THE ROLE AND IMPORTANCE OF DIGITAL LITERACY IN DEVELOPING THE PROFESSIONAL SKILLS OF AN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER.

Аннотация

This article focuses on competence, standards and digital literacy, and discusses the specifics of ICT use and the competence of teachers. It also deals with digital literacy and competence, that is, the ability to properly use and evaluate digital resources, tools and services and apply them in lifelong learning processes. In recent years, while learning the English language has been given great importance, many reforms related to its learning and introduction into the education system have been carried out in Uzbekistan. Due to the laws adopted and the reforms being implemented, the level of knowledge of foreign languages is gradually developing in the country. Of course, foreign language teachers have an incomparable role in this, because it is they who serve to make our future generations mature people. English is one of the main languages taught as a second language in Uzbekistan, and in recent years it has been rising to a new level of demand and standard in many fields. Different institutions use different competencies and standards to classify EFL teachers in Uzbekistan. As defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, standards include standards or qualifications established by an institution or system as a model or example. In teaching at any level of education, certain standards are used as models or units of measurement with certain criteria or structures. When we talk about teacher competence, it is the right way to convey knowledge, programs and skills to students, and it is a process related to the teacher's teaching environment. Qualified teachers create favorable conditions for students to learn. For this, they need to develop different competencies and they need to be familiar with the competencies provided by the CEFR. The training and meetings organized in the professional development of EFL teachers have a great impact on the development of their teaching skills. Another key competence mentioned in the CEFR is the ability to use ICT[1]. Pedagogical competence in the use of ICT can facilitate the teaching and learning process and increase the possibilities of educational innovation and practice. If EFL teachers recognize how rapidly the world is changing and how it affects education, the art of teaching and learning English becomes one of the 8 ACADEMIC RESEARCH IN MODERN SCIENCE International scientific-online conference most effective teaching tools and can even be linked to the use of technology as a source of language input around the world. According to research by Kuusisto et al., new technologies and digital life have forced teachers to change their attitudes towards different values, knowledge and philosophies[2]. In this digital age, it is essential that any teacher is confident in new competencies in relation to ethics and life demands. Traditional approaches to the development of ICT in teacher education focused on promoting the "digital literacy" of students. The term first appeared in 1997 and was introduced by Paul Gilster in his book: “A set of skills to access, locate, manage, and edit digital information; join the conversation, work with the online information and communication network. Digital literacy is the ability to use and evaluate digital resources, tools and services appropriately and to apply them to lifelong learning processes. Since then, the concept has gained momentum as new technologies and applications have emerged as a result of ubiquitous Internet connectivity and the proliferation of personal, mobile digital devices. Terms such as "information literacy", "computer literacy", "internet literacy", "media literacy" and "multimodality literacy" are related to the effective use of digital resources in learning and teaching and have been promoted as components of an inclusive view of digital literacy [3 ]. Achieving a single definition of digital literacy is challenging due to the ever-evolving technological, cultural, and social landscapes that redefine how and when digital technologies are used in personal and professional activities. “Digital competence includes knowing how to use devices and software, which are closely related to ICT communication skills and information skills. The rational and healthy use of ICT requires special knowledge and attitudes to understand the legal and ethical aspects, privacy and security, as well as the role of ICT in society and the proportionality of technologies” [4]. In recent years, many programs have been created on the role of digital competences in teacher professional development, and some of them have been recognized by the world community. For example, the most common of these are TPACK, SAMR, UNESCO Competency Program, DECK, The Critical Digital Literacy Framework, TEIL, ICTE-MM, ISTE Standards and PIC. To sum up, many factors influence the development of teacher competence. Development of the role of digital competence in the education of teachers about the use of ICT and digital literacy competence, which is very