Introduction. The relevance of the study is determined both by the importance of the problem of digital transformation of education in general, and by the specific conditions, which arose during the crisis caused by COVID-19. The long-termconsequences of the emergency transition of Russian education to the distance format, taking into account the ongoing pandemic, have yet to be assessed, but the reaction ofthe participants in the educational process to the first period of the total distance learning should be analysed immediately as a basis for future management decisions.Aim. The aim of the present research is a comprehensive analysis of the perception of the experience of an emergency transition to a distant education format by the main participants in the educational process.Methodology and research methods. Online survey based on Google forms was employed as the main method. The respondents to the survey included participants in the educational process, mostly permanently residing in the Sverdlovsk region (99% of the respondents). The survey was conducted in September – October 2020. The survey participation was voluntary and completely anonymous. As a result of the survey conducted, more than 24,500 original responses were received and processed. The data obtained were compared with the results of secondary studies (primarily, with the monitoring studies of the Higher School of Economics).Results. The research findings demonstrate a number of significant shortcomings in the strategy of digital transformation of education, such as the insufficient development of the digital communication infrastructure in the regions, the technological and competence-based digital inequality, the lack of well-developed methods of using digitaleducational tools, the lack of high-quality content, the lack of full-fledged integrated educational resources on the market. The shortcomings mentioned above apparently led to a decrease in the quality of education during the period of self-isolation and provoked a reaction of rejection of digital educational forms and an increase in technological pessimism among a significant part of the respondents. The results are presented in correlation with secondary studies, which confirms the reliability of the general conclusions.Scientific novelty. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the attraction, systematisation and analytical generalisation of original material on the urgent problem of digital transformation of education, collected in one of the largest and technologically advanced regions of the Russian Federation.Practical significance. The current article makes it possible to more accurately assess the situation in regional education and provides reference points both for conducting longitudinal research and for making current and strategic management decisions in Russian education at the regional and federal level.

The paper is devoted to some aspects of information wars that exert a great influence on any member of modern society in our contemporary world. The authors of the paper introduce the concepts of "Other" and "heroic" and discuss the approaches to the interaction in the infosphere. The emphasis is put on the process of interaction (collision) of wills and interests of political subjects. The problems of infowars are considered in the light of totality, conflict, egocentrism, isolation, fatalism, relativism and other approaches. The authors also describe the interaction models that provoke a rupture of the epistemological system and the primary reality in the sphere of practical activity, splitting consciousness and increasing the general level of information and active aggression. In the framework of retrospective and prospective, the authors are able to single out relevant approaches to the description of the info sphere and informational aggression. In all cases, the authors are confronted with incomplete images of the world, declaring their completeness and practical significance. The problem is that there are models that predict an impending civilization crisis at the global level and claim to be the universal recipe for overcoming this crisis.

Introduction. The article continues the series of publications within the framework of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) project “Construction of a Fundamental Model for the Digital Transformation of the General Education System”.Aim. The aim of the study was to analyse the current state of development of digital educational services and the development of digital competencies by participants in the educational process.Methodology and research methods. The authors used the materials from a number of secondary monitoring studies; however, the current research is based on completely original material. The data obtained during the survey are published for the first time. The main method of collecting information is an electronic questionnaire based on Google forms. The survey respondents were participants in the educational process, predominantly permanently residing in the territory of the Sverdlovsk region (99% of respondents). The survey was conducted on a voluntary and completely anonymous basis.Results. The research results of the study suggest that the mastery of digital technologies by the participants in the educational process is insignificantly associated with the implementation of state strategic programmes in the field of digital transformation of education. Although the ongoing changes such as the development of digital infrastructure in the school, the accumulation of digital educational content, the development of specialised services, the increase in the level of digital literacy of teachers are necessary. However, within the framework of the existing education management system, the aforementioned changes do not provide significant motivation for the actual use of opportunities of digital infosphere in education. Accordingly, at the moment, the transformation process is taking place according to the worst (inertial) scenario.Scientific novelty. The article makes it possible to more accurately assess the situation in regional education in order to make current management decisions and provides reference points for longitudinal research aimed at achieving the main goal of the project as a potential basis for the educational strategy of the Russian Federation.

This article is devoted to the preparation of an information base for the formation of criteria for assessing the process of general (secondary) education informatization. The situation in education can be considered as unstable, lacking a clear understanding of the social, psychological and technological prospects for the Russian and world communities’ development, which excludes the possibility of correct strategic planning and making correct management decisions. The development source of uncertainty is the very transitional nature of the current situation in ICT — equally in the technological, economic, sociocultural and psychological aspects. The research problematizes the well-established idea of the modern relations of education and ICT, emphasize the lack of empirical data and the bias towards a normative approach in the field of managerial decisions, which in the face of uncertainty leads to the adoption of erroneous decisions (a tactics and strategy contradiction). The research has determined the prospects for a monitoring research system designed to obtain the necessary empirical data in the system, taking into account the change in the technological and sociocultural paradigm over the past decade. Keywords: information society, digitalization of education, efficiency in education, digital divide, resistance to innovation