Author: Curtis Meger (Page 2 of 4)

Integrating digital literacy into high school physical education (PE) and health classes that I will be teaching can provide students with essential skills to navigate the digital world while promoting well-rounded health education.

Some objectives and activities I thought of that revolve around digital literacy:

Objective: Understand the impact of digital technology on physical and mental well-being.

Activities: Discuss the role of digital devices in daily life and their potential effects on health.

Explore resources on balancing screen time and maintaining a healthy relationship with technology.

Objective: Develop skills to critically assess and evaluate digital information related to health.

Activities: Teach students how to discern reliable health information from misinformation online.

Engage in discussions about the influence of social media on body image and mental health.

Objective: Develop positive digital communication skills and explore the impact on social health.

Activities: Discuss the effects of cyberbullying and strategies for promoting a positive online environment.

Role-play scenarios to practice effective and respectful digital communication.

Objective: Promote responsible online behavior and safeguard personal information.

Activities: Teach students about online privacy settings and the importance of protecting personal information.

Discuss potential risks and strategies for staying safe online.

Objective: Understand the principles of responsible digital citizenship in the context of physical activity.

Activities: Discuss the impact of social media on sportsmanship and respectful behavior in physical activities.

Explore positive examples of digital citizenship in sports and physical education.

Incorporating NCTE’s goals of literacy in a digital age into high school physical education involves recognizing the interconnected nature of literacy and embracing technology as an integral component of students’ communicative and sociocultural practices. Here’s a few goals that can be integrated:

Participate Effectively and Critically in a Networked World:

Encourage students to engage in online platforms or communities related to physical fitness and well-being. Discuss the role of online networks in promoting health and sharing fitness goals.

Explore and Engage Critically Across a Variety of Texts and Tools/Modalities:

Utilize diverse digital resources, such as online articles, videos, and interactive apps, to explore topics like nutrition, fitness routines, and mental health. Teach students to critically evaluate digital health information.

Consume, Curate, and Create Actively Across Contexts:

Have students curate and create digital content related to physical fitness, healthy living, or sports. This could include creating digital portfolios, blogs, or videos showcasing their fitness journey.

In terms of fake news, why do people fall for it?

People can now create content unburdened by the layers of editing and fact-checking that news organizations adhere to

• content is aggregated into a single “news” feed – mixing updates from friends and family with identical-looking links to stories across the web
• lower attention spans
• fake news stories appeal to our emotions
• proliferation of internet bots 

The prevalence of fake news in the digital age poses significant challenges, impacting not only information dissemination but also the well-being of individuals. Recognizing the potential consequences, it becomes essential to align educational objectives with addressing these issues. Here’s how to connect the impact of digital technology on physical and mental well-being with the objectives and activities mentioned:

Develop skills to critically assess digital information related to health.

Activity: Explore the implications of unfiltered content creation on the spread of misinformation. Teach students to critically evaluate health-related information online.

John Spencer does a great breakdown of misinformation in his youtube video. 

Explore the impact of digital technology on mental well-being.

Activity: Analyze how fake news stories appeal to emotions and discuss strategies for emotional resilience in the digital age.

Promote responsible online behavior and safeguard personal information.

Activity: Investigate the role of internet bots in the spread of misinformation. Teach strategies to identify and counteract the influence of bots.

Melissa Techman has an incredible 10 tips for teaching info literacy/evaluation/research skills in her presentation. 

1. Talk about what an expert is (and in what field).
2. Let students sort real sites. Hoax sites are unlikely to show up in real life.
3. Model openness and willingness to fail.
4. Talk about how sites work, how news works, how clickbait works.
5. Stress vetted sources, but give support for searching in the wild.
6. Be careful with anti-Wikipedia messages.
7. If you want students to use databases, get really familiar with them yourself.
8. Share your own thinking and findings
9. Add more online nonfiction reading to students’ lives. 
10.  Move beyond the “its for a grade, it is what colleges want” reasons.

When I was in my younger-middle years days, the use of the internet slowly started to pick up as I went along. I was fortunate enough to have great educators along the way who allocated lots of time to ensure we were aware of the complexities of the world wide web and the potential risks associated with it.

