From Technology to Teaching Practice: A Didactic Roadmap for Emerging Tech in Education

Abstract

This article presents the tech-didactic model DigiDidactics as a didactic roadmap for educators seeking to integrate emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and robotics into teaching practice. While these technologies offer new pedagogical possibilities, their rapid development creates uncertainty in how to design, implement, and evaluate meaningful learning activities. DigiDidactics addresses this challenge by providing a stable, non‑prescriptive framework that supports educators in aligning technological use with pedagogical purpose. The model builds on earlier work with ROBOdidactics and has been further developed through collaboration between researchers and educators. It comprises five interconnected dimensions: (1) Teaching Design, focusing on learning objectives, activities, and evaluation; (2) Digital Production, emphasizing students’ active creation and reflection; (3) Digital Literacy, including critical thinking, ethics, and responsible engagement with technology; (4) Environment, highlighting collaboration with external stakeholders and career learning; and (5) Sustainability, integrating long‑term societal, environmental, and educational perspectives. The article demonstrates how DigiDidactics functions both as a design and evaluation framework. It provides concrete examples of its application in practice. The model is currently being used in the Interreg project MYREcross (myre.tech), in which 110 teaching modules for learners in secondary education, as well as in higher education are being designed and implemented with the model as the guiding didactic framework. These cases illustrate how the model supports educators in navigating the complexities of emerging technologies while maintaining pedagogically sound and reflective teaching practices. By combining DigiDidactics with action research, educators are positioned as co‑designers and co‑researchers who iteratively experiment with and refine their teaching practices. The model thus supports pedagogically grounded innovation and helps shift focus from technological novelty to meaningful learning. The article concludes that a structured, reflective didactic framework is essential for ensuring that emerging technologies contribute to educational quality, student engagement, and sustainable development.