  and  examples  provided  for  each  statement.  The  first  revised  draft  was 
then revisited by all experts, looking at each item in terms of the progression levels 
within each one (vertically) and each progression level across all items (horizontally). 
The whole work was undertaken by five people, including the JRC team.

Based  on  the  feedback  received  during  the  workshop,  the  introductory  level  A1, 
originally conceived as ‘basic use’ of digital technologies, was modified to focus on 
the ‘awareness’ level, where teachers are expected to know/have a basic level of 
awareness of a specific aspect of digital competence.  Levels C1 and C2 were also 
modified, in line with the expert feedback, for greater consistency.  In particular, level 
C1 encompasses teachers’ capability ‘to be source of inspiration for others, to whom 
they pass on their expertise’, hence supporting and engaging with colleagues and 
students. Similarly, level C2 highlights teachers’ capability to initiate and promote 
actions within and beyond the school, reaching out to the wider community.

The experts also revised the language used and some of the terminology, to reflect 
the  competences  in  a  simpler  and  more  concise  way  that  is  closer  to  teachers’ 
every-day practice.  They also further elaborated the explanation of key terms used, 
with the tool’s Glossary serving as a help feature.

Moreover,  to  ensure  consistency  with  the  DigCompEdu  framework,  as  well  as 
coherence  across  the  different  areas  and  competences,  a  revised  set  of  agreed 
‘action  verbs’  was  adopted.  This  pool  of  words  has  been  consistently  applied  to 
ensure the proficiency level statements aligned with the progression model (vertically 
within an item and horizontally across items). Progression levels were considered as 
cumulative; hence each higher-level descriptor comprises all lower-level descriptors. 
An ‘N/A-Not Applicable’ option would also be accommodated in the online tool. 

22

Table 3. Set of action-verbs used in describing the proficiency level statements.

A1 -
Awareness

A2 -
Exploration

B1 -
Integration

B2 -
Expertise

C1 -
Leadership

C2 -
Innovation

Area 1 – 
Professional 
engagement

I am aware 
that 

I explore

I use various… 
according to…

Area 2 –
Digital 
resources

I am aware 
that 

I explore

I use various… 
according to…

Area 3 – 
Teaching 
and learning

I am aware 
that 

I explore

I employ 
various…
to support…

I lead / I 
support 
and provide 
advice 
(from 
individual to 
collective)

I reflect on… 
and readjust / 
redesign
or
I design and 
develop

I reflect on 
and redesign... 
students’ 
active 
engagement

I analyse and 
select…
based on…

I analyse and 
select...
based on...
or
I select…
to modify and 
adapt 

I select and 
employ digital 
technologies 
in my learning 
designs based 
on their 
affordances

Area 4 – 
Assessment

I am aware 
of/that

I explore

I implement /
integrate…
according to 
their needs

I develop 
learning 
designs...
I reflect /
select 

I reflect on 
and involve 
my students 
in…

Area 5 – 
Empowering 
learners

I am aware 
of/that

I explore

I implement /
integrate…
according to 
their needs

I develop 
learning 
designs...

I reflect on 
and redesign

Area 6 – 
Facilitating 
learners’ 
digital 
competence

I am aware 
of/that

I explore

I implement /
integrate…
according to 
their needs

I develop 
learning 
designs...

I reflect and 
redesign... 
or 
I lead...

I contribute 
to / 
I initiate and 
promote  

I initiate and 
contribute/
promote... 
school-wide 
strategy 

I initiate and 
contribute/
promote... 
within my 
school and 
its wider 
community

I initiate and 
contribute/
promote... 
within my 
school and 
its wider 
community

I initiate and 
contribute/
promote... 
within my 
school and 
its wider 
community

My students 
and I...
initiate and 
promote/ 
contribute

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceConcerning the feedback generated for each proficiency level, a refinement to the 
proposed  structure  was  agreed  (in  the  approach  and  in  the  wording  of  the  two 
parts):  (a)  the  introductory  comment  focusing  on  the  key  characteristics  of  the 
current proficiency level and (b) suggestions on how to level up, highlighting facets 
of the competence at the following proficiency level and providing teachers with a 
range of possible actions to take to further develop their digital competence. All the 
experts validated the feedback for each item (under each competence level) and 
across all competence levels (for each item).

The contracted experts were also consulted during revision of the tool after the pre-
pilot, and pilot to enhance the internal validity of the tool with additional external 
validity as well from the perspective of experts and practitioners. 

After the contractual work, the revised tool was sent to the workshop expert group 
for further input.  The consultation also involved the European Commission’s Working 
Group  on  Digital  Education:  Learning,  Teaching  and  Assessment  (DELTA  WG).  The 
consultation  took  place  on  30  November  2020  during  a  2-hour  online  workshop, 
with some preparatory and follow-up work. The goal of the workshop was to present 
the preliminary tool and get feedback on the content (items and feedback report), 
the  platform  (features,  interface)  and  its  potential  usage.  In  all,  34  participants 
from  ministries  of  education  (Member  States,  EFTA  and  candidate  countries), 
social partners and NGOs took part.  The participants gave positive feedback and 
showed a strong interest in the tool providing comments and suggestions mainly on 
improving the interface and its usability.  At a later stage, the DELTA WG members 
were  also  informed  about  the  results  from  the  pre-pilot  and  pilot,  and  consulted 
about possible revisions.

The revised working version of the tool led to the pre-pilot version which was used 
for the pre-pilot study. Table 3 presents the items of this version in relation to the 
DigCompEdu competence areas and competences. 

(1) These are new items.
(2) These two items were presented as one in the CheckIn tool.
(3) These two items were presented as one in the CheckIn tool.
(4) These two items were presented as one in the CheckIn tool.
(5) These two items were presented as one in the CheckIn tool.

Table 4. SELFIEforTEACHERS items in relation to DigCompEdu competence areas and competences.

DigCompEdu competence area
and competences

Area 1 – Professional engagement
1.1 Organisational communication
1.2 Professional collaboration 
1.3 Reflective practice  
1.4 Digital Continuous Professional 
Development (CPD)

SELFIEforTEACHERS items

Area 1 – Professional engagement
1.1 Organisational communication
1.2 Online learning environments (1)
1.3 Professional collaboration
1.4 Digital technologies and school level infrastructure (1)
1.5 Reflective practice
1.6 Digital life (1)
1.7 Professional learning (through digital technologies) (2)
1.8 Professional learning (about digital technologies) (2)
1.9 Computational thinking (1)

Area 2 – Digital resources
2.1 Selecting digital resources
2.2 Creating and modifying digital 
resources
2.3 Managing, protecting and sharing 
digital resources

Area 3 – Teaching and learning
3.1 Teaching 
3.2 Guidance
3.3 Collaborative learning
3.4 Self-regulated learning

Area 4 - Assessment
4.1 Assessment strategies
4.2 Analysing evidence 
4.3 Feedback and Planning

Area 2 – Digital resources
2.1 Searching and selecting
2.2 Creating (3)
2.3 Modifying (3)
2.4 Managing and protecting (4)
2.5 Sharing (4)

Area 3 – Teaching and learning
3.1 Teaching
3.2 Guidance
3.3 Collaborative learning
3.4 Self-regulated learning
3.5 Emerging technologies (1)

Area 4 - Assessment
4.1 Assessment strategies
4.2 Analysing evidence
4.3 Feedback and planning

Area 5 – Empowering learners
5.1 Accessibility and inclusion
5.2 Differentiation and personalisation
5.3 Actively engaging learners

Area 5 – Empowering learners
5.1 Accessibility and inclusion
5.2 Differentiation and personalisation
5.3 Actively engaging learners
5.4 Blended learning (1)

Area 6 – Facilitating learners’ digital 
competence
6.1 Information and media literacy
6.2 Digital communication & 
collaboration
6.3 Digital content creation
6.4. Responsible use
6.5 Digital problem solving

Area 6 – Facilitating learners’ digital competence
6.1 Information and data literacy
6.2 Communication and collaboration
6.3 Content creation
6.4 Safety and wellbeing (5)
6.5 Responsible use (5)
6.6 Problem solving

23

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence3.4 Pilot study

The  pilot  study  aimed  to  validate  the  overall  scientific  soundness  of  the  tool. 
Psychometric statistics were used to verify the competence areas and progression 
levels with reference to the DigCompEdu framework, and the validity and reliability 
of the 32 items underneath each of the areas. A follow-up study using quantitative 
and qualitative methodology, collected user feedback on the tool. 

The study was conducted by an external contractor and comprised in two phases: a 
pre-pilot, in two countries (Italy and Portugal) during December 2020 and January 
2021, and a pilot in four countries (Estonia, Italy, Lithuania and Portugal) in April 
2021.  Two reports will provide more details and in-depth analysis of the pilot study.

3.4.1 Pre-pilot  

The self-reflection and quantitative data was collected from 2 December 2020 to 
12 January 2021 from a sample of teachers in two countries, Italy and Portugal. 
A clustered (school-based) sampling approach was followed with 6-8 primary and 
6-8 secondary schools for each country, stratified by school size, and geographical 
region. All teachers from these schools were invited to participate in the study.

Table 5. Distribution of respondents by gender and country.

Country

Male

Female

Missing

Unrevealed

Total

Italy

81 (16%)

412 (81%)

Portugal

95 (33%)

191 (66%)

Grand total

176

603

3

3

9

4

13

505

290

795

The quantitative data collection was complemented by a qualitative follow-up study, 
where a sample of 34 primary and secondary school teachers who participated in 
the pre-pilot were invited to focus group interviews for in-depth reflection on the 
pre-pilot experience.

Table 6. Distribution of participants in the follow-up qualitative study by country.

Country

Italy

Portugal

Grand total

Primary

Secondary

Total

9

8

17

9

8

17

18

16

34

Factor analysis confirmed a good fit for the suggested six-factor model of teachers’ 
digital competence. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Item Response Theory 
(IRT)  did  not  suggest  any  changes  to  the  dimensionality  (factor  structure)  of  this 
construct. All items had good - or at least satisfactory - factor loadings, and there 
was no evidence to support an argument for removing, adding or replacing items for 
any factor. Moreover, correlation analysis did not reveal significant overlap between 
any two items in the self-reflection tool. None of the item pairs correlated so highly 
with each other as to suggest removal of one. There were some doubts, as perceived 
by respondents, regarding the distinctiveness of the six progression levels and equal 
distances between the levels across items.

The expert team involved in the creation of the items was consulted about revision 
of the tool after the pre-pilot. Even though CFA and IRT applied to the pre-pilot results 
did not suggest any changes, we wanted to enhance the internal validity of the tool 
with additional external validity from the perspective of experts and practitioners. 
Based on the pre-pilot results, the expert team reviewed the wording of some items 
where psychometric analysis revealed higher difficulty. Specifically, this related to 
difficulty and progression under the items 1.2. (Online learning environments), 1.5. 
(Reflective practice), 1.9. (Computational thinking) and 3.5. (Emerging technologies) 
regarding  proficiency  levels.  The  expert  team  discussed  the  possibility  that  the 
items reflected a competence that is indeed more difficult for teachers to develop, 
as  it  might  represent  a  new  competence  for  them  (e.g.  ‘Emerging  technologies’ 
and ‘Computational thinking’. The experts simplified the language in some of the 
sentences and provided simpler examples of these items in some cases. A decision 
was also made to test the tool in Ireland, where English is a native language, in order 
to explore the efficiency of the language translations of the tool.   

24

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence3.4.2 Pilot  

Table 8. Distribution of participants in the follow-up qualitative study by country.

The  self-reflection  and  quantitative  data  was  collected  from  7  to  30  April  2021 
from a sample of teachers in four countries (Estonia, Italy, Lithuania and Portugal), 
using the revised tool after the pre-pilot results. A clustered (school-based) sampling 
approach  was  followed,  with  6-8  primary  and  6-8  secondary  schools  for  each 
country, stratified by school size, and geographical region. All teachers from these 
schools were invited to participate in the study.  In addition, 81 teachers were invited 
to test the tool in Ireland through an open call.

Table 7. Distribution of respondents by gender and country.

Country

Female

Male

Other

Prefer not
to say

Missing

Grand Total

Estonia

401 (90%)

39 (9%)

Italy

548 (83%)

105 (16%)

Lithuania

762 (86%)

100 (11%)

Portugal

838 (68%)

362 (30%)

Ireland (1)

53 (65%)

27 (33%)

1

2

2

5

Grand
Total (2)

2549 (79%) 

606 (19%)

10

5

7

14

11

37

1

2

5

8

1

16

447

664

883

1224

81

3218

(1) Ireland data was not included in the analysis as the sampling process was different (convenience 
sampling by an open call to teachers in Ireland).
(2) The Grand Total numbers do not include the respondents in Ireland.

The  quantitative  data  collection  was  complemented  by  a  qualitative  follow-up 
study, where a sample of 71 primary and secondary teachers who had participated 
in the pilot were invited to focus group interviews for in-depth reflection on the pilot 
experience.

Country

Estonia

Italy

Lithuania

Portugal

Ireland (1)

Grand total (2)

Primary

Secondary

Total

10

9

11

5

7

35

8

9

11

8

14

36

18

18

22

13

21

71

(1) Ireland data was not included in the analysis as the qualitative methodology approach was different.
(2) The Grand Total numbers do not include the respondents in Ireland.

Factor analysis confirmed a good fit for the suggested six-factor model of teachers’ 
digital competence. CFA and IRT did not suggest any changes to the dimensionality 
(factor structure) of this construct. Analysis confirmed that all items had good - or 
at  least  satisfactory  -  factor  loadings  and  there  was  no  evidence  to  support  an 
argument for removing, adding or replacing items for any factor. Correlation analysis 
did  not  reveal  significant  overlap  between  any  two  items  in  the  self-reflection 
tool, and none of the item pairs correlated so highly with each other as to suggest 
removal of one.  

Once more, the expert team involved in the creation of the items was also involved 
in discussion of the pilot results to further assure the external validity of the tool.

25

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence4. SELFIEforTEACHERS items and feedback

SELFIEforTEACHERS comprises 32 self-reflection items in 6 competence areas.  Each item is introduced by a description of the competence and provides six competence 
statements following a six-level proficiency model. A seventh statement of not being aware of the competence is also available.

Teachers receive their results based on a score for each one of the items, ranging from 1 to 6 points. They also receive feedback according to their competence level for each 
of the items, with suggestions on how to level up.  

In the following pages, we present each one of the competence areas with its description, the items underneath each area with their introductory statements, and the six 
proficiency level statements. For each proficiency level, the feedback provided to the teachers is also presented.

26

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceArea 1 – Professional Engagement

Digital technologies can help teachers in their professional practice to access information 
and  enhance  their  teaching  and  learning  practices.  Teachers  can  also  use  technology  to 
communicate with and support students and parents, and to share and learn with colleagues 
and others beyond the school. Through digital technologies, teachers can enhance their own 
professional development, and support the overall improvement of their organisation and 
profession.

The  proficiency  level  statements  are  organised  by  increasing  level  of  engagement  with 
digital technologies with a focus on contributing to organisational development.

ITEM NAME and
INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT

PROFICIENCY LEVEL 
STATEMENTS

FEEDBACK

1.1 Organisational 
communication

Using digital technologies to 
enhance communication with 
colleagues and/or learners and/
or parents.

I  am  aware  that  digital  technologies  can  be 
used  for  organisational  communication  (e.g. 
email, 
instant  messaging,  social  networks, 
online learning platforms).

Being aware of digital communication tools and platforms is important to help you find effective 
ways  to  streamline  your  interaction  with  students,  parents  and  colleagues.  Start  with  exploring 
different communication tools for information exchange and interaction. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Start  trying  different  tools  (e.g.  email,  instant  messaging,  social 
networks, online learning platforms) to communicate with colleagues, parents or students.

I have tried using digital technologies to help 
me communicate with colleagues, learners and/
or parents (e.g. email, instant messaging, social 
networks, online learning platforms).

I use various digital technologies according to 
my  organisational  communication  needs  (e.g. 
the communication goal, target and context).

Exploring digital communication tools and platforms can help you streamline your interaction with 
students, parents and colleagues and enable you to find an appropriate communication channel 
that works for all of you. Sometimes a different format or channel is more appropriate. Try to be 
flexible  and  adapt  your  choice  of  communication  channel  to  your  audience  and  communication 
needs. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Use a variety of digital technologies according to your communication 
goal, target or context, so as to meet your organisational communication needs (e.g. email 
or instant messaging, individual chat or group discussion forum).

There is a variety of technologies that help people to communicate across an organisation. Each 
has different strengths and weaknesses. You can optimise communication by selecting the most 
appropriate technologies for the specific communication context, target and goal.  Try to identify 
the  most  typical  communication  needs  in  your  organisation  and  analyse  the    affordances    and 
limitations of available digital communication tools so as to select the most suitable and effective 
one(s). 

[Suggestions to level up]: Analyse the affordances and limitations of digital communication 
technologies for effective communication and interaction (e.g. develop a personal effective, 
efficient and safe communication practice). 

27

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  analyse  and  select  digital  technologies 
based  on  their  features  and  suitability  for  my 
(e.g. 
organisational  communication  needs 
effective, efficient and personal communication).

Being able to analyse digital technologies based on their affordances and limitations facilitate the 
selection of the most appropriate communication tools for the communication goals and needs. 
You  may  also  want  to  work  with  colleagues  and  support  them  on  developing  common  digital 
communication practices to use for the whole school and its wider community. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Think about the communication needs and skills of your colleagues 
and  provide  support  and  advice  to  reach  effective,  efficient,  safe,  responsible,  inclusive 
communication at school level and beyond.

I support and provide advice to colleagues on 
how to use digital technologies for organisational 
communication (e.g. for effective, efficient, safe, 
responsible, inclusive communication at school 
level).

By supporting and providing advice to colleagues on the use of digital technologies for effective 
organisational  communication  you  will  be  able  to  extend  your  own  digital  competence  on 
organisational  communication  and  contribute  to  the  development  of  innovative  organisational 
communication practices in your school. Try to engage teachers in your school in using digital tools 
for communication and provide them with guidance for most effective uses. 

I  contribute  to  developing  organisational 
practices  on  communication  using  digital 
technologies  (e.g.  for  effective,  efficient,  safe, 
responsible, inclusive communication).

I am not aware of this competence.

1.2 Online learning 
environments

Managing online learning 
environments taking data 
management and ethics into 
account.

I  am  aware  that  when  managing  online 
learning  environments,  ethical  issues  and  use 
appropriate data management methods should 
be  considered  (e.g.  open  or  restricted  access, 
GDPR compliance.)

28

[Suggestions to level up]: Work with colleagues on developing a common digital communication 
strategy for the whole school and its wider community.

Contributing  to  the  development  of  organisational  practices  on  the  use  of  digital  technologies  for 
effective communication and interaction within the school and beyond, allows you to use your digital 
competences  to  support  innovative  solutions  for  the  communication  needs  of  your  school.  Keep 
adjusting your communication practices and strategy to meet different communication needs. To seize 
the full potential of your digital competence in this area you should focus on continuously adapting 
your strategies and exploring new options. As new technological solutions keep emerging, you will find 
ways to even better address and accommodate your own and your colleagues’ communication needs. 

[Suggestions for future actions]: Keep anticipating your colleagues’ communication needs and use 
digital tools and solutions in strategic and innovative ways. Continue exploring new solutions.

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

Being aware that there are ethical considerations in the management of data is important when starting 
using online learning environments. Questions such as what kind of personal data is necessary to collect, who 
has access to it, whether or not and to whom to share it with and so on are important aspects to understand 
data management strategies and address ethical considerations of data use. Make sure you are aware of the 
general principles of the General Data Protection Regulation in the context of being a teacher and common 
teaching/learning practices (GDPR). Ask your school if there is a GDPR policy, and if so ensure you are familiar 
with it. You can start exploring features of online learning environments in reference to data management 
and how they address ethical issues, especially when dealing with students’ and teachers’ data. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Start  trying  features  of  online  learning  environments  related  to 
ethical considerations and data management strategy (e.g. users’ data management, access 
policy, terms of use, privacy issues).

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  have  tried  different  settings  to  ensure  that 
online  learning  environments  to  comply  with 
ethical  considerations  and  data  management 
strategy  (e.g.  protection  of  users’  data,  access 
policy, terms of use, data management, privacy 
issues).

I  administer  online  learning  environments 
in  line  with  ethical  considerations  and  data 
management  strategy 
(e.g.  administration 
features, managing content and student data).

Exploring features of online learning environments in reference to data management and how they 
address ethical issues, especially when dealing with students’ and teachers’ data, is essential when 
incorporating  online  learning  in  your  teaching  practice.  It  is  important  to  understand  the  policies 
and terms of use of an online environment or tool before starting using it with your students, as 
sometimes you might find that personal information collected can be used for marketing or other 
purposes. Start by acknowledging your school data management strategy and ethical considerations 
that you might have and apply them when administering online learning environments and tools. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Administer  online  learning  environments  in  line  with  ethical 
considerations and data management strategy in compliance with the main principles of 
the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (e.g. consider administration features, describe 
a policy on managing content and students’ data, edit privacy settings).

You should now be able to administer online learning environments in line with ethical considerations 
and data management strategy in compliance with the main principles of the General Data Protection 
Regulation (GDPR). You might want to consult other colleagues and follow existing practices or even 
consult the Data Protection Officer in your organisation. Start analysing the specificities of your own 
professional context and any particular implications that you might need to consider. For example, 
some online tools and environments have age restrictions while some others might require the user 
to  accept  sharing  contact  details  with  third  parties.  This  process  will  ensure  that  you  choose  an 
online learning environment that best responds to the ethical considerations and data management 
strategy of your working context. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Analyse the features of online environments and tools in reference 
to your ethical considerations and data management strategy (e.g. security, users and data 
management, access policy, hosting of data). 

I  analyse  the  features  of  online  learning 
environments  and  apply  the  ones  that  best 
respond to the ethical considerations and data 
management  strategy  of  my  working  context 
(e.g.  security,  users  and  data  management, 
access policy, hosting of data).

Being  able  to  analyse  and  select  the  online  environments  and  tools  that  best  respond  to  your 
ethical considerations and data management strategy can ensure the best possible safe and secure 
environment for you and your students to work in. It is important to extend this competence to your 
colleagues so that all of the school community can benefit from the exchange of good practice and 
altogether to lead successful data policy and code of ethical conduct when using online learning 
environments. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Support and provide advice to colleagues on ethical considerations 
and  data  management  strategy  when  using  an  online  learning  environment  (e.g.  use  of 
passwords, encryptions, security procedures, data management transparency). 

29

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI support and provide advice to colleagues on 
ethical  considerations  and  data  management 
learning 
practices  when  using  an  online 
environment (e.g. use of passwords, encryptions, 
security 
data  management 
transparency).

procedures, 

I initiate and promote a school level data policy 
and  code  of  ethical  conduct  in  online  learning 
environments (e.g. personal data management, 
accessibility for all, security, privacy).

I am not aware of this competence.

1.3 Professional collaboration

Using digital technologies to 
engage in collaboration and 
interactions with colleagues and/
or other education stakeholders.

I  am  aware  that  digital  technologies  can  be 
used  for  collaboration  and  interactions  with 
colleagues and/or other education stakeholders 
(e.g. exchange content by email attachments).

30

By supporting other colleagues towards the implementation of a data management policy and a 
code of ethical conduct when managing online learning environments, extends your own competence 
while at the same time facilitates the engagement of the school community into a culture that 
promotes  respect  for  personal  data  as  well  as  safety  and  security  issues.  It  will  also  lead  to 
awareness on possible misuse of data by third parties, especially when data management policies 
are not transparent. You can support your school to gather good practices on data management 
on a more practical level for everyday practice as well as to initiate an effort to develop a school 
level data policy and code of ethical conduct when using online learning environments. Moreover, to 
consider accessibility issues to online learning that students might face.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Propose  and  advocate  for  school  level  data  policy  and  code  of 
ethical conduct in online learning environments (e.g. personal data management, accessibility 
for all, security, privacy). 

Contributing to the development of organisational practices on the use of digital technologies for 
effective  communication  and  interaction  within  the  school  and  beyond,  allows  you  to  use  your 
digital competences to support innovative solutions for the communication needs of your school. 
Keep adjusting your communication practices and strategy to meet different communication needs. 
To seize the full potential of your digital competence in this area you should focus on continuously 
adapting your strategies and exploring new options. As new technological solutions keep emerging, 
you  will  find  ways  to  even  better  address  and  accommodate  your  own  and  your  colleagues’ 
communication needs. 

[Suggestions for future actions]: Keep anticipating your colleagues’ communication needs and 
use digital tools and solutions in strategic and innovative ways. Continue exploring new 
solutions.

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

Being aware that digital technologies can facilitate the exchange of ideas and boost interactions 
with colleagues and educational stakeholders is a first step for you to start engaging in professional 
collaboration practices. Try to explore different digital technologies to share and exchange material 
and good practices with colleagues within and beyond your school. Join online professional groups 
(e.g. on social media) to get inspired by the discussions and access material other teachers all over 
the in your country, across Europe and around the world have created. You can share with them 
material you’ve created and get feedback and ideas on how to adapt them to different situations 
or how to make them even better. Such an exchange is often an enriching professional experience.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Start  trying  different  digital  technologies  to  interact  and  share 
ideas and resources with colleagues (e.g. exchange material using online services, participate in 
online professional networks).

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  have  tried  using  digital  technologies  to 
collaborate  and  interact  with  colleagues  and/
or other education stakeholders (e.g. exchange 
content  using  online  services,  participate  in 
online professional networks).

I use various digital technologies to collaborate 
and 
interact  with  colleagues  and/or  other 
stakeholders,  according  to  collaboration  needs 
(e.g. sharing content, practices, and/or ideas).

Once  you  start  exploring  digital  technologies  to  interact  with  colleagues  and  other  education 
stakeholders, you will be able to share and exchange ideas, practices, resources and material that 
can enrich your teaching practice. You can then start using collaborative tools that better fit your 
purpose and preferences, such as shared online files or a teachers’ group on a social network.

[Suggestions to level up]: Use digital technologies to collaborate with colleagues and other 
stakeholders in your school and its wider community (e.g. share content on a common online 
space for collaboration, join an online professional community).

Reaching  the  point  where  you  use  various  digital  technologies  to  collaborate  and  interact  with 
colleagues in your school and beyond will allow you to enrich your teaching practices with new ideas 
and  a  collective  approach  for  professional  development.  Reflect  on  how  the  digital  collaborative 
tools  you  are  using  are  facilitating  and  supporting  your  collaborations.  Reflect  on  how  you  can 
best benefit from these interactions. Are you learning from your peers and are you bringing in your 
expertise so that they can learn from you? 

[Suggestions to level up]: Analyse and select digital technologies for effective collaboration 
and interaction based on their affordances and limitations (e.g. use online collaborative spaces 
to engage with peers in the joint production of teaching resources that each of you can refine for 
their purposes and thus learn from each other, or implement a joint project where your students 
interact with students from different contexts). 

I analyse and select digital technologies based 
on  their  features  and  how  they  can  support 
collaboration  tasks  I  need  to  engage  in  with 
colleagues  and/or  other  education  stakeholder 
(e.g. collaborative online activities).

Being able to analyse digital technologies based on their affordances and limitations can help in the 
selection of the most appropriate collaborative tools to satisfy goals and needs. You may also want 
to work with colleagues and engage them in collaborative tasks with partners within the school and 
its wider community. Support them to select the collaborative tools that best fit the task purpose 
and participants’ needs and preferences.

[Suggestions to level up]: Anticipate your colleagues’ collaboration skills and provide support 
and advice so as to reach effective, efficient, and inclusive collaborations at school level 
and beyond (e.g. lead collaborative tasks for colleagues to participate in co-creation of learning 
designs, implementation of joint projects). 

I lead collaborative tasks with colleagues and/
or  other  education  stakeholders  using  digital 
technologies (e.g. collaboration and co-creation 
of  learning  designs,  implementation  of  joint 
projects).

By  leading  collaborative  tasks  for  colleagues  and  supporting  them  to  co-create  material  and 
implement joint projects, you will be able to extend your own digital competence on professional 
collaboration  and  contribute  to  the  development  of  collective  learning  and  development  in  your 
school. Try to extend the collaborative activities beyond the school (and regional/national context) 
involving more education stakeholders in the wider school community.

[Suggestions to level up]: Initiate and promote collaborative activities within the school and 
beyond involving colleagues, students, parents, external partners (e.g. initiate a partnership 
with educational technology companies, promote collaborations with teachers in other countries, 
engage students and parents in joint projects).

31

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI initiate and promote collaborative activities 
between  my  school  and  its  wider  community 
(e.g.  networks, 
technologies 
using  digital 
communities  and  synergies,  partnerships  with 
local and wider community).

I am not aware of this competence.

of  digital 

I  am  aware 
technologies 
available  in  my  school  that  can  support  my 
professional practice (e.g. devices, applications, 
infrastructure).

Initiating and promoting collaborative practices with the use of digital technologies for your school 
and its wider community, allows you to use your digital competence in this area to support innovative 
solutions for a collaborative and collective learning culture within your school. Keep adjusting your 
professional collaboration practices and strategy to meet different collaboration needs. To seize the 
full potential of your digital competence in this area you should focus on continuously adapting your 
strategies and exploring new options. As new technological solutions keep emerging, you will always 
find ways to even better address and accommodate your own and your colleagues’ collaboration 
needs.

[Suggestions for future actions]: Keep anticipating your colleagues’ and school’s collaboration 
needs  and  strategically  employ  innovative  digital  solutions.  Continue  exploring  new 
solutions.

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

Your professional practice could be enhanced using digital technologies already available in your 
school. Being aware of available infrastructure, devices, and digital resources is a first step for you 
to start learning about opportunities that digital technologies can bring to education and teaching 
and learning. Start talking with colleagues to find out what kind of digital technologies are available 
in your school and exchange ideas of how they can support your professional practice.

[Suggestions to level up]: Start trying to use the digital technologies which may be available 
in your school to support your teaching practice (e.g. interactive whiteboards, tablets, intranet).

I have tried using digital technologies available 
in my school that can support my professional 
practice  (e.g.  interactive  whiteboards,  tablets, 
intranet).

Now that you started exploring what kind of digital resources are available in your school, you will 
be able to develop ideas on how to incorporate them to enrich your professional practice.  You can 
start  sharing  and  exchanging  ideas  and  practices  with  colleagues  that  are  already  using  these 
technologies and start using them to enhance your students’ learning.

I  use  various  digital  technologies  available 
in  my  school  according  to  my  professional 
practice  needs  (e.g. 
learning  management 
system, cloud services).

[Suggestions to level up]: Use digital technologies to meet your professional practice needs 
(e.g. use an online learning management system, use tablets for students to work on a project).

Reaching the point where you use various digital resources to support your professional practice 
and to support and enhance your students’ learning, will allow you to enrich your teaching practices 
with new ideas and pedagogies. Reflect on how the digital tools you are using allow your students’ 
active engagement in their learning process and what kind of pedagogies are needed to employ in 
your teaching. Start analysing the available technologies to see whether and how they can support 
innovative pedagogies and learning.  

[Suggestions to level up]: Analyse and select digital technologies for effective teaching and 
learning based on their affordances and limitations (e.g. use online learning environments to 
engage students in active learning within and beyond the classroom, use digital tools to facilitate 
management of learning outcomes).

1.4 Digital technologies and 
school level infrastructure

Using digital technologies 
(devices, platforms and software) 
and infrastructure (internet 
access, local network) available 
in my school to enhance 
education.

32

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  analyse  and  select  digital  technologies 
available in my school based on their features 
and  suitability  to  enhance  my  professional 
practice  (e.g.  online  learning  environments, 
immersive technologies).

I  support  and  provide  advice  to  colleagues 
on how to use digital technologies available in 
our  school  for  their  professional  practice  (e.g. 
giving  presentations,  organising  workshops, 
developing learning resources).

I  propose  new  digital 
for 
professional  practice  to  be  used  in  my  school 
(e.g.  emerging 
technologies,  applications, 
infrastructure).

technologies 

I am not aware of this competence.

Being able to analyse and select the most appropriate digital tools based on their affordances and 
suitability, can support and enhance your professional practice. It can facilitate your ideas on how to 
incorporate digital technologies in your teaching practice for the benefit of your students’ learning. 
Digital tools can also enhance the building of a community of practice in your school for sharing 
good practices and resources. You can share your experience and competence with your colleagues 
to support their own needs as well as to benefit from their ideas and pedagogical approaches.

