Teacher Education in Digital Learning Ecologies: Literacies, AI and Blended Professional Learning

Observed annually on 8 September, UNESCO’s International Literacy Day highlights literacy as a foundation of equitable, democratic and inclusive societies. In contemporary education systems, however, literacy education is increasingly shaped by digital technologies. This Research Topic examines how initial teacher education and continuing professional development prepare educators to design, implement and critically evaluate digitally mediated literacy pedagogies.The Research Topic focuses on teacher education as a site of curriculum and professional change. It explores how universities, schools, professional development providers and school–university partnerships are adapting teacher preparation and professional learning through online and blended education, digital portfolios, virtual communities of practice, online supervision, open educational resources, simulation environments and platform-mediated collaboration. It also considers how teacher education itself is becoming digitally mediated, including the implications for practicum, assessment, supervision, professional identity and teacher educator practice.We are particularly interested in research on:• the design and evaluation of online, blended and hybrid models in initial teacher education and continuing professional development;• the preparation of pre-service and in-service teachers to teach literacy through multimodal, digital and inclusive approaches;• digital, media, information, data and AI literacy as components of teacher education;• the use of learning management systems, digital portfolios, video-based reflection, open educational resources and virtual communities in teacher learning;• online supervision, mentoring, induction and school–university partnerships;• teacher educators’ digital competences, beliefs and working conditions;• the effects of generative AI and algorithmic systems on literacy education, curriculum design, assessment, academic integrity and professional judgement; and• equity, accessibility and social justice in digitally mediated teacher education, particularly in rural, multilingual, under-resourced and Global South contexts.We welcome empirical studies, design-based research, programme evaluations, systematic reviews, conceptual papers and policy analyses. Contributions may address primary, secondary, higher or adult education, provided that teacher education or professional learning is central to the study.The Research Topic aims to move beyond technology as a set of technical tools. It seeks theoretically informed and practice-oriented research on how digital learning ecologies reshape literacy teaching, teacher learning and professional identity. Papers should consider both the opportunities and limitations of online and blended approaches, including questions of quality, participation, workload, institutional support, teacher agency and sustainability. The collection will support the development of meaningful, ethical and equitable approaches to literacy education in digitally mediated contexts. Topic editors: Filipa Seabra, Marta Abelha, Ana MOURAZ, Ana Patrícia Almeida, André Freitas Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/87007/teacher-education-in-digital-learning-ecologies-literacies-ai-and-blended-professional-learning