Yes, it matters significantly because teachers need digital skills to engage and educate tech-savvy students effectively. Without these skills, they may struggle to create interactive and meaningful learning experiences in today's digital world.

Yes To make the most of technology in 21st century education, teachers must adopt a holistic approach to digital education and its skills. It takes more than just computers or smartphones; Teachers need to integrate technology into every aspect of learning to ensure that students are motivated to become intellectuals and producers of digital content.

Yes, it is crucial for teachers to adapt to new-age technology. As society evolves, new challenges arise, making it essential for educators to integrate technology into their teaching. Doing so ensures they can meet the diverse needs of students while keeping them engaged and motivated, especially since technology plays a significant role in their generation.

Absolutely, it matters, but the conversation needs to go deeper than just “having digital skills.” Being digitally literate, meaning knowing how to use technology, is important, but it’s not enough when it comes to effective teaching in hybrid and online environments. What teachers really need are digital pedagogy skills. This means not just using digital tools, but understanding how to teach effectively through those tools, in ways that actively engage learners, foster interaction, and overcome the unique challenges of online communication.

In a physical classroom, teachers rely heavily on body language, eye contact, spontaneous interactions, and the natural rhythms of conversation. These are significantly diminished online, where silence can feel awkward, cues are harder to read, and students can easily disengage. Digital pedagogy skills involve designing learning experiences that take this into account; knowing how to structure discussion boards to promote thoughtful dialogue, how to design breakout room tasks that encourage collaboration, and how to vary content delivery to avoid “Zoom fatigue.”

Just like moving from traditional lecture-based teaching to approaches like flipped classrooms or problem-based learning takes planning, reflection, and skill, so does moving into hybrid or online teaching. Effective online teaching is not just about replicating what happens in a physical classroom over Zoom or Teams. It’s about rethinking the whole learning experience. It’s about understanding how to build presence (social, cognitive, and teaching presence), how to support learner autonomy, and how to create a sense of community when students are physically apart.

So yes, teachers absolutely need digital skills — but more importantly, they need the pedagogical skills to adapt those digital tools into meaningful, engaging learning experiences. In short: Digital teaching isn’t just about the digital, it’s about the teaching. And in the 21st century, that matters more than ever.

Thank you for the quality and thoughtful responses.

نعم لابد من أن يطور المعلم نفسه مع تطورات العصر وينمي معارفة ويوسع آفاقه حتى لايكون عاجزاً عن أداء عمله ومحصوراً في دائرة مغلقة

Developing Digital Pedagogy Skills for Teachers in Hybrid and Online Learning Environments

In today's educational landscape, the shift to hybrid and online learning has necessitated the development of robust digital pedagogy skills. As educators, it's crucial to navigate these environments effectively to create engaging and supportive learning experiences for students. Here are some key considerations and strategies for developing these skills:

By focusing on these areas, teachers can develop the necessary digital pedagogy skills to thrive in hybrid and online learning environments, ultimately leading to more effective and inclusive educational experiences for all students.

In today's education, it is necessary as teachers to be equipped with digital skills, in addition, hybrid teaching allows information to reach everyone, shortens distances and diversifies knowledge, being one of the objectives of sustainable development. Therefore, digital tools are of great importance at this time and for the professional future of our students. In my classes I use the REAPSES method (Learning Styles Corners for Primary, Secondary and Higher University and non-university studies), a strategy that takes into account active, reflective, theoretical and pragmatic learning styles, using and teaching new technologies, encouraging creativity, critical thinking and communication.

Link article:

https://doi.org/10.55777/rea.v13iEspecial.1593

Considerando que a educação é um professo, os professores devem se atualizar constantemente. A tecnologia faz parte do processo educacional e tornar as práticas e metologias cada vez mais atraentes aos alunos torna-se uma das atribuições do professor, voltada para uma aprendizagem significativa. A interação, a inclusão, as competências digitais facilitam e proporcionam que o ensino hibrido seja eficiente e de boa qualidade.

A fruitful discussion on this topic. Hope to get more responses. Thank you

Undeniably, teachers must acquire digital pedagogy skills, but teachers in low-resource settings in developing countries are facing challenges. Digital divide and access barriers exist between urban and rural schools, resulting in fragmented implementation. Any cost-effective solutions for schools with limited digital resources?