[Suggestions to level up]: Support and provide advice to colleagues to use available digital 
technologies for their professional practice (e.g. give presentations, organise workshops on how 
to use a particular digital tool).

Supporting other colleagues to use digital technologies in their professional practice, extends your 
own  competence  while  at  the  same  time  facilitates  the  engagement  of  the  school  community 
in  collaborating  and  sharing  teaching  and  learning  practices.  This  can  lead  your  school  towards 
pedagogical innovation. You can facilitate your school as a whole to become aware of the potential 
for innovative teaching and learning with the use of digital technologies. You can initiate communities 
of practice in your school, to share ideas and pedagogical approaches using the available digital 
technologies in your school, as well as suggesting new ones that can support your professional aims. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Drive  innovation  and  change  across  your  school  by  proposing 
innovative  digital  technologies  to  be  used  in  your  school  (e.g.  new  apps,  infrastructure, 
emerging technologies).

New technological solutions are constantly emerging which can support new needs and pedagogical 
trends.  It  is  important  to  be  open  to  new  tools  that  can  enhance  your  professional  practice  as 
well as searching for new technologies that can satisfy your professional goals and pedagogical 
approaches. While it is important to continue existing digital technologies, it is equally important to 
search for new one and discuss how the whole organisation could benefit from innovative teaching 
practices that these technologies can support. 

[Suggestions  for  future  actions]:  Continue  exploring  new  digital  technologies  that  support 
innovative  pedagogies,  as  well  as  ones  that  provide  new  perspectives  in  teaching  and 
learning.

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

33

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence1.5 Reflective practice

Reflecting on my own and 
collective professional 
practice with the use of digital 
technologies.

I am aware that reflecting on how I use digital 
technologies  can  enhance  my  professional 
(e.g.  online  diary,  peer-to-peer 
practice 
reflections).

I  have  tried  reflection  methods  on  my  use 
of  digital  technologies  to  further  develop  my 
digital  competence  (e.g.  online  self-reflection 
tools, reflection diary, digital story telling).

I  use  various  reflection  methods  in  order  to 
improve  and  update  my  professional  digital 
practice  (e.g.  co-teaching,  video  recording  of 
lessons, peer-debriefing sessions).

Being aware that reflection on your professional practice with the use of digital technologies can 
enhance your teaching is an important first step for you to develop your digital competence. Start 
by asking yourself: 

•  How can I use digital technologies with an added value? 
•  What can I achieve with them that I could not achieve in traditional ways? 
•  What can I change to improve the match between the technology I select and the set learning 

objectives? 

Then, explore some tools (e.g. online diaries, tools for notes taking) to start reflecting on your practice.

[Suggestions to level up]: Start trying different methods to support your reflection on your 
teaching practice and reflective learning with the use of digital technologies (e.g. use online 
self-reflection tools, keep a reflection diary, explore reflective digital story telling).

Having tried using different methods to reflect on your professional practice with the use of digital 
technologies is important to further develop your digital competence. However, in some instances 
you will find that it is difficult for you to improve your teaching practices using digital means yourself. 
This is when you should seek help and look for other ways of improving them. Start by sharing your 
reflections with colleagues and seeking their feedback. Try using different tools to reach colleagues 
in your school, in online professional communities or discussion groups.

[Suggestions to level up]: Use various reflection practices with colleagues and receive their 
feedback  to  improve  your  digital  professional  practice  (e.g.  co-teaching,  video  recording  of 
lessons, peer-debriefing sessions).

Sharing reflections with colleagues and receiving their feedback is important to understand how you 
can improve your professional practice. Using various reflection methods and taking advantage of 
digital technologies to share feedback can enhance further your reflective learning. Technology is 
changing all the time so make sure to keep updated on new tools or improvements to ones you are 
already using. Make sure that you use the insights gained to the benefit of your students and their 
learning. Also share your expertise with colleagues and discuss with them how to jointly improve 
learning across your school.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Analyse  and  select  digital  technologies  which  can  allow  you  to 
gather feedback from your colleagues. Use their feedback and suggestions in your teaching 
practice accordingly (e.g. analysing peers’ feedback, using mind mapping tools and other tools 
that support annotations, audio commentaries, e-journals).

34

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  analyse  the  outcomes  of  my  reflection  to 
improve  the  use  of  digital  technologies  in 
my  professional  practice  (e.g.  analysing  peer 
feedback,  using  mind  mapping  tools  and 
other  tools  that  support  annotations,  audio 
commentaries, online diaries).

I  support  and  provide  advice  to  colleagues 
about improving the use of digital technologies 
in  their  professional  practice  through  critical 
reflection 
through  discussion  forums, 
blogs,  social  networks,  online  professional 
communities).

(e.g. 

I initiate and contribute to the development 
of  a  reflective  learning  culture  that  enhances 
the use of digital technologies in my school and 
beyond (e.g. lesson study, collaborative learning 
design, coaching, mentoring).

I am not aware of this competence.

Being  able  to  analyse  and  select  the  appropriate  outcomes  of  your  reflections  can  support 
the  development  of  your  teaching  practices.    Digital  technologies  can  support  further  proper 
documentation  and  management  of  the  feedback  received  and  reflections  on  your  teaching 
practice.  It  can  also  facilitate  your  ideas  on  how  to  incorporate  this  feedback  in  your  teaching 
practice towards the benefit of your students’ learning. Such tools can also enhance the building 
of a community of practice in your school for sharing teaching practices and giving and receiving 
feedback.  It  is  important  to  extend  this  opportunity  to  your  colleagues  so  that  all  of  the  school 
community can benefit of the exchange of constructive feedback and altogether to lead a reflective 
learning organisation. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Support  and  provide  advice  to  colleagues  about  improving  their 
digital  professional  practice  through  critical  reflection.  Use  digital  technologies  to  give 
and receive feedback and reflect on their teaching practice (e.g. consider joining peer support 
online groups and communities of practice, participate in discussion forums and attend blogs).

Supporting other colleagues in their own reflection of their teaching practice using digital technologies 
will  extend  your  own  competence  in  this  area.  It  also  facilitates  the  engagement  of  the  school 
community into collaborating and sharing practices that can lead your school to become a better 
learning organisation. You can facilitate your school as a whole to become aware of the potential 
to innovate teaching and learning with the use of digital technologies by initiating communities of 
practice, and using tools and environments to support reflections on your combined experiences of 
teaching through digital technologies. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Drive  innovation  and  change  across  your  school  using  digital 
technologies to support teaching and learning (e.g. organise lesson studies and reflect on the 
lesson implementation, initiate coaching and mentoring activities to newcomers). 

Contributing to the development of a reflective culture in your school using digital technologies, will 
allow the exploitation of your own and your organisation’s digital competence in this area. As new 
technological solutions keep emerging, you need to be open to seize their potential for education. 
While it is important to continue working on your individual strengths and weaknesses and to learn 
from each other, it is equally important to discuss how the whole organisation can benefit from your 
innovative teaching practices and to contribute to the development of your school as a learning 
organisation. 

[Suggestions  for  future  actions]:  Keep  reflecting  on  yours  and  your  colleagues’  teaching 
practices  using  digital  technologies  and  strategically  employ  innovative  pedagogies. 
Continue exploring new solutions.

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

35

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence1.6 Digital life

Contributing positively and 
ethically in the digital world, 
considering safe and responsible 
digital practices.

I am aware that my digital activity may have 
implications  for  my  own  reputation  and  that 
of  my  school  (e.g.  sharing  private  information, 
using inappropriate language).

I  recognise  possible  risks  and  threats  for  my 
reputation  and  that  of  my  school  relating  to 
my  digital  activity  (e.g.  privacy,  personal  data, 
bullying, misinformation).

I  use  mitigating  measures  to  maintain  a 
(e.g.  understanding 
positive  digital  profile 
the  provided  terms  of  use,  tracing  my  digital 
footprint, managing my privacy settings).

More or less everyone has some kind of digital activity in their personal lives. It is important to be 
aware that your digital activity leaves traces to a digital footprint that might have implications for 
your reputation. For example, personal choices that you made on online tools and websites, photos 
and opinions that you posted on social networks could be shared with others because you agreed 
on the user policy of the tool. Make sure that you acknowledge such risks and threats so as to avoid 
your online data to be exposed without your wanting so. You can start identifying possible risks and 
threats for your reputation by starting a web search on your name and see what “the web says” 
about you.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Recognise  possible  risks  and  threats  for  you  and  your  school’s 
reputation relating to your digital activity (e.g. personal data and content shared or published 
without your consent).

When able to recognise possible risks and threats for your reputation and your school’s related to 
your digital activity, you can mitigate such risks by following your digital footprint and maintaining 
a  positive  digital  profile.  Make  sure  you  are  aware  of  data  management  policies  of  the  digital 
technologies you are using and always manage the privacy settings to your own preferences (the 
default ones may not suit your case). For example, you can define in privacy settings with whom to 
share information, whether people can tag you or not in a photo, what kind of cookies to allow and 
so on.

[Suggestions to level up]: Use mitigating measures to maintain a positive digital profile (e.g. 
going through the provided terms of use, tracing your digital footprint often, managing your privacy 
settings).

To maintain a positive digital profile, it is important that you analyse the risks and use mitigating 
measures to manage them. Sometimes, it is not easy to understand the policies underpinning data 
management  as  more  and  more  artificial  intelligence  (AI)  algorithms  are  supporting  automated 
routines and you need to consult with other users when in doubt of a particular tool or network. It is 
a good practice to follow your digital footprint often and try to eliminate information that you think 
does not represent you. Note though that sometimes this process is not as obvious. Thus, try to 
reflect on your digital activity in regard to the traces that you are leaving behind and redefine your 
digital behaviour.

[Suggestions to level up]: Analyse and assess your digital footprint to redefine your digital 
behaviour (e.g. tracing your digital footprint, managing your privacy settings, blocking suspicious 
content and people). 

36

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  analyse  and  assess  my  digital  footprint  to 
adjust my behaviour and to help curate my own 
reputation  online  and  that  of  my  school  (e.g. 
tracing  my  digital  footprint,  managing  privacy 
settings, blocking suspicious content and people, 
applying school guidelines on digital activities).

I  support  and  provide  advice  to  colleagues 
on creating and curating ethical and responsible 
digital  profiles  (e.g.  presentations,  workshops, 
supporting material, activities).

I initiate and promote school-level strategies 
that encourage staff and students to contribute 
positively, responsibly and ethically in a digital 
world (e.g. provide transparent data and content 
management  procedures,  develop  an  ethics 
code of conduct).

I am not aware of this competence.

Being able to analyse and assess your digital footprint can help you to redefine your digital behaviour. 
For example you might want to avoid certain websites and vendors that use your personal data 
for marketing purposes that can lead to a profile that does not represent you; or you might decide 
to set the preferences of your personal online accounts to a narrower group of people, so as your 
personal information and content is not widely shared. It is important to extend this competence to 
your colleagues so that all of the school community can benefit from the exchange of good practice 
and altogether to maintain positive digital profiles for themselves and your school. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Support and provide advice to colleagues on creating and curating 
ethical and responsible digital profiles (e.g. organise workshops on security procedures, initiate 
discussion forums on good practices for privacy settings, give presentations on data management 
transparency).

By supporting other colleagues to maintain a positive digital profile, extends your own competence 
while at the same time facilitates the engagement of the school community into a culture that 
promotes leading a safe and legal digital life, while contributing positively, ethically and responsibly 
in the digital world. You can contribute to the adoption of a vision for your school that inspires people 
to lead a responsible and constructive digital behaviour that reflects a positive digital profile for the 
whole school. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Initiate  and  promote  a  vision  for  your  school  that  enables  the 
contribution  to  positive  and  responsible  participation  in  the  digital  world  (e.g.  provide 
transparent data and content management procedures, develop an ethics code of conduct).

Initiating  and  promoting  a  vision  for  your  school  for  a  positive  digital  profile  can  facilitate  all 
stakeholders  to  constructively  contribute  to  positive  and  responsible  participation  in  the  digital 
world.  Online  activity  is  growing  in  our  lives  and  the  traces  left  behind  represent  data  that  third 
bodies might exploit. You need to be aware of data management online and always informed about 
ways to monitor online activity and traces. 

[Suggestions for future actions]: Keep reflecting on your vision and strategies for a positive 
and constructive digital activity. Continue exploring new solutions.

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

37

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence1.7 Professional learning 
(through digital technologies)

Using digital technologies for 
one’s own professional learning.

I  am  aware  that  digital  technologies  can 
support and enhance my professional learning 
(e.g. digital tools and resources, online learning 
environments and courses).

I  have  tried  using  digital  technologies  for  my 
professional learning (e.g. search for information 
online,  join  online  courses,  use  online  learning 
apps, visit online libraries and repositories).

I  use  various  digital  technologies  for  my 
professional  learning  (e.g.  discussions  in  a 
forum,  uploading  material,  giving  and  taking 
feedback, presenting).

Being aware of digital technologies can make it easier for you to update your skills and knowledge 
independent of location and time, especially if you do not have enough time to engage in more 
formal  continuous  professional  development.  An  option  to  get  started  with,  could  be  to  think  of 
a topic that you know little about (e.g. a contemporary pedagogic theory like “flipped classroom”). 
An internet search will supply you with a number of videos, discussions, blogs to look at which will 
provide you with further threads and links to follow up. Following them you will learn a lot about 
this concept and will realise where to dig deeper, in case you want to. Without realising it you have 
“participated in online training opportunities”.

[Suggestions to level up]: Start exploring digital technologies for your professional learning 
(e.g. search on the web for a teaching strategy you would like to learn more about, follow links to 
visit online libraries and repositories).

Exploring digital technologies for your professional learning can enhance your teaching practice. You 
have probably already used “online training opportunities” without realising it. Each time you search 
the  internet  for  new  methods  and  materials  for  your  teaching,  you  also  indirectly  enhance  your 
teaching skills. Now the idea is to actively use digital technologies for your professional learning and 
extending your teaching capabilities. Start using digital technologies such as online learning apps, 
online repositories, or tutorials in order to keep updated in your teaching discipline and follow trends 
and practices in your field. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Use various digital technologies for your professional learning (e.g. 
attend  an  online  tutorial  or  a  MOOC,  participate  in  a  discussion  forum  on  a  topic  that  you  are 
interested in).

Using  various  options  for  professional  learning  provides  opportunities  to  select  the  ones  most 
beneficial, valuable and interesting for meeting your learning needs. You can consider why you use 
a specific format of training. What do you like about it? What did not convince you? If there is a 
specific training provider or website that you liked, check out what else they offer and what other 
users recommend. Settle on a topic that really interests you and widen the scope of your search, 
including also communities devoted to the topic and asking others for recommendations. The most 
important thing is for you to better understand what is available, and what mode of training is works 
best for you. That way, whenever you have a concrete training need, you can easily identify an online 
training opportunity that will work for you.

[Suggestions to level up]: Identify your learning needs and define your learning goals so as 
to analyse and select the resources and activities that best suit them (e.g. reflect on your 
learning needs and look for a webinar, an online community or a repository that can satisfy them).

38

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI analyse and select online learning resources 
and activities that best suit my learning needs 
(e.g. webinars, online interactive courses, online 
learning communities).

I support and provide advice to colleagues on 
using digital technologies for their professional 
learning  (e.g.  online 
learning  communities, 
online repositories, e-portfolios).

I  initiate  and  promote  a  plan  to  support  my 
colleagues’  digitally-enhanced  professional 
learning  (e.g.  provide  webinars,  online  training, 
online communities, resources repository, digital 
badges).

I am not aware of this competence.

Analysing  and  selecting  online  professional  learning  opportunities  can  enrich  your  professional 
development.    This  knowledge  will  help  you  to  identify  quickly  and  effectively  a  suitable  online 
training opportunity, whenever you have a concrete training need. If you keep up this consistent 
focus on ongoing self-led professional development, you can make sure to continuously advance 
your teaching skills and enhance the quality of education you provide to your students. Use this 
competence to support and provide advice to colleagues in your school and beyond.

[Suggestions to level up]: Engage in learning communities and exchange ideas and experiences 
with other colleagues. Recommend digital tools and resources that you consider of value 
to  support  your  and  their  professional  learning  (e.g.  online  learning  communities,  specific 
MOOCs, online repositories). 

While  providing  support  and  advice  to  other  colleagues  on  using  digital  technologies  for  their 
professional  learning,  you  extend  your  own  competence  and  at  the  same  time  facilitate  the 
engagement  of  the  school  community  into  a  culture  of  continuous  professional  development 
supported by the digital technologies. Through their own use of digital technologies for learning, 
teachers can transfer these skills into their teaching practice with their students. Learning through 
digital technologies, that is using digital technologies as a medium for learning, entails a learning 
outcome in addition to the content to conquer. You can facilitate your school to become aware of 
the  potential  of  using  digital  technologies  for  teachers’  professional  learning.  You  can  initiate  a 
strategy in your school that can support the provision of training through digital technologies to 
better meet the learning needs identified. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Drive  innovation  and  change  across  your  school  by  proposing 
innovative digital technologies to be used for teachers’ professional learning (e.g. online 
learning communities, online repositories with learning resources, MOOCs, digital badges).

Professional learning and continuous professional development is an essential part in one’s career 
and  life.  Being  competent  in  initiating  and  promoting  a  digitally  enhanced  professional  learning 
strategy extends your own competence while at the same time builds on the collective knowledge 
of your organisation to respond to the learning needs of its people.  New technological solutions 
are constantly emerging which can support new needs and pedagogical trends. It is important to 
be open to new tools that can enhance your professional learning as well as searching for new 
technologies that can satisfy your professional learning goals and needs. 

[Suggestions for future actions]: Continue exploring new digital technologies that support and 
enhance teachers’ professional learning.

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

39

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence1.8 Professional learning (about 
digital technologies)

Engaging in professional learning 
activities for the development of 
teachers’ digital competence.

I  am  aware  that  engaging  in  professional 
learning activities on using digital technologies 
(e.g. 
can  develop  my  digital  competence 
webinars  or  workshops  on  the  use  of  digital 
technologies in teaching and learning).

I have attended professional learning activities 
about  using  digital  technologies  in  order  to 
develop  my  digital  competence  (e.g.  micro-
teaching,  workshops  on  the  use  of  digital 
technologies in teaching and learning).

I  participate  in  various  formal  and  informal 
professional  learning  activities  about  using 
digital  technologies  to  develop  my  digital 
competence  (e.g.  hands-on  training  on  the 
pedagogical use of digital technologies, online 
learning approaches, digital assessment).

Digital technologies can support and enhance teaching and learning as well as innovative pedagogical 
approaches for students’ active engagement in their learning. It is important to be aware that there 
are professional learning activities and resources that can contribute to the development of your 
digital competence in the use of digital technologies in teaching and learning. Being aware is a first 
step for you to be informed about opportunities that digital technologies can bring to teaching and 
learning. Start talking with colleagues to find out what kind of learning opportunities are available 
for the use of digital technologies in education and how to get involved.

[Suggestions to level up]: Start trying professional learning opportunities on the use of digital 
technologies in education to support your professional practice (e.g. micro-teachings, hands-
on workshops, online courses).

Exploring professional learning opportunities on the use of digital technologies in education can help 
you identify the ones that you need in order to satisfy your learning needs and aims. You can now 
identify various learning opportunities that you can participate in as a first step of your professional 
learning on the use of digital technologies in teaching and learning.

[Suggestions to level up]: Try out various formal and informal professional learning activities 
about  using  digital  technologies  in  education  to  develop  your  digital  competence  (e.g. 
hands-on training on innovative pedagogical approaches supported by digital technologies, online 
learning approaches and distance learning, digital assessment).

Your participation in various formal and informal professional learning activities about using digital 
technologies in teaching and learning allows you to consider what training format and methodology 
best suits your own learning needs and style. You can also decide on a topic that really interests you 
and widen the scope of your learning, including communities devoted to the topic and asking others 
for recommendations. Now, through your self-reflection on your digital competence as an educator, 
you can identify your needs and set your goals for your learning path. This process will allow you to 
analyse and select the professional learning opportunities that meet your learning goals.

[Suggestions to level up]: Analyse your needs, set your learning goals and plan your learning 
path by analysing and selecting the learning activities and content that best respond to it 
(e.g. follow an e-portfolio approach during which you record your learning process, reflections and 
learning outcomes).

40

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  analyse  and  select  professional  learning 
activities about using digital technologies based 
on my needs (e.g. use a self-reflection tool on 
my  digital  competence,  set  learning  goals, 
design my learning, reflect on my learning).

I provide learning activities about using digital 
technologies  and  support  colleagues  on  the 
development  of  their  digital  competence  (e.g. 
workshops,  informal  sessions  with  colleagues, 
microteaching on the use of digital technologies).

I  contribute  to  the  design  of  professional 
learning programmes which aim at developing 
teachers’ digital competence (e.g. project-based 
learning  with  the  use  of  digital  technologies, 
digitally-enhanced learning design, exchange of 
good practices).

I am not aware of this competence.

Analysing  and  selecting  the  online  professional  learning  opportunities  on  the  use  of  digital 
technologies  in  education,  will  facilitate  the  development  of  your  overall  competence  as  an 
educator. This process will allow you to better meet your learning needs by improving your weak 
areas  and  further  exploiting  your  strong  ones.  If  you  keep  up  this  consistent  focus  on  ongoing 
self-led professional development, you can make sure to continuously advance your competence 
and  confidence  in  using  digital  technologies  to  support  pedagogies  that  enhance  the  quality  of 
education  you  provide  to  your  students.  Use  this  competence  to  support  and  provide  advice  to 
colleagues in your school and beyond.

[Suggestions to level up]: Engage in learning communities and exchange with other colleagues 
learning experiences on the use of digital technologies for teaching and learning that you 
consider of value to support yours and their professional learning (e.g. training opportunities 
on digitally-enhanced innovative pedagogies, organise informal sessions and microteaching with 
colleagues on digital assessment). 

At this stage, you can offer learning activities and provide support to other colleagues on the use of 
digital technologies in teaching and learning. By doing so, you extend your own learning on the matter, 
while at the same time facilitate the engagement of your colleagues in continuous professional 
development on digitally-supported practices. You can now support your school to become aware 
of the potential of using digital technologies for students’ learning by initiating a comprehensive 
training programme based on the school teacher needs identified. This can create a culture in the 
school community of innovative teaching and learning supported by digital technologies. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Drive  innovation  and  change  across  your  school  by  contributing 
to the design of a professional learning programme on digitally enhanced teaching and 
learning  (e.g.  project-based  learning  with  the  use  of  digital  technologies,  digitally-enhanced 
learning design, exchange of good practices).

Professional learning and continuous professional development is an essential part in one’s career 
and  life.  Being  competent  in  designing  a  professional  learning  programme  on  the  use  of  digital 
technologies  in  teaching  and  learning  extends  your  own  competence  while  at  the  same  time 
contributes to the development of digitally-competent teachers that can facilitate their students’ 
learning and digital competence. Digital technologies are constantly emerging and they can support 
new learning needs and pedagogical trends. It is important to follow these developments and trends 
to incorporate if suitable into individual and collective teaching and learning practices. 

[Suggestions for future actions]: Continue exploring new digital technologies that support and 
enhance quality teaching and learning.

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

41

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence1.9 Computational thinking

Engaging with computational 
thinking concepts and processes 
as part of teacher digital 
competence.

I am aware of computational thinking concepts 
and  processes  and  how  these  relate  to  digital 
competence (e.g. analysing a problem to find a 
solution, recognising aspects of computational 
thinking around us).

Being  aware  of  what  computational  thinking  is  and  its  related  aspects  can  facilitate  a  better 
understanding  of  technological  developments  around  you.  Going  through  computational  thinking 
processes will enable you to decompose a problem in order to understand it better. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Start trying  computational  thinking  practices (e.g. abstraction and 
decomposition of a problem, solution through a definition of steps).

I  have  tried  using  computational  thinking 
processes  to  explore  solutions  to  a  problem 
(e.g.  decomposition  of  a  problem,  solution 
through a definition of steps, analysing a set of 
instructions applied to a solution).

Being able to explore the different aspects for computational thinking will allow you to incorporate 
it  in  your  teaching  practice  and  guide  your  students  through  computational  thinking  processes.  
Computational thinking can facilitate your understanding of the world around you, as for example 
to be able to spot where information processing is used in everyday life.

[Suggestions to level up]: Use various digital tools to explore solutions to a problem (e.g. visual 
programming tools, authoring tools and editors).

I use various digital tools to explore solutions 
to a problem following computational thinking 
processes 
(e.g.  visual  programming  tools, 
authoring tools and editors).

When using various digital tools to explore solutions to a problem, such as a simple authoring tool or 
programming language, facilitates at the same time an understanding of the tools and languages 
and how digital systems work. Start analysing what underpins the response to a click of your mouse 
or the specific results of a web search.

I  analyse  and  select  responses  generated 
by  algorithms  (e.g.  rank  of  search  results, 
advertisements, how a robot can respond).

[Suggestions to level up]: Analyse technological responses based on used algorithms (e.g. rank 
of search results, advertisements, robots’ responses).

Being  able  to  analyse  technological  responses  allows  you  to  select  the  right  responses  to  your 
needs as well as to avoid automated assigned actions that you might not agree with. For example, 
you will be able to understand why a web search can lead to you seeing related advertisements on 
future websites. It is important to extend this competence to your colleagues and students as part 
of their own digital competence. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Lead computational thinking activities in your school to support 
the  development  of  your  colleagues’  and  students’  digital  competence  (e.g.  organise 
programming classes, competitions, and hackathons).

I  lead  computational  thinking  activities  in 
my  school  to  support  the  development  of 
colleagues’  and  students’  digital  competence 
(e.g.  programming 
competitions, 
hackathons).

classes, 

By supporting other colleagues and students to develop computational thinking competence, will 
increase the school community capability to analyse the world around us, as well as finding digital 
solutions to support various tasks.

[Suggestions to level up]: Get involved in the design and development of digital educational 
applications (e.g. games, mobile apps, assessment tools, online courses, customisation of virtual 
environments).

42

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  contribute  to  the  design  and  development 
of educational digital applications (e.g. games, 
mobile  apps,  assessment  tools,  customisation 
of virtual environments).

I am not aware of this competence.

Being  able  to  contribute  to  the  design  and  development  of  digital  educational  applications  to 
support your professional practice allows your active involvement in finding solutions that best suit 
your  needs.  you  can  for  example  collaborate  with  educational  technology  industries  and  have  a 
more constructive input in the design process as you are now able to understand better how digital 
solutions operate. As digital solutions are becoming more and more part of learning activities it 
is  important  to  be  able  to  understand  how  they  work  in  order  to  have  better  outcomes  or  even 
contribute to their improvement. 

[Suggestions for future actions]: Keep searching for new solutions and improvement of current 
ones, by using your computational thinking competence to understand how the physical 
and digital word around us function. 

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

Area 2 – Digital Resources

Teachers have potentially a wide range of digital resources available to them. It is important 
for them to effectively identify resources that best fit their needs, their teaching style, and 
their  learners.  They  may  also  need  to  learn  how  to  modify  and  adapt  resources  to  meet 
their exact requirements or create new ones. At the same time, they need to learn how to 
share digital resources responsibly, protect sensitive data, and manage content ethically and 
respect copyright rules.

The  proficiency  level  statements  are  organised  by  increasing  level  of  engagement  with 
digital resources.

ITEM NAME and
INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT

PROFICIENCY LEVEL 
STATEMENTS

FEEDBACK

2.1 Searching and selecting

Using searching and selection 
criteria to identify digital 
resources for teaching and 
learning.

I  am  aware  that  I  can  search  for  resources 
online  (e.g.  using  a  search  engine,  following  a 
link, visiting a resource repository).

Being aware that educational resources can be found online is an important preliminary step. It’s a 
good starting point to understand that there are educational resources for almost every age, grade, 
and subject. Using an internet search engine or consulting links provided by the education ministry 
can help you in finding new digital education for designing your lesson. Consider to shift through the 
results to identify different type of resources e.g. illustrations, applications or extensions of the core 
contents, materials for group work, resources for formative or summative assessments.

[Suggestions to level up]: Start trying ways to search online for suitable digital resources for 
your teaching. This could include using a number of different key terms relevant for the topic/s you 
are going to introduce in your next teaching unit. 

43

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  have  tried  searching  online  to  find  digital 
resources  (e.g.  by  following  a 
link,  using 
keywords in a search engine, filtering resources 
in online repositories).

I  use  various  online  tools  and  portals  to 
search for a wide and diversified set of digital 
resources  that  respond  to  educational  needs 
(e.g.  annotated  selection  of  resources,  search 
engines,  resource  repositories,  digital  libraries, 
social networks, learning communities).

I  analyse  and  select  digital  resources  based 
on  criteria  that  meet  specific  teaching  and 
learning aims (e.g. pedagogical value, relevance, 
reliability, validity, quality, licensing).

I reflect on my search results and readjust my 
selection criteria (e.g. taking into consideration 
that  my  search  results  can  be  affected  by  my 
geographical location or previous searches and 
preferences).

Exploring ways to search online for educational resources is essential for locating suitable materials 
and building up a portfolio of good resources. To expand your searching strategies, you can explore 
online collections of educational resources and use digital libraries, comparing and selecting a wide 
and diversified set of digital contents to integrate into your teaching or for your students to consult 
to complement what they learn in class. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Use  various  online  tools  and  portals  to  search  for  a  wide  and 
diversified  set  of  digital  resources.  Consider  involving  yourself  in  networks  and  learning 
communities which can help you locate resources which are engaging and appealing to your student 
and that respond to educational needs.

Using  various  online  tools  and  portals  allows  you  to  access  a  variety  of  diverse  educational 
resources, thus being able to choose the best for any given purpose. Once you have a good inventory 
of resources, concentrate on comparing options to find a resource that does not only fit but is in line 
with pedagogical values. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Analyse and select digital resources based on criteria that meet 
specific teaching and learning aims and is also accurate, reliable, engaging and appealing to 
students.

Adopting criteria which reflect quality and pedagogical values for selecting and analysing digital 
resources  is  an  important  aspect  of  accessing  digital  contents  that  meet  specific  teaching  and 
learning aims. There is a huge amount of information and digital resources available and it is not 
easy to be able to find the ones that best suit your teaching needs.  Start bookmarking sites and 
portals that meet your criteria so that you can visit them again when looking for similar resources.

[Suggestions to level up]: Reflect on your search outcomes and readjust your selection criteria. 
Consider key factors that help determine which results are returned for your query, understanding 
how outputs are produced and the impact of web-based tools (e.g. search algorithms) in influencing 
search outcomes.

There  is  value  in  knowing  and  understanding  that  digital  technologies  allow  the  generation  and 
use of digital testing reports, digital polls/surveys outcomes, recordings of learning activities, and 
learning analytics. Consider how you can readjust your selection criteria to gain value from reflection 
on, and redesign of, teaching and learning based on evidence captured through digital technologies.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Propose  strategies  and  tools  to  help  colleagues  search  for  and 
select digital resources in line with curriculum requirements and learning aims. Share your 
knowledge and expertise on accessing digital resources with as many colleagues as possible to foster 
innovation at the organisational level. You can start with something simple, like pools of keywords, 
selection checklists or digital resources evaluation rubrics, which you share with all colleagues, via 
e-mail or at staff meetings. You will soon be able to identify interested colleagues and together you 
can make your knowledge valuable for improving teaching across the whole school.

44

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  propose  strategies  and  tools  to  help 
colleagues  search  for  and  select  digital 
resources  from  diverse  sources  in  line  with 
curriculum requirements and learning aims (e.g. 
pools  of  keywords,  selection  checklists,  digital 
resources  evaluation  rubrics,  references  to 
resources portals).

Engaging  and  supporting  colleagues  in  improving  their  strategies  for  searching  and  selecting 
digital resources is essential to set-up a collection of quality digital contents in line with curriculum 
requirements and learning aims. Keep up with developments around criteria and tools for evaluating 
digital contents (e.g. assessing authorship, reliability and authenticity) and leading to readjustment 
of such practices.

[Suggestions for future actions]: Innovate your searching practices to effectively and efficiently 
identify quality digital resources.

I am not aware of this competence.

2.2 Creating

Creating digital resources that 
support and enhance teaching 
and learning aims.

I am aware that I can create resources in digital 
form  (e.g.  digital  text,  images,  photos,  audio, 
video).

