Digital Deals

Discussing digital literacy with everyone is important because the online world is evolving more quickly than people believe. Technology and accessing the internet to communicate with others is a technique the world has adapted to and can not continue without because it will affect the daily lives of everyone. The internet itself has “evolutionized communications” (Zaryn Dentzel, 2014) globally and will continue to over years through various discoveries. One would not be able to apply for a job virtually through an email application if there