Digital ambitions vs. classroom reality in Norwegian lower secondary schools: What digital competencies are students developing over time?

Despite high political ambitions, the increased use of digital technology in lower secondary school has resulted in little indication of the advanced use of digital skills. Drawing on video-recorded lessons ( N = 29) from five schools in Norway over time and across two national curricula, this study mapped the opportunities students had to develop digital skills in English classrooms. The findings provide nuanced insight into the instruction of digital skills in highly digitalised schools. Despite a slight increase in digital skills after the 2020 reform, our findings indicate that digital ambitions in the curriculum were not reflected in classroom reality. • We examined naturally occurring video-recorded English teaching in secondary schools over time. • Despite increased opportunities over time to use digital skills, the majority was still basic. • The longitudinal study suggested more opportunities for advanced digital skills is needed. • We found that good access to technology in itself does not facilitate advanced digital skills. • There is a need to develop teacher education to ensure more advanced and complex use of digital skills.