I  have  tried  using  digital  tools  to  create 
resources  (e.g.  text  editors,  audio  and  visual 
editing tools, multimedia authoring tools).

I  use  various  digital  tools  according  to  their 
features  to  create  digital  resources  to  meet 
learners’ needs (e.g. interactive text, multimedia 
presentations, quizzes, games, online activities 
and lessons).

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

Being  aware  that  digital  technologies  can  be  useful  to  create  educational  resources  to  enhance 
teaching and learning is the first step in becoming an active creator of digital content. There are 
many tools and applications allowing you to create engaging resources that may facilitate learning 
for your students. You might even consider writing your notes about what tools and resources you’ve 
explored and how they work.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Start  trying  to  use  digital  technologies  to  create  educational 
resources. You can start by using text, audio or visual editing tools to create a single digital resource 
like a worksheet or online quiz that your students can use at any time. 

Exploring the use of digital technologies to create educational resources is essential for developing 
effective practices. Ask your colleagues for apps or programmes that they use to identify the best 
one for you. You can start now to understand your students’ needs and then use digital tools to 
create educational resources that allow to address them appropriately.

[Suggestions to level up]: Use various digital technologies, based on their affordance, so as to 
create digital educational resources that meet learners’ need.  This includes using interactive 
and engaging formats such as multimedia presentations, games and online activities that can be 
realised within the constraints of your educational setting. 

Developing  a  range  of  options  that  use  various,  appropriate  technologies  for  content  creation 
is  important  to  develop  quality  materials  that  meet  learning  requirements  and  students’  needs. 
This  includes,  for  example,  identifying  students’  needs  and  preferences,  providing  appropriate 
educational stimulus and feedback, using an appropriate mix of media for the learning objective (for 
example graphics, animation, photographs, video, sound) to engage the learner with the educational 
purposes.

[Suggestions to level up]: Apply design principles and processes for creating digital resources 
that  meet  teaching  and  learning  aims.    Consider  asking  colleagues  for  recommendations  to 
identify and apply the best tools and practices for your purposes, when creating digital resources 
for your teaching needs.  Try always to reflect on the use of your digital products and readjust them 
as necessary.

45

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  apply  design  principles  and  processes  to 
create  digital  resources  to  meet  teaching  and 
learning  aims  (e.g.  identifying  a  need,  design, 
develop, implement, assess, adjust, share).

Applying design principles and processes when creating digital resources, ensuring not only to focus 
on teaching and learning aims, but also on your  students’ learning needs  and preferences while 
adopting  engaging  and  interactive  solutions,  is  a  characteristic  of  expert  usage.  Exchange  and 
sharing with colleagues the digital resources you create, provide opportunities for deep learning and 
can help you to reflect and readjust your digital contents accordingly. 

I share the digital resources I create and I reflect 
and readjust them according to feedback that 
I  receive  (e.g.  incorporating  learner-centered 
pedagogical  approaches  enhanced  by  digital 
technologies affordances).

I  initiate  and  contribute  to  the  co-creation 
of  digital  educational  resources  with  people 
and  organisations  beyond  my  school  (e.g. 
researchers,  educational  content  publishers, 
educational technology companies).

I am not aware of this competence.

[Suggestions to level up]: Work and share with colleagues the digital resources you create 
to  collect  their  feedback  and  readjust  them  accordingly.  For  example,  you  can  consider 
incorporating  or  expanding  learner-centred  pedagogical  approaches  taking  advance  of  the 
affordances of the digital technologies used. 

Working and sharing the digital resources you create with colleagues allows you to reflect on and 
readjust your content to enhance the learner’s experience and effectively meet teaching and learning 
aims. You can now start collaborating with others to co-design and co-create digital resources that 
best suit your teaching needs, complementing your own skills with the skills of others’.

[Suggestions to level up]: Engage with local, national, and international stakeholders to co-
creating educational resources. Involve yourself in collaborations with educational technology 
companies, educational organisations or educational content publishers to co-create high-quality 
digital resources that can be used for teaching and learning.

Engaging with educational stakeholders to create digital resources, collaborating with educational 
technology companies, educational organisations or educational content publishers, is an excellent 
way of deepening the learning culture of the school. Keep up with methodological and technological 
developments in content creation and encourage others also to do so.

[Suggestions for future actions]: Regularly innovate your practices to effectively create valuable 
and  relevant  educational  resources,  keeping  up  with  methodological  and  technological 
developments in content creation and encourage others also to do so. Keep updated with 
latest technological developments and follow the education industry and research community on 
their achievements.

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

46

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence2.3 Modifying

Modifying existing digital 
resources to support and enhance 
teaching and learning aims, 
respecting copyright and licencing 
rules.

I  am  aware  that  when  modifying  existing 
digital  resources  I  need  to  respect  copyright 
and licencing rules (e.g. adding a picture to text, 
adding  new  content,  editing  or  deleting  parts, 
adding hyperlinks).

I  have  tried  ways  to  modify  existing  digital 
resources,  while  respecting  their  copyright  and 
licence  attributes  (e.g.  editing  a  presentation, 
modifying an image, changing format of a video, 
editing quizzes, adapting general settings).

I use various digital tools based on their features 
to  modify  and  repurpose  digital  resources  to 
meet educational needs (e.g. customise content 
of an online lesson, exploit features of a virtual 
environment, use eBook editors).

I  select  existing  digital  resources,  taking  into 
consideration copyright and distribution licences, 
to  modify  and  adapt  them  to  meet  teaching 
and 
learning  aims  (e.g.  open  educational 
resources,  content  under  Creative  Common 
Licence,  content  free  of  copyright,  editable 
resources).

Being aware that, according to their licences of use, digital resources can be modified and adapted 
to improve and support educational activities is an important starting point. There is a wealth of 
digital  resources  available  that  allow  you  to  adapt  them  to  your  teaching  needs.    Try  to  locate 
portals with open educational digital resources that have no copyright or limited restrictions and 
allow their use and even modification (e.g. resources under Creative Common licences, or copyright 
free).

[Suggestion to level up]: Start trying ways to modify and adapt existing digital resources to 
keep the contents up to date or to improve and enhance them. Consider, for example, editing 
a presentation, modifying an image, changing format of a video, editing quizzes, adapting general 
settings.

Exploring ways to modify existing digital resources provides you with a lot of possibilities to augment 
the contents, combine them with other materials, and generally adapt them. The flexibility of digital 
resources allows you to think about your curriculum in new ways as well as address specific student 
needs through effective planning.

[Suggestion to level up]: Find opportunities to use a variety of digital technologies based on 
their affordances to modify and repurpose digital resources so as to meet teaching and 
learning aims. For example, you can customise content for an online lesson, use e-book editors to 
change pictures/readings mirroring students’ context and experience.

Using  various  technologies  systematically  to  modify  and  repurpose  digital  resources  allows  you 
to  build  from  a  base  of  high-quality  digital  resource  and  customise  resources  to  increase  their 
relevance, tailor to individual learning levels, and offer greater choice for students. Knowing when you 
can use a work without obtaining permission or paying a licence fee, or whether a relevant licensing 
scheme applies is essential. This include contents under Creative Common Licence, contents free of 
copyright, editable resources and the implications for their re-use.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Work  to  select  digital  resources  to  modify  and  adapt  so  as  to 
meet teaching and learning aims by considering their copyright and distribution licences. 
Consider any modifications you may need to make to the content to ensure it is appropriate for the 
learning outcomes you defined, assessment approaches as well as your teaching style. For example, 
you may wish to add, delete, re-order or re-mix the existing content.

Selecting existing digital resources by considering their particular copyright and licensing scheme 
makes it possible to modify and adapt them to better meet student needs before building them into 
teaching and learning activity. Consider also adapting the resource in multiple ways to include local 
case studies and/or examples appropriate to students’ context. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Reflect on and redesign existing digital resources so as to integrate 
them into interactive, learner-centred activities. Try to add digital technology features that can 
support your teaching practice, such as modifying a paper quiz to an online assessment, providing 
more choice for students in receiving immediate feedback or integrate existing resources in a virtual 
learning space.

47

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  reflect  on  and  redesign  existing  digital 
resources  to  integrate  them  into  interactive, 
learner-centred  activities  (e.g.  adapting  digital 
resources  and  digitally-enhanced  tasks  into 
an  online  learning  course,  online  assessment, 
online  collaborative  project,  a  wiki,  a  blog,  a 
virtual learning space).

I  initiate  and  contribute  to  school-level 
guidance for teachers and students on modifying 
existing digital resources in line with curriculum 
requirements  and  teaching  and  learning  aims 
(e.g. strategies to revise, improve and repurpose 
school’s digital resources, copyright licences to 
be used, agreements with external stakeholders 
and publishers).

I am not aware of this competence.

Redesigning  existing  digital  resources  can  allow  you  to  integrate  them  into  interactive,  learner-
centred activities, enriching your students’ learning process.  You can continue exploiting existing 
digital resources and digitally enhanced tasks, enriching them and incorporating them into online 
learning environments or even into an online course.  At the same time, you can start involving other 
colleagues in creating learning resources for your school community.

[Suggestions to level up]: Provide guidance and support to your colleagues and students on 
modifying existing digital resources in line with teaching and learning aims (e.g. strategies to 
revise, improve and repurpose school’s digital resources, copyright licences to be used, agreements 
with external stakeholders and publishers).

It  is  a  characteristic  of  leadership  to  contribute  to  defining  school-level  guidance  to  engage 
colleagues  and  students  in  modifying  existing  digital  resources  and  align  them  with  curriculum 
requirements and teaching and learning aims. 

[Suggestions for future actions]: Consider mechanisms and strategies to revise, improve and 
repurpose school’s digital resources to meet teaching and learning needs, keeping up with 
copyright and licences schema, defining agreements with external stakeholders and publishers.

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

I am aware that digital technologies can help 
me  store,  organise,  and  provide  secure  access 
to digital content (e.g. local and online storage 
spaces,  password  protection,  classification  of 
content).

Being aware that technologies can be used to facilitate the organisation of, storage and secure 
access to digital contents is an important initial step towards defining practices to organize and 
protect  your  digital  data  and  contents.  You  can  now  start  to  think  about  using  local  and  online 
storage  spaces  to  organise  your  teaching  and  learning  materials,  classifying  your  content  and 
making sure to use passwords to protect your personal and professional data. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Start  trying  ways  to  store,  manage  and  access  digital  content 
on and from local and/or online storage spaces. Choosing the right way to store your digital 
education content can help you work more flexibly and quickly, also simplifying version control and 
collaboration with others. 

I have tried ways to store, manage and access 
digital content on and from local and/or online 
storage spaces (e.g. hard disks, external drives, 
cloud, online services).

Exploring  ways  to  store,  manage  and  access  your  digital  education  content  on  local  and  online 
spaces is an initial step for developing effective practices in managing your educational content. You 
can now start, for example, to tag and mark-up various mediums of digital content, such as word 
documents, slides and audio notes, and clustering them.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Use  various  digital  tools  systematically  to  store,  organise  and 
facilitate  access  to  educational  digital  content.  Choosing  a  logical  and  consistent  way  to 
organise your digital content allows you and others to easily locate and use them.

2.4 Managing, protecting

Organising digital content, 
enabling easy and secure 
access for students, parents 
and teachers, while protecting 
sensitive and personal data.

48

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  use  various  techniques  and  tools  to  store, 
organise and facilitate access to digital content 
(e.g. tree structures, use of metadata/tags).

Using technology purposefully to organise, store and retrieve digital content is essential to facilitate 
access to your digital content, adding context through tags and metadata so that you and others 
can understand it in the short, medium, and long-term. Consider collecting student’s personal data 
and content you actually need for specified purposes and to delete any data that is not necessary 
for educational purpose.

[Suggestions to level up]: Define and apply protection and security measures for the storage, 
management and access of digital content. This includes, for example, protecting your devices 
with strong passwords, assigning access limitation rights according to targeted users, having regular 
backups,  selecting  storage  and  online  services  based  on  their  data  policy,  terms  of  use,  safety 
and security. Consider also protecting students’ personal data such as exams, grades and reports, 
systematically and effectively, in line with GDPR regulation.

I  define  and  apply  protection  and  security 
measures  for  the  storage,  management  and 
access  of  digital  content  (e.g.  applying  strong 
passwords  to  sensitive  content,  assigning 
access 
rights,  use  encryption 
protocols, have regular backups, select storage 
and online services based on their data policy, 
terms of use, safety and security).

limitation 

Defining and applying protection and security measures is an important aspect to store, manage and 
access digital content, protecting your devices with robust passwords, assigning access limitation 
rights according to targeted users, having regular backups, selecting storage and online services 
based on their data policy, terms of use, safety and security.You can start developing procedures to 
access and use your storage space to contribute and enhance your practice.

[Suggestions to level up]: Design and develop a strategy to ensure easy, equitable and secure 
management of and access to digital content for your students and colleagues. This includes, 
for example, categorizing digital content, planning what, where and how to deliver them, presenting 
data in a way that makes it easy for your students and colleagues to access them.

I  design  and  develop  a  strategy  to  ensure 
easy,  equitable  and  secure  management  of 
and  access  to  digital  content  for  my  students 
and  colleagues  (e.g.  classification  of  content, 
access limitation rights to different target users, 
encryption protocols, regular backups).

I  initiate  and  promote  a  common  digital 
space  at  school-level,  that  facilitates  the 
secure storage, management of and access to 
digital content for different users (e.g. students, 
parents, teachers, other school staff).

Having a strategy ensures easy, equitable and secure management of and access to digital content, 
by categorizing digital content, presenting data in a way that makes it easy for your students and 
colleagues to access them. Engaging colleagues in building up a common digital space to facilitate 
the  secure  storage,  management  and  access  to  digital  content  at  school-level  for  students  and 
teachers is essential to move to a culture of digital content.  

[Suggestions to level up]: Initiate and promote a common digital space at school-level that 
facilitates the secure storage, management of and access to digital content for different 
targeted users. Consider regularly reviewing the effectiveness of the measures taken and keep 
updated on data protection rules. 

Engaging  with  colleagues  in  building  up  a  common  digital  space  to  facilitate  the  storage, 
management  and  access  to  digital  content  at  school-level  for  students,  teachers,  parents  and 
school staff, is essential to create a culture of digital content and to support on and off-site learning 
while protecting students’ privacy and data security. 

[Suggestions  for  future  actions]:  Innovate  your  practices  by  keeping  up  with  the  latest 
developments and trends in secure storage, management and access to digital content, in 
line with European Union’s Data Protection Regulation GDPR on full transparent use of private data 
and the right to be forgotten, which allows private data to be removed at any point in time.

49

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI am not aware of this competence.

2.5 Sharing

Sharing digital content with 
respect to intellectual property 
and copyright rules.

I am aware that copyright rules apply to digital 
resources  I  use  for  educational  purposes  (e.g. 
images, text, audio, video).

I have tried ways to attribute to the creator of 
the  resources  I  use  (e.g.  citing  author’s  name, 
link to original source).

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

Being  aware  that  copyright  rules  apply  to  digital  contents  used  for  educational  purposes  is  an 
important initial step towards understanding the possibility of using copyright materials as part of 
your teaching and learning experience. You can for example, always cite the author’s name and link 
to the original source of the digital content. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Start  trying  ways  to  attribute  the  creator  of  resources  used  for 
education purposes, understanding whether your use of a digital resource is permitted or whether 
a relevant licensing scheme applies.

Exploring ways to provide attribution to the creator of resources used for education purposes, by 
citing author’s name, or linking to the original source to inform on copyright is a good starting point 
to know copyright issues, understanding whether your use of a digital resource is permitted by an 
exception, or whether a relevant licensing scheme applies. You can start, for example, using email 
attachment  for  sharing  private  and  limited  use  content  or  providing  access  through  a  link,  in  an 
online repository, or through a social network for public use resources.

[Suggestions to level up]: Share  digital  resources  choosing  the  most  appropriate  channels 
for  private,  limited  or  public  use.  Consider  main  issues  when  using  copyrighted  material  for 
your  teaching  and  learning  activities,  including  how  to  determine  whether  a  work  is  copyrighted, 
whether you will need to ask permission for a particular use or understanding if fair use conditions 
for education purposes apply.

I share digital resources attributing the original 
creators  and  choosing  the  most  appropriate 
channels for private, limited or public use (e.g. 
using email attachment for private and limited 
use,  through  a  link,  in  an  online  repository,  a 
social network, managing tags/metadata).

Sharing digital resources choosing the most appropriate channels for private, limited or public use, 
by understanding main issues to consider when using copyrighted material for your teaching and 
learning  activities  or  when  fair  use  for  educational  purposes  apply,  is  a  characteristic  of  expert 
usage. You can make it easier for others to re-use tools, data, or other content that you create by 
assigning different formats of Creative Commons (CC) license. This can include, for example, a ‘By-
Attribution, Non-Commercial’ Creative Commons license.

[Suggestions to level up]: Select and apply copyright licences when sharing digital resources 
that  you  create,  supporting  open  educational  resources.  That  means  anyone  can  use  your 
digital content in any way they like, so long as they attribute it to you and don’t use it for commercial 
purposes. Other types of Creative Common licences allow for commercial use or do not require re-
user to attribute the creator.

50

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  select  and  apply  copyright  licences  when 
sharing  digital  resources  I  create,  supporting 
(e.g.  Creative 
open  educational 
Common licence).

resources 

I design and develop ways for my colleagues 
and  I  to  share,  curate  and  re-use  digital 
resources  to  ensure  easy  and  equal  access 
(e.g.  developing  an  ontology  to  manage 
resources,  specifying  ways  to  curate  content, 
contextualising curated content).

I  initiate  and  promote  an  online  space  to 
share  digital  educational  resources  with  the 
school community (e.g. applying keywords/tags/
metadata,  allowing  others  to  comment,  rate, 
modify, or co-create).

I am not aware of this competence.

Selecting and applying copyright licences when sharing digital resources that you create, make it 
easier for others to re-use tools, data, or other content that you create. Experiment with different 
formats of Creative Commons (CC) licence. This can include, for example, a ‘By-Attribution, Non-
Commercial’  Creative  Commons  license  that  means  anyone  can  use  your  digital  content  in  any 
way they like, so long as they attribute it to you and don’t use it for commercial purposes. Consider 
sharing digital resources you create or collect under licences that do not prohibit their distribution 
and use, while aligning them with the curriculum and teaching and learning needs.  Such an effort, 
can facilitate easy and equal access to resources for students and colleagues, as well as a collection 
for resources that better meets the needs of your school. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Design and develop a comprehensive strategy for sharing digital 
resources, content curation and reusability of resources to facilitate easy and equal access 
for students and colleagues. The strategy can include, for example, ways to select and organise 
digital content by grouping the resources in helpful ways, adding value by providing annotations to 
help your students’ understanding, giving context to the information. 

Designing and developing a comprehensive strategy for sharing digital resources with your students 
and colleagues, including grouping the resources in helpful ways, providing annotations to help your 
students’  understanding  and  making  them  easily  and  readily  accessible,  is  essential  to  create  a 
culture of content sharing. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Initiate and promote an online space to share digital educational 
resources available to the school community. This can include, for example, setting up a free 
open  source  learning  platform,  for  sharing  high  quality  digital  resources  and  encouraging  more 
dynamic exchanging of digital content among teachers supporting accessibility of openly licensed 
educational resources in school and at home to ensure equity.

It is a characteristic of leadership in content sharing to initiate and promote the creation of an online 
space to share available digital educational resources to the school community. This will encourage 
more  dynamic  exchange  of  digital  content  among  teachers  and  support  ease  access  of  openly 
licensed educational resources in school and at home, ensuring equity.  Use technology features to 
support your effort such as the use of metadata and tags, comments and feedback options among 
the users.

[Suggestions for future actions]: Pursue ways of engaging with opportunities locally, nationally 
and  internationally  in  order  to  increase  your  capability  and  technical  understanding  of 
strategies and solutions to share digital educational resources to the school community.

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

51

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceArea 3 – Teaching and Learning

Digital technologies can enhance and improve teaching and learning practice in a number of 
ways. A key skill of teachers is to design learning with the use of digital technologies to help 
students to engage actively in authentic learning experiences. Advanced practice involves a 
shift from teacher-led to learner-centred activities.

The  proficiency  level  statements  are  organised  by  increasing  level  of  engagement  with 
digital  technologies  in  teaching  and  learning  with  a  focus  on  students’  active 
involvement in using them for their learning.

ITEM NAME and
INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT

PROFICIENCY LEVEL 
STATEMENTS

FEEDBACK

3.1 Teaching

Designing, developing and 
support learning with the use of 
digital technologies to enhance 
learning outcomes.

I  am  aware  that  digital  technologies  can 
support and enhance teaching and learning (e.g. 
software programs and suites, mobile apps and 
tools, on-line and cloud-based resources).

Being  aware  that  digital  technologies  can  be  useful  to  support  and  enhance  teaching  and 
learning  is  the  first  step  in  starting  to  design,  develop  and  implement  learning  with  the  use  of 
digital technologies to enhance learning outcomes. You can now start exploring the use of different 
technologies with your students to meet your teaching goals. 

I  have  tried  using  digital  technologies  to 
support  and/or  enhance  my  teaching  practice 
(e.g. software programs and suites, mobile apps 
and  tools,  online  and  cloud-based  resources, 
interactive whiteboards).

[Suggestions to level up]: Start trying digital technologies to support or enhance your teaching 
and your students’ learning such as apps on mobile phones. If your school allows classroom 
use of mobile devices you can intersperse your teaching with practical tasks for students to do, e.g. 
things to look up or to calculate, small polls and quizzes. The advantage of this is that you can more 
actively involve students in class, which increases their learning. Furthermore, it allows you to collect 
evidence on which aspects of your teaching are well understood by students, and which you may 
have to revise again. Consider also asking your students to use digital tools to investigate a topic 
and ask them to use digital devices if available for short activities in class or at home.

Exploring the use of digital technologies to support and/or enhance your teaching is essential for 
developing effective practices. The next step is to involve your students in digital activities in class, 
thus amplifying your repertoire of teaching practices and giving them opportunity to learn through 
technology. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Extend  your  teaching  and  involve  your  students  in  more  digital 
activity based on software programs and suites, mobile apps and tools, online and cloud-
based resources, and / or if possible, use instructional and interactive technologies such 
as whiteboards. A good starting point is to think about using the tools you are currently using in 
different ways and whether you can integrate other digital tools, for example mobile phones or other 
personal devices, into your teaching and their learning.

52

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  use  various  digital  technologies  that  can 
support  innovative  pedagogical  approaches, 
enhancing  my  students’  active  involvement 
in  their  learning  (e.g.  inquiry-based  learning, 
project-based  learning,  game-based  learning, 
peer and self-assessment, e-portfolios, student 
coaches).

Now  that  your  students  are  used  to  basic  uses  of  digital  technology,  you  can  start  to  broaden 
the range you use to support innovative pedagogical approaches, enhancing your students’ active 
involvement in their learning. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Focus on enhancing your digital pedagogy. Select and employ digital 
technologies in your learning designs based on their affordances, so as to meet teaching 
and  learning  aims.  Whatever  the  task  at  hand,  encourage  students  to  be  more  active  in  their 
learning - perhaps via inquiry-based learning, project based learning, game based learning, peer 
and self-assessment, e-portfolios, and using student coaches - and use technology to facilitate and 
support this. Consider the benefits for design, develop and implement learning with the use of digital 
technologies to enhance learning outcomes that can result from simulations, digital games, online 
interactive tools, collaborative environments.

I  select  and  use  digital  technologies  in  my 
learning  designs,  so  as  to  meet  teaching 
and  learning  aims  (e.g.  simulations,  digital 
games,  online  interactive  tools,  collaborative 
environments).

Developing  learning  designs  which  reflect  the  methodical  selection  and  employment  of  digital 
technologies, based on their affordances, so as to meet teaching and learning aims, is an important 
aspect of building a digital pedagogy.  Reflect on how your teaching practices and your students’ 
learning activities can be enhanced by including simulations, digital games, online interactive tools, 
and activity in collaborative environments. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Readjust  your  teaching  and  learning  design  in  order  to  foster 
students’ involvement in reflecting and adjusting the use of digital technologies to enhance 
your  teaching  practices  and  their  learning  approaches.  Consider  building  technology  into 
activities involving students as coaches, the use of emerging technologies, modelling and advice, 
lesson-study. 

Together  with  my  students,  I  reflect  on  and 
(re)design  the  use  of  digital  technologies  to 
enhance  teaching  practices  and  innovative 
learning approaches (e.g. students as coaches, 
use  of  emerging  technologies,  modelling  and 
advice, lesson-study).

Consider how you can work with your students to readjust your teaching and learning design in order 
to foster students’ involvement in enhancing your teaching practices and their learning approaches. 
Consider building the agreed use of technology into activities such as involving students as coaches, 
the use of emerging technologies, modelling and advice, lesson-study. Reflection is key to this. Your 
students should gain confidence in their ability to help select and adapt technology suited to the 
learning requirements at hand.  

[Suggestions to level up]: Share and take the lead in initiating and promoting the design and 
sharing  of  innovative  teaching  and  learning  practices  with  digital  technologies  in  your 
school  and  its  wider  community. Consider opportunities such as online workshops, supporting 
colleagues  learning  design  with  the  use  of  digital  technologies,  micro-teaching  and  co-teaching, 
reflective discussions on the effectiveness of the use of digital technologies. Engage in technology 
supported  networks  with  other  schools  and  educational  stakeholders,  locally,  nationally  and 
internationally.

53

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI initiate and promote the design and sharing 
of  innovative  teaching  and  learning  practices 
with  digital  technologies  in  my  school  and 
its  wider  community  (e.g.  online  workshops, 
learning  design  with 
the  use  of  digital 
technologies,  micro-teaching  and  co-teaching, 
reflective  discussions  on  the  effectiveness  of 
the use of digital technologies).

I am not aware of this competence.

I  am  aware  that  digital  technologies  can 
support and enhance teaching and learning (e.g. 
software programs and suites, mobile apps and 
tools, on-line and cloud-based resources).

I  have  tried  using  digital  technologies  to 
provide feedback and support to students (e.g. 
online  tutorials,  chat,  automated/immediate 
feedback, links to online Q&A).

Engaging  colleagues  in  exchanging  learning  experiences,  activities  and  pursuing  technology-
supported projects within school and among broader groups of educational stakeholders (nationally 
and  internationally)  is  essential  to  create  a  culture  of  successful  digital  pedagogy.  Reflect  on 
your  practices  and  seek  to  continuously  innovate  them,  while  keeping  up  with  the  latest  trends 
in  the  digital  technologies  that  can  best  support  you  in  leadership  and  innovation  in  the  design, 
development and implementation of learning that uses digital technologies to enhance learning 
outcomes and meet learners’ other needs.

[Suggestions for future actions]: Innovate your practices by keeping up with the latest trends 
on designing, developing, and implementing learning with the use of digital technologies to 
enhance learner outcomes. Involve yourself in technology supported networks with other schools 
and educational stakeholders, locally, nationally and internationally and encourage others also to 
do so.

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

Being aware that digital technologies can be used to provide and receive feedback and opportunities 
to reflect on teaching and learning practices is an important first step towards using such technologies 
as part of your guidance and feedback activity as a teacher. You can start exploring different digital 
tools that will allow you and your students to get some immediate feedback, as for example an 
online  quiz  or  an  online  poll.    These  tools  will  capture  the  current  learning  (e.g  if  your  students 
understood the new concepts you were explain) and provide you with insights on how to proceed 
with your teaching.   

[Suggestions to level up]: Consider exploring how digital technologies can be used to provide 
guidance and support to students on their learning activities and achievements in simple 
but meaningful ways. This can include for instance automated/immediate feedback to their work, 
links to online Q&A, online tutorials, using digital chat.

Exploring digital technologies to provide guidance and support to students will help you find ways 
that work for you and your students, so that they become aware of the value of you reviewing their 
work and provide help when needed. This can include the use of technologies that offer automated 
or immediate feedback to their work, links to online Q&A, online tutorials, chat. Try to be flexible 
and adapt your choice of feedback and guidance channels channel to your students’ requirements. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Work  to  provide  students  with  feedback  and  opportunities  for 
reflection on their learning, in real-time and/or asynchronously. A non-intrusive presence will 
allow you to learn about your students and their individual challenges and problems and to tailor 
guidance and feedback accordingly.

3.2 Guidance

Using digital technologies in 
order to provide feedback and 
opportunities for reflection, 
leading to readjustment of 
teaching and learning practices 
for both teachers and learners.

54

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  use  various  digital  technologies  to  provide 
students  with  feedback  and  opportunities  for 
reflection  on  their  learning,  in  real-time  and  /
or asynchronously (e.g. chat, discussion forums, 
video responses, in-class polls/ voting).

I select and use digital technologies to provide 
opportunities  for  students  to  engage  in  self-
assessment  and  peer-assessment  and  the 
design  of  their  learning  (e.g.  online  shared 
documents,  recordings  of  learning  activities, 
scaffolded reflection).

Together  with  my  students,  I  reflect  on  and 
(re)design  teaching  and  learning,  based  on 
evidence captured through digital technologies 
(e.g.  digital  polls/surveys  outcomes,  recordings 
of learning activities, learning analytics).

Using  various  technologies  systematically  to  provide  opportunities  for  feedback  and  guidance 
allows you to teach more strategically by choosing and combining various digital technologies to 
provide students with feedback and opportunities for reflection on their learning, in real-time and 
/or asynchronously. This can include in-class polls/ voting, chat apps, discussion forums, or video 
responses. You can now also start exploring digital tools that engage students in a reflection and 
assessment process.   

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Work  to  select  and  employ  digital  technologies  that  provide 
opportunities for students to engage in self- and peer-assessment and in the design of 
their  learning.  This  can  include  opportunities  for  scaffolded  reflection,  analysis  of  recordings  of 
learning, activities, and shared online documents.

Developing  feedback  and  guidance  approaches  which  reflect  the  methodical  selection  and 
employment of digital technologies, to provide opportunities for students to engage in self- and 
peer-assessment  and  the  design  of  their  learning,  is  an  important  aspect  of  building  trust  and 
developmental learning.  Reflect on how your practices can be enhanced by providing opportunities 
for students to engage in self- and peer-assessment and the design of their learning. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Readjust  your  approach  and  practice  to  allow  reflection  on  and 
redesign of teaching and learning, based on evidence captured through digital technologies. 
Consider  building  learning  technology  into  activities  that  allow  the  use  of  digital  testing  reports, 
digital polls/surveys outcomes, recordings of learning activities, and learning analytics. 

Consider how you can work with your students to gain value from reflection on, and redesign of, 
teaching and learning based on evidence captured through digital technologies. There is value in 
activities that allow the generation and use of digital testing reports, digital polls/surveys outcomes, 
recordings  of  learning  activities,  and  learning  analytics.  Offer  your  students  opportunities  to  co-
design feedback related activity and to gain experience in how they can benefit from this whether 
individualised or group focused and whether teacher or peer led. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Engage in technology supported networks with other schools and 
educational stakeholders, locally, nationally and internationally that offer opportunities to 
initiate and promote the use of digital technologies to facilitate interaction around feedback 
and  guidance  for  learning  within  my  school  and  its  wider  community.    Find  opportunities 
to  use  digital  technologies  to  facilitate  interaction  within  your  school  and  its  wider  community, 
providing opportunities for feedback and reflection on teaching and learning. For instance, leverage 
the possibilities of discussion forums, chat apps, shared documents, including frequently asked Q&A 
on school websites.

55

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  initiate  and  promote  ways  in  which  digital 
technologies can be used to support feedback 
and reflection for teachers and students in my 
school and beyond (e.g. discussion forums, chat, 
shared documents, Frequently Asked Questions).

Engaging colleagues in exchanging experiences and pursuing technology-supported action within 
school and among broader groups of educational stakeholders (nationally and internationally) is 
essential to create a culture of reflective learning. Consider your practices and seek to continuously 
innovate these, while keeping up with the latest trends in the digital technologies that can provide 
opportunities for students and for you yourself to reflect on, in, and for learning.

[Suggestions  for  future  actions]:  Innovate  your  practices  by  keeping  up  with  developments 
around  digital  technologies  that  can  provide  feedback  and  opportunities  for  reflection, 
leading to readjustment of teaching and learning practices to enhance learner outcomes. 
Involve yourself in technology supported networks with other schools and educational stakeholders, 
locally, nationally and internationally that innovate around feedback and guidance and encourage 
others also to do so.

