Modelling Digital Competence by Combining Computational Thinking with General Learning Taxonomies

Abstract

In the context of a rapid digital transformation, digital competence is now to be regarded as a fourth cultural skill complementing reading, writing, and arithmetic. In this paper, we argue that a well-structured and sound competence model is needed as a shared foundation for learning, teaching, pedagogical diagnostics and evaluative schemes in the school system. Every competence model should build upon a consistent, theoretically sound framework for teaching and learning. We consequently develop a competence model for digital competence by drawing on the concept of computational thinking as well as on general learning taxonomies. By combining different knowledge and process dimensions with essential facets of computational thinking a cube model of digital competence can be constructed. Hence, we develop and substantiate a structure model for digital competence building upon the concept of computational thinking that goes beyond the existing frameworks only focusing on the subject-related context and put this up for discussion. The next step would then be to supplement the structure model by specific learning objectives, so that developing approaches to teaching and learning digital competence will have a sound basis.

Keywords

• Computational Thinking
• Digital Competence
• Competence Models
• Learning Taxonomies