I attended a school that excelled in teaching students the importance of safeguarding personal information, recognizing online threats, and navigating the digital world responsibly. While the school’s approach was not based on scare tactics, it was still discussed.  But the approach was rather focused on educating us about proper internet use and encouraging responsible digital citizenship. This experience provided me with the knowledge and skills needed to stay safe in the online environment while fostering an appreciation for the benefits and responsibilities that come with the digital age.

Looking back, I am super grateful to have grown up in a era where the internet was popular enough for teachers to put lots of emphasis on how to be safe while using it. It probably saved me a lot of grief because what they say is true, if you post it, it can sometimes be out there forever, whether you want it to be or not.

The Government of Canada has a great site for learning about keeping kids safer online, one that I found while doing a lesson on internet awareness and safety.

In Michael Wesch’s video,  he does an awesome job of explaining how the mediascape works and how everything can be connected in some shape or form. 

One of Wesch’s quotes really stood out to me. “It’s about linking people in ways that we’ve never been linked before and in ways we can’t even predict because it’s changing almost every 6 months now there’s a new tool out there that connects us in some new way”. 

If there is a new tool almost every 6 months or so, what does that mean for educators. 

The society we live in is forever evolving when it comes to the digital world, as technology evolves, us as educators should be evolving as well. The use of technology in the classroom has changed the way education is delivered and experienced. Here are a few things I found on a blog/came up with that can have a positive influence on the students. 

Enhanced Learning Resources:

• Digital learning resources, virtual labs, e-books, and multimedia content. These resources will make learning more engaging and adaptable to individual needs.

Blended Learning Models:

• Blended learning, which combines traditional in-person instruction with online components. Flexibility, personalization, and access to a wide range of digital resources.

Digital Collaboration:

• Collaboration tools and platforms will enable students to work together on projects, share ideas, and connect with peers.

Online Assessments:

• Online assessments and e-portfolios. These methods provide a more holistic view of a student’s abilities and progress.

Digital Citizenship Education:

• Students will learn how to navigate the digital world responsibly and ethically.

Access to Diverse Learning Paths:

• Digital platforms will make it easier for students to access a variety of learning paths and resources, breaking down traditional barriers to education.

Accessibility and Inclusivity:

• Efforts will be made to ensure that digital resources and learning platforms are accessible to all students, regardless of their abilities, locations, or socioeconomic status

The future classroom will be a dynamic and adaptable environment that leverages the power of technology to offer engaging, personalized, and globally connected learning experiences. Educators, students, and institutions will need to embrace this digital evolution to prepare the workforce and citizens of the future effectively.

This video on Debating the Digital Future is a tad the longer side, but offers incredible insight on the balances and benefits of the new realities of technology. Here are some points I thought of that should be considered when discussing the online world. 

Online Safety and Privacy:

• Raise awareness about online safety and privacy. Teach students how to protect their personal information, identify online threats, and practice secure online habits.

Balance Screen Time:

• Encourage a healthy balance of screen time. Set limits on screen use and prioritize face-to-face interactions, physical activity, and time outdoors.

Wellbeing Tools:

• Utilize digital wellbeing features and apps to monitor and manage screen time. Many devices offer tools to track and limit screen time.

Mindful Use:

• Foster mindful technology use, encouraging individuals to be aware of their digital consumption and its impact on their well-being.

Benefits:

• Recognize the positive aspects of technology, such as communication, learning, remote work, and access to information.

Digital Inclusion:

• Bridge the digital divide and ensure that everyone, regardless of their economic or geographical situation, has access to the benefits of technology

Engagement:

• Encourage community engagement both online and offline. While technology facilitates connections, it should complement, not replace, real-world relationships.

Continuous Learning:

• Embrace a culture of continuous learning and adaptation. The digital world evolves rapidly, and staying informed and open to change is essential.

Balanced Work-Life Integration:

• Establish a healthy work-life balance, especially in remote work settings. Set clear boundaries for working hours and downtime.

Balancing the challenges and possibilities of the digital age requires collaboration among individuals, families, educators, and employers. By prioritizing digital literacy, mindful technology use, and ethical behavior, we can harness the benefits of the digital world while easing its potential drawbacks.