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

Digital technologies offer value to learners when used as part of well-planned lessons that involve 
learner collaboration such as group work. Nowadays, work and research are increasingly based on 
collaborative processes centred around technology, so it is important and valuable that students 
get to practise such skills.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Explore  student  learning  contexts  that  make  use  of  digital 
technologies  to  support  and  enhance  collaborative  activities.  This  can  include  sharing  and 
co-authoring documents and class presentations, contributing to  forums, wikis. Such activity can 
support learning through materials exchange, online collaboration and co-presenting.

Collaborative  learning  activities  should  be  designed  or  adapted  to  meet  the  students’  learning 
requirements  in  a  meaningful  way.  Explore  students  learning  contexts  that  make  use  of  digital 
technologies  to  support  and  enhance  collaborative  activities  such  as  sharing  and  co-authoring 
documents  and  class  presentations,  contributing  to  forums,  wikis.  Be  aware  that  exploring 
straightforward  activities  adapted  to  meet  diversity  and  inclusion  requirements  is  usually  better 
than attempting to orchestrate more complex tasks at this initial stage of using digital technologies 
to support and enhance collaborative activities.  
[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Explore  the  possibilities  of  using  various  digital  technologies  to 
support and enhance your students’ collaborative learning in face to face and/ or online 
settings. For instance, co-authoring on a team-based task where individuals take on complementary 
roles  and  responsibilities.  Tasks  focused  on  researching  and  investigating  set  topics  that  involve 
collaboration to document, present, and otherwise share findings can work well. 

I am not aware of this competence.

3.3 Collaborative learning

Using digital technologies to 
foster and enhance learner 
collaboration for individual and 
collective learning.

I  am  aware  that  digital  technologies  can  be 
used to foster and enhance learner collaboration 
learning 
towards 
individual  and  collective 
learning 
(e.g.  on-line  collaboration,  sharing 
resources).

I  have  tried  using  digital  technologies  to 
support and enhance collaborative activities of 
students (e.g. shared documents, contributing to 
forums, wikis).

56

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  use  various  digital  technologies  to  support 
and enhance students’ collaborative learning, in 
face-to- face and/ or online settings (e.g. shared 
documents, forums, wikis, blogs, co-authoring).

There are considerable possibilities for using various digital technologies to support and enhance 
your students’ collaborative learning in face to face and/ or online settings. For instance, co-authoring 
on a team-based task where individuals take on complementary roles and responsibilities can offer 
both challenges and learning opportunities beyond the technical. By considering the obstacles and 
challenges students will face in the activity, meaningful collaboration can be structured. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Investigate  the  possibilities  offered  by  learning  designs  that 
incorporate  digital  technology.  By  selecting  digital  technologies  designs  based  on  their 
affordances and using these to enhance and support your students’ collaborative learning, in face 
to face and/or online settings, you will find value for both your teaching and their learning. Valuable 
ways to enhance and support your students’ collaborative learning, in face to face and/ or online 
settings, include: tasks that call for co-design and/or co-creation, having them do peer assessment 
and group reflection, project building, sharing of learning outcomes to tasks.

I  select  and  use  digital  technologies  in  my 
learning  designs  based  on  their  features,  to 
enhance and support my students’ collaborative 
learning, in face-to-face and/or online settings 
(e.g.  co-design,  co-creation,  peer  assessment 
and group reflection, project building, sharing).

Consider  what  particular  technologies  make  possible  in  terms  of  teaching  and  learning  before 
building them into teaching and learning activity. Let the pedagogy lead rather than the technology. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Engage with the possibilities of allowing your students to reflect 
on and adjust their use of digital technologies for personal and/or collaborative learning. 
Consider allowing them to take more of a lead in editing and developing content, co-creating project 
artefact,  structuring  and  participating  in  collaborative  projects,  taking  part  in  virtual  exchanges, 
using digital tools for task and time management, communication and sharing with team activities.

Together  with  my  students,  I  reflect  on  and 
(re)design their use of digital technologies for 
individual and/or collaborative learning (e.g. edit 
and  develop  content,  co-create  an  artefact, 
participate  in  collaborative  projects,  virtual 
exchanges, use of digital tools for task and time 
management, communication and sharing).

Allow and encourage your students to reflect on and adjust their use of digital technologies for personal 
and/or  collaborative  learning.  Encourage  them  to  take  more  of  a  lead  in  editing  and  developing 
content, co-creating project artefacts, structuring and participating in collaborative projects, taking 
part in virtual exchanges, using digital tools for task and time management, communication and 
sharing with team activities. This will help build strong digital confidence and capability across a 
range of learning activities. Incorporate as much as possible actions to make sure the same learning 
opportunities are available to all. If some of your students are disadvantaged, take action to allow 
them to include them (e.g. by making available equipment or assistive technologies).

[Suggestions to level up]: Seek out ways to initiate and promote the use of digital technologies 
within  your  school  and  its  wider  community,  providing  opportunities  for  collaboration 
towards  individual  and  collective  learning  and  development,  beyond  the  classroom  and 
the school. Consider the opportunities that can be found in using synchronous and asynchronous 
online  environments  and  tools,  taking  part  in  joint  projects,  organising  online  learning  events  in 
collaboration with students and/ or colleagues, co-designing and co-creating collaboration-centred 
learning material.

57

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  initiate  and  promote  the  use  of  digital 
technologies  within  my  school  and 
its 
wider  community,  providing  opportunities 
for  collaboration  to  support  individual  and 
collective  learning,  in  and  beyond  the  school 
(e.g.  using  synchronous  and  asynchronous 
online  environments  and  tools,  teach  meets, 
joint  projects,  co-organising  online  learning 
events,  co-designing  and  co-creating  learning 
material).

I am not aware of this competence.

I  am  aware  that  digital  technologies  can  be 
used to foster active and autonomous learning 
(e.g. planning, goal setting, recording progress).

Initiate and promote the use of digital technologies within your school and its wider community 
to  share  and  learn  about  how  to  foster  collaboration  for  individual  and  collective  learning.  Find 
opportunities to engage in collaboration towards individual and collective learning and development 
– for your students and your colleagues. Avail of opportunities to use synchronous and asynchronous 
online environments and tools, take part in teach-meets, join or start joint projects, organise online 
learning  events  in  collaboration  with  your  students  and/  or  colleagues,  co-design  and  co-create 
learning material that support collaboration-centred learning or professional development.

[Suggestions for future actions]: Pursue ways of engaging with opportunities locally, nationally 
and  internationally  in  order  to  increase  your  capability  and  technical  understanding  of 
using digital technologies to provide opportunities for collaboration towards individual and 
collective learning, both in and beyond the classroom and the school. Watch for trends and 
developments that relate to how digital technologies are used for this end and purpose.

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

Being  aware  that  digital  technologies  can  be  used  to  enhance  students’  self-regulated  learning 
processes  and  so  fostering  active  and  autonomous  learning  will  help  you  think  about  learning 
activities that support this type of learning. This can help strengthen their capacity and willingness 
to keep on learning throughout their lives, which, for life in the 21st century, is of crucial importance. 
Consider  in  particular  how  increased  independence  allows  a  learner  to  plan  their  learning  more 
effectively, including personal goal setting and recording progress – and how digital technologies 
can help them in this. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Explore  the  possibilities  of  encouraging  your  students  to  plan 
their own learning using digital tools that support planning work, scheduling using digital 
calendars, goal setting and recording progress using digital journals. Investigate how they 
can  use  digital  tools  that  support  planning  and  scheduling  learning  using  digital  calendars,  and 
how they can start building capability for personal goal setting and recording progress using digital 
journals. For example, ask them to identify how a particular learning goal can be reached and to 
design a plan to reach it, thinking about how technology can assist in the process.

3.4 Self-regulated learning

Using digital technologies 
to enhance students’ self-
regulated learning processes, 
fostering active and autonomous 
learning making students 
more responsible for their own 
learning, thereby shifting the 
focus from teaching to learning.

58

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  have  tried  using  digital  technologies  to 
support students in planning their own learning 
(e.g.  planning  and  scheduling  using  digital 
calendars,  goal  setting  using  digital  journals, 
recording progress).

I  use  various  digital  technologies  to  support 
students  plan  and  regulate  their  own  learning 
learning  environments,  online 
(e.g.  online 
resources  repositories,  collaborative  tools  and 
spaces, learning journals, e-portfolios).

I  select  and  use  digital  technologies  in  my 
learning designs based on their features, so as 
to facilitate my students’ self-regulated learning 
skills and learner autonomy (e.g. take initiatives 
regarding  their  own  learning,  be  creative  and 
responsive  to  new  learning  situations,  engage 
in self-reflections so as to plan and guide their 
progress).

Exploring learning activities that encourage your students to plan for their own learning and record 
their progress towards specific learning goals is an important aspect of using digital technologies 
to enhance students’ self-regulated learning processes, fostering active and autonomous learning. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Test-out  with  your  students  the  use  of  a  variety  of  digital 
technologies  that  foster  self-regulated  and  autonomous  learning. For instance, encourage 
them  to  try  planning  and  recording  learning  in  online  learning  environments,  making  use  of 
collaborative tools and spaces, and using learning journals  or e-portfolios to  document  progress 
towards their learning goals. Challenge your students to identify learning goals for a specific aspect 
of their programme and then plan how to reach these, thinking about how technology can assist in 
the process and also record their progress. Switch between individualised and team-based activities 
to ensure that all students are offered different types of opportunities for developing self-regulated 
and autonomous learning.

Use with your students a variety of digital technologies that foster self-regulated and autonomous 
learning. Focus on self-directed learning and how digital technologies can facilitate and make this 
easier for the student. For instance, encourage them to try planning and recording learning in online 
learning environments, making use of collaborative tools and spaces, and using learning journals or 
e-portfolios to document progress towards their learning goals. Brainstorming and activity planning 
software that can initiate this process is widely and freely available. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Develop learning designs which engage your students in seeking 
out  different  technological  solutions  to  develop  self-regulating  learning  skills,  and  their 
own learner autonomy. Encourage and support them to be creative and active in their learning to 
think about how they use digital technologies to initiate, support and record their learning activity 
and outcomes. Find ways to encourage your students to take the initiative in their learning, to be 
creative in how they respond to new learning situations, to engage in self-reflection so as to plan 
and guide them through. Think about the types of information and data they will produce and how 
this might be used – particularly any data automatically generated in a structured way that give 
you and your students a more detailed understanding of their learning pathway and achievements. 
Consider how this might be used to realign their learning activity.  

Develop learning designs which engage your students in developing self-regulating learning skills, 
and  their  own  learner  autonomy,  and  in  using  different  technological  solutions  to  assist  in  this. 
Encourage and support them to be creative and active in their learning and in how they think about 
and use digital technologies to initiate, support and record their learning activity and outcomes. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Consider how you might – together with your students – reflect on 
and redesign their learning in ways that encourage more active, creative and autonomous 
activities  on  their  part  in  order  to  promote  their  self-regulated  learning  and  learner 
autonomy through digital technologies. For example, engage them in activities that show them 
how to identify their learning needs, set their learning goals, describe their strategy for achieving 
these goals, implement their learning tasks, gather evidence of their learning, reflect on it and share 
their learning outcomes – and how digital technologies can assist in this.

59

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceTogether  with  my  students,  I  reflect  on  and 
support  them  to  (re)design  their  learning, 
through  and  on  using  digital  technologies, 
promoting  their  self-regulated  learning  and 
learner autonomy (e.g. identify their needs, set 
their  learning  goals,  describe  their  strategy  for 
achieving these goals, implement their learning 
tasks, gather evidence of their learning, reflect 
on it and share their learning outcomes).

I initiate and promote strategies and practices 
on  how  digital  technologies  can  support  self-
regulated learning in my school and in the wider 
community  (e.g.  makerspaces,  learning  spaces 
with  digital  technologies  to  accommodate 
hands-on activities, student coaching).

I am not aware of this competence.

3.5 Emerging technologies

Using emerging technologies in 
ethical ways to explore novel 
learning experiences and content.

I  am  aware  of  emerging  technologies  that 
are  being  used  in  educational  settings  (e.g. 
simulations,  robotics,  virtual  reality,  Artificial 
Intelligence (AI)).

60

Consider how you can – together with your students – reflect on and redesign their learning in ways 
that encourage more active, creative and autonomous activities on their part in order to promote 
their self-regulated learning and learner autonomy; and how digital technologies can support this. 
Digital technology can be useful in helping them see the focus that further learning activity can 
take on the basis of feedback generated, along with encouraging ownership of the learning process.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Consider  how  you  might  initiate  and  promote  strategies  and 
practices within your school and its wider community that support colleagues and students 
in their use of digital technologies to enhance self-regulated learning processes and foster 
active and autonomous learning. Focus on and lead the opportunities, that hands-on activities 
in makerspaces (or other learning spaces incorporating digital technologies), and that innovative 
activity such as student-led workshops, can provide.

Initiate  and  promote  the  strategic  use  of  digital  technologies  within  your  school  and  its  wider 
community.  This  will  support  colleagues  and  students  to  make  more  and  better  use  of  digital 
technologies to enhance self-regulated learning processes and so encourage active and autonomous 
learning. 

[Suggestions for future actions]: Pursue ways of engaging with opportunities locally, nationally 
and  internationally  in  order  to  increase  your  capability  and  technical  understanding 
of  digital  technologies  that  can  be  used  to  enhance  students’  self-regulated  learning 
processes,  fostering  active  and  autonomous  learning.  Watch  for  trends  and  developments 
that relate to this area. Search out opportunities to engage in individual and collective learning and 
development – for your students, your colleagues, and yourself – concerning self-regulated learning 
processes that foster active and autonomous learning. Take advantage of opportunities to innovate 
and lead that organising hands-on activity in makerspaces or other learning spaces incorporating 
digital technologies, and that innovative activity such as student-led workshops and other student-
led learning events, can provide.

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

Being aware that technologies constantly emerge which can be used for education is an important 
first  step  towards  identifying  and  using  such  technologies  as  part  of  providing  novel  learning 
experiences and content. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Consider exploring how emerging technologies such as virtual and 
augmented reality or AI can be used to provide students with novel learning experiences 
and new kinds of learning to foster the development of useful transversal skills, as well as 
a strong sense of the ethical aspects of accessing and using such technologies. 

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI have tried emerging technologies to see their 
relevance for my teaching and my students (e.g. 
virtual and augmented reality, robots, AI).

I use various emerging technologies to provide 
my  students  with  novel  learning  experiences 
and  new  kinds  of 
learning,  fostering  the 
development  of  transversal  skills  (learning 
experiences involving e.g. simulating/modelling, 
gaming, 
creative 
and  innovative  thinking,  data-driven  decision 
making).

computational 

thinking, 

I select and use emerging technologies in my 
learning designs to engage my students in novel 
learning opportunities, while taking into account 
ethical  implications  (e.g.  immersive  learning, 
computational 
learner 
agency when interacting with AI).

thinking,  addressing 

Exploring  the  possibilities  offered  for  teaching  and  learning  by  emerging  technologies  can  be  a 
good way to identify which can provide students with novel learning experiences and new kinds of 
learning to foster the development of digital and transversal skills, as well as a strong sense of the 
ethical aspects of accessing and using such technologies.

[Suggestions to level up]: Work to select and employ emerging technologies in your learning 
designs to engage my students in novel learning opportunities, while taking into account 
any relevant ethical implications. This can include the use of emerging technologies to assist in 
simulating /modelling, gaming, computational thinking, creative and innovative thinking, data-driven 
decision  making.  Try  to  adapt  your  choice  of  technology  to  your  students’  requirements.  Always 
focus on the pedagogical value of the technology not its novelty and work from this perspective.

Developing approaches to using emerging technologies that centre on engaging your students in 
novel learning opportunities, while always asking them to consider any relevant ethical implications. 
This provides important opportunities to build trust and developmental learning involving emerging 
technologies.

[Suggestions to level up]: Work to select and employ the use within your teaching of emerging 
technologies  to  support  the  activities  specified  in  your  learning  designs.  This  can  include 
providing opportunities for your students to engage in learning activities that make use of virtual 
and augmented reality, that examine the possibilities of humanoid robots, and that engage with the 
positives as well as the potential downsides of artificial intelligence (AI). This type of usage offers 
a powerful way to engage students in novel learning opportunities that make good use of such 
technologies and provide meaningful teaching and learning experiences.

Using various emerging technologies to support the activities specified in your learning designs is 
a powerful way to engage students in novel learning opportunities that make good use of such 
technologies and provide meaningful teaching and learning experiences. By choosing technologies 
that offer particular learning affordances, the students can be provided with meaningful opportunities 
to  explore  immersive  learning,  computational  thinking,  and  to  develop  understandings  of  the 
importance of learner agency when interacting with AI and other technologies using analytics or 
algorithms.  This  can  include  activities  that  advance  understanding  data-driven  decision  making, 
creative responses to subtle tactics to encourage innovative thinking in regards to technology as 
well as using technology.

[Suggestions to level up]: Work with your students to select and employ emerging technologies 
that provide opportunities for them to engage in co-design and co-creation of their learning 
using emerging technologies in ways that address ethical implications as well as practical 
applications. This can include activities that involve using augmented reality or 3-D expeditions, 
programming  humanoid  robots,  customising  search  algorithms,  addressing  datafication  and  AI 
agency in decision making. Offer your students opportunities to exploit emerging technologies as 
they explore novel learning experiences and content, taking into consideration ethical implications.

61

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceTogether with my students, I reflect on and (re)
design teaching and learning, engaging them in 
co-design and co-creation of applications using 
emerging  technologies  and  addressing  ethical 
implications  (e.g.  designing  augmented  reality 
scenarios  and  3D  expeditions,  programming 
humanoid  robots,  addressing  datafication  and 
AI agency in decision making).

I initiate and promote strategies and practices 
within  my  school  and  its  wider  community 
that  can  support  colleagues  and  students  in 
their  use  of  emerging  technologies  to  provide 
novel  teaching  and  learning  experiences  and 
content,  while  addressing  ethical  implications 
(e.g.  customise  virtual  worlds  for 
learning 
activities,  foster  human  agency  in  data-driven 
decision making, collaboration with technology 
companies).

I am not aware of this competence.

Consider how you can work with your students to gain value from reflection on, and redesign, teaching 
and learning opportunities using emerging technologies in ways that address ethical implications 
as  well  as  practical  applications.  Engage  in  strategies  and  practices  within  your  school  and  its 
wider community that can support colleagues and students in their use of emerging technologies 
to  provide  novel  teaching  and  learning  experiences  and  content,  while  also  addressing  ethical 
implications.

[Suggestions to level up]: Work to initiate and promote strategies and practices within your 
school and its wider community to support colleagues and students in their use of emerging 
technologies. This will provide novel teaching and learning experiences and content, which can be 
considered while addressing ethical implications. Search out opportunities to engage in individual 
and collective learning and development involving emerging technologies – for your students, your 
colleagues,  and  yourself.  These  can  involve  programming  humanoid  robots,  customising  virtual 
worlds  for  learning  activities,  foster  human  agency  in  data-driven  decision  making,  and  explore 
synergies with the technology industry.

Engaging  colleagues  in  exchanging  experiences  and  pursuing  action  to  explore  and  utilise 
emerging technologies within your school and among broader groups of educational Stakeholders 
(nationally  and  internationally)  is  a  good  way  of  ensuring  that  the  pedagogical  affordances  of 
such  technologies  are  identified  and  leveraged.  Consider  your  strategies  and  practices  and  seek 
to continuously innovate, while keeping up with the trends in the emerging technologies that can 
provide opportunities for students and you yourself to reflect on, in, and for learning.

[Suggestions for future actions]: Find ways of engaging with opportunities locally, nationally 
and  internationally  in  order  to  increase  your  capability  and  technical  understanding  of 
emerging  digital  technologies  to  explore  novel  learning  experiences  and  content,  taking 
into  consideration  ethical  implications.  Involve  yourself  in  networks  with  other  schools  and 
educational  stakeholders,  locally,  nationally  and  internationally,  that  innovate  for  teaching  and 
learning around emerging technologies, and encourage others also to do so.

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

62

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceArea 4 – Assessment

Digital  technologies  can  enhance  existing  assessment  practices  and  facilitate  new  and 
innovative ones. Teachers can use digital technologies to collect data to better support and 
assess learners, while enabling them to reflect and adapt their teaching practice.

The  proficiency  level  statements  are  organised  by  increasing  level  of  engagement  with 
digital assessment and learners’ involvement in the assessment practices.

ITEM NAME and
INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT

PROFICIENCY LEVEL 
STATEMENTS

FEEDBACK

4.1 Assessment strategies

Using digital technologies 
to support formative and 
summative assessment of 
learning.

I  am  aware  that  digital  technologies  can 
support  both 
formative  and  summative 
assessment (e.g. digital quizzes, online polls).

Being aware that digital technologies can be used to support formative and summative assessment 
is the first step in rethinking how to better understand what your students have learned and what 
they have not yet understood well, and how digital technologies can help in this.

I  have  tried  using  digital  technologies  to 
support formative and summative assessment 
(e.g. online quizzes, games, forms, mobile apps).

I  use  various  digital  technologies  to  support 
formative  and  summative  assessment  (e.g. 
create a digital test, use assessment platforms 
that offer timely feedback to students).

[Suggestions to level up]: Start trying using digital technologies to enable and enhance your 
assessment of your students’ learning. Consider, for example, how digital technologies can be 
used to support assessment, either formative or summative or both. This could involve exploring the 
value of online quizzes, games, digital forms, mobile apps, assessment platforms as well as asking 
your students to use such tools to self-assess their learning, in class or at home.

Exploring  the  use  of  digital  technologies  to  enable  and/or  enhance  insights  into  your  students’ 
learning is essential for developing effective assessment and feedback practices.

[Suggestions to level up]: Find opportunities to use a variety of digital technologies to support 
your formative and summative assessment activities. This can include creating or using quizzes 
or digital tests that provide immediate feedback on learning, using sites and assessment platforms 
that offer automated feedback to students, and making arrangements for peer-generated tasks / 
activities that broaden the range of assessment strategies used in your teaching settings. 

Developing  a  range  of  options  that  use  various,  appropriate  technologies  within  formative  and 
summative assessment activities to provide teacher-led and/or automated feedback broadens the 
range of learning-centred assessment strategies used in teaching contexts.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Work  to  select  and  use  digital  technologies  to  support  specific 
aspects in your assessment “of”, “for”, and “as” learning and to capture in a communicable 
way  the  nature  of  that  learning.  For  instance,  investigate  the  use  of  self-reflection  rubrics, 
automated assignments that offer timely feedback to students, the generation through learning-
tasks of shared documents that support peer reviewing/feedback.

63

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI select digital technologies to support specific 
aspects  in  assessment  “of”,  “for”  and  “as” 
learning  and  capture  best  the  nature  of  the 
learning  outcome  to  be  assessed  (e.g.  self-
reflection rubrics, assignments that offer timely 
feedback  to  students,  shared  documents  that 
support peer reviewing/feedback).

Using various digital technologies to support specific aspects in your assessment “of”, “for” and “as” 
learning regarding your students’ activities and that capture well the nature of the learning outcome 
to be assessed, is a characteristic of expert usage.

[Suggestions to level up]: Work with your students to select and employ digitally supported 
assessment activities that provide feedback on their progress and provide opportunities 
for deep learning. To increase the variety and adequacy of feedback, experiment with different 
formats of assessment and modes of feedback. This can include encouraging them to contribute 
ideas on assessment criteria and modality, the co-creation of rubrics, contributing to the design the 
format of self and peer assessment, and exploiting various formative or summative assessment 
tools.

I  reflect  on  and  involve  my  students  in  the 
design  of  digitally-supported  assessments, 
selecting digital technologies that best support 
the  assessment  purpose  and  content  (e.g. 
deciding assessment criteria and modality, co-
creation  of  rubrics,  design  the  format  of  self 
and peer assessment, formative or summative 
assessment scaffolding tools).

Working with students to select and employ digitally supported assessment activities is a valuable 
way of assisting their understanding of feedback and how it can be used to shape their progress and 
provide opportunities for deep learning. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Engage in strategies and practices within your school and its wider 
community  that  can  aid  development  in  how  digital  technologies  are  used  to  support 
the  formative  and  summative  assessment  of  learning.  This  can  include  action  on  aspects 
of  assessment  such  as  self  and  peer  assessment,  promotion  of  transversal  skills,  work-based 
assessment, e-portfolios and other learner logs.

I propose and promote strategies and digital 
technologies  within  my  school  and  its  wider 
community  to  support  assessment  “of”,  “for” 
and “as” learning (e.g. self and peer assessment, 
promotion  of  transversal  skills,  work-based 
assessment, e-portfolios).

I am not aware of this competence.

4.2 Analysing evidence

Using digital technologies to 
collect and analyse evidence on 
students´ learning processes and 
outcomes.

I  am  aware  that  digital  technologies  can 
capture  students’ 
learning  processes  and 
outcomes  (e.g.  digital  quizzes,  online  polls, 
forms, assessment platforms).

64

Engaging  in  strategies  and  practices  within  your  school  and  its  wider  community  that  can  aid 
development  in  how  digital  technologies  are  used  to  support  the  formative  and  summative 
assessment of learning is an excellent way of deepening the assessment for learning culture of the 
school, and sharing the value of this with your wider community. 

[Suggestions for future actions]: Engage with local, national, and international opportunities 
to increase your capability and technical understanding of digitally enabled assessment 
strategies  and  practices.  Involve  yourself  in  networks  that  innovate  for  teaching  and  learning 
around emerging assessment technologies and related practices and encourage others also to do so.

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

Knowing  that  digital  technologies  can  collect  data  on  students’  learning  processes  and  the 
outcomes of those processes is an important first step towards using such technologies as part of 
your assessment practices. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Explore how technologies can be used to gather evidence on your 
students’  individual  and/or  group  learning  activities.  This  can  include  using  digital  quizzes, 
online polls, learning surveys, and various types of learning analytics as integral elements of the 
assessment process. The focus of this should be to gather and analyse evidence of learning and to 
identify any learning difficulties.

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  have  tried  using  digital  technologies  to 
capture evidence about my students’ individual 
learning  activity  (e.g.  digital 
and/or  group 
quizzes, online polls, surveys).

I  use  various  digital  technologies  to  collect 
and  analyse  evidence  of  students’  individual 
and/or  group  learning  outcomes  and  learning 
processes  (e.g.  online  polls,  forms,  surveys, 
learning analytics, spreadsheets).

I  select  digital  technologies  that  facilitate 
presentation  and  analysis  of  learning  data  to 
support my reflections on my teaching practice 
and  on  my  students’  learning  (e.g.  record 
and  visually  represent  data,  automatically 
generated  graphs,  mind  mapping  tools,  digital 
dashboards).

I  reflect  on  and  involve  my  students  in 
capturing  and  analysing  their  learning  data, 
which can be used to plan their future learning 
(e.g.  reflective  learning  logs,  personal  goal 
setting software).

Exploring the possibilities offered for assessment by digital technologies is a good way to approach 
gathering evidence of your students learning and identifying any difficulties they may be having.

[Suggestions to level up]: Work to identify and build into your assessment activity various 
digital  technologies  that  can  help  you  to  collect  and  analyse  evidence  on  students’ 
individual  and/or  group  learning  outcomes  and  learning  processes.  This  should  include 
selecting technologies appropriate to the type of assessment you are designing; for instance, online 
polls, forms, surveys, learning analytics, spreadsheets can all be used as part of either formative or 
summative assessment activity.

Developing  approaches  to  assessment  that  centre  on  collecting  and  analysing  evidence  of  your 
students’ individual and/or group learning outcomes and learning processes is a hallmark of good 
practice. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Work  to  select  and  use  within  your  assessment  activity  digital 
technologies that facilitate the presentation and analysis of learning data. Strive to develop 
ways that support reflections on your teaching practices and the identification of alternative ways 
of  presenting  materials  for  learning.  This  can  include  recording/  representing  data  visually  using 
automatically  generated  graphs  and  mind  mapping  tools  and  developing  digital  dashboards  to 
track student learning. 

Using various assessment technologies and results dashboards to support your reflection on student 
learning and on your teaching helps to identify alternative ways of presenting materials for learning.  

[Suggestions to level up]: Work with your students to select and use assessment technologies 
that  capture  and  present  analyses  of  their  learning  data,  based  on  which  to  plan  their 
future  learning.  Examples  of  such  technologies  include  online  reflective  learning  logs,  using 
personal goal setting software, and personal dashboards.

Working  with  your  students  to  select  and  use  assessment  technologies  to  capture  and  present 
analyses of their learning data, allows you to identify a sound base on which to plan their future 
learning.

[Suggestions to level up]: Engage in strategies and practices within your school and its wider 
community on the use of learners’ data, addressing the value for learning and the validity 
of  different  data  sources,  in  order  to  support  evidence-based  decisions  for  targeted 
interventions.  This  can  better  inform  pedagogical  decisions,  administrative  decisions  such  as 
students’ attendance, and the interpretation of data on students’ learning such as grades.

65

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI 
initiate  and  promote  strategies  and 
practices  to  help  my  school  and  its  wider 
community use digital technologies to evidence 
learning,  and  use  assessment  data  to  support 
decision-making for targeted interventions (e.g. 
pedagogical decisions, administrative decisions 
such  as  students’  attendance,  and  data  on 
students’ learning such as grades).

It  is  a  characteristic  of  leadership  in  assessment  practices  to  engage  colleagues  in  exchanging 
experiences in the use of learners’ data, addressing the value for learning and the validity of different 
data sources, in order to support evidence-based decisions for targeted learning interventions.

[Suggestions for future actions]: Pursue ways of engaging with opportunities locally, nationally 
and  internationally  in  order  to  increase  your  capability  and  technical  understanding  of 
the  usage  of  digital  technologies  to  collect  and  analyse  evidence  on  students´  learning 
processes and outcomes. Where possible, participate in networks with other schools and educational 
stakeholders,  locally,  nationally  and  internationally,  that  innovate  using  technologies  to  collect  and 
analyse learner data and outcomes for teaching and learning improvement.

I am not aware of this competence.

4.3 Feedback and planning

Using digital technologies to 
provide feedback to learners, 
facilitating planning of further 
action.

I  am  aware  that  digital  technologies  can  be 
used  to  provide  feedback  to  learners  including 
automated  feedback  (e.g.  blogs,  online  polls, 
online 
forms,  applications  using  Artificial 
Intelligence (AI)).

I  have  tried  using  digital  technologies  that 
integration  of  feedback  and 
support  the 
reflection on students’ learning (e.g. blogs, wikis, 
video-based  feedback,  digital  annotation  on 
assignments).

feedback 

I  use  various  digital  technologies  to  provide 
timely 
including 
for 
automated feedback (e.g. software applications 
with  automated  feedback,  online  tests  with 
automated scoring, online polls with automated 
visual representations of results).

learners, 

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

Being aware that technologies can be used to provide feedback for learners (including automated 
feedback) is an important first step towards building into your practice ways to provide such feedback 
to your students in ways that can aid planning of future learning.

[Suggestions to level up]: Consider exploring how digital technologies can be used to support 
the  integration  of  feedback  and  reflection  on  students’  learning  into  their  practice.  This 
could involve using blogs, wikis, video-based feedback or other digital annotation on assignments in 
order to help students see how they can improve.

Exploring  the  possibilities  offered  for  teaching  and  learning  by  taking  advantage  of  digital 
technologies to support the integration of feedback and students’ reflection into their practice. Work 
to adapt your choice of technology to your students’ feedback requirements.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Work  to  select  and  employ  assessment  technologies  in  your 
learning designs to provide timely feedback for learners, including the use of automated 
feedback.  Ways  of  doing  this  include  using  multiple  choice  questions  in  computer-mediated 
learning environments, and other automated scoring and feedback technologies.

It is a sign of confident usage to develop approaches to assessment technologies that centre on 
selecting and including such technologies in your learning designs in order to provide timely feedback 
for learners, including through the use of automated feedback. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Work  to  select  and  embed  in  your  learning  designs  appropriate 
assessment  technologies  to  aid  giving,  receiving,  and  analysing  feedback.  Aim  to  do  so 
in  ways  that  continuously  inform  your  teaching  and  their  learning.  For  example  use  online  polls 
and surveys, dashboards for managing grades and feedback, and e-portfolios, to provide context-
specific feedback.

