Literacy and Essential Skills: Why Digital Literacy is Crucial
by Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton
Coming into a classroom with a dedicated laptop for each one of my students, I have really had to reflect on the ways that I use technology in the classroom and what it means to be digitally literate. I agree with this author's assertion that simply being able to use a computer is not being digitally literate and is not enough, but I do believe that students who do not know how to use a touch screen or the internet will be able to acquire those skills fairly quickly.
My concern is that students who have not had exposure to technology in the elementary grades may very well fall behind, but because they haven't learned how to access, process and use this type of information. So much about the way that we access information is changing, that students need instruction just on navigating and comprehending internet text. Information on the internet is also dramatically different in the way that it requires the reader to evaluate its accuracy, its point of view and its biases. When readers are connected to information on the web, there is no guarantee that the author has any expertise on the subject and much of the work is published with the expectation that others will alter it. Today's students need to not only be capable of higher level thinking when engaging with digital media, but it probably needs to be second nature for them.
I think that it's always important to remember that we don't know what skills these students may need to possess in ten or twenty years. What are the essential skills for today's students? What is the most important work for us to be doing right now?
I think this is going to be a great reflective year for you. Wondering about your thoughts in December and then again in May. You are asking and wondering about all the right questions. Curious how you might answer them in May. :-)
ReplyDeleteI think, as we discussed this morning, that as even our state assessments move online, more than ever, digital literacy is becoming and essential skill. Yes, our students that come in with fewer technology skills are at a disadvantage initially, but especially at the elementary level, this is becoming part of our job to teach those skills and prepare them. As you mention, we may not know what skills they need in ten or twenty years, but the ability to navigate the internet, keyboard, and use technology will remain important, and their skills now will help them evolve as the technology evolves.
ReplyDeleteI think the most important work for us right now is striking a balance between teaching our content, but integrating technology and teaching those skills alongside.