”I Can Dig It!” is a research project on future digital skills currently underway in two small groups (n=20) at the Rantakylä Teacher Training School of the University of Eastern Finland. The project tracks the progress of students’ digital skills, teamwork skills, and self-efficacy across three content areas over the course of spring 2023. In addition to practicing digital skills, students respond to surveys on teamwork skills and self-efficacy. The project supports students’ well-being in school. 

During spring 2023, students will practice a variety of digital skills as part of their schoolwork. Digital skills training takes place in three content areas (3 x 90 min/session): LEGO: Spike Prime (programming), micro:bit (coding, maker activities), and Minecraft (history, collaborative production). The teachers of the digital skills are Ville Eronen and Sampo Forsström, class teachers at the University of Eastern Finland Normal School, as well as special education teachers Juuso Pursiainen and Katariina Räsänen. 

In addition to practicing digital skills, students respond to surveys on teamwork skills and self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is examined in more detail by Antti Stützle in his master’s thesis research. Students’ and teachers’ experiences are collected on an electronic platform after practice sessions. During digital practice lessons, student interactions are recorded, with a focus on interaction and cooperation among students. The video recording is carried out by Anniina Kämäräinen, a lecturer in special education at the University of Eastern Finland, who is also responsible for analyzing the research data. 

During the project, there is close collaboration between the normal school and the university departments. Based on the diverse research data collected through the researchers’ collaboration (survey data, video material, qualitative diary data), the aim is to describe the development of students’ self-efficacy and teamwork skills as part of digital skills learning. 

The research and collaboration project is being carried out by the FCLab project, which is funded by the Finnish National Agency for Education.