3 tools to assess your digital competence

Online shopping, banking transactions, videoconferences with family and friends, virtual tours of museums, distance learning courses, the lark! Digital technology is more present than ever in everyone's daily life and the importance of developing digital skills is on everyone's lips. But, what does “develop digital skills” mean? And how do you take a look at yourself to find your place? We offer 3 tools to help you see more clearly.

In addition to starting with a self-diagnostic test, these tools suggest exercises to develop different aspects of digital competence. Share them with your students' parents too!

1- Competencenumerique.ca

In Quebec, the Reference framework for digital competence was presented in 2019 and has become an essential reference tool in schools, and even in certain professional circles.

Since December 2020, the digital platform Digitalcompetence.ca is available to elementary and secondary school teachers and students. Versions for the general public as well as for post-secondary levels will eventually be added. On the platform, it is possible to carry out a placement test against the 12 dimensions of digital competence, as set out in the Reference Framework. 

Depending on the diagnosis, and always taking into account the user's profile, learning activities are offered to enable them to progress in their mastery of the various dimensions. Each dimension represents a different path which is entirely personalized according to the initial result of the test. 

The user can therefore cross the novice, intermediate, competent, advanced and expert levels for each of the dimensions. As he progresses, he collects badges and badges, to obtain a certificate in the end. This fun aspect of the process was mainly implemented to stimulate student engagement.

Bonus: a digital skill escape game, in line with the Quebec Reference Framework and prepared by Damir Metz-Fleury, resource teacher at RÉCIT of the Marguerite-Bourgeoys School Services Center

2- Pix

Pix is the French public service to assess, develop and certify its digital skills. This online service, developed in large part by the Ministry of National Education in France, aims to "help every citizen to cultivate their digital skills throughout life". You can register for free and take a sample test to check the extent of your digital skills.

The tool makes it possible to assess mastery in 5 areas and 16 digital skills, based on the European reference framework DigComp.

1. Information and data
2. Communication and collaboration
3. Content creation
4. Protection and security
5. Digital environment

New for a few weeks : challenges, kinds of digital knowledge questions, which Pix invites you to answer without searching on the Web or in your digital environment. Will you be successful?

3- The Digital Competence Wheel

The Digital Competence Wheel is a polar diagram that visually illustrates the strength of 16 different digital skills, like Research, Collaboration, Digital Identity Management, Data Protection, and more. This tool is available in English only.

Each column represents a skill with a possible score between 0 and 100 %. The higher the score, the stronger the skill. The center of the wheel displays your total digital skill score. As the end result is very visual, it provides an easy-to-understand overview of which dimensions of digital competence have been mastered and which need to be improved. 

The Digital Skills Wheel was developed in Denmark by the Center for Digital Dannelse, which has been engaged in digitization and digital education since 2009, also based on the European reference framework DigComp.

So, are you going to test your digital skill?

Dimension (s) of digital competence related to this article
9- Adopt a perspective of personal and professional development with digital technology in a position of empowerment

To see the Framework.