During the project two of our project pilot teachers Kelly Kaukes and Kaire Kollom-Vahtra decided to relate the project with their MA research. We are happy to share that Kelly defended her thesis in 2020, and Kaire is one step away from defending her work in January 2022.

  1. Application of the Principles of Digital Pedagogy During Distance Learning Period on the Example of Theme-based Teaching in the 2nd Grade (Kelly Kaukes, master thesis, 2020)

English Summary: Due to the emergency situation declared on the 12th of March in 2020 to prevent the spread of COVID-19, all general education schools switched to distance learning from the 16th of March. Teachers’ needs for digital pedagogical solutions increased. The aim of the master’s thesis was to develop one’s own teaching skills and digital competences as well as analyze the changes that have taken place in the distance learning situation while implementing theme based teaching in the 2nd grade, applying the principles of digital pedagogy. Digital pedagogy is defined as the purposeful use of digital tools. The theoretical part of the thesis described the importance of digital literacy in today’s society, introduced the expectations set for teachers in digital competence frameworks and gave an overview of the current bases of teaching related to digital literacy, the principles of digital pedagogy and organization of distance learning. To achieve the aim of the thesis, a four-stage action research was conducted. The data was collected by keeping a researcher’s diary, collecting feedback from parents and students to develop one’s teaching skills, and analyzing the work submitted by students. It was found that distance learning is more time-consuming, requires thoroughness, well-thought-out systems and digital competences as well as readiness to use different digital pedagogical solutions for conducting learning activities.

URL: https://dspace.ut.ee/bitstream/handle/10062/68301/Kaukes_Kelly_ma.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y (ESTONIAN)


  1. Kaire Kollom-Vahtra MA thesis Application of digital pedagogy principles in handcraft lessons for simplified curriculum will be defended and published in January 2022.

Three lesson plans for implementing the principles of digital pedagogy in handcraft lessons for simplified curriculum (Kaire Kollom-Vahtra, Master’s thesis, 2022).

English summary: The theoretical part of the work consists of an overview of the concepts and nature of digital competence and digital pedagogy, the principles of digital pedagogy and the role of the teacher as an implementer of digital pedagogy. To conclude the theoretical overview, the teacher’s digital competencies, professional development and opportunities for self-reflection in the field of digital pedagogy in the context of the simplified curriculum are presented. Under the leadership of the University of Tartu, the Erasmus + project Making Technology Meaningful Through Digital Pedagogy took place in 2018-2021, where the author of the work participates as one of the pilot teachers. The main goal of the master’s thesis is to create and develop new lesson plans based on the principles of digital pedagogy for handicraft lessons in accordance with the simplified curriculum and to test them in the framework of action research. The sub-goal is the personal professional development of the author as a practicing teacher in order to assess the competencies and digital competences of the teacher’s professional standard during these activities and to reflect learning and teaching activities in handicraft classes based on digital pedagogy principles. During the Erasmus+ MTM project and compiling the master’s thesis, three lesson plans, which were tested in two different classes were planned, implemented and later analyzed.

URL: https://dspace.ut.ee/bitstream/handle/10062/81802/kollom_vahtra_kaire_ma.pdf (In Estonian)