Teachers need a working set of information and communication technology skills: enough to run a class, prepare materials, communicate, and keep learner data reasonably safe. This is not the same as an ICT glossary of terms, and it is not an AI course.
Skill levels vary by school and role. A useful baseline is basic (can complete the task with guidance), intermediate (can do it independently), and proficient (can adapt the tool when the task changes). Last reviewed: 31 August 2026.
A practical skill set
Most teachers need some of:
- Email and calendars
- Cloud storage and file sharing
- Word processing, spreadsheets and slides
- Forms for quizzes and data collection
- A learning management system or class platform (Teams, Google Classroom, Moodle or the school equivalent)
- Finding, saving and sharing resources, with some judgement about licences
- Enough operating-system and device skill to keep a lesson running
For definitions of the terms, use the ICT glossary. For whether a tool is worth using in a lesson, see technology in the classroom.
What this is not
- Not a vendor checklist. Windows, Microsoft 365 or Google is an example environment, not a requirement.
- Not AI literacy as a substitute. Prompting and classroom AI sit on top of these basics. They do not replace them.
With Matt Hains I wrote ICT Skills Every Teacher Should Have, a Cambridge practical guide and SACE-endorsed workshop series for teachers who need step-by-step classroom ICT. Themes: ICT literacy, communication, the cloud, productivity software, content management, integration and online collaboration.
Sources
- Cambridge University Press. ICT Skills Every Teacher Should Have, with Matt Hains. Classroom ICT guide for teachers. Cambridge listing.
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