66

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  select  digital  technologies  that  can  help  in 
providing,  receiving  and  analysing  feedback  in 
order to inform teaching and enhance the design 
of  learning  on  a  continuous  basis  (e.g.  online 
polls  and  surveys,  dashboards  for  managing 
grades  and  feedback,  e-portfolios,  context-
dependent feedback).

Using various assessment technologies to support the activities specified in your learning designs 
is a powerful way to engage students in benefitting from receiving, giving, and analysing feedback.

[Suggestions to level up]: Work with your students to select and use digital technologies to 
collect and analyse feedback so that it contributes to planning further learning activity. 
This can include making use of shared documents, blogs, mind mapping tools, reflective learning 
logs, learning journals, e-portfolios to assemble evidence of learning and plan future options based 
on future needs.

I reflect on and involve my students in using 
digital  technologies  for  collection  and  analysis 
of  feedback  for  planning  further  action  (e.g. 
shared documents, blogs, mind mapping tools, 
reflective 
journals, 
logs, 
e-portfolios).

learning 

learning 

Working with your students to gain value from reflection on feedback and then redesigning teaching 
and  learning  opportunities  is  a  good  way  to  use  digital  technologies  to  position  feedback  as  a 
central element in the planning of further learning action. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Engage in strategies and practices within your school that support 
colleagues and students in the use of digital technologies that facilitate giving, receiving 
and  analysing  feedback,  to  support  planning  for  further  action.    Consider  the  benefits  of 
developing feedback practices and conventions at the whole-school level that involve technologies 
which promote reflection on and for learning such as e-portfolios, context dependent feedback – 
whether teacher-led or automated – and the use of personalised learning dashboards by students.

I  initiate  and  promote  a  strategy  within  my 
school  and  its  wider  community  on  the  use 
of  digital  technologies  that  facilitate  giving, 
receiving  and  analysing  feedback,  to  support 
planning  for  further  action  (e.g.  e-portfolios, 
context dependent feedback, digital storytelling).

Engaging colleagues in exchanging experiences and pursuing action to explore and utilise assessment 
technologies  for  their  feedback,  within  your  school  and  among  broader  groups  of  educational 
stakeholders  (nationally  and  internationally),  is  a  good  way  of  ensuring  that  the  pedagogical 
affordances of such technologies are identified and leveraged.  This encourages meaningful use of 
digital  technologies  to  facilitate  giving,  receiving  and  analysing  feedback,  to  support  planning  for 
further action, across the range of school activities. 

I am not aware of this competence.

[Suggestions  for  future  actions]:  Consider  your  strategies  and  practices  around  feedback  for 
and on learning and seek to continuously innovate, while keeping up with the trends and 
developments in technologies that can provide feedback for students and for you yourself to 
reflect on, in, and for learning. Seek opportunities to engage locally, nationally and internationally 
in order to increase your capability and technical understanding in this area of teaching and learning. 

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

67

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceArea 5 – Empowering Learners

Using  digital  technologies  can  help  teachers  to  create  innovative  learning  experiences, 
resulting in learners becoming more actively engaged. Digital technologies can be used by 
teachers to personalise learning and tailor it according to individual learners’ levels, interests 
and needs. However, it is important to avoid amplifying inequality, for example in terms of 
learner access to technology or lack of skills. Accessibility for all learners is crucial, including 
those with special educational needs.

The proficiency level statements are organised by increasing focus on students’ individual 
learning needs.

ITEM NAME and
INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT

PROFICIENCY LEVEL 
STATEMENTS

FEEDBACK

5.1 Accessibility and inclusion

Ensuring access to digital 
resources and learning activities 
for all students, taking into 
consideration any contextual, 
physical or cognitive constraints 
to their use.

I  am  aware  of  potential  limitations  and 
barriers that students may encounter in relation 
to  digital  technologies  (e.g.  limited  access  to 
digital  devices  and/or  to  Internet  connection, 
learning difficulties).

Digital technologies pose challenges to students. On the other hand, exploring the advantages and 
disadvantages of the available tools as well as their affordances could direct them to overcome 
the difficulties posed by technology itself and lead them to choose the appropriate ones to address 
their needs. In such a context, you could help students to explore ways to overcome technology 
limitations as well as adjust the task to enable them to participate in digital assignments.

I  have  tried  digital  technologies  that  can  be 
adapted  to  students’  context  and  needs  (e.g. 
students’  devices,  access  to 
infrastructure, 
family context, students’ special needs).

[Suggestions to level up]: Explore students’ digital context and start using available resources 
and tools. Aim to assign tasks that best reflect their reality providing examples of available digital 
technologies.

All kinds of resources, both digital and analogue, should always be adapted to students’ context and 
needs. With reference to digital resources, you should always bear in mind that even highly digital 
competent  students  sometimes  struggle  with  technical  or  operational  issues.  Actually,  the  more 
complex the tasks you set and more varied the environments you use, the more likely they are to 
face advanced technical problems, e.g. how to change settings. Therefore, it is important to discuss 
these issues beforehand or when they occur and to provide advice on how to solve them while using 
digital resources.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Start  using  digital  tools  and  resources  that  can  support  your 
teaching  goals  and  activities.  Discuss  practical  or  technical  difficulties  with  students  when 
using  digital  resources  and  explore  possible  solutions.  This  could  include  the  examination  of  the 
affordances of each solution in order to choose the most appropriate one for a given situation.

68

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  use  various  digital  technologies  to  promote 
inclusive  education  for  all 
equitable  and 
(e.g.  adaptive  and  assistive 
my  students 
technologies  like  screen  readers,  alternative 
types of keyboards, build-in accessibility tools).

When using digital resources it is important to discuss with your students the context in which each 
one of them could be used. In this way you’ll guide them to make the right choices and use the 
resources to the full. The next step for you would be to encourage them to explore with you various 
tools to let them have a first hand experience and evaluate the obstacles they  face. Maybe they 
face less severe problems than you were expecting, and you can use a greater variety of digital 
formats  than  you  thought.  Try  out  a  more  advanced  digital  task.  Ask  your  students  about  their 
experiences and adapt the task if needed.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Discuss  practical  difficulties  with  your  students,  and  combine 
various tools to overcome them. This could start with the analysis of the features of the tools 
that best support inclusion.

I select and employ digital technologies in my 
learning  design,  to  develop  inclusive  learning 
activities  and  accessible  resources  according 
to  my  students’  needs  and  capabilities  (e.g. 
integrating  different  tools,  using  accessible 
layout, structure and language).

What is important is to be able to design activities for students according to their abilities. With 
this  in  mind  you  could  define  beforehand  the  characteristics  of  each  one  of  the  available  tools, 
apps, platforms etc. and use those that better combine students’ abilities with digital Affordances. 
Moreover, consider to what extent the solutions employed provide the desired outcomes. Discuss 
further solutions with your students and explore how you can combine their Affordances to allow 
diversity without leaving anyone behind.

I  reflect  on  and  redesign  teaching  and 
learning  with  the  use  of  digital  technologies 
to  ensure  accessible  and  inclusive  approaches 
that  meet  the  needs  and  abilities  of  all  my 
students,  including  those  with  special  learning 
needs(e.g.  providing  multimodal  presentations 
of  information,  adjusting  accessibility  features 
like  font  size  and  layout,  developing  students’ 
digital skills).

I  initiate  and  promote  strategies  for  equal 
access  and  inclusion  to  education  through 
digital technologies in my school and its wider 
community  (e.g.  afternoon  digital  technology 
labs  for  students  and  parents,  collaborations 
with industry for available infrastructure).

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Combine  solutions  and  expand  digital  strategies  that  support 
inclusiveness. Engage and support colleagues and parents to develop inclusive practices 
(e.g. encourage the participation of all students, engage parents to respond to student diversity).

You involve members of the school community (e.g. colleagues, parents) in developing an overall 
digital  learning  approach  that  will  leave  nobody  behind.  At  the  same  time,  you  encourage  the 
development in your school of an environment that supports the digital transformation and allow 
students to benefit from a greater range of digital activities the school community may offer. You 
now need to watch out that all students are given the same learning opportunities. If some of them 
are disadvantaged, take action to allow them to benefit from the same learning opportunities (e.g. 
by making available equipment or assistive technologies).

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Examine  thoroughly  what  each  digital  means  has  to  offer  and 
support disadvantaged students. Contribute to develop a strategy for equal access and 
inclusive digital education in your school.

This step is of crucial importance since you upscale the digital transformation to your school level 
involving more stakeholders in the school’s wider community. This approach will allow both you and 
school management to take strategic decisions related to the direction all of you wish to follow. You 
can elaborate on all the aspects of how to ensure equal access and inclusive digital education as well 
as how digital technologies can contribute to guarantee equal access to all your students.

[Suggestions for future actions]: Stay informed about new technological developments as well 
as ethical and other considerations that these may entail. Be aware of the digital context of the 
school community and discuss with the school stakeholders practices that can support access for all. 

69

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence5.2 Differentiation and 
personalisation

Using digital technologies to 
address diverse learning needs 
and capabilities, by allowing 
learners to advance at different 
levels and speeds, and follow 
individual learning pathways and 
objectives.

I am not aware of this competence.

I  am  aware  digital  technologies  can  be  used 
to  differentiate  and  personalise  learning  (e.g. 
adapt instruction to meet the needs of different 
groups of learners, providing individual support 
to students).

I  have  tried  digital  technologies  that  enable 
differentiation  and  personalisation  of  learning 
(e.g. online quizzes with personalised feedback, 
educational  games  with  levels  of  difficulty, 
online  learning  environments  with  adaptive 
material).

learning 

to  accommodate 

I  use  various  digital  technologies  in  teaching 
and 
individual 
learning  needs  (e.g.  creating  playlists  for  self-
guided learning activities, differentiated practice 
activities, automated individual feedback).

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

Although  all  students  are  required  to  do  the  same  activities,  you  should  consider  who  needs 
additional support and who needs to be more challenged. Treating them equally does not mean 
offering them the same treatment, but offering them the treatment they need to reach the required 
learning  objective  and  expand  their  potential.  Combining  different  digital  technologies  during 
teaching-learning processes and implementing a variety of different learning activities can result in 
effective learning for all students.

[Suggestions to level up]: Start trying different digital learning activities for students who 
need  additional  support (e.g. adapting the levels of difficulty in assessment activities, analyse 
with students activities not solved correctly).

You are now aware and have tried available means (e.g. tools, apps, platforms) in order to find out 
which ones better suits the needs of your students. In this respect you know which kind of resources 
are more accessible or appealing to your students. A next step would be to apply this knowledge 
to your own teaching, and to address different learning needs and preferences in the way that you 
present information or encourage differentiated use of in-class activities. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Explore the affordances of different digital technologies to better 
address different learning needs and preferences when teaching. Get involved in  professional 
communities and exchange ideas on how to better address the needs of your students with the use 
of digital technologies.

You  can  identify  what  kind  of  support  each  student  needs  and  what  kind  of  activities  can  help 
them. A next step for you would be to apply this principle throughout the teaching-learning process 
to design and tailor classroom activities to your students’ learning needs and preferences (e.g. by 
bringing students together in group work activities to learn from each other). In this way, you allow 
all students to overcome their weaknesses and to build upon their strengths. Moreover, you may 
vary the format of activities used to address students’ different experiences.

[Suggestions to level up]: Design and implement activities that rely upon different teaching 
and  learning  approaches  and  embed  differentiated  and  personalised  activities  in  your 
teaching. (e.g. peer teaching, coaching, use of critical friends). 

70

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  select  and  employ  digital  technologies  in 
my  learning  designs  based  on  their  features, 
to develop personalised learning environments 
(e.g.  peer  teaching,  dynamically  tracking  and 
managing the learning needs of all students).

I  reflect  on  and  (re)design  my  teaching  to 
involve  my  students  in  designing  their  own 
learning  pathways  using  digital  technologies 
best suited to their learning needs (e.g. learners 
use  online  tools  to  set  their  learning  goals, 
monitor  their  progress,  and  reflect  on  learning 
and  summative  assessments  demonstrating 
their mastery level).

I  initiate  and  promote  the  use  of  digital 
technologies  in  ways  that  allow  differentiating 
and personalising students’ learning experiences 
in  my  school  and  its  wider  community  (e.g. 
interest  group  for  teachers  to  share  good 
practices,  online  platform  with  resources  and 
live lessons).

I am not aware of this competence.

5.3 Actively engaging learners

Using digital technologies to 
foster learners’ active and 
creative engagement in their 
learning.

I am aware that I can use digital technologies 
to  engage  students  in  active  learning  (e.g. 
games,  interactive  activities,  virtual  worlds, 
simulations).

You  can  design  and  develop  different  learning  activities  that  address  different  students’  needs.    
You value your students’ experiences and relate your teaching to their different learning styles (e.g. 
by illustrating concepts with examples and metaphors that are meaningful to them).You can now 
consider students’ experiences and link them with curricular content to make learning more relevant 
to them. Try to facilitate students’ involvement in identifying their own weaknesses and strengths, 
guiding them to adapt learning activities to their individual needs. The ultimate aim is to facilitate 
each student to reach his/her full potential.

[Suggestions to level up]: Address students’ experiences and interests and support them to 
design their own learning path.

Personalised  learning  is  important  for  addressing  your  students’  learning  needs.  Moreover,  they 
should also realise how content resources would relate to their experiences and respond to their 
learning needs and preferences. On the other hand, they should also be supported to design their own 
learning materials in a format and style they appreciate. It is therefore important to counterbalance 
and reconcile the two aspects of personalised instruction: respecting, addressing and allowing for 
differences when teaching and supporting students in individualised ways to attain a set learning 
objective.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Initiate  and  promote  new  ways  of  using  digital  technologies  to 
differentiate and personalise students’ learning in your school.

Introducing new ways in the school to capture different learning needs, can facilitate all students to 
reach their individual maximum potential. The involvement of the wider school community can support 
the school practices towards the fulfilment of this goal. 

[Suggestions  for  future  actions]:    Be  informed  of  new  technological  developments  and  how 
they can support pedagogies to address differentiated and personalised learning for your 
students. 

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

You are now aware of some digital tools that can be used to engage your students in active learning. 
You can start involving your students to, for example, search the internet for information or ask them 
to take photos or videos exemplifying the subject of study. Later on, they may share the information 
they  found  and  discuss  in  small  groups.    In  this  way,  you  will  find  that  there  is  more  room  for 
creativity than you thought.

[Suggestions to level up]: Start exploring digital technologies that engage your students and 
get them to explore their learning pathway. You can ask them for example which digital tools 
they use, how they search for information, how they evaluate the accuracy of what is brought to 
them, how they index the available information and finally how they present it.

71

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  have  tried  using  digital  technologies  to 
engage  students  in  active  learning  (e.g.  use 
of  blogs  and  wikis,  e-portfolios,  virtual  and 
augmented reality).

You  have  tried  some  digital  technologies  that  allow  you  to  enrich  your  current  practices  towards 
the active engagement of your students in their learning process. You may also consider a flipped 
classroom approach, where students review learning material online, and then come to the classroom 
ready to discuss what they have learned.

[Suggestions to level up]: Start using digital solutions to enhance your strategies. You could ask 
your colleagues which tools and techniques they use and in which context and start experimenting. 
In this way you’ll be able to create your own variety of teaching strategies and digital means and 
combine them to reach a desired outcome.

You  are  now  in  the  position  to  use  various  digital  technologies  that  can  support  your  students’ 
engagement  in  their  learning.  It  is  important  that  you  can  now  align  learning  activities  with  the 
use of digital technologies with specific learning objectives. For example, you may encourage your 
students to investigate a topic combining internet research with taking photos or documenting their 
findings in form of a video or presentation. Make sure that you are there to guide them in this work, 
without undermining their ownership of the process. Carefully consider for each topic at hand which 
digital tools and which social settings and interaction modes are most appropriate.

[Suggestions to level up]: Design your lessons with the use of digital technologies in a way 
that can support active learning strategies both at individual and group level. You can for 
example use wikis to engage your students in collaborative writing, use games and simulations, and 
virtual and augmented reality applications. 

You  can  design  your  lessons  and  activities  using  digital  technologies  to  support  your  students’ 
active  engagement  in  their  learning.  A  next  step  is  to  further  increase  students’  autonomy  and 
leadership  for  their  own  learning.  One  way  of  doing  this  could  be  a  “flipped  classroom”:  Instead 
of you setting up games for them, ask them to create digital quizzes for each other. Let students 
assume responsibility and correct each other’s mistakes when answering the quizzes, encourage 
them to reflect upon and improve them and eventually share them with classmates, teachers or an  
online audience. Alternatively, you may encourage students to choose a topic of their interest and 
explore it using digital means to showcase their work. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Coach  students  and  provide  them  with  scaffolding  as  they  use 
digital means for learning.  You can have students involved in coaching their peers, in creating 
artefacts that reflect their interests and maintain an e-portfolio for reflecting as well as sharing their 
learning outcomes.

I  use  various  digital  technologies  to  engage 
students 
(e.g.  students 
exploring  virtual  objects,  peer-review,  jigsaw 
discussions, online debates).

in  active 

learning 

I  select  and  employ  digital  technologies  in 
my  learning  designs  to  foster  students’  active 
engagement  in  individual  and  collaborative 
learning  (e.g.  collaborative  writing,  games  and 
simulations,  virtual  and  augmented  reality, 
structured team-based learning).

72

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  (re)design 
learning  activities  based  on 
students’  feedback,  co-creating  new  ways 
for  them  to  interact  and  actively  engage  with 
digital  technologies  (e.g. 
learners 
in  hands-on  activities,  experiential  learning, 
online discussions, peer coaching and teaching, 
constructing 
creating 
artefacts, e-portfolios).

learning  and 

involving 

their 

I  initiate  and  promote  digitally-enhanced 
learning  spaces  within  my  school  and  its 
wider  community,  where  students  are  actively 
engaged in learning activities (e.g. makerspace, 
robotics, programming, AI applications).

I am not aware of this competence.

5.4 Blended learning

Using digital resources and tools, 
online learning environments and 
platforms to ensure students’ 
learning within and beyond the 
classroom.

I  am  aware  that  digital  technologies  can 
be  used  to  combine  on-site  and  remote, 
synchronous  and  asynchronous  learning  (e.g. 
digital  resources,  online  meetings,  groups  in 
social networks).

I  have  tried  using  digital  technologies  that 
learning  within  and  beyond  the 
facilitate 
classroom  (e.g.  web  meeting  tools,  online 
learning  environments,  discussion 
forums, 
chats, virtual worlds).

It is important that you support students’ learning processes and you involve them in activities that 
expand their full potential. In order to keep improving your strategies, you can continuously reflect 
on the suitability of your strategies, the balance between student autonomy and guidance and the 
mechanisms you implement to allow them to follow their own learning rhythm. Moreover, consider 
how you can help all students to develop their strengths and work on their weaknesses, for example 
how they can learn from each other and from their mistakes and how their collaborative effort can 
be turned into a joint product.

[Suggestions to level up]: Create an online collaborative space for you and your colleagues, 
where  students  can  get  involved  in  experiential  learning  activities,  such  as  coaching 
their  peers,  teachers  and  parents  in  digitally  enhanced  activities.    You  could  start  for  example  a 
makerspace in your school where students can design and create learning activities with the use of 
robotics or AI programmes.

It is important to encourage collaborative work through digital technologies.  Bringing opportunities to 
students where they are actively involved in learning and collaboratively design learning activities can 
enable the development of essential skills as well as constructing new knowledge.    

[Suggestions  for  future  actions]:    Always  be  informed  of  new  technological  and  pedagogical 
trends and try to involve all Stakeholders  of the wider  school community in  the learning 
activities that you initiate. 

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

Digital technologies can support and enhance teaching and learning.. Being aware that there are 
various digital tools and environments that can support on-site and distance learning allows you to 
choose the most appropriate tools for instruction and plan learning activities for your students to 
follow irrespective of space and time.

[Suggestions to level up]: Start exploring available technologies for distance teaching and 
learning.

Once you have started using digital technologies for teaching and learning, you will start to see the 
benefits and possible drawbacks. Try out different tools and options for online learning and think how 
they  could  be  adapted  to  different  settings  to  meet  your  students’  learning  needs  and/or  blended 
learning situations.

[Suggestions to level up]: Start using blended learning approaches and maintain regular contacts 
with individual students and learning groups (e.g. video lessons, social media applications, learning 
resources).

73

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  use  various  digital  tools  and  platforms 
learning 
to  support  distance  and  blended 
learning 
approaches,  enhancing  students’ 
processes  and  outcomes  (e.g.  video  lessons, 
social media applications, learning resources).

I  analyse  digital  technologies  based  on  their 
features  and  employ  them  in  my  learning 
designs  to  support  distance  and  blended 
learning  (e.g.  online  collaborative  tools,  chats, 
forums, blogs, social networks).

I  reflect  on  and  redesign  teaching  and 
learning  for  distance  and  blended  learning 
contexts 
to  ensure  my  students’  active 
involvement in the learning process within and 
beyond  the  classroom  (e.g.  online  learning, 
hybrid learning, virtual labs, online collaborative 
tools, synchronous and asynchronous activities, 
individual and team work).

Having used various tools and technologies for teaching and learning, you now know that blended 
learning can take many forms to meet students’ learning needs. Should you wish to explore further, 
you may join an online community to get inspired, exchange ideas, share lesson plans and materials 
with colleagues.

[Suggestions to level up]: Start analysing the characteristics of the available technologies 
and adapt them to different situations. You can start applying one at a time, keep notes with 
your experiences and share them with colleagues in a digital diary.

You can now analyse the pros and cons of each one of the digital tools you have used. The next step 
should be to reflect which ones best assist you to meet the needs of your students. Another option 
could to create a list of these tools as well as their Affordances to make it easier to compare and 
select the most appropriate for a given situation.

[Suggestions to level up]: Design and implement a blended learning environment taking into 
consideration  the characteristics of the available tools.

With  the  design  of  an  online  environment  you  can  implement  learning  activities  in  a  blended 
learning approach, both in and away from the classroom. Reflect on whether the available solutions 
for blended learning assist you to make the most of this approach and expand their potential by 
designing and implementing meaningful learning environments. The next step for blended learning 
would be to apply the solutions available according to the individual and differentiated profile of 
your students.

[Suggestions to level up]: Initiate  the  development  of  a  blended  learning  approach  across 
the whole school.  Empower teachers’ collaboration and decision-making for the optimum use of 
online learning.

I  contribute  to  the  design  of  a  distance 
and  blended  learning  strategy  for  my  school 
and  support  its  implementation  to  facilitate 
innovative  and  inclusive  learning  approaches 
within  and  beyond  the  school  (e.g.  ensuring 
access  to  infrastructure  and  devices,  support 
for  parents’  and  students,  regular  information 
exchange, code of conduct for online behaviour 
and  norms,  personal  data  management  and 
safety, communication practices).

It is important that a school can use digital technologies to ensure continuation of learning for all 
students at all times.  At the same time it is important to empower both students and colleagues 
to  take  advantage  of  digital  technologies  both  on-site  and  remotely,  adopting  blended  learning 
approaches. Let them describe and define their needs and assist them to make the optimum use 
of the available digital technologies and tools. Encourage them to come up with their own plans 
indicating the points to which they should pay particular attention.

[Suggestions for future actions]: Try  to  follow  technological  and  pedagogical  developments 
and  trends  related  to  distance  learning  (e.g.  online  learning,  blended  learning,  hybrid 
learning, remote learning) and involve teachers and parents in the application of blended 
learning practices.

I am not aware of this competence.

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

74

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceArea 6 – Facilitating Learners’ Digital Competence

Teachers’ digital competence is important to support and facilitate the development of their 
learners’ digital competence.

The proficiency level statements are organised by increasing level of students’ engagement 
and complexity of digital competence in the learning activities.

ITEM NAME and
INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT

PROFICIENCY LEVEL 
STATEMENTS

FEEDBACK

6.1 Information and data 
literacy

Incorporating learning activities, 
which require learners to 
use digital technologies to 
search, evaluate and manage 
information and data in digital 
environments.

I am aware of learning activities and resources 
that can enhance students’ information and data 
literacy  (e.g.  searching  for  digital  information, 
evaluating  information  found,  reading  graphs, 
reading and understanding data).

Being  aware  of  learning  activities  and  resources  that  can  enhance  students’  search,  evaluation 
and management of information in digital environments is important for the development of their 
information  and  data  literacy.  To  meaningfully  address  information  and  data  literacy  into  your 
lessons, you can explore different activities to help students learn how to find, analyse, interpret and 
evaluate online information and data.

I have tried learning activities that encourage 
students  to  search,  evaluate  and  manage 
information  and  data  in  digital  environments 
(e.g. setting search criteria, comparing different 
sources, interpreting data).

[Suggestions to level up]: Start trying learning activities that encourage students to search, 
evaluate and manage information and data in digital environments. You could try presenting 
students with a website or audio-visual content taken from the internet on a topic they have just 
studied and ask them to identify inaccuracies, missing information or bias.

When  exploring  learning  activities  that  encourage  students  to  search,  evaluate  and  manage 
information and data in digital environments, start including reflection on the reliability of information 
retrieved online in an assignment task, for example in a revision activity. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Implement  learning  activities  requiring  students  to  compare 
the accuracy of sources. You can, for example, present your students with a website or audio-
visual content taken from the internet on a topic they have just studied and ask them to identify 
inaccuracies, missing information or bias by cross-checking it with other sources.

75

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  implement  various  learning  activities  that 
require  students  to  critically  search,  evaluate 
information  and  data  from 
and  manage 
different digital environments, according to their 
learning  needs  (e.g.  setting  selection  criteria, 
identifying inaccuracies, missing information or 
bias,  cross-checking  different  sources  to  judge 
credibility,  managing  misinformation,  racism, 
and xenophobia).

Implementing different learning activities to enable your students to judge the quality of information 
and  data  found  online,  independent  of  its  source,  will  help  them  understand  e.g.  how  to  discern 
reliable and unreliable sources. You can, for example, present your students with a website or audio-
visual content taken from the internet on a topic they have just studied and ask them to identify 
inaccuracies, missing information or bias by cross-checking it with other sources. This way you can, 
step-by-step, build up their capacity to assess information and opinion, to make informed choices 
and to value evidence and sound arguments.

[Suggestions to level up]: Develop learning designs which support students to critically search, 
evaluate  and  manage  information  and  data,  through  context  analysis.  This  could  include 
analysing the choice of the information medium, the source, purpose, transparency of algorithms 
used to decide what kind of information and data is returned.

learning  to  support  students  to 
I  design 
critically 
search,  evaluate  and  manage 
information and data (e.g. analysing the choice 
of the information medium, the source, purpose, 
transparency of algorithms used to decide what 
kind of information and data is returned).

Developing  learning  designs  which  support  students  to  critically  search,  evaluate  and  manage 
information and data through context analysis helps them understand how information and data 
is generated and can be distorted or manipulated. This could be reinforced by discussing with your 
students how to draw valid conclusions based on contradicting sources.

[Suggestions to level up]: Engage your students in project-based initiatives requiring searching, 
evaluating and managing information and data critically. This could include editing a school 
newsletter or newspaper, organising information and data access using taxonomies and categories.

I lead project-based initiatives where students, 
as  both  recipients  and  creators  of  content,  go 
through  the  process  of  critically  searching, 
evaluating and managing information and data 
(e.g.  editing  the  school  newsletter,  organising 
information and data access using taxonomies 
and categories).

Leading project-based initiatives where students, both as receivers and creators, go through the 
process of critically searching, evaluating and managing information and data is the first step to 
create an information and data literacy culture in your school. After discussing with students on how 
to  draw  valid  conclusions  from  different  sources,  encourage  them  to  use  them  effectively  in,  for 
example, arguments and debates. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Contribute  to  create  an  information  and  data  literacy  culture  in 
your  school  and  its  wider  community.  This  could  include  organising  a  debate  where  groups 
of  students  represent  opposing  schools  of  thought  or  simply  contrasting  opinions,  or  organising 
workshops to explore and learn how to spot fake news.

My  students  and  I  contribute  to  the  creation 
of  strategies  that  promote  ways  to  use 
digital  technologies  to  improve  information 
and  data  literacy  across  my  school  and  its 
wider  community  (e.g.  workshops,  debates, 
experiential activities).

Creating an information and data literacy culture in your school and its wider community with the 
help of your students is a way of empowering and equipping them to be critical citizens. Reflect on 
your practices and seek to continuously innovate them.

[Suggestions for future actions]: Innovate your practices by keeping up to date with the latest 
developments and trends in information and data literacy.

I am not aware of this competence.

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

76

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence6.2 Communication and 
collaboration

Implementing learning activities 
that require learners to 
communicate and collaborate 
using digital technologies.

students’  digital 

I  am  aware  of  learning  activities  that  can 
enhance 
communication 
and  collaboration  (e.g.  using  email,  instant 
messaging, social networks, etc. to communicate 
with teachers and peers).

I have tried learning activities that encourage 
students  to  communicate  and  collaborate 
with  teachers  and  each  other  using  digital 
(e.g.  using  online  meetings, 
technologies 
discussion forums).

Being aware that digital technologies can be useful to enhance students’ digital communication and 
collaboration is the first step to start exploring learning activities with that purpose. To encourage 
students to communicate with you and among each other, you can start by creating a community or 
group in an online collaborative environment.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Start  trying  learning  activities  that  encourage  students  to 
communicate and collaborate with you and each other. This could include using a discussion 
forum and setting students a concrete collaborative task to solve using this environment.

Exploring learning activities that encourage students to communicate and collaborate with you and 
each other is essential for developing effective practices for communication and collaboration. The 
next step is to encourage students to communicate and collaborate more often. A good starting 
point is to think of students’ learning needs and set up an online space that can best support these.

[Suggestions to level up]: Implement learning activities that require students to communicate 
and collaborate in digital contexts according to their learning needs. This may include choosing 
tools that best support students’ communication, then assigning them a concrete collaborative task 
they can work on. This way they get accustomed to the main principles of online collaboration in a 
closed and familiar social setting.

implement  various 

I 
learning  activities 
that  require  students  to  communicate  and 
collaborate  in  digital  contexts  according  to 
their  learning  needs  (e.g.  use  of  appropriate 
medium  for  students’  digital  communication, 
use of digital tools that best support students’ 
collaboration, managing an online shared space, 
editing online shared documents).

Now that your students are used to using shared online spaces to communicate and collaborate, 
you can start encouraging them to discover and develop together effective rules for communication 
and collaboration.

[Suggestions to level up]: Develop learning designs which support students to communicate 
and  collaborate  respecting  behavioural  and  communication  norms.  This  may  include 
encouraging  students  to  document  their  communication  and  collaboration  rules  and  to  reinforce 
them among themselves; and even challenging their rules by integrating tasks or variations that 
require different collaboration strategies or norms for communication.

I  design  learning  to  support  students  to  use 
digital  technologies  for  communication  and 
collaboration 
respecting  behavioural  and 
communication  norms  (e.g.  respecting  others’ 
ideas  and  diversity  while  contributing  to  team 
work,  sharing  messages  across  multicultural 
networks,  creating  positive  connections  and 
building contacts).

Developing  learning  designs  which  require  different  collaboration  strategies  or  norms  for 
communication is important for expanding students’ skills. Reflect on the suitability of your teaching 
practices  and  readjust  them  in  view  of  further  advancing  students’  digital  communication  and 
collaboration. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Readjust  your  teaching  practices  in  view  of  fostering  students’ 
digital  communication  and  collaboration.  This  could  include  implementing  activities  which 
require students to communicate and collaborate with external audiences. Students should realise, 
through their involvement in increasingly complex communication contexts, that oral and written 
communication  follow  different  rules,  and  that  communication  between  friends  and  with  people 
they do not know requires different communication skills.

77

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  reflect  on  the  suitability  of  my  teaching 
practices  in  view  of  fostering  students’  digital 
communication and collaboration, and readjust 
them accordingly (e.g. exchange good practices 
with  other  colleagues,  discuss  with  students 
communication  and 
collaboration  needs, 
exploring new digital tools).

communication  and 

My  students  and  I  initiate  and  promote 
digital 
collaboration 
networks  with  other  schools  and  educational 
stakeholders (nationally and internationally) to 
exchange  learning  experiences,  activities  and 
pursue  common  projects  (e.g.  participation  in 
and/or  co-creation  of  educational  initiatives, 
competitions).

I am not aware of this competence.

