This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the theoretical and methodological foundations for developing digital competence and media literacy in future teachers. The study examines the methodological bases of media literacy through multiple scholarly perspectives, including the cognitive approach (James Potter), the critical-pedagogical approach (David Buckingham), the semiotic approach (Stuart Hall, Roland Barthes), the cultural-semiotic approach (Henry Jenkins), and social and post-structuralist theoretical frameworks.

The effectiveness of contemporary pedagogical technologies in fostering digital-media competencies—such as multimodal instruction, gamification, simulations, augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), and artificial intelligence–based tools—is substantiated through theoretical arguments and empirical evidence. In addition, the article analyzes international best practices from the United States, the European Union, and selected Asian countries, highlighting advanced approaches to the development of digital and media competencies in teacher education.

The findings emphasize the necessity of an integrative pedagogical model that combines digital competence and media literacy to prepare future teachers for effective, critical, and ethical engagement within complex digital-media environments.