Hidden digital competence in the digital native at a higher education

Abstract

Nowadays, upper-level students are considered as digital natives, however, there is a long way to say that they really are. The ignorance of the educational technology and the practice of this by the students are both reflected in the way they use the digital and technological resources. This lack of knowledge does not contribute nor motivates young people who are eager for sustainable learning to convince them of the great talent they have. This research work —first a pre-test and then a post-test— was applied to 33 students of the Educational Experience of Technology for the Learning of a Foreign Language of the English Language Degree and shows their progress during the school year when learning and putting into practice educational tools, which significantly impact on their long-term learning. The skill shown by students opens the way to consider (examine, analyze, study), how the development of digital competencies radically improves when they are effectively and substantially guided, by considering how far they can go when they visualize technology as part of their profession.