Accordingly, the conference, named “Development of Digital Competencies Intertwined with Scientific Research Capabilities and Career Orientation for High School Students”, focused on the critical importance of digital competencies in implementing the 2018 General Education Program's objectives.
Director Ho Tan Minh of the Office of the municipal Education and Training Department stated that aspiring to become global citizens necessitates students acquiring specific digital skills.
These encompass information cognitive capabilities, including the proficiency to search, comprehend, and effectively utilize information, assess source credibility, and extract insights from diverse textual formats, as well as communication and collaboration skills, and the ability to create and share digital content.
Dr. Le Van Thien from Gia Dinh Senior High School in Binh Thanh District also agreed that since the 2018 General Education Program aims to develop general competencies for students, including self-reliance and self-learning, communication and cooperation, problem-solving, and creativity, developing digital skills is a must for students to become more proactive in information retrieval and processing, data analysis and evaluation, thereby cultivating critical thinking and more effective problem-solving strategies.
Consensus emerged that fostering students' digital competencies in alignment with the 2018 General Education Program requires synchronized collaboration among schools, families, and society.
Educational institutions must, therefore, innovate pedagogical methodologies, integrating digital competency content across academic disciplines, and organizing experiential learning and scientific research activities leveraging digital technologies.
Meanwhile, families should facilitate safe and wholesome digital device and environment access for their children. Societally, there must be a concerted effort to elevate awareness regarding digital proficiency’s significance and establish training programs supporting students' digital skill development.
To concretize these goals, Deputy Director Nguyen Bao Quoc of the HCMC Education and Training Department informed that all high schools in the city are gradually uploading their lessons onto digital platforms, enabling students to proactively acquire knowledge.
Moreover, schools are providing virtual learning environments and constructing augmented reality classrooms facilitating multifaceted learning content interactions so that students can make the best use of possible educational materials to flexibly obtain new knowledge.
Digital competencies empower students to effectively conduct scientific research. They can leverage online tools to gather relevant information, evaluate its credibility, and select suitable research topics. Additionally, these skills enable them to analyze data, interpret results, and present findings in a clear and ethical manner, fostering integrity in scientific research.
Regarding career exploration and orientation, digital proficiency enables students to be proactive in exploring and orienting their careers, identifying careers suitable for themselves, increasing their competitiveness in the job market, and saving time in exploring and enhancing their ability to find career opportunities.
Developing digital competencies should be emphasized from the secondary level to effectively shape research capabilities and career orientation for students, concluded the Deputy Director Nguyen Bao Quoc.
