THE TEACHER AS A MEDIATOR OF DIGITAL INFORMATION: ESSENTIAL COMPETENCIES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

Resumen

This study analyzes the role of teachers as mediators of digital information and identifies the competencies required for teaching in the twenty-first century. It is a bibliographic study with a qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive approach, structured as a narrative review using thematic analysis. The final corpus comprised 12 academic publications, regulatory documents, and institutional frameworks published between 2017 and 2026, as well as a work published in 2011, which was retained because of its foundational relevance to the integration of technology and curriculum. The analysis was organized into four categories: digital competence and pedagogical integration; curation, media literacy, and the fight against misinformation; ethics, digital citizenship, and artificial intelligence; and teacher education, infrastructure, and inequalities in access. The results demonstrate that digital mediation is not limited to the technical mastery of tools, as it also involves selecting and contextualizing content, assessing the credibility of sources, guiding the ethical use of technologies, protecting data, and organizing learning experiences that promote authorship, critical thinking, and autonomy. Limitations related to initial and continuing teacher education, school infrastructure, and differences in access to and appropriation of technologies were also identified. It is concluded that strengthening teachers’ digital competencies depends on the articulation between professional development, institutional conditions, and educational policies capable of supporting critical, inclusive, and socially responsible practices.