Would-be teachers' digital/information literacy competencies in the world of contradictory information

Abstract

Aim: My research aims to assess the digital competence of prospective teachers and to establish what tools they will need in their future teaching to motivate the young generations to read more. Learning by reading and then teaching based on reading and learning is gaining ground with increasing intensity in our digital world. We should also take into consideration that these activities are rapidly claiming the digital space. Taking it a little further, this paper's goal is to find answers to the following questions: What kind of sources will would-be teachers use in education? In the case of online information, will they distinguish false or unreliable information from what is true and reliable? What can be regarded as "fake news"? Do the future teachers have adequate media and information literacy to inform their students about good electronic and traditional sources, too? What digital competencies do they have, and what are the most important qualities of a good and effective teacher in their judgement? Methods: The study will be devoted to these issues, focusing on Hungarian and Carpathian-Basin teacher-training programs. Regarding methodology, an ongoing empirical survey was used, based on a questionnaire that investigated how Hungarian university students relate to the above issues. Results: As a result, the study will focus on the Hungarian National Core Curriculum 2020, which created the ‘Digital Culture’ subject and develops media literacy. Conclusion: I find the appearance of fake news very important in education. In my following study, I would like to deepen the understanding of different practices, get to know new ones, and assess the opinion of the teachers who are and will be working in Hungarian public education.