The Using of Digital Tools in the Project Activities of Students of Pedagogical Specialties of Higher Education Institutions

The article substantiates the importance of projects for forming future teachersʼ readiness to work in the conditions of the «New Ukrainian School» reform, particularly the organization of project-based training. The possibility, suitability, and effectiveness of using digital tools at various stages of the design activities of education seekers to achieve quality results were analyzed. Digital resources Canva, TickTick, Harvest, Miro, Piktochart, Prezi, and Visme, were tested in the process of project training on professional methods of students majoring in «Primary Education» of the Faculty of Pedagogical Education of Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University. The main criteria for selecting digital tools were: simple interface (so students can master its functionality faster); compliance to the State Standard for Primary Education; didactic value; accessibility (the age of pupils and the ability to comprehend tasks developed with the help of the proposed digital tools were taken into account); technical and methodological support (present on all proposed digital resources, which facilitates understanding of their interface); very important criterion is the wide functionality on a free basis; the ability to adapt in various modern conditions during offline and online learning. For increase studentsʼ readiness to use digital tools during project activities, the authors developed an methodology for using digital tools at each stage of work on projects and investigated their effectiveness. The use of digital resources is aimed at forming subject-methodical competence, as well as improving studentsʼ digital literacy, and the ability to work in a team, make decisions effectively, and distribute responsibilities among group members. The effectiveness of the developed methodology was checked by conducting input and final monitoring. The results of the final monitoring showed significant differences in favor of the developed methodology for providing material to students during the implementation of project activities, which indicates the effectiveness of the introduction of the latest digital tools into the educational process.