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A year in EdTech – Lessons learnt from EmpowerED
After three years of connecting educators, EdTech providers, researchers and policy makers, the EmpowerED project is coming to an end. So what are the main takeaways for you and your school?
Choosing EdTech meaningfully to support innovative learning
European countries have different approaches on who decides about what EdTech tools are being used in the classroom, but often these decisions are made at school level, by school leaders and educators. So how do you know what works best for your school?
A school digital strategy is a comprehensive plan that outlines how technology will be integrated and utilized to enhance teaching, learning, and operational efficiency within the school. Having such a strategy is important because it ensures that technology is used purposefully to improve student outcomes, streamline operations, and prepare both students and educators for a rapidly changing digital world. It helps the school stay focused on how technology can support its goals, avoid unnecessary investments, and respond to evolving educational needs.
Frameworks and guidelines that address school leaders and educators highlight important themes, including:
- the need for a whole-school approach, involving educators in the decision-making process and the setting of a digital vision;
- the necessity for a gaps and needs analysis in terms of pedagogical needs, stakeholder needs and feasibility;
- the crucial role of post-implementation evaluation and monitoring to allow iteration and improvement.
For practical guidance, you can follow the EmpowerED Navigate EdTech: Choosing wisely for learners MOOC , available on EUN Academy, and EUN’s publication School strategies for fostering students’ digital competencies . To dig deeper into the topic, refer to the 2025 EmpowerED State of Play report , discussing the creation of innovative-ready educational environments.
Teaching digital competencies and AI literacy in practice
Digital competencies are not something to be left for the Computer Science classroom. We all use digital devices across several aspects of our lives, and therefore including them across school subjects should come as no surprise. Do you need inspiration on how to incorporate teaching digital competencies in your subject area?
The latest update of the European Digital Competence Framework (DigComp 3.0) was published in November and offers even clearer guidance for educators:
- More user-friendly proficiency mapping across four levels (instead of eight), with explicit use-oriented descriptions.
- Learning outcomes are described in detail for all competences and levels, instead of just providing examples.
- The themes of AI, cybersecurity, misinformation and wellbeing are embedded in the framework more deeply and systematically.
- DigComp 3.0 explicitly anchors digital competence in EU rights and principles and sharpens the rights- and inclusion-oriented language already present in version 2.2.
But don’t forget that developing digital competencies is not only about students — it’s about educators as well. DigCompEdu specifically targets the skills and competencies of educators. If you want to assess your digital literacy level, you can use the SELFIE for TEACHERS tool, developed by the European Commission.
To explore how high-level frameworks such as DigComp have affected national strategies in education, see the relevant chapter in the 2025 EmpowerED State of Play report . If you are particularly interested in AI, EUN’s report Artificial Intelligence in School Education offers further insights.
Digital well-being as a whole-school approach: the role of parents
Digital wellbeing in education is a broad concept that includes inclusion and exclusion, the digital divide, stress, physical and mental health, misinformation and disinformation, cyberbullying, fear of missing out, and the empowerment of teachers and students. But how do you ensure that your students continue practising what you teach in school, outside of school?
European initiatives can support teachers in learning more about digital well-being, developing their own skills and practice, and engaging families. The Better Internet for Kids (BIK+) project offers several tools for educators:
- BIK’s Learning Corners with ready-made teaching modules focusing on digital literacy, online safety, and responsible digital citizenship.
- BIK’s Parental Engagement Guides providing multilingual advice centres and digital parenting guides.
- BIK’s Whole-School and Community Approach , supporting schools in aligning digital policies with national health campaigns and community initiatives.
- BIK+ Parent–Teacher Partnership pilots, where schools and families co-develop home–school communication plans and shared digital agreements.
EmpowerED compiled the latest research and perspectives in the 2025 State of Play report . For further reading, see EUN’s report Well-being in the digital environment in school and the OECD report How’s Life for Children in the Digital Age?