“Digital literacy is part of media literacy. They’re both included in the idea of ‘information literacy,’ which is the ability to effectively find, identify, evaluate, and use information.” (CommonSenseMedia.org). When thinking of literacy, most people from Generation X or the Baby Boomer generation would immediately think of reading and writing on paper, however as technology advances and swiftly takes over the younger generations lives, it is important to remember that digital literacy is prominent, and it is a train that nobody is going to want to miss.
For children to be taught the ability to navigate the digital seas effectively and safely is imperative to their future lives in our ever-growing technological world. In today’s society it goes without saying that the number of children in North America who have never have the chance to handle an iPhone or laptop is minimal, however as a future educator it is important for me to remember that not all children come from the same social or financial standing in their homes and therefore will not have access to the same amount of technology. Henceforth the importance of teaching digital literacy in the classroom is high; if we chose to not encourage or enable children to expand their digital literacy skills in the classroom, then the knowledge gap between the students who have access to technology at home versus those who do not would grow exponentially, thus leaving them at a severe disadvantage as adults. This could interfere with their ability to communicate, succeed in Post-Secondary education, or even progress in a job. The consequences could be similar to that of an individual today who suffers from our current definition of illiterate, to be unable to read or write.
The idea of incorporating digital literacy skill development into my future classroom is actually an exciting one because when used safely and responsibly the internet can be a wealth of learning and fun for students (sometimes even at the same time). Future generations, when given the right tools, will be able to broaden their minds as far as they wish while gracefully navigating the rocky seas of the online world. I would like to incorporate online ‘games’, as I will later mention in Bri Stauffer’s article, while taking class time to expand on the topics at hand to ensure that all of my students are fully understanding the concepts at a more academic and/or personal level. I would also like to incorporate elements of research into my teaching, even to students at a young age so that they can grow with healthy research habits which will allow them to differentiate between a good resource and a not-so-good one.
The dangers of not encouraging students to grow their digital literacy skills does not just stop with an inability to advance at the same rate as the majority of society around them. The internet carries threats of child endangerment through many channels, all of which are necessary to make children aware of at a young age so that they will be able to recognize the dangers themselves into their adolescence. When a child or adolescent is given internet access they are susceptible to dangers such as cyber-bullying, sexual exploitation or copyright infringements. Bri Stauffer explains in her article How to Teach Digital Literacy Skills that by teaching children about internet safety and responsibility as their digital literacy inevitably grows, their ability to stay out of many areas of internet danger will also build. Her article also provides several amazing resources that I explored that teachers can use with their students to help them identify possible web-based issues that they may encounter.
My favourite one listed in Stauffer’s article is an interface called Interland, developed by Google. I myself got quite caught up playing around with it and learned quite a lot! It would be a great game to play together as a class, or to even have students try out independently if they are a bit older (I would guess grades 7-10).
You can find the link to Interland here: https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/en_us/interland
The internet is huge, and it can be messy, but never-the-less it is here to stay.
References:
Lynch, M. (2017, May 6). What is Digital Literacy? https://www.thetechedvocate.org/what-is-digital-literacy/.
Stauffer, B. (2020, April 16). How to Teach Digital Literacy Skills. https://www.aeseducation.com/blog/teach-digital-literacy-skills.
What is Digital Literacy? https://www.commonsensemedia.org/news-and-media-literacy/what-is-digital-literacy.