Digital education and inclusion in the network society: the teacher’s mediating role in the critical integration of DICT

Abstract

The Digital Information and Communication Technologies (DICT) emerge as an expression of the contemporary human historical process, constituting, among other aspects, conditions for existence and social interaction. This study aimed to analyze how Digital Information and Communication Technologies can be critically and inclusively integrated into the teaching-learning process, highlighting the teacher's mediating role and the challenges of digital education in contemporary society. To this end, a qualitative bibliographic research approach was adopted. The selection of the theoretical framework was carried out through searches for articles and books in the Google Scholar database, using the descriptors: DICT, Digital Inclusion, and Digital Education. The time frame comprised publications produced between 2021 and 2025, with the bibliographic search conducted during March and April 2026. As a result, nine academic studies were selected. The literature reviewed showed that the incorporation of DICT into the school context represents an opportunity for the development of innovative, collaborative, and critical educational practices, especially when grounded in the principles of digital inclusion. Teaching mediation actions play a highly relevant role in promoting digital education aimed at all individuals. It was concluded that the integration of DICT into pedagogical practice should be guided by a critical perspective, recognizing the school as a space for the exercise of citizenship and social transformation, contributing to overcoming inequalities and consolidating the educational institution as a space for the collective production of knowledge.