Vol 18, No 4 (2021)

Problem and goal. The top Educational Technology (EdTech) trends 2020 in the world and in Russia particularly are examined. The analysis involves the research of Gartner - the world’s leading advisory company that is specialized in information technology market, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, The Open University - a public research university, L&D Global Sentiment Survey and HolonIQ - a market intelligence platform. Methodology. The data from these reports was aggregated, grouped and analyzed by using Google Trends. The geographical areas embraced Russia and the whole world. The data was sorted by choosing “Jobs and Education” section and 2020 year as a time period. Results. Four dominant areas were identified: 1) industries; 2) formats; 3) tools; 4) analytics. Only the first two categories were involved in the analysis. The section “formats” embraced massive open online courses, hybrid education, blended learning, personalization, flipped classroom, inclusive education and simulation-based education. The section “tools” included mobile technologies, social networks, mixed and augmented reality (AR/VR), virtual classrooms, artificial intelligence (AI) and learning management system (LMS). Each section element was illustrated by the EdTech case. Conclusion. The most popular search query in the “formats” group among Russian users and the global audience in general was the implementation of inclusive education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Concerning the “tools” category, all users were interested in the features and types of LMS platforms for organizing online classes in 2020.

Problem and goal. Digital transformation in education requires a new approach to traditional teaching methods and leads to an accelerated change in methods and forms of education. The study and selection of the possibilities of effective networked environments in the creation of digital educational content today is becoming one of the main needs for educators. This highlighted the need for highly qualified educators who have developed digital competencies and lifelong learning skills that creatively combine continuous professional growth. In this regard, it is important to determine the methodological foundations for the formation of digital competence of teachers. The purpose of the study is to concretize the features of methodological approaches to the formation of teachers’ digital competence. Methodology. General theoretical research methods were used: study and analysis of theoretical literature data; systemic structural analysis; concretization of the role of approaches to the formation of digital competence of teachers. The analysis of the features of methodological approaches to the formation of digital competence of teachers. Results. The research deals with the problem of the formation of digital competence of teachers. It is shown that the need for the development of digital competence is touched upon in many scientific works, but is not sufficiently disclosed in domestic scientific and practical research. The systematic, activity-based, axiological, personality-oriented approaches to the formation of digital competence is presented. Based on the analysis of the relevant literature, the advantages of the selected approaches in the formation of digital competencies of teachers, their main characteristics were identified. Conclusion. The approaches used as the methodological basis of the research, not only do not contradict each other, but also complement each other, act as a basis for constructing a concept and a structural-meaningful model of the formation of the teacher’s digital competence.

Problem and goal. The article deals with the problem of improving the preparation of students for computer science Olympiads with the help of a specialized electronic educational resource (EER). Methodology. The research uses the analysis of existing EER to prepare for computer science Olympiads. Results. The assumption is put forward about the need to create a specialized EER for preparing students for computer science Olympiads, the requirements for it are formulated, interface and the operating procedure of EER are described. Conclusion. The use of the EER considered in the article makes it possible to increase the effectiveness of preparing students for participation in computer science Olympiads.

Problem and goal. Building statistical, mathematical, computational and research literacies in teaching school subjects is discussed in the article. The purpose is to develop a model for generating data for research experiments by students. Methodology. The Netlogo data generation and consecutive statistical data procession in CODAP and R programming language were used. Results. The generative approach helps students to work with data collected by agents, programmed by students themselves. In doing so, the student assumes the position of a researcher, who plans an experiment and analyses its results. Conclusion. The proposed approach of data generation and analysis allows to introduce the student to the contemporary culture of generating and sharing data.

Problem and goal. The paper studies how increasing the number of IT degree graduates that are taught in a way that meets the requirements of employers could facilitate digital transformation of Russian economy. This study set out to develop web design teaching methods used in undergraduate training of IT bachelors in the context of blended learning that combines online courses with offline classes in order to make educational approach more practice-oriented. Methodology. The analysis of the research on various aspects of online courses and their usage in university education allows the researchers to construct the optimal model of blended learning in the regional university environment. The comparison of various learning platforms revealed that HTML Academy interactive courses are the best solution to teach web development as they meet the requirements of the professional community for student competencies. The study suggests web design learning methods of IT degree bachelors that are based on the blended learning approach with the help of HTML Academy online courses. It also describes how this methodology was applied in Nizhnevartovsk State University (the Faculty of Information Technology and Mathematics). The observational study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the approach and whether it is able to increase the quality of universal and professional competencies of IT degree bachelors. Results. The author developed and applied web design teaching methods for IT degree students that meet the employers’ requirements. The methodology was applied to teach computer science and computer engineering degree and information systems and technologies degree students and was approved by independent experts from the professional community. Conclusion. Blended learning that includes online courses developed by leading experts from the professional community makes IT undergraduate training more practice-oriented, increases education quality, and meets the requirements of professional standards and employers.