What is important for you now is to empower your students to autonomously apply and develop 
their  communication  and  collaboration  skills.  Engage  them  in  networks  with  other  schools  and 
educational  stakeholders,  nationally  and  internationally.  They  must  be  able  to  state  their  point 
clearly, have an opinion and argue for it, while being able to communicate in a professional manner, 
be polite and respectful, towards others and their opinions. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Engage  your  students  in  networks  with  other  schools  and 
educational stakeholders, nationally and internationally. This could include the participation 
in or co-creation of educational initiatives in which, through practice, your students realise that oral 
and written communication follow different rules, even if these rulesets tend to converge in the era 
of social media.

Engaging students in exchanging learning experiences, activities and pursuing common projects with 
schools and educational stakeholders (nationally and internationally) is essential to create digital 
communication  and  collaboration  networks.  Reflect  on  your  practices  and  seek  to  continuously 
innovate them.

[Suggestions  for  future  actions]:  Innovate  your  practices  by  keeping  up  to  date  with  the 
latest  trends  on  the  digital  technologies  that  can  best  support  your  and  your  students’ 
communication and collaboration needs.

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

I am aware of learning activities that encourage 
students to express themselves through digital 
means (e.g. in the form of text, photos, images, 
presentations).

Being aware that students can use digital technologies to express themselves is the first step to 
start exploring learning activities with that purpose. This way you motivate your students for your 
subject,  increase  their  active  involvement  in  the  learning  process  -  and  also  foster  their  skills  in 
creating digital content.

[Suggestions to level up]: Start trying learning activities that encourage students to create 
and modify digital content. This could include thinking of a study unit in which students could 
create content, e.g. conduct an interview and film it, take photos of examples for study, write a text 
and post it online or design a digital artefact with a software you use. 

6.3 Content creation

Incorporating learning activities 
that require learners to express 
themselves by creating digital 
artefacts.

78

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI have tried learning activities that encourage 
students  to  create  and  modify  digital  content 
(e.g. text, presentations, audios, videos).

I  implement  various  learning  activities  that 
require my students to express and convey their 
ideas  creatively,  by  using  appropriate  digital 
tools  (e.g.  visualisations,  simulations,  digital 
stories).

I design learning to engage students in creative 
design  processes  in  order  to  (re)create  quality 
digital  content,  while 
respecting  copyright 
rules  and  licences  (e.g.  scaffolding  students 
to  go  through  a  design  process  for  content 
development,  facilitating  students  to  select 
appropriate  digital  tools,  guiding  students  to 
understand  copyright,  attribute  licences  and 
give credits).

Exploring learning activities that encourage students to create and modify digital content may boost 
their interest in and understanding of the topic at hand. Many students have access to a mobile 
phone or a camera at home. If they don’t, you may be able to equip them with a school device or ask 
them to work in teams. Taking photos is an activity which all, even younger students are capable of 
and which can be linked to any subject (e.g. geometric shapes, number patterns in mathematics or 
correct or incorrect movements in sports). Just try it out. Ask your students about their opinion and 
the problems they faced and take these into account for your next experiment.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Ask  your  students  to  express  and  convey  their  ideas  creatively 
by using digital tools. This may include using digital tools and devices to create visualisations, 
simulations or digital stories.

Implementing  various  learning  activities  that  require  students  to  express  and  convey  their 
ideas  creatively  using  digital  tools,  may  enhance  their  competence  to  communicate  the  subject 
knowledge, to connect their findings or weigh arguments, and to comprehensively demonstrate their 
understanding.

[Suggestions to level up]: Develop learning designs which engage students in creative design 
processes,  while  respecting  copyright  rules  and  licences.  This  may  include  implementing 
activities  which  enable  students  to  use  different  digital  means  -  visual,  audio,  video,  text-based 
... - and combine them effectively. At the same time, guide students to understand copyright rules, 
attribute licenses and how to give credits.

Now that your learning designs engage students in content creative design processes, reflect on and 
readjust them in view of further expanding your students’ competences. Encourage them to try out 
new methods and digital formats, to introduce effects that surprise their audience or make them 
laugh, to use mistakes, misunderstandings, conflicts or different opinions as an incentive for study. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Encourage  your  students  to  share  their  (re)creations.  This  may 
include using digital stories or e-portfolios for students to showcase their (re)creations.

I reflect on and (re)design learning activities 
for  fostering  students’  digital  expression  and 
content (re)creation, while encouraging sharing 
practices (e.g. digital stories, e-portfolios).

Reflecting  on  and  redesigning  learning  activities  for  fostering  students’  digital  expression  and 
content (re)creation, may enable you to expand students’ digital expression and creation beyond 
the classroom. Engage your students in initiatives within the school and its wider community for 
designing, developing and publishing their digital creations, while sharing them in creative ways. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Expand  students’  digital  expression  and  creation  beyond  the 
classroom. This may include challenging students to create and share audio or video broadcasts or 
to promote a makerspace that can be used by different school/community members.

79

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceMy  students  and  I  initiate  and  promote 
strategies  across  the  school  and  its  wider 
community  that  allow  students  to  engage 
in  designing,  developing  and  publishing  their 
digital (re)creations, while sharing them in novel 
ways (e.g. co-creating mobile apps, maintaining 
makerspaces,  promoting  audio  and  video 
broadcasts).

I am not aware of this competence.

6.4 Safety and wellbeing

Empowering learners to use 
digital technologies safely, 
while mitigating risks to ensure 
physical, psychological and social 
well-being.

I am aware of learning activities that encourage 
students to use digital technologies safely (e.g. 
how to protect data privacy, read terms of use, 
avoid social exclusion, prevent violence in digital 
environments).

I  have  tried  learning  activities  that  allow 
students  to  consider  the  safety  and  wellbeing 
implications  of  using  digital  technologies  (e.g. 
identifying  inappropriate  behaviour,  discussing 
overuse/addiction issues).

Engaging students in designing, developing and publishing their digital creations, while sharing them 
in creative ways is essential to empower them to become critical digital content producers. Reflect 
on your practices and seek to continuously innovate them.

[Suggestions  for  future  actions]:  Innovate  your  practices  by  keeping  apace  with  the  latest 
developments  and  trends  in  digital  technologies  that  can  best  support  your  and  your 
students’ creation needs.

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

Being  aware  that  digital  technologies  can  positively  and  negatively  affect  students’  safety  and 
wellbeing will help you explore learning activities that empower students to use digital technologies 
safely. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Start trying learning activities that foster students’ awareness of 
the benefits and drawbacks of using digital technologies. This could include asking students 
to identify online behaviour (of their own or of others) that makes them happy or sad, or discussing 
existing data protection rules to ensure they are aware of them.

Exploring learning activities which focus on the benefits and drawbacks of using digital technologies 
will foster students’ awareness of how such use may affect their physical, psychological and social 
well-being.  One  option  could  be  to  discuss  together  with  them  which  personal  data  they  make 
available through the tools and apps they use, and to whom. Let them manage the privacy settings 
of their social media in a way they feel comfortable with how they present themselves to the world 
and with the information they share online. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Let students explore ways to protect themselves from risks and 
threats to their physical, psychological and social well-being. This may include setting strong 
passwords or learning how to block or report individuals who make them feel uncomfortable.

I  implement  various  learning  activities  to 
prompt  students  to  act  in  responsible  and 
ethical  ways  when  creating  and  consuming 
digital  information  (e.g.  adjusting  the  settings 
of their social media, protecting personal data 
and  privacy,  setting  strong  passwords,  block 
and  report  individuals  who  make  them  feel 
uncomfortable).

Now that you implement various learning activities that require your students to explore ways to 
protect  themselves  from  risks  and  threats  to  their  physical,  psychological  and  social  well-being, 
engage them in developing strategies to prevent and respond to digital behaviour that negatively 
affects them or their peers.

[Suggestions to level up]: Engage students in developing strategies to prevent and respond to 
digital behaviour that negatively affects them or their peers. This may include discussing with 
them how they can balance online and offline activities or discuss a concrete situation in which they 
are prompted to recognise and respond to negative behaviour such as racism, cyberbullying, etc.

80

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  design  learning  to  help  students  develop 
strategies  of  responsible  and  ethical  use  of 
technologies,  to  safeguard  their  reputation, 
and  promote  social  well-being  (e.g.  balancing 
online & offline activities, recognising and facing 
cyberbullying/sexting/racism,  etc. 
in  digital 
environments).

The  next  step  is  for  you  to  reflect  on  and  redesign  your  learning  designs  based  on  continuous 
developments  in  online  risks  and  threats.  This  will  enable  students  to  follow  and  adopt  positive 
practices towards their and their peers’ physical, psychological and social well-being.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Reflect  on  and  readjust  your  learning  designs  based  on  current 
developments in online risks and threats. This could include discussing how companies collect 
and use personal data, how to identify fraud and phishing attempts or how social media may affect 
emotional and social relationships.

I reflect on and (re)design learning activities 
based  on  continuous  developments  on  online 
risks  and  threats,  so  as  to  enable  students  to 
follow  and  adopt  positive  practices  towards 
their  and  their  peers’  physical,  psychological 
and  social  well-being  (e.g.  how  companies 
collect  and  use  data  about  individuals,  how 
social  media  affect  emotional  and  social 
relationships).

My  students  and  I  contribute  to  create  a 
culture in our school and its wider community, in 
which the negative and positive uses of digital 
technologies  are  openly  discussed  and  ways 
of avoiding risks and threats (e.g. online safety 
experiential  workshops,  digital  well-being 
coaching for peers, teachers and parents).

I am not aware of this competence.

6.5 Responsible use

Empowering learners to use 
digital technologies responsibly 
and ethically, managing their 
digital identity digital footprint 
and digital reputation.

I am aware of learning activities to empower 
students  to  understand  the  legal  and  ethical 
implications  of  using  digital 
technologies 
(e.g.  sharing  personal  and  others’  sensitive 
information,  managing  private  settings  on 
online apps).

What is important now is for you to empower your students to assume a positive attitude towards 
digital technologies, being aware of risks and limits, but also being confident that they can manage 
these in order to reap the benefits. Encourage your students to engage in online safety and digital 
well-being initiatives within the school and school community.

[Suggestions to level up]: Contribute to creating a culture of online safety and digital well-
being in your school and school community. This could include organising debates or workshops, 
in which the negative and positive uses of digital technologies are openly discussed and ways of 
avoiding risks and threats to the physical, psychological and social well-being are promoted. 

Creating an online safety and digital well-being culture in your school and its wider community with 
the help of your students is a way of empowering and equipping them to use digital technologies 
safely in the future. Reflect on your practices and seek to continuously innovate them.

[Suggestions for future actions]: Innovate your practices by keeping up to date with the latest 
trends and developments in online risks and threats.

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

Even if you do not foresee any learning activities that require your students to use digital technologies, 
it is important to be aware that they can be empowered to use them responsibly and ethically. Try 
exploring learning activities in which they are required to develop their understanding of legal and 
ethical implications when using digital technologies.

[Suggestions to level up]: Start trying learning activities that foster students’ understanding 
of legal and ethical implications when using digital technologies. This could include planning 
activities  in  which  they  are  required  to  understand  the  traces  they  leave  when  they  are  online/
their  digital  footprint,  how  to  protect  their  digital  identity  and  how  to  avoid  disclosing  personal 
information. 

81

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI  have  tried  learning  activities  that  foster 
students’  understanding  of  legal  and  ethical 
implications  when  using  digital  technologies 
(e.g.  sharing  of  copyrighted  digital  content, 
accepting permissions when installing apps).

I  implement  various  digital  learning  activities 
that  require  students  to  act  in  a  responsible 
and  ethical  way  both  as  consumers  and 
creators of digital information and content (e.g. 
critically  assessing online information, reacting 
to  misinformation,  behaving  positively  online, 
complying  with  data  protection  and  copyright 
rules, respecting diversity and multiple opinions).

I  reflect  on  and  (re)design  my  learning 
activities to allow students to consider the ethics 
and potential impact of their digital behaviours 
in  authentic  situations  (e.g.  considering  how 
something  they  post  online  might  be  hurtful, 
respectfully sharing a difference of opinion in a 
comment, online activism).

My  students  and  I  initiate  and  promote 
strategies  across  the  school  and  its  wider 
community that promote ethical and responsible 
use  of  digital  technologies  by  staff,  students 
and  parents  (e.g.  workshops,  coaching  peers, 
teachers and parents).

I am not aware of this competence.

Exploring learning activities that require the use of digital technologies can be an important way 
to foster students’ understanding of legal and ethical implications when using digital technologies. 
Students should be aware of the pitfalls and risks of being a digital consumer and creator, such 
as spamming, phishing, stalking, and know how to manage their digital footprint and protect their 
digital  data  by  complying  with  data  protection  regulations  and  copyright  law.  They  should  also 
consider the social and cultural norms for communication in the environments they use and the 
online activities they engage in. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Implement  learning  activities  that  require  students  to  act  in 
a  responsible  and  ethical  way  (e.g.  being  critical  towards  online  information,  reacting  to 
misinformation spread, behaving positively online, complying with data protection regulations and 
copyright law, respecting diversity and multiple opinions).

Implementing various learning activities that require students to act in a responsible and ethical 
way,  will  contribute  for  their  growth  both  as  consumers  and  creators  of  digital  information  and 
content. The next step for you will be to empower students with strategies to use digital technologies 
responsibly and ethically. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Engage students in developing strategies to use digital technologies 
responsibly  and  ethically,  while  safeguarding  their  digital  reputation.  This  could  include 
letting students trace their digital footprint and managing their digital identity. You can let them be 
aware of the terms of use of different media and applications or discuss with them which personal 
data they make available through the programmes and apps they use, and to whom, so they can 
reflect upon and safeguard their digital reputation.

What  is  important  now  is  for  you  to  empower  your  students  to  protect  their  digital  identity  and 
manage their digital footprint. Encourage them to explore the responsible and ethical use of digital 
technologies in your school and its wider community.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Engage  students  in  initiatives  that  explore  the  responsible  and 
ethical use of digital technologies within the school and its wider community. This could 
include preparing workshops or coaching their peers on the responsible use of digital technologies.

Initiating and promoting initiatives that explore the responsible and ethical use of digital technologies 
in your school and its wider community with the help of your students is a way of empowering and 
equipping them for the future and safeguarding their digital reputation. Reflect on your practices 
and seek to continuously innovate them.

[Suggestions  for  future  actions]:  Innovate  your  practices  by  keeping  apace  with  the  latest 
trends on the responsible and ethical uses of digital technologies.

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

82

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence6.6 Problem solving

Incorporating learning activities, 
where learners use digital 
technologies to understand and 
solve problems.

I  am  aware  of 
learning  activities  that 
encourage students to use digital technologies 
to understand and solve problems (e.g. using a 
search engine, help features, apps to record and 
organise information for analysis).

I have tried learning activities that encourage 
to 
to  use  digital 
students 
(e.g. 
solve 
understand 
brainstorming,  mapping,  using  visualisation 
tools, etc. to analyse a problem and develop a 
possible solution).

technologies 
problems 

and 

I  implement  various  learning  activities  that 
allow  students  to  apply  problem  solving 
processes supported by digital technologies (e.g. 
finding  and  organizing  information,  analysing, 
inferring, predicting outcomes, making analogies 
and formulating ideas).

Being aware that digital technologies can help students to understand and solve problems will help 
you explore learning activities with that purpose. It is important to enable students to formulate 
their  problems  in  planning  their  learning,  communicating  their  ideas  or  understanding  course 
content, to identify the concrete barriers encountered, and to encourage them to think about ways 
of overcoming them. For you this means you must be open to the different ways in which students 
overcome obstacles and come up with solutions. Even if you may find them inefficient, arbitrary, 
scientifically dubious or in other respects unorthodox. You can, and should, encourage students to 
work on the flaws of their appropriation strategies, while appreciating that they took the first step to 
overcome an important obstacle to their learning.

[Suggestions to level up]: Start trying learning activities that encourage students to use digital 
technologies to employ strategies for understanding and solving problems (e.g. brainstorming, 
mapping, visualisation tools, etc. to analyse a problem and develop a possible solution).

Exploring learning activities that encourage students to use digital technologies for understanding 
and solving problems may boost their interest in the subject/topic - and in many cases also their 
understanding of it. Anticipate potential challenges and even actively trigger challenging learning 
situations. Watch out for situations where students voice that there is something impossible to be 
known or asserted, or something too difficult to achieve - something desirable that they believe goes 
beyond their capacities or possibilities. Convert it into a challenge to be overcome - collectively by 
all students, or by a small group of students, or by individual students. Ask them to identify how this 
desirable goal could be obtained and design a plan to reach it, thinking about how technology can 
assist in the process. You will see that there are many opportunities for integrating digital problem-
solving into your teaching than you thought. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Implement learning activities that require students to solve problems, by 
applying problem solving processes using digital technologies. This could include asking students 
to find and organise information, analyse, infer, predict outcomes, make analogies and formulate ideas).

Implementing  various  learning  activities  that  require  students  to  solve  problems,  by  applying 
problem solving processes using digital technologies is a way of encouraging students to overcome 
challenges and, in many cases, by designing a solution that they can experience as innovative. The 
next step for you would be to actively trigger such situations. Think about how you can embed a 
challenge into your subject teaching. Watch out for situations where students voice that there is 
something impossible to be known or asserted, or something too difficult to achieve - something 
desirable that they believe goes beyond their capacities or possibilities. Convert it into a challenge to 
be overcome - collectively by all students, or by a small group of students, or by individual students. 
Ask them to identify how this desirable goal could be obtained and design a plan to reach it, thinking 
about how technology can assist in the process. You will see that there are many opportunities for 
integrating  digital  problem-solving  into  your  teaching  and  will  increasingly  know  where  to  offer 
this approach and to which [student] groups. This way you can ensure that all students are offered 
opportunities for developing their digital problem-solving skills in your lessons.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Develop  learning  designs  which  engage  students  in  seeking  out 
different, innovative and creative technological solutions. This could include letting students 
generate/test new ideas and solutions or simulations, modelling).

83

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceI design learning to allow students to look for 
different  innovative  and  creative  solutions  to 
be applied in new situations and contexts (e.g. 
generating/testing  new  ideas  and  solutions, 
simulation, modelling).

Developing learning designs which engage students in seeking out different innovative and creative 
technological  solutions  to  be  applied  in  new  situations  and  contexts  may  be  an  opportunity  for 
students to understand and apply key components of computational thinking. Reflect and (re)design 
your teaching and learning strategies in a way that enables students, individually and collectively, to 
explore and find digitally-supported solutions. You may need to work on various projects in parallel, 
allowing each student or group of students to work on what they can experience as a challenge. This 
way you can ensure that all students are offered opportunities for developing their digital problem 
solving skills in your subject.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Enable  students  to  understand  and  apply  key  components  of 
computational thinking while exploring and finding digitally-supported solutions. This may 
include enabling students to engage in representation of abstract models, debugging, decomposing 
problems in small parts.

I  reflect  on  my  teaching  and  (re)design 
teaching  and  learning  activities  to  enable 
the  co-creation  of  problem  solving  processes 
with  my  students  and  finding  solutions  which 
involve digital technologies (e.g. representation 
of  abstract  models,  debugging,  decomposing 
problems in small parts).

What  is  important  now  is  for  you  to  empower  your  students  to  overcome  challenges  creatively 
using digital technologies. The next step will be to engage your students in exploring and finding 
innovative and creative solutions to real world challenges within and beyond your school.

[Suggestions to level up]: Engage your students in exploring and finding innovative and creative 
solutions to real world challenges. This could include engaging them in social, environmental or 
technological challenges.

My students and I contribute to exploring and 
developing  innovative  and  creative  solutions 
to real world challenges within and beyond our 
school (e.g. social, environmental, technological 
challenges).

I am not aware of this competence.

Exploring and finding innovative and creative solutions to real world challenges within and beyond 
our school is a universally required skill. Reflect on your practices and seek to continuously innovate 
them. The goal is to empower students to experience themselves as being capable of achieving the 
unthinkable. 

[Suggestions for future actions]: Innovate your practices by keeping up to date with the latest 
trends on digitally supported solutions for real world problems.

Using digital technologies in your professional practice can offer new opportunities and enhance 
your work. A first step to develop your digital competence is awareness. You can initiate discussions 
with your colleagues or other people that have some expertise on this competence and search for 
more information about it and what it means to you as a teacher.

84

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence5. Conclusions

The aim of this study was to design and develop a valid and reliable tool based on 
the DigCompEdu framework to support primary and secondary teachers self-assess 
their digital competence through a self-reflection process. 

The pilot study confirmed the scientific soundness of the tool as a valid and reliable 
tool for primary and secondary teachers to self-assess their digital competence. 

Factor analysis confirmed a good fit for the suggested six-factor model of teachers’ 
digital competence. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) did not suggest any changes 
to  the  dimensionality  (factor  structure)  of  this  construct.  Analysis  confirmed  that 
all items have good - or at least satisfactory - factor loadings, and that there is no 
evidence to support an argument for removing, adding or replacing items for any 
factor. We ran CFA with two different models. Comparison of model fit between the 
original  six-factor  model  and  alternative  one-factor,  two-factor  and  seven-factor 
models showed the best fit for the original six-factor model. Correlation analysis did 
not reveal significant overlap between any two items in the self-reflection tool. None 
of the item pairs correlated so highly with each other as to suggest removal of one.  

Analysis of quantitative feedback confirmed that a big majority of participants were 
satisfied with the self-reflection experience, the user-experience of the online tool, 
the items, the help texts and the feedback reports. 

Analysis of qualitative feedback showed that teachers from primary and secondary 
schools  found  the  tool  relevant  to  their  job  and  professional  development  and 
expressed their satisfaction with the clarity of the help text and the usability of the 
tool. In some cases, they found the tool too long and reported difficulties with the 
clarity of items and dissatisfaction with usability.

SELFIEforTEACHERS supports teachers to learn more about what it means to be a 
digitally competent educator and to identify their own individual strengths and gaps. 
It also aims to support them to design their professional learning paths to further 
develop  their  digital  competence  by  providing  them  with  personalised  feedback 
and suggestions on how to level up. The feature allowing teachers to share their 
anonymised data within a group can help in planning professional development for 
a group, based on their specific needs. 

The  tool  design  and  development  process,  including  iterative  consultations  with 
experts  and  member  states  education  representatives,  increased  inclusiveness 
and collective work. The co-construction process created a sense of ownership as 
a number of countries have already announced the use of the tool in their digital 
education strategies. 

The tool can be adopted by education stakeholders while at the same time it allows 
flexibility to be adapted and updated to meet needs in institutional and contextual 
requirements in different countries (e.g. in countries outside the European context) 
and to different education sectors (e.g. Early childhood education and care). Moreover, 
it can provide a starting point for regional education authorities to adapt or modify 
the tool according to specific needs, as for example hosting the tool content on their 
own platform to connect it to other tools providing resources for each competence 
area in the feedback report.

In  addition,  from  a  policy  perspective,  the  tool  allows  education  authorities  to 
use anonymised aggregated data to support teachers’ professional development. 
Moreover, it provides a professional development context for teachers, which can 
be further enriched by training programmes, tools, resources and other measures 
introduced by education stakeholders.

85

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceThe aggregated data collected by the use of the tool results from individual teachers’ 
self-reflection. The tool aims to help each individual teacher see where they stand 
in relation to their digital competence and the feedback report is personal to them. 
As such, it is expected that teachers respond honestly to the self-reflection items 
to  obtain  useful  results  to  help  them  develop  further.  Thus,  the  aggregated  data 
resulting from this process remains subjective, entailing risks in how it is interpreted 
and used by others. Thus, the aggregated data from the tool must be used taking 
into  consideration  that  it  is  self-reflection  data  (as  distinguished  from  survey  or 
test data), meaning that it can be used as an indication to support planning (e.g. 
professional  development,  resources)  but  should  be  considered  along  with  other 
data.

SELFIEforTEACHERS  supports  teachers  in  their  professional  learning  to  further 
develop their digital competence and provides a tool for personal, institutional and 
system-level action. It aims to contribute to the digital transformation of education 
so  as  students  can  reach  their  greatest  learning  potential  in  digitally-enhanced 
learning environments.

Future  steps  include  exploring  the  various  SELFIEforTEACHERS  ‘use  cases’  and 
implementations in different contexts. A qualitative approach analysing a number 
of  case  studies  could  provide  scientific  measurement  of  the  tool  in  use,  while  a 
quantitative  approach  such  as  a  randomised  control  trial  could  provide  scientific 
measurement of the tool’s possible impact on the development of teachers’ digital 
competence.

86

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SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceList of abbreviations

CEFR 

CFA  

DEAP 

DELTA WG 

DG EAC  

DigComp 

DigCompEdu 

DigCompOrg 

EC 

ET 2020 

EU 

ICT 

IRT 

JRC 

Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

Confirmatory Factor Analysis 

Digital Education Action Plan 

DG EAC Education and Training Working Group on Digital  
Education: Learning, Teaching and Assessment

Directorate General for Education and Culture

European Digital Competence Framework for Citizens

European Framework for the Digital Competence of  
Educators 

European Framework for Digitally Competent Educational  
Organisations

European Commission

Education and Training 2020

European Union

Information and Communication Technologies

Item Response Theory 

Joint Research Centre

SELFIE   

Self-reflection tool for schools’ digital capacity 

SELFIEforTEACHERS 

Self-refection tool for teachers’ digital  
competence  

SELFIE WBL  

Self-reflection tool forWork Based Learning 

89

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
List of figures

List of tables

Figure 1. SELFIEforTEACHERS scope.................................................................................................7

Table 1. SELFIEforTEACHERS overview.............................................................................................9

Table 2. SELFIEforTEACHERS first proposal for new items
in relation to DigCompEdu competence areas............................................................................20

Table 3. Set of action-verbs used in describing the
proficiency level statements................................................................................................................22

Table 4. SELFIEforTEACHERS items in relation to DigCompEdu
competence areas and competences..............................................................................................23

Table 5. Distribution of respondents by gender and country..............................................24

Table 6. Distribution of participants in the follow-up
qualitative study by country.................................................................................................................24

Table 7. Distribution of respondents by gender and country..............................................25

Table 8. Distribution of participants in the follow-up
qualitative study by country.................................................................................................................25

Figure 2.  SELFIEforTEACHERS areas and items.........................................................................8

Figure 3. SELFIEforTEACHERS proficiency levels.......................................................................11

Figure 4. SELFIEforTEACHERS personal results (an example)...........................................11

Figure 5. SELFIEforTEACHERS personalised feedback
with suggestions on how to level up (an example)..................................................................12

Figure 6. SELFIEforTEACHERS professional learning process.............................................13

Figure 7. Overview of the SELFIEforTEACHERS design and
development methodology...................................................................................................................15

Figure 8. The European Framework for the Digital Competence
of Educators (DigCompEdu).................................................................................................................16

Figure 9. European Framework for the Digital Competence
of Educators (DigCompEdu), Progression Model........................................................................16

Figure 10. SELFIEforTEACHERS design and development path........................................17

Figure 11. Defining the items............................................................................................................19

Figure 12. SELFIEforTEACHERS structure of proficiency
statements (an example).......................................................................................................................21

90

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceAnnexes

91

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceAnnex 1. SELFIEforTEACHERS scoring scheme     

SELFIEforTEACHERS follows the DigCompEdu progression model, with six proficiency levels. Based on this model, each self-reflection item provides six proficiency statements and 
a seventh option ‘I am not aware of this competence’. Teachers receive their results based on a score for each one of the items, ranging from 0 to 6 points.

Each response statement gets a score in increments of 1 point as follows:

 ‣ Option 1: 1 point
 ‣ Option 2: 2 points
 ‣ Option 3: 3 points
 ‣ Option 4: 4 points
 ‣ Option 5: 5 points
 ‣ Option 6: 6 points
 ‣ Option 7 (not aware of): 0 points

Results are grouped in the 6 proficiency levels for teachers’ competence as follows: 

 ‣
 ‣
 ‣
 ‣
 ‣
 ‣

A1: up to 32/192 points, up to 17% 
A2: 33-64/192 points, 18-33% 
B1: 65-96/192 points, 34-50% 
B2: 97-128/192 points, 51-67% 
C1: 129-160/192 points, 68-83% 
C2: 161-192/192 points, 84-100%

92

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence              
Annex 2. Results and feedback report
(a demo example)

Individual results

Overall results

SELFIEforTEACHERS

Request a PDF version of your report

Teacher's name: Anastasia Economou

Education sector: School Education (Primary and Secondary)

Group: not applicable

Self-reflection started: 03/03/2022

Self-reflection completed: 12/03/2022

Dear colleague,

Thank you for using SELFIEforTEACHERS! 

This  report  gives  you  the  results  of  your  self-reflection  with  feedback  and  suggestions  to
further develop your digital competence. Based on this feedback you can plan your learning

pathways towards the use of digital technologies in your professional practice. We wish you a

constructive journey!

Individual results

1 / 28

SELFIEforTEACHERS Self-Reflection Report

Results by area

2 / 28

SELFIEforTEACHERS Self-Reflection Report

93

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceResults by area

Results by item

Results by item

3 / 28

SELFIEforTEACHERS Self-Reflection Report

Feedback per item

4 / 28

SELFIEforTEACHERS Self-Reflection Report

94

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceFeedback per item

Area 1 – Professional Engagement

1.1 Organisational communication. Using 

digital technologies

 to enhance communication with colleagues and/or

learners and/or parents.

Your  response:

  I 

analyse  and  select 

digital  technologies  based  on  their  features  and

suitability  for  my  organisational  communication  needs  (e.g.  effective,  efficient  and  personal

communication).

Being able to analyse 

digital technologies

 based on their 

affordances

 and limitations facilitate

the  selection  of  the  most  appropriate  communication  tools  for  the  communication  goals  and

needs.  You  may  also  want  to  work  with  colleagues  and  support  them  on  developing  common

digital communication practices to use for the whole school and its 

wider community

. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Think  about  the  communication  needs  and  skills  of  your

colleagues  and  provide 

support

  and  advice  to  reach  effective,  efficient,  safe,

responsible, inclusive communication at school level and beyond.

1.2 Online  learning  environments.  Managing 

online  learning  environments

  taking  data  management  and  ethics

into account.

Your response: administer

 I 

 online learning environments in line with ethical considerations

and data management strategy  (e.g. administration features, managing content and student

data).

You  should  now  be  able  to  administer 

online  learning  environments

  in  line  with  ethical

considerations  and  data  management  strategy  in  compliance  with  the  main  principles  of  the

General  Data  Protection  Regulation  (

GDPR

).  You  might  want  to  consult  other  colleagues  and

follow existing practices or even consult the Data Protection Officer in your organisation. Start

analysing the specificities of your own professional context and any particular implications that

you  might  need  to  consider.  For  example,  some  online  tools  and  environments  have  age

restrictions while some others might require the user to accept sharing contact details with third

parties.  This  process  will  ensure  that  you  choose  an  online  learning  environment  that  best

responds to the 

ethical considerations

 and data management strategy of your working context. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Analyse  the  features  of  online  environments  and  tools  in

reference  to  your  ethical  considerations  and  data  management  strategy 

(e.g.  security,

users and data management, access policy, hosting of data).

1.3

Professional  collaboration.  Using 

digital  technologies

  to  engage  in  collaboration  and  interactions  with

colleagues and/or other education 

stakeholders

.

Your response: use various

 I 

 digital technologies to collaborate and interact with colleagues

and/or other stakeholders, according to collaboration needs (e.g. sharing content, practices, and

/or ideas).

Reaching  the  point  where  you  use 

various

  digital  technologies  to  collaborate  and  interact  with

colleagues in your school and beyond will allow you to enrich your teaching practices with new

ideas  and  a  collective  approach  for  professional  development.  Reflect  on  how  the  digital

collaborative tools you are using are facilitating and supporting your collaborations. Reflect on

how you can best benefit from these interactions. Are you learning from your peers and are you

bringing in your expertise so that they can learn from you? 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Analyse  and  select 

digital  technologies

  for  effective

collaboration and interaction based on their 

affordances

 and limitations 

(e.g. use online

collaborative spaces to engage with peers in the joint production of teaching resources that each

of you can refine for their purposes and thus learn from each other, or implement a joint project

where your students interact with students from different contexts).

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1.4 Digital  technologies  and  school  level  infrastructure.  Using 

digital  technologies

  (devices,  platforms  and

1.6 Digital life. Contributing positively and ethically in the digital world, considering safe and responsible digital

software) and infrastructure (internet access, local network) available in my school to enhance education.

practices.

Your response: analyse and select 

 I 

digital technologies available in my school based on

their  features  and  suitability  to  enhance  my  professional  practice  (e.g.  online  learning

environments immersive technologies

, 

).

Your  response:

  I 

use

  mitigating  measures  to  maintain  a  positive  digital  profile 

(e.g.

understanding  the  provided  terms  of  use,  tracing  my 

digital  footprint

,  managing  my  privacy

settings).

Being able to analyse and select the most appropriate digital tools based on their affordances

To  maintain  a  positive  digital  profile,  it  is  important  that  you  analyse  the  risks  and  use

and suitability, can support and enhance your professional practice. It can facilitate your ideas

mitigating  measures  to  manage  them.  Sometimes,  it  is  not  easy  to  understand  the  policies

on  how  to  incorporate  digital  technologies  in  your  teaching  practice  for  the  benefit  of  your

underpinning  data  management  as  more  and  more  artificial  intelligence  (AI) 

algorithms

  are

students’ learning. Digital tools can also enhance the building of a community of practice in your

supporting  automated  routines  and  you  need  to  consult  with  other  users  when  in  doubt  of  a

school for sharing good practices and resources. You can share your experience and competence

particular tool or network. It is a good practice to follow your digital footprint often and try to

with  your  colleagues  to  support  their  own  needs  as  well  as  to  benefit  from  their  ideas  and

eliminate information that you think does not represent you. Note though that sometimes this

pedagogical approaches.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]: 

Support

  and  provide  advice  to  colleagues  to  use  available 

digital

technologies

 for their professional practice (e.g. give presentations, organise workshops on how

to use a particular digital tool).

process is not as obvious. Thus, try to reflect on your digital activity in regard to the traces that

you are leaving behind and redefine your digital behaviour.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Analyse  and  assess  your  digital  footprint  to  redefine  your

digital  behaviour 

(e.g.  tracing  your  digital  footprint,  managing  your  privacy  settings,  blocking

suspicious content and people).

1.5

Reflective  practice

.  Reflecting  on  my  own  and  collective  professional  practice  with  the  use  of 

digital

technologies

.

1.7

Professional  learning  (through  digital  technologies).  Using 

digital  technologies

  for  one's  own  professional

learning.

Your  response:

  I 

use various

  reflection  methods  in  order  to  improve  and  update  my

professional  digital  practice  (e.g.  co-teaching,  video  recording  of  lessons,  peer-debriefing

sessions).

Sharing reflections with colleagues and receiving their feedback is important to understand how

you  can  improve  your  professional  practice.  Using  various  reflection  methods  and  taking

advantage  of 

digital  technologies

  to  share  feedback  can  enhance  further  your  reflective

learning.  Technology  is  changing  all  the  time  so  make  sure  to  keep  updated  on  new  tools  or

improvements to ones you are already using. Make sure that you use the insights gained to the

benefit  of  your  students  and  their  learning.  Also  share  your  expertise  with  colleagues  and

discuss with them how to jointly improve learning across your school.

[Suggestions to level up]: Analyse and select digital technologies which can allow you to

gather  feedback  from  your  colleagues.  Use  their 

feedback

  and  suggestions  in  your

teaching practice accordingly

 (e.g. analysing peers’ feedback, using 

mind mapping tools

 and

other tools that 

support

 annotations, audio commentaries, e-journals).

Your response: analyse and select

 I 

 online learning resources and activities that best suit

my learning needs (e.g. webinars, online interactive courses, online learning communities).

Analysing  and  selecting  online 

professional  learning

  opportunities  can  enrich  your  professional

development.  This  knowledge  will  help  you  to  identify  quickly  and  effectively  a  suitable  online

training opportunity, whenever you have a concrete training need. If you keep up this consistent

focus on ongoing self-led professional development, you can make sure to continuously advance

your teaching skills and enhance the quality of education you provide to your students. Use this

competence to 

support

 and provide advice to colleagues in your school and beyond.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Engage  in  learning  communities  and  exchange  ideas  and

experiences  with  other  colleagues.  Recommend  digital  tools  and  resources  that  you

consider  of  value  to  support  your  and  their  professional  learning

  (e.g.  online  learning

communities, specific MOOCs, 

online repositories

).

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1.8

Professional  learning  (about  digital  technologies).  Engaging  in  professional  learning  activities  for  the

Area 2 – Digital Resources

development of teachers’ digital competence.

Your  response:

  I 

provide

  learning  activities  about  using  digital  technologies  and 

support

colleagues on the development of their digital competence (e.g. workshops, informal sessions

with colleagues, microteaching on the use of digital technologies).

At  this  stage,  you  can  offer  learning  activities  and  provide  support  to  other  colleagues  on  the

use of 

digital technologies

 in teaching and learning. By doing so, you extend your own learning

on  the  matter,  while  at  the  same  time  facilitate  the  engagement  of  your  colleagues  in

continuous professional development on digitally-supported practices. You can now support your

school to become aware of the potential of using digital technologies for students’ learning by

initiating  a  comprehensive  training  programme  based  on  the  school  teacher  needs  identified.

This can create a culture in the school community of innovative teaching and learning supported

by digital technologies. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Drive innovation and change across your school by contributing

to  the  design  of  a 

professional  learning

  programme  on  digitally  enhanced  teaching

and  learning

  (e.g.  project-based  learning  with  the  use  of  digital  technologies,  digitally-

enhanced 

learning design

, exchange of good practices).

1.9

Computational  thinking

.  Engaging  with  computational  thinking  concepts  and  processes  as  part  of  teacher

digital competence.

Your  response:

  I 

use various

  digital  tools  to  explore  solutions  to  a  problem  following

computational thinking processes (e.g. visual programming tools, 

authoring tools

 and editors).

When using various digital tools to explore solutions to a problem, such as a simple authoring

tool or programming language, facilitates at the same time an understanding of the tools and

languages and how digital systems work. Start analysing what underpins the response to a click

of your mouse or the specific results of a web search.

[Suggestions to level up]: 

Analyse technological responses based on used 

algorithms

(e.g.

rank of search results, advertisements, robots’ responses).

2.1

Searching and selecting. Using searching and selection criteria to identify 

digital resources

 for teaching and

learning.

Your response: analyse and select

 I 

 digital resources based on criteria that meet specific

teaching  and  learning  aims  (e.g.  pedagogical  value,  relevance,  reliability,  validity,  quality,

licensing).

Adopting criteria which reflect quality and pedagogical values for selecting and analysing digital

resources

 is an important aspect of accessing digital contents that meet specific teaching and

learning aims. There is a huge amount of information and digital resources available and it is

not easy to be able to find the ones that best suit your teaching needs. Start bookmarking sites

and  portals  that  meet  your  criteria  so  that  you  can  visit  them  again  when  looking  for  similar

resources.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Reflect  on  your  search  outcomes  and  readjust  your  selection

criteria. 

Consider  key  factors  that  help  determine  which  results  are  returned  for  your  query,

understanding  how  outputs  are  produced  and  the  impact  of  web-based  tools  (e.g.  search 

algorithms

) in influencing search outcomes.

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SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence 
 
2.2

Creating. Creating 

digital resources

 that 

support

 and enhance teaching and learning aims.

2.4 Managing, protecting. Organising digital content, enabling easy and secure access for students, parents and

Your  response:

  I 

use various

  digital  tools  according  to  their  features  to  create  digital

resources  to  meet  learners’  needs  (e.g.  interactive  text,  multimedia  presentations,  quizzes,

games, online activities and lessons).

teachers, while protecting 

sensitive and personal data

.

Your response: use various

 I 

 techniques and tools to store, organise and facilitate access to

digital content (e.g. tree structures, use of metadata/tags).

Developing a range of options that use various, appropriate technologies for content creation is

important  to  develop  quality  materials  that  meet  learning  requirements  and  students’  needs.

Using  technology  purposefully  to  organise,  store  and  retrieve  digital  content  is  essential  to

This  includes,  for  example,

identifying  students’  needs  and  preferences,  providing  appropriate

facilitate access to your digital content, adding context through tags and metadata so that you

and others can understand it in the short, medium, and long-term. Consider collecting student’s

personal data and content you actually need for specified purposes and to delete any data that

is not necessary for educational purpose.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Define  and  apply  protection  and  security  measures  for  the

storage, management and access of digital content. 

This includes, for example, protecting

your  devices  with  strong  passwords,  assigning  access  limitation  rights  according  to  targeted

users, having regular backups, selecting storage and online services based on their data policy,

terms  of  use,  safety  and  security.  Consider  also  protecting  students’  personal  data  such  as

exams, grades and reports, systematically and effectively, in line with 

GDPR

 regulation.

educational stimulus and 

feedback

, using an appropriate mix of media for the learning objective

(for  example  graphics,  animation,  photographs,  video,  sound)  to  engage  the  learner  with  the

educational purposes.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Apply  design  principles  and  processes  for  creating  digital

resources

  that  meet  teaching  and  learning  aims. 

Consider  asking  colleagues  for

recommendations  to  identify  and  apply  the  best  tools  and  practices  for  your  purposes,  when

creating  digital  resources  for  your  teaching  needs.  Try  always  to  reflect  on  the  use  of  your

digital products and readjust them as necessary.

2.3 Modifying.  Modifying  existing 

digital  resources

  to 

support

  and  enhance  teaching  and  learning  aims,

respecting 

copyright

 and licencing rules.

Your response: use various

 I 

 digital tools based on their features to modify and repurpose

digital resources to meet educational needs (e.g. customise content of an online lesson, exploit

features of a virtual environment, use eBook editors).

Using various technologies systematically to modify and repurpose digital resources allows you

to build from a base of high-quality digital resource and customise resources to increase their

relevance,  tailor  to  individual  learning  levels,  and  offer  greater  choice  for  students.  Knowing

when  you  can  use  a  work  without  obtaining  permission  or  paying  a  licence  fee,  or  whether  a

relevant  licensing  scheme  applies  is  essential.  This  include  contents  under  Creative  Common

Licences

, contents free of 

copyright

, editable resources and the implications for their re-use.

[Suggestions to level up]: Work to select 

digital resources

 to modify and adapt so as to

meet  teaching  and  learning  aims  by  considering  their  copyright  and  distribution

licences.

  Consider  any  modifications  you  may  need  to  make  to  the  content  to  ensure  it  is

appropriate  for  the  learning  outcomes  you  defined,  assessment  approaches  as  well  as  your

teaching style. For example, you may wish to add, delete, re-order or re-mix the existing content.

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SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence 
 
 
 
2.5

Sharing. Sharing digital content with respect to 

intellectual property and copyright rules

.

Area 3 – Teaching and learning

Your response: select

 I 

 and 

apply

 copyright licences when sharing digital resources I create,

supporting open educational resources (e.g. 

Creative Common licence

).

Selecting and applying 

copyright

 licences when sharing digital resources that you create, make it

easier  for  others  to  re-use  tools,  data,  or  other  content  that  you  create.  Experiment  with

different  formats  of  Creative  Commons  (CC)  licence.  This  can  include,  for  example,  a  ‘By-

Attribution, Non-Commercial’ Creative Commons license that means anyone can use your digital

content in any way they like, so long as they attribute it to you and don’t use it for commercial

purposes.  Consider  sharing  digital  resources  you  create  or  collect  under  licences  that  do  not

prohibit  their  distribution  and  use,  while  aligning  them  with  the  curriculum  and  teaching  and

learning  needs.  Such  an  effort,  can  facilitate  easy  and  equal  access  to  resources  for  students

and colleagues, as well as a collection for resources that better meets the needs of your school. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Design  and  develop  a  comprehensive  strategy  for  sharing 

digital resources content curation
, 

 and reusability of resources to facilitate easy and

equal access for students and colleagues. 

The strategy can include, for example, ways to

select and organise digital content by grouping the resources in helpful ways, adding value by

providing annotations to help your students' understanding, giving context to the information.

3.1

Teaching. Designing, developing and 

support

 learning with the use of 

digital technologies

 to enhance learning

outcomes.

Your response: select

 I 

 and use digital technologies in my 

learning designs

, so as to meet

teaching  and  learning  aims  (e.g.  simulations,  digital  games,  online  interactive  tools,

collaborative environments).

Developing  learning  designs  which  reflect  the  methodical  selection  and  employment  of  digital

technologies,  based  on  their 

affordances

,  so  as  to  meet  teaching  and  learning  aims,  is  an

important aspect of building a digital pedagogy. Reflect on how your teaching practices and your

students'  learning  activities  can  be  enhanced  by  including  simulations,  digital  games,  online

interactive tools, and activity in collaborative environments. 

[Suggestions to level up]:  Readjust your teaching and learning design in order to foster

students’  involvement  in  reflecting  and  adjusting  the  use  of 

digital  technologies

  to

enhance  your  teaching  practices  and  their  learning  approaches

.  Consider  building

technology  into  activities  involving  students  as  coaches,  the  use  of 

emerging  technologies
,

modelling and advice, lesson-study.

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SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence3.2 Guidance. Using 

digital technologies

 in order to provide 

feedback

 and opportunities for reflection, leading to

3.4

Self-regulated  learning

.  Using 

digital  technologies

  to  enhance  students'  self-regulated  learning  processes,

readjustment of teaching and learning practices for both teeachers and learners.

fostering active and 

autonomous learning

 making students more responsible for their own learning, thereby

Your response: have tried

 I 

 using digital technologies to provide feedback and 

support

 to

students (e.g. , online tutorials, chat, automated/immediate feedback, links to online Q&A).

shifting the focus from teaching to learning.

Your  response:

  Together  with  my  students,  I 

reflect  on

  and  support  them  to  (

re)design

their  learning,  through  and  on  using  digital  technologies,  promoting  their  self-regulated

learning and learner autonomy (e.g. identify their needs, set their learning goals, describe their

strategy  for  achieving  these  goals,  implement  their  learning  tasks,  gather 

evidence

  of  their

learning, reflect on it and share their learning outcomes).

Exploring 

digital  technologies

  to  provide  guidance  and  support  to  students  will  help  you  find

ways  that  work  for  you  and  your  students,  so  that  they  become  aware  of  the  value  of  you

Consider how you can – together with your students – reflect on and redesign their learning in

reviewing  their  work  and  provide  help  when  needed.  This  can  include  the  use  of  technologies

ways  that  encourage  more  active,  creative  and  autonomous  activities  on  their  part  in  order  to

that offer automated or immediate 

feedback

 to their work, links to online Q&A, online tutorials,

promote  their  self-regulated  learning  and  learner  autonomy;  and  how 

digital  technologies

  can

chat.  Try  to  be  flexible  and  adapt  your  choice  of  feedback  and  guidance  channels  channel  to

support this. Digital technology can be useful in helping them see the focus that further learning

your students’ requirements. 

activity can take on the basis of 

feedback

 generated, along with encouraging ownership of the

[Suggestions to level up]: Work to provide students with feedback and opportunities for

reflection on their learning, in real-time and/or 

asynchronously

.

 A non-intrusive presence

will allow you to learn about your students and their individual challenges and problems and to

tailor guidance and feedback accordingly.

3.3

Collaborative Learning. Using 

digital technologies

 to foster and enhance learner collaboration for individual

and collective learning

learning process.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Consider  how  you  might  initiate  and  promote  strategies  and

practices  within  your  school  and  its 

wider  community

  that  support  colleagues  and

students  in  their  use  of  digital  technologies  to  enhance  self-regulated  learning

processes  and  foster  active  and  autonomous  learning

.  Focus  on  and  lead  the

opportunities,  that  hands-on  activities  in 

makerspaces

  (or  other  learning  spaces  incorporating

digital technologies), and that innovative activity such as student-led workshops, can provide.

Your response: select

 I 

 and use digital technologies in my 

learning designs

 based on their

features,  to  enhance  and  support  my  students'  collaborative  learning,  in  faceto-face  and/or

online  settings  (e.g.  co-design,  co-creation,  peer  assessment  and  group  reflection,  project

building, sharing).

Consider  what  particular  technologies  make  possible  in  terms  of  teaching  and  learning  before

building  them  into  teaching  and  learning  activity.  Let  the  pedagogy  lead  rather  than  the

technology. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Engage  with  the  possibilities  of  allowing  your  students  to

reflect  on  and  adjust  their  use  of 

digital  technologies

  for  personal  and/or

collaborative  learning

.  Consider  allowing  them  to  take  more  of  a  lead  in  editing  and

developing  content,  co-creating  project  artefact,  structuring  and  participating  in  collaborative

projects,  taking  part  in  virtual  exchanges,  using  digital  tools  for  task  and  time  management,

communication and sharing with team activities.

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SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence3.5

Emerging  technologies

.  Using  emerging  technologies  in  ethical  ways  to  explore  novel  learning  experiences

Area 4 – Assessment

and content.

Your  response:

  I 

use various

  emerging  technologies  to  provide  my  students  with  novel

learning  experiences  and  new  kinds  of  learning,  fostering  the  development  of  transversal

skills (learning experiences involving e.g. simulating/modelling, gaming, computational thinking

, creative and innovative thinking, data-driven decision making).

Developing approaches to using emerging technologies that centre on engaging your students in

novel  learning  opportunities,  while  always  asking  them  to  consider  any  relevant  ethical

implications.  This  provides  important  opportunities  to  build  trust  and  developmental  learning

involving emerging technologies.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Work  to  select  and  employ  the  use  within  your  teaching  of 

emerging technologies

 to support the activities specified in your 

learning designs
.

 This

can include providing opportunities for your students to engage in learning activities that make

use  of  virtual  and  augmented  reality,  that  examine  the  possibilities  of  humanoid  robots,  and

that  engage  with  the  positives  as  well  as  the  potential  downsides  of  artificial  intelligence  (AI).

This type of usage offers a powerful way to engage students in novel learning opportunities that

make good use of such technologies and provide meaningful teaching and learning experiences.

4.1

Assessment  strategies.  Using 

digital  technologies

  to  support  formative  and  summative  assessment  of

learning.

Your response:

 I 

select

 digital technologies to 

support

 specific aspects in assessment “of”,

“for” and “as” learning and capture best the nature of the learning outcome to be assessed (e.

g.  self-reflection  rubrics,  assignments  that  offer  timely  feedback  to  students,  shared

documents that support peer reviewing/feedback).

Using 

various digital technologies

 to support specific aspects in your assessment “of”, “for” and

“as” learning regarding your students’ activities and that capture well the nature of the learning

outcome to be assessed, is a characteristic of expert usage.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Work  with  your  students  to  select  and  employ  digitally

supported assessment activities that provide 

feedback

 on their progress and provide

opportunities  for  deep  learning

.  To  increase  the  variety  and  adequacy  of  feedback,

experiment  with  different  formats  of  assessment  and  modes  of  feedback.  This  can  include

encouraging  them  to  contribute  ideas  on  assessment  criteria  and  modality,  the  co-creation  of

rubrics,  contributing  to  the  design  the  format  of  self  and  peer  assessment,  and  exploiting

various 

formative

 or 

summative assessment

 tools.

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4.2

Analysing 

evidence

.  Using 

digital  technologies

  to  collect  and  analyse  evidence  on  students´  learning

Area 5 – Empowering learners

processes and outcomes.

Your  response:

  I 

reflect  on  and  involve 

my  students  in  capturing  and  analysing  their

learning  data,  which  can  be  used  to  plan  their  future  learning  (e.g.  reflective  learning  logs,

personal goal setting software).

Working with your students to select and use assessment technologies to capture and present

analyses of their learning data, allows you to identify a sound base on which to plan their future

learning.

[Suggestions to level up]: Engage in strategies and practices within your school and its 

wider community

 on the use of learners’ data, addressing the value for learning and

the  validity  of  different  data  sources,  in  order  to  support  evidence-based  decisions

for  targeted  interventions

.  This  can  better  inform  pedagogical  decisions,  administrative

decisions such as students' attendance, and the interpretation of data on students' learning such

as grades.

4.3

Feedback

  and  planning.  Using  digital  technologies  to  provide  feedback  to  learners,  facilitating  planning  of

further action.

Your  response:

  I 

reflect  on

  and 

involve

  my  students  in  using  digital  technologies  for

collection and analysis of feedback for planning further action (e.g. shared documents, blogs, 

mind mapping tools

, reflective learning logs, learning journals, e-portfolios).

Working  with  your  students  to  gain  value  from  reflection  on  feedback  and  then  redesigning

teaching  and  learning  opportunities  is  a  good  way  to  use  digital  technologies  to  position

feedback as a central element in the planning of further learning action. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Engage  in  strategies  and  practices  within  your  school  that 

support

  colleagues  and  students  in  the  use  of 

digital  technologies

  that  facilitate

giving,  receiving  and  analysing 

feedback

,  to  support  planning  for  further  action.

Consider  the  benefits  of  developing  feedback  practices  and  conventions  at  the  whole-school

level that involve technologies which promote reflection on and for learning such as 

e-portfolios

,

context dependent feedback – whether teacher-led or automated – and the use of personalised

learning dashboards by students.

5.1

Accessibility and inclusion. Ensuring access to 

digital resources

 and learning activities for all students, taking

into consideration any contextual, physical or cognitive constraints to their use.

Your  response:

  I 

select

  and  employ  digital  technologies  in  my 

learning  design

,  to  develop

inclusive  learning  activities  and  accessible  resources  according  to  my  students’  needs  and

capabilities (e.g. integrating different tools, using accessible layout, structure and language).

What is important is to be able to design activities for students according to their abilities. With

this in mind you could define beforehand the characteristics of each one of the available tools,

apps, platforms etc. and use those that better combine students’ abilities with digital Affordances

.  Moreover,  consider  to  what  extent  the  solutions  employed  provide  the  desired  outcomes.

Discuss further solutions with your students and explore how you can combine their Affordances

to allow diversity without leaving anyone behind.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Combine  solutions  and  expand  digital  strategies  that  support

inclusiveness.  Engage  and  support  colleagues  and  parents  to  develop  inclusive

practices

 (e.g. encourage the participation of all students, engage parents to respond to student

diversity).

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SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence5.2

Differentiation

  and 

personalisation

.  Using 

digital  technologies

  to  address  diverse  learning  needs  and

5.4

Blended  learning

.  Using 

digital  resources

  and  tools, 

online  learning  environments

  and  platforms  to  ensure

capabilities,  by  allowing  learners  to  advance  at  different  levels  and  speeds,  and  follow  individual  learning

students' learning within and beyond the classroom.

pathways and objectives.

Your response:

 I 

select and employ 

digital technologies in my 

learning designs

 based on

their features, to develop 

personalised learning environments (e.g. peer teaching, dynamically

tracking and managing the learning needs of all students).

Your response:

 I

 reflect on

 and 

redesign

 teaching and learning for distance and blended

learning contexts to ensure my students’ active involvement in the learning process within and

beyond  the  classroom  (e.g.  online  learning,  hybrid  learning,  virtual  labs,  online  collaborative

tools, synchronous and asynchronous activities, individual and team work).

You can design and develop different learning activities that address different students’ needs.

learning  approach,  both  in  and  away  from  the  classroom.  Reflect  on  whether  the  available

You value your students’ experiences and relate your teaching to their different learning styles (e.

solutions for blended learning assist you to make the most of this approach and expand their

g. by illustrating concepts with examples and metaphors that are meaningful to them).You can

potential  by  designing  and  implementing  meaningful  learning  environments.  The  next  step  for

now consider students' experiences and link them with curricular content to make learning more

blended  learning  would  be  to  apply  the  solutions  available  according  to  the  individual  and

relevant to them. Try to facilitate students’ involvement in identifying their own weaknesses and

differentiated profile of your students.

With  the  design  of  an  online  environment  you  can  implement  learning  activities  in  a  blended

strengths, guiding them to adapt learning activities to their individual needs. The ultimate aim is

to facilitate each student to reach his/her full potential. 

[Suggestions to level up]: Initiate the development of a 

blended learning

 approach across

the whole school. 

Empower teachers’ collaboration and decision-making for the optimum use

[Suggestions to level up]: Address students' experiences and interests and support them

of online learning.

to design their own learning path.

5.3

Actively engaging learners. Using 

digital technologies

 to foster learners’ active and creative engagement in

their learning.

Your response:  (re)design

 I

 learning activities based on students’ 

feedback

, co-creating new

ways for them to interact and actively engage with digital technologies (e.g. involving learners

in  hands-on  activities,  experiential  learning,  online  discussions,  peer  coaching  and  teaching,

constructing their learning and creating artefacts, e-portfolios).

It is important that you support students’ learning processes and you involve them in activities

that expand their full potential. In order to keep improving your strategies, you can continuously

reflect  on  the  suitability  of  your  strategies,  the  balance  between  student  autonomy  and

guidance  and  the  mechanisms  you  implement  to  allow  them  to  follow  their  own  learning

rhythm. Moreover, consider how you can help all students to develop their strengths and work on

their weaknesses, for example how they can learn from each other and from their mistakes and

how their collaborative effort can be turned into a joint product.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Create  an  online  collaborative  space  for  you  and  your

colleagues, where students can get involved in experiential learning activities

, such as

coaching  their  peers,  teachers  and  parents  in  digitally  enhanced  activities.  You  could  start  for

example a 

makerspace

 in your school where students can design and create learning activities

with the use of robotics or AI programmes.

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SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence 
Area 6 – Facilitating learners’ digital competence

6.2

Communication and collaboration. Implementing learning activities that require learners to communicate and

6.1

Information  and 

data  literacy

.  Incorporating  learning  activities,  which  require  learners  to  use 

digital

technologies

 to search, evaluate and manage information and data in 

digital environments

Your  response:

  I 

design

  learning  to  support  students  to  critically  search,  evaluate  and

manage  information  and  data  (e.g.  analysing  the  choice  of  the  information  medium,  the

source, purpose, transparency of 

algorithms

 used to decide what kind of information and data

is returned).

Developing 

learning  designs

  which  support  students  to  critically  search,  evaluate  and  manage

information and data through context analysis helps them understand how information and data

is  generated  and  can  be  distorted  or  manipulated.  This  could  be  reinforced  by  discussing  with

your students how to draw valid conclusions based on contradicting sources.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Engage  your  students  in  project-based  initiatives  requiring

searching,  evaluating  and  managing  information  and  data  critically. 

This  could  include

editing  a  school  newsletter  or  newspaper,  organising  information  and  data  access  using

taxonomies and categories.

collaborate using 

digital technologies

.

Your  response:

  I 

reflect

  on  the  suitability  of  my  teaching  practices  in  view  of  fostering

students’  digital  communication  and  collaboration,  and 

readjust

  them  accordingly

  (e.g.

exchange  good  practices  with  other  colleagues,  discuss  with  students  communication  and

collaboration needs, exploring new digital tools).

What is important for you now is to empower your students to autonomously apply and develop

their  communication  and  collaboration  skills.  Engage  them  in  networks  with  other  schools  and

educational stakeholders, nationally and internationally. They must be able to state their point

clearly,  have  an  opinion  and  argue  for  it,  while  being  able  to  communicate  in  a  professional

manner, be polite and respectful, towards others and their opinions. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Engage  your  students  in  networks  with  other  schools  and

educational 

stakeholders

,  nationally  and  internationally.

  This  could  include  the

participation in or co-creation of educational initiatives in which, through practice, your students

realise that oral and written communication follow different rules, even if these rulesets tend to

converge in the era of social media.

6.3

Content  creation.  Incorporating  learning  activities  that  require  learners  to  express  themselves  by  creating

digital artefacts.

Your response:  reflect on and (re)design

 I

 learning activities for fostering students’ digital

expression and content (re)creation, while encouraging sharing practices (e.g. digital stories, e-

portfolios

).

Reflecting  on  and  redesigning  learning  activities  for  fostering  students’  digital  expression  and

content (re)creation, may enable you to expand students’ digital expression and creation beyond

the classroom. Engage your students in initiatives within the school and its 

wider community

 for

designing, developing and publishing their digital creations, while sharing them in creative ways. 

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Expand  students’  digital  expression  and  creation  beyond  the

classroom. 

This  may  include  challenging  students  to  create  and  share  audio  or  video

broadcasts  or  to  promote  a 

makerspace

  that  can  be  used  by  different  school/community

members.

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SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence6.4

Safety  and  wellbeing.  Empowering  learners  to  use 

digital  technologies

  safely,  while  mitigating  risks  to

6.6

Problem solving

. Incorporating learning activities, where learners use 

digital technologies

 to understand and

ensure physical, psychological and social well-being.

solve problems.

Your  response:

  I  r

eflect  on  and  (re)design 

learning  activities  based  on  continuous

developments  on  online  risks  and  threats,  so  as  to  enable  students  to  follow  and  adopt

positive practices towards their and their peers’ physical, psychological and social well-being 

(e.g. how companies collect and use data about individuals, how social media affect emotional

and social relationships).

Your response:

 I 

implement various

 learning activities that allow students to apply problem

solving  processes  supported  by  digital  technologies  (e.g.  finding  and  organizing  information,

analysing, inferring, predicting outcomes, making analogies and formulating ideas).

What  is  important  now  is  for  you  to  empower  your  students  to  assume  a  positive  attitude

Implementing  various  learning  activities  that  require  students  to  solve  problems,  by  applying 

towards 

digital technologies

, being aware of risks and limits, but also being confident that they

problem  solving

  processes  using 

digital  technologies

  is  a  way  of  encouraging  students  to

can  manage  these  in  order  to  reap  the  benefits.  Encourage  your  students  to  engage  in  online

overcome  challenges  and,  in  many  cases,  by  designing  a  solution  that  they  can  experience  as

safety and digital well-being initiatives within the school and school community.

[Suggestions  to  level  up]:  Contribute  to  creating  a  culture  of  online  safety  and  digital

well-being in your school and school community.

 This could include organising debates or

workshops, in which the negative and positive uses of digital technologies are openly discussed

and ways of avoiding risks and threats to the physical, psychological and social well-being are

promoted.

6.5

Responsible use. Empowering learners to use 

digital technologies

 responsibly and ethically, managing their 

digital identity digital footprint

 and 

digital reputation

Your  response:

  I 

reflect  on  and  (re)design 

my  learning  activities  to  allow  students  to

consider the ethics and potential impact of their digital behaviours in authentic situations (e.g.

considering how something they post online might be hurtful, respectfully sharing a difference

of opinion in a comment, online activism).

What is important now is for you to empower your students to protect their 

digital identity

 and

manage  their 

digital  footprint

.  Encourage  them  to  explore  the  responsible  and  ethical  use  of

digital technologies in your school and its 

wider community

.

[Suggestions to level up]: Engage students in initiatives that explore the responsible and

ethical  use  of 

digital  technologies

  within  the  school  and  its  wider  community.

  This

could  include  preparing  workshops  or  coaching  their  peers  on  the  responsible  use  of  digital

technologies.

innovative. The next step for you would be to actively trigger such situations. Think about how

you can embed a challenge into your subject teaching. Watch out for situations where students

voice that there is something impossible to be known or asserted, or something too difficult to

achieve  -  something  desirable  that  they  believe  goes  beyond  their  capacities  or  possibilities.

Convert it into a challenge to be overcome - collectively by all students, or by a small group of

students,  or  by  individual  students.  Ask  them  to  identify  how  this  desirable  goal  could  be

obtained and design a plan to reach it, thinking about how technology can assist in the process.

You will see that there are many opportunities for integrating digital problem-solving into your

teaching and will increasingly know where to offer this approach and to which [student] groups.

This way you can ensure that all students are offered opportunities for developing their digital

problem-solving skills in your lessons.

[Suggestions to level up]: Develop 

learning designs

 which engage students in seeking out

different,  innovative  and  creative  technological  solutions.

  This  could  include  letting

students generate/test new ideas and solutions or simulations, modelling).

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Proficiency levels explained

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SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence 
 
Proficiency levels explained

Leader (C1)

You have a consistent and comprehensive approach to using digital technologies to enhance pedagogic

and professional practices. You rely on a broad repertoire of digital strategies from which you know how

to choose the most appropriate for any given situation. You continuously reflect on and further develop

your practices. Exchanging with peers, you keep updated on new developments and ideas and help other

teachers seize the potential of digital technologies for enhancing teaching and learning. If you are ready

to experiment a bit more, engaging students in expanding the potential of digital technologies at school
level and beyond, you’ll be able to reach an ultimate stage of competence, as a Pioneer.

Pioneer (C2)

You critically reflect on the adequacy of contemporary digital and pedagogical practices, in which you are

a  Leader.  You  are  concerned  about  the  constraints  or  drawbacks  of  these  practices  and  driven  by  the

impulse to innovate education even further. You experiment with highly innovative and complex digital

technologies and/or develop novel pedagogical approaches. You lead innovation in your school and are a

role  model  for  other  teachers.  You  expand  your  practices  beyond  the  school  community  and  engage

stakeholders  for  further  developments.  Continue  to  be  open  to  new  ideas  and  keep  up  with  the
continuous technological and pedagogical advances to enhance your creative and innovative solutions.

To better understand your personal competence profile, you should look at your performance by area. It

should give you a first idea that can help you determine your relative weaknesses and strengths, while

providing you with suggestions and ideas to further develop your digital practices.

• A1: up to 32/192 points, up to 17% 

• A2: 33-64/192 points, 18-33% 

• B1: 65-96/192 points, 34-50% 

• B2: 97-128/192 points, 51-67% 

• C1: 129-160/192 points, 68-83% 

• C2: 161-192/192 points, 84-100%

Newcomer (A1)

You  are  aware  of  how  digital  technologies  can  support  and  enhance  your  professional  practice.  The

feedback you get from this self-reflection has identified a number of actions you can try. Select one or

two to plan your next learning pathway, focusing on meaningfully enhancing your teaching strategies. As
you do so, you’ll find yourself moving to the next step of digital competence, the Explorer level.

Explorer (A2)

You have started exploring the potential of digital technologies and are interested in using them in order

to  enhance  pedagogical  and  professional  practice.  You  have  tried  using  digital  technologies  in  some

areas  and  will  benefit  from  more  consistent  use.  You  can  increase  your  competence  by  using  digital

technologies  in  various  contexts  and  for  a  range  of  purposes,  integrating  them  into  many  of  your
practices. This will move you to the next step of digital competence, the Integrator level.

Integrator (B1)

You experiment with digital technologies in a variety of contexts and for a range of purposes, integrating
them  into  your  practices.  You  creatively  use  them  to  enhance  diverse  aspects  of  your  professional
engagement.  You  are  eager  to  expand  your  repertoire  of  practices.  You  will  benefit  by  increasing  your
understanding  about  which  tools  work  best  in  which  situations  and  on  fitting  digital  technologies  to
pedagogic  strategies and methods.  Try to give yourself some more time for reflection and adaptation,
complemented by collaborative encouragement and knowledge exchange, to reach the next step, Expert.

Expert (B2)

You use a range of digital technologies confidently, creatively and critically to enhance your professional

activities. You purposefully select digital technologies for particular situations, and try to understand the

benefits and drawbacks of different digital strategies. You are curious and open to new ideas, knowing

that  there  are  many  things  you  have  not  tried  out  yet.  You  use  experimentation  and  reflection  as  a

means of redesigning, expanding, structuring and consolidating your repertoire of strategies. Share your

expertise  with  other  teachers  and  continue  critically  developing  your  digital  strategies  to  reach  the
Leader level.

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SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceAnnex 3. SELFIEforTEACHERS Glossary

Term

Help text

Active learning

The engagement of students in their learning  process  through 
student-centred  methods  that  place  a  greater  degree  of 
responsibility  on  the  learner,  and  with  an  expectation  of 
interaction between learners, their peers and the teacher.

Affordances

The properties that each type of software or hardware has, and 
that therefore prompts users to interact with them in different 
way.

Algorithms

A set of instructions designed to perform a specific task.

Asynchronously

Information  provided  in  a  manner  that  is  not  simultaneous 
or  concurrent  in  time,  but  instead  which  is  left  for  recipient  to 
access when they choose to access it.

Authoring tools

Software applications that enable users to create digital content, 
incorporating text, media and interactions.

Blended learning

Design and facilitating of learning in and beyond the classroom, 
including distance learning, online learning and hybrid learning.

Collective learning

Computational thinking

Content curation

The  ability  to  share  information  so  efficiently  that  the  ideas 
of  individuals  can  be  stored  within  the  collective  memory  of 
communities and can accumulate through generations.

A  problem-solving  process  that  provides  a  distinct  means  of 
analysing  and  developing  solutions  to  problems  that  can  be 
solved computationally.

The act of finding, organizing, annotating, and sharing the most 
relevant and highest quality digital content on a specific topic, 
carried out by an individual or a team of people for their target 
audience.

Copyright

Legal rules that define the rights of authors and publishers, and 
the conditions in which the work can be reproduced or distributed. 

Autonomous learning

The responsibility that students take for their own learning, so 
shifting the focus from teaching to learning. 

Differentiation

Creative Common 
Licences

An  international  licensing  framework  that  authors  can  use  to 
define copyrights of their creations, giving explicit permission to 
others to use their work under certain conditions (e.g. by sharing 
the work as it is without any change, by always attributing the 
author).

Creatively

In a way that produces or uses original, imaginative and unusual 
ideas/processes. 

Data literacy

Debugging

The ability to read, interpret, understand, create and communicate 
data  (e.g.  graphs,  charts,  images,  statistics)  as  information, 
according to context and purpose. 

The  process  of  detecting  and  removing  existing  and  potential 
errors (also called as ‘bugs’) in a software code that can cause it 
to behave unexpectedly or crash.

Instruction that is tailored to the learning preferences of different 
learners. Learning goals are the same for all students, but the 
method  or  approach  of  instruction  varies  according  to  the 
preferences of each student.

Digital badges

Validated  indicators  of  learning  (accomplishment  or  skill)  that 
can be displayed, accessed, and verified online. 

Digital environments

A virtual place that provides access to teaching and learning by 
bringing together digital technologies and devices.

Digital footprint

The record or trail left by any activity an individual does online 
(e.g. search history, text messages, photos videos). 

Digital identity

The  identity  each  individual  creates  when  registering  or  using 
digital environments.

Digital reputation

Defined  by  the  behaviours  and  the  content  you  post  about 
yourself and others in digital environments.

Digital resources

Materials that have been conceived and created digitally or by 
converting analogue materials to a digital format.

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SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceDigital technologies

Comprises the following areas: digital devices, digital resources 
(=digital files + software + online services), and data.

Intellectual property and 
copyright rules

The  legal  protections  of  authors’  ideas  and  knowledge  that 
protect the creators’ copyright.

Distance and blended 
learning

Comprises the following areas: digital devices, digital resources 
(=digital files + software + online services), and data.

Learning analytics

Emerging technologies

ePortfolios

Recent (or yet to be invented) technological developments (e.g. 
Artificial Intelligence, Virtual and Augmented and Mixed Reality, 
wearable technology, Internet of Things) that could be used to 
support teachers in their professional practice.

Collections of individuals’ work that allows them to share their 
learning  experience  and  outcomes,  and  advance  their  learning 
by  providing  a  way  to  organise,  display  and  reflect  on  their 
learning journey.

Ethical considerations

Considering  equity  and  diversity,  surveillance  and  consent, 
identity and confidentiality.

The  measurement,  collection,  analysis  and 
reporting  of 
data  about  learners  and  their  contexts,  for  the  purposes  of 
understanding and optimising learning. 

The development of learning experiences and environments to 
promote  the  acquisition  of  specific  learning  aims  for  a  target 
group (both the process and the outcome).

Licences

Allow the usage of copyrighted resources in a specified way and 
for a limited period of time.

Learning design

Makerspaces

Any generic space that promotes active participation, knowledge 
sharing,  and  collaboration  among  individuals  through  open 
exploration and creative use of tools and technology.

Software that allows teachers and students to create and share 
visual representations of ideas and things and how they connect 
and interact to each other. 

Evidence

Feedback

Collecting, collating and displaying data gathered in a number 
of different ways.

Mind mapping tools

Information  provided  to  a  learner  to  reduce  the  gap  between 
current performance and the desired goal. 

Online libraries and 
repositories

Online collections of digital resources.

Formative assessment

Assessment conducted throughout the learning process with a 
view to enhance student learning.

GDPR 

Hackathons

Immersive technologies

Inclusive education

Is the European Union’s new regulation designed to strengthen 
cyber-security  and  data  protection  for  everyone,  including 
students and their families.

Competitive events in which people work in groups on software 
or  hardware  projects,  with  the  goal  of  creating  a  functioning 
product by the end of the event (e.g. an app, a game). 

Highly  interactive,  visual  and  engaging  technologies  that 
connect the real world with a digital one (e.g. augmented reality) 
or create an entirely new one (e.g. virtual reality).

Addressing  and  responding  to  the  diversity  of  needs  of  all 
learners  by  increasing  participation  in  learning  and  reducing 
exclusion from education.

Online learning
environments

Digital  spaces  designed  to  engage  students  in  the  learning 
process,  thus  encompassing  online  learning  resources  and 
technology, means of teaching and modes of learning.

Organisational
communication

The interactions that take place in the school and between the 
school and other outside organisations and communities.

Peer-assessment

Personalisation

Students taking responsibility for evaluating the work of other 
students against set assessment criteria and guiding them on 
this through feedback.

Instruction  that  is  paced  to  the  learning  needs,  preferences, 
and  specific  interests  of  different  individual  learners/groups 
of  learners.  In  an  environment  that  is  fully  personalised,  the 
learning objectives and content as well as the method and pace 
may all vary. 

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SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competencePersonalised learning 
environments

An  online  software  platform  where  the  learning  objectives 
and  content  as  well  as  the  method  and  pace  can  vary 
and 
encompasses 
(so 
individualisation).

personalisation 

differentiation 

Problem solving

The set of thinking processes or actions involved in the solving 
of a problem.

Professional learning

Reflective practice

Activities  for  improving  and  broadening  teachers’  knowledge 
and skills and developing the personal qualities required in their 
professional lives (usually supported by Continuous Professional 
Development Programmes).

Considering  and  seeking  to  understand  the  challenges  and 
benefits of using digital technologies on teachers’ professional 
practice.

Remote

Situations in which the student and the teacher (or information 
source)  are  not  physically  present  in  a  traditional  classroom 
environment. 

Self-assessment

Self-regulated learning

Summative assessment

The  evaluation  of  oneself  or  one’s  actions,  attitudes  or 
performance  against  set  assessment  criteria  in  order  to  learn 
from this activity and progress. 

A  process  of  taking  control  and  evaluating  one’s  own  learning 
and  behaviour  (e.g.  plan  a  task,  monitor  the  performance  and 
then reflect on the outcome).

Assessment  carried  out  at  the  end  of  a  defined  instructional 
period  (e.g.  a  project,  unit,  course,  programme,  school  year), 
usually in order to record student learning.

Sensitive and 
personal data

A  set  of  data  that,  together,  can  identify  a  person,  such  as 
information about their ethnic origin, political opinions, religious 
beliefs, genetic, biometric or health related data.

Sexting

The  sending  or  receiving  of  sexually-explicit  messages,  words, 
images or videos via digital devices (e.g. smartphones, laptops, 
tablets).

Special learning needs

Learning needs of individuals who require special support and 
adaptive pedagogical methods in order to reach their learning 
potential  (addressing  both  gifted  students  and  students  with 
cognitive impairments or disabilities).

Stakeholders

Support

Various

Stakeholders  are  individuals,  groups,  or  formal  organisations 
that have an interest in and/or responsibility towards improving 
school education. 

Actionable information and encouragement that helps a student 
to progress.

‘Different’ and a ‘variety of’.

Wider community

Comprises  parents,  regional  authorities,  external  stakeholders 
and in some cases the education industry. 

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SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceAnnex 4. SELFIEforTEACHERS use cases      

How to

I am a  teacher who wants to use SELFIEforTEACHERS to further 
develop my digital competence ‣ start a self-reflection on my own 
and plan my learning path.

Who

Any primary and secondary teacher

Context

Digital technologies can provide new opportunities for teaching and learning. At the 
same time, they involve many challenges. As a teacher, I want to learn more about 
what digital competence means for educators and how I can use digital technologies 
effectively in my professional practice.   

1.  Go  to  SELFIEforTEACHERS  at  https://educators-go-digital.jrc.ec.europa.eu  and 

log in. 

2.  Start your self-reflection as described in Part B, point 3.4.1.1 of this toolkit.
3.  Explore  your  full  comprehensive  report  on  your  completed  self-reflection  as 

described in point 3.4.2.7.

4.  You are ready to proceed on your learning journey. 

Follow-up 

You can use SELFIEforTEACHERS on a regular basis to monitor your progress and see 
where you stand in relation to other SELFIEforTEACHERS users. 

I am a teacher who received an invitation to use SELFIEforTEACHERS 
as part of a group  ‣ start a self-reflection as part of a group.

I  would  like  to  learn  more  about  my  digital  competence,  identify  my  gaps  and 
strengths, using this to plan my professional learning. 

Who

Action 

Follow the SELFIEforTEACHERS self-reflection process. By using the tool, you can learn 
more about educators’ digital competence as described in the European Framework 
for the Digital Competence of Educators (DigCompEdu) and self-assess your digital 
competence benchmarked against the six competence areas of the framework.  You can 
then design your professional learning path based on your results and the personalised 
suggestions provided by the tool on how to reach the next proficiency level. You might 
get the opportunity to work with colleagues and co-design your professional learning 
actions  together,  such  as,  for  example,  attending  an  online  course  like  a  MOOC  on 
the area that you need to develop further, becoming a member of a community or 
following a guide to use an application. You can then implement your new competence 
in your professional practice, such as, for example, in class with your students or in 
developing teaching material. You can collect your learning outcomes in an ePortfolio, 
ask for feedback and reflect on this. Lastly, you can use the SELFIEforTEACHERS tool a 
few months or a year later and compare your results to see your progress. You can also 
compare your results with group averages to see where you stand. 

Any primary and secondary teacher

Context

I have received an invitation (e.g. from a colleague, a teacher or professional group 
leader, my school head, a training institution or an education authority in my region) 
to  use  SELFIEforTEACHERS  as  a  participant  in  a  group.  I  want  to  use  the  self-
reflection process to help me further develop my digital competence. Furthermore, I 
want to contribute to identifying the learning needs of the group to support planning 
for professional development programmes, activities and resources. 

Action 

Follow the SELFIEforTEACHERS self-reflection process as part of a group. By using 
the tool, you can learn more about educators’ digital competence as described in 
the  European  Framework  for  the  Digital  Competence  of  Educators  (DigCompEdu) 
and self-assess your digital competence benchmarked against the six competence 
areas of the framework.  

110

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceYou will follow the same process when completing your self-reflection, as if you had 
started the self-reflection on your own. You need to agree to sharing your anonymised 
data if you want to contribute to the aggregated data for the group. You can also 
participate  in  discussions  on  the  planning  of  group’s  professional  development 
activities based on the group’s identified needs. The group creator might also want 
to involve group participants in analysing the group’s aggregated data. 

You can always design your own professional learning path based on your results 
and  the  personalised  suggestions  provided  by  the  tool  on  how  to  reach  the  next 
proficiency level. Together with peers, you can co-design your professional learning 
actions,  such  as,  for  example,  attending  a  MOOC  on  the  area  that  you  need  to 
develop further, becoming a member of a community or following a guide to use 
an application. You can then implement your new competence in your professional 
practice, such as, for example, in class with your students or in developing some 
teaching material. You can collect your learning outcomes in an ePortfolio, ask for 
feedback and reflect on this. Lastly, you can use the SELFIEforTEACHERS tool once 
again and compare your results to see your progress. You can also compare your 
results with the averages of other groups of teachers to determine your position. 

How to

1.  You will receive an email with an invitation link to the group.
2.  Go  to  SELFIEforTEACHERS  at  https://educators-go-digital.jrc.ec.europa.eu  and 

log in. 

3.  Paste the invitation link in the URL section of your browser. 
4.  Start your self-reflection as described in Part B, point 3.4.1.2 of this toolkit.
5.  Explore  your  full  comprehensive  report  on  your  completed  self-reflection  as 

described in point 3.4.2.7.

6.  You now know more about your strengths and gaps in your digital competence. 
Your  anonymised  data  can  support  the  planning  of  professional  learning 
activities for the group based on the group’s learning needs.

Follow-up 

You can use SELFIEforTEACHERS on a regular basis to monitor your progress and 
determine your position in relation to the SELFIEforTEACHERS users and the groups 
that you are invited to. 

We are a group of teachers who want to know more about our learning 
needs and plan our professional learning together ‣ create a group 
and invite group participants to start a self-reflection within the group. 

Who

Any SELFIEforTEACHERS user 

Context

We  are  a  group  of  teachers  (such  as,  for  example,  maths  or  language  teachers, 
team members of a project, teachers from a region or teachers at a school) who 
want to identify our learning needs and plan our professional learning together. We 
want our group to use a self-reflection process to help us further develop our digital 
competence. Furthermore, we want all of the group participants to contribute to the 
identification of the group’s learning needs.

In addition, we want to be able to have access to the anonymised aggregated data 
for  our  group  so  as  to  analyse  it  and  identify  its  learning  needs.  We  also  want 
to  communicate  our  learning  needs  –  for  example,  to  our  institution  or  regional 
authority – to support planning for professional development programmes, activities 
and resources that respond to our group’s learning needs. 

Action 

Create a group on SELFIEforTEACHERS and invite your group members to follow the self-
reflection process as part of the group. By using the tool, your group members can learn 
more about educators’ digital competence as described in the European Framework 
for the Digital Competence of Educators (DigCompEdu) and self-assess their digital 
competence benchmarked against the six competence areas of the framework.  

Appoint  a  member  of  your  group  as  the  SELFIEforTEACHERS  group  creator.  The 
group creator will create the group and send an invitation link to the group members 
(usually by email). Group members will follow the same process when completing 
their  self-reflection,  as  if  they  had  started  the  self-reflection  on  their  own.  They 
need to agree to sharing their anonymised data if they want to contribute to the 
aggregated data for the group.  

111

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceYou can organise group discussions to plan group professional development activities 
based on the group’s identified needs. You can start by analysing and discussing the 
anonymised aggregated results with the group members. Lastly, you can organise 
peer activities for the group members to discuss their individual learning paths and 
co-design their professional learning activities, which they can implement together. 
In the end, you might decide as a group to use the SELFIEforTEACHERS tool once 
again and compare the results to see the group’s progress. You can also compare 
your group results with the averages of other groups of teachers.

How to

First, you need to appoint a member of your group as the SELFIEforTEACHERS group 
creator. 

The group creator will:

1.  go  to  SELFIEforTEACHERS  at  https://educators-go-digital.jrc.ec.europa.eu  and 

log in; 

2.  create a group as described in Part B, point 3.5.1 of this toolkit;  
3.  share/send emails with/to the group participants via the invitation link;
4.  manage completion progress as described in Part B, point 3.5.2;
5.  view and download the anonymised aggregated results for the group to discuss 

with the members.

The group members will:

1.  initiate their self-reflection as described in Part B, point 3.4.1.2 of this toolkit;
2.  explore  their  full  comprehensive  report  on  their  completed  self-reflection  as 

described in point 3.4.2.7;

3.  contribute  to  discussions  about  the  learning  needs  of  the  group  and  help  to 

plan for group professional learning activities. 

Follow-up 

You can use SELFIEforTEACHERS as many times as you wish for the same group to 
monitor the group’s progress over time and determine the group’s position in relation 
to other SELFIEforTEACHERS groups. 

I am a school leader and I want to plan training for teachers at my 
school  based  on  their  current  needs  ‣  create  a  group  and  invite 
teachers at your school to start a self-reflection as part of the group.

Who

Any SELFIEforTEACHERS user 

Context

I  am  a  school  leader  and  among  other  areas  in  my  school’s  digital  action  plan  I 
want to address the teachers’ professional development in relation to their digital 
competence. I want to develop training activities and resources based on their needs. 
I want teachers at my school to contribute to the identification of the professional 
learning  needs  in  our  school,  while  being  actively  involved  in  their  professional 
learning process, within a reflective and collective learning culture.   

In addition, I want to be able to have access to the anonymised aggregated data 
collected,  to  analyse  it  and  identify  the  learning  needs  of  the  teachers  at  my 
school. I also want to share the learning needs of the teachers in my school – for 
example, with our regional authority or training institution – to support planning for 
professional development programmes, activities and resources that respond to my 
school’s learning needs. 

Action 

Create  a  group  on  SELFIEforTEACHERS  for  your  school  and  invite  your  school’s 
teachers  to  the  group  to  follow  the  self-reflection  process  as  part  of  the  group. 
By using the tool, teachers at your school can learn more about educators’ digital 
competence as described in the European Framework for the Digital Competence 
of Educators (DigCompEdu) and self-assess their digital competence benchmarked 
against the six competence areas of the framework.  

You can appoint a teacher (or perhaps the ICT coordinator or the school’s pedagogical 
advisor)  as  the  SELFIEforTEACHERS  group  creator.  The  group  creator  will  create 
the  group  and  send  an  invitation  link  to  the  group  members  (usually  by  email). 
Teachers will follow the same process when completing their self-reflection, as if 

112

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competencethey had started the self-reflection on their own. They need to agree to sharing their 
anonymised data if they want to contribute to the aggregated data for the school.    

In your school, you can organise discussions on the planning of school professional 
development  activities  based  on  the  school’s  identified  needs.  You  can  start  by 
analysing and discussing the school’s anonymised aggregated results with teachers 
at your school. Lastly, you can also organise peer activities for teachers to discuss 
their individual learning paths and co-design their professional learning activities, 
which  they  can  implement  together.  In  the  end,  you  might  decide  to  use  the 
SELFIEforTEACHERS tool once again and compare the results to see your school’s 
progress.  You  can  also  compare  your  school  results  with  the  averages  of  other 
groups of teachers.

How to

Follow-up 

You  can  use  SELFIEforTEACHERS  as  many  times  as  you  wish  at  your  school  to 
monitor the group’s progress over time and determine the group’s position in relation 
to other SELFIEforTEACHERS groups. 

4.5 (i) I am a teacher educator or a teacher trainer who wants to use 
SELFIEforTEACHERS to support teachers in designing their professional 
learning paths to further develop their digital competence

4.5 (ii) I am a regional authority or a researcher who wants to use 
SELFIEforTEACHERS to support teachers in designing their professional 
learning paths to further develop their digital competence

‣ create a group and invite teachers to go through a self-reflection.

First you need to appoint a SELFIEforTEACHERS group creator.  

The group creator will:

Who

1.  go  to  SELFIEforTEACHERS  at  https://educators-go-digital.jrc.ec.europa.eu  and 

Any SELFIEforTEACHERS user 

log in; 

2.  create a group as described in Part B, point 3.5.1 of this toolkit;  
3.  share/send emails with/to the group participants (teachers at your school) using 

the group invitation link;

4.  manage the group’s completion progress as described in Part B, point 3.5.2;
5.  view and download the anonymised aggregated results for the group to discuss 

with the group members;

6.  enable teachers to analyse and discuss their self-reflection reports with their 
peers or a teacher coach, as well as implement their actions collaboratively.

The school teachers will:

1.  initiate their self-reflection as described in Part B, point 3.4.1.2 of this toolkit;
2.  explore  their  full  comprehensive  report  on  their  completed  self-reflection  as 

described in point 3.4.2.7;

3.  contribute  to  discussions  about  the  school’s  learning  needs  and  help  plan 
professional learning activities at the school. At the same time, they can benefit 
from the Results and Feedback report for their own self-reflection and plan their 
personal professional learning paths.

Context

From my post, I want to encourage teachers to actively engage in their professional 
learning and support them in designing their own learning paths to further develop 
their  digital  competence,  based  on  their  identified  needs.  I  want  to  create  the 
circumstances and context that can allow teachers to participate in reflective and 
collaborative learning, enabling them to implement their professional learning.   

Action 

Encourage teachers to use SELFIEforTEACHERS, either on their own or within a group. 
By  using  the  tool,  teachers  can  learn  more  about  educators’  digital  competence 
as described in the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators 
(DigCompEdu) and self-assess their digital competence benchmarked against the 
six competence areas of the framework.  

You can organise peer activities for teachers to discuss their individual learning paths, 
set their learning goals and co-design their professional learning activities, which they 
can implement together. They can then apply their new competence in their teaching 
and receive feedback on it. They could keep an ePortfolio, which they can discuss with 

113

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competencea coach or a mentor and reflect throughout the whole process. Lastly, they could share 
their learning stories with others and create a repository of good practices.

In the end, you might ask teachers to use the SELFIEforTEACHERS tool once again 
and compare the results to see their progress. They can also compare their results 
with the averages of other groups of teachers.

How to

1.  First you need to appoint a SELFIEforTEACHERS group creator.
2.  Inform the school community about SELFIEforTEACHERS.
3.  Encourage teachers to use SELFIEforTEACHERS.
4.  Allow enough time for teachers to use the tool and complete their self-reflection.
5.  Enable teachers to analyse and discuss their self-reflection reports with their 
peers or a teacher coach, as well as implement their actions collaboratively.

6.  Indicate relevant resources.
7.  Support the sharing of learning stories and good practices.
8.  Use an ePortfolio approach as a process and as a product.

Teachers will:

1.  start their self-reflection as described in Part B, point 3.4.1.2 of this toolkit;
2.  explore  their  comprehensive  report  on  their  completed  self-reflection  as 

described in point 3.4.2.7;

3.  plan  their  personal  professional  learning  paths  based  on  their  results  and 

personalised feedback; 

4.  engage in professional learning activities;
5.  share their learning experiences with peers;
6.  implement their new competence in their professional practice;
7.  keep an ePortfolio and reflect on their learning process and achievements;
8.  use  the  SELFIEforTEACHERS  tool  once  again  and  compare  the  results  to  see 
their progress. They can also compare their results with the averages of other 
groups of teachers.

Follow-up 

You  can  ask  teachers  to  use  SELFIEforTEACHERS  as  many  times  as  they  wish  to 
monitor  their  progress  over  time  and  determine  their  position  in  relation  to  other 
SELFIEforTEACHERS users. 

114

4.6 (i) I am a teacher educator or a teacher trainer who wants to use 
SELFIEforTEACHERS to support planning for teachers’ education and 
training programmes and resources 

4.6 (ii) I am a regional authority or a researcher who wants to use 
SELFIEforTEACHERS to support planning for teachers’ education and 
training programmes and resources 

‣ create a group and invite teachers to go through a self-reflection.

Who

Any SELFIEforTEACHERS user 

Context

From my post, I want to use SELFIEforTEACHERS aggregated data for a group to 
support planning for teachers’ education and training programmes and resources. 
I  want  teachers  to  use  SELFIEforTEACHERS  and  share  their  anonymised  data.  In 
addition, I want to be able to have access to the collected anonymised aggregated 
data so as to be able to analyse it.   

Action 

Create a group on SELFIEforTEACHERS and invite participants to the group to follow 
the SELFIEforTEACHERS self-reflection process within the SELFIEforTEACHERS group. 
You need to explain the purpose of this request to the group participants.

Share/send an email invitation with/to the group participants with a link to the self-
reflection.  Group  participants  will  follow  the  same  process  when  completing  their 
self-reflection, as if they had started the self-reflection on their own. They need to 
agree to sharing their anonymised data if they want to contribute to the aggregated 
data for the school.     

By  using  the  tool,  teachers  can  learn  more  about  educators’  digital  competence 
as described in the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators 
(DigCompEdu) and self-assess their digital competence benchmarked against the 
six competence areas of the framework.  

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceHow to

1.  Go  to  SELFIEforTEACHERS  at  https://educators-go-digital.jrc.ec.europa.eu  and 

log in.

2.  Create a group as described in Part B, point 3.5.1 of this toolkit. 
3.  Share/send emails with/to the group participants using the group invitation link.
4.  Explain the purpose of this invitation to the group participants. 
5.  Manage the completion progress as described in Part B, point 3.5.2.
6.  View and download the group’s anonymised aggregated results to discuss with 

the group participants.

The group participants will:

1.  initiate their self-reflection as described in Part B, point 3.4.1.2 of this toolkit;
2.  explore  their  comprehensive  report  on  their  completed  self-reflection  as 

described in 3.4.2.7;

3.  contribute  to  discussions  about  the  group  participants’  learning  needs  and 
help plan professional learning activities for the group. At the same time, they 
can benefit from the Results and Feedback report concerning their own self-
reflection and plan their personal professional learning paths. 

Follow-up 

You  can  use  SELFIEforTEACHERS  as  many  times  as  you  wish  to  monitor  the 
group’s progress over time and determine the groups’ position in relation to other 
SELFIEforTEACHERS groups. 

115

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceAnnex 5. SELFIEforTEACHERS items in relation to 
the DigCompEdu framework key competences     

In  the  following,  a  mapping  of  the  32  SELFIEforTEACHERS  items  against  the  22 
competences included in the DigCompEdu framework is presented (extracted from 
the experts final report on their review of the SELFIEforTEACHERS items). 

LEGEND:

Additional Item

Original item divided into two separate items

116

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competence117

SELFIEforTEACHERS: A self-reflection tool for teachers’ digital competenceAnnex 6. Expert workshop     

Table 1. Comparing new items included in the first working version of the tool
and in the post-consultation version.

A first expert consultation took place during a workshop on 26 May 2020 (see Annex 
2). Due to the pandemic measures this was organised as a 3-hour online workshop, 
with preparatory and follow-up work over the period from 21 May to 8 June 2020.  
As  the  workshop  took  place  online,  Zoom  and  Zoom  break-out  rooms  were  used 
for communication, and Mural for online collaborative work, to facilitate the expert 
consultation.  The  experts  provided  their  input  for  each  of  the  self-reflection  items 
with the following questions in mind:

Are they clear and easy to understand?
Are they to the same level of description?
Are they mutually exclusive?
Are they at an appropriate level in terms of complexity/cognitive challenge?

 ‣
 ‣
 ‣
 ‣
 ‣ Does  the  feedback  report  convey  the  right  message  with  respect  to  the 

educators’/respondents’ competence and prompt them to level up?
Are there any important aspects missing?

 ‣

The first working version for the consultation for expert feedback presented the 32 
items, with the introductory and proficiency statements, under the 6 areas (Annex 2). 
In general, the 32 items were accepted as they had been distributed in the 6 areas 
with the following modifications: 

 ‣

 ‣

 ‣

The item related to ‘Programming’, initially positioned under ‘Area 2 - Digital 
resources’ was instead included under ‘Area 1 – Professional engagement’ as 
“Computational thinking”. 
The item related to ‘Responsible use: To empower learners to exploit digital 
technologies  creatively,  responsibly,  ethically  and  safely,  while  mitigating 
risks to ensure their physical, psychological and social wellbeing.’ under ‘Area 
6- Facilitating learners’ digital competence’ has been expanded and divided 
into two distinct items, namely ‘Responsible use’ and ‘Safety and wellbeing’.
The new item ‘Innovate’ proposed under ‘Area 6- Facilitating learners’ digital 
competence’ was excluded as it was considered to overlap with other items 
(mainly ‘Content creation’ and ‘Problem solving’). 

118

Competence area

Additional items included 
in the tool first working 
version

Additional items in the 
tool post-consultation 
version

•  Professional learning (using 

•  Professional learning 

digital technologies)

•  Professional learning (on 

(through digital 
technologies)

digital technologies)

•  Professional learning (about 

Area 1 – Professional 
engagement

•  Digital technologies and 

infrastructure

•  Online learning 
(management)

•  Digital citizenship

digital technologies)

•  Digital technologies and 
school level infrastructure

•  Managing online learning 

environment 

•  Digital life
•  Computational thinking

•  Creating

•  Modifying

•  Creating

•  Modifying

Area 2 – Digital resources

•  Managing, protecting

•  Managing, protecting

Area 3 – Teaching and 
learning

Area 5 – Empowering 
learners

Area 6 – Facilitating 
learners’ digital 
competence

•  Sharing

•  Programming

•  Sharing

•  Emerging technologies

•  Emerging technologies

•  Distance education

•  Distance learning

•  Innovate

•  Responsible use (1)
•  Safety and wellbeing (1)

(1) These items were presented as one in the first working version.).

Another  important  change  deriving  from  the  expert  consultation  was  to  start 
the  proficiency  level  A1  from  a  lower  point,  i.e.  from  ‘awareness’  and  not  ‘using’. 
Furthermore, it was suggested to ensure consistency in the use of words (verbs) for 
each proficiency level: A1 = I am aware of, A2 = I use in a basic way, B1 = I choose 
and use suitable digital technologies, B2 = I reflect and modify, C1 = I support (or 
advise/assist/coach) and readjust practices, C2 = I initiate/introduce/invent/develop a 
comprehensive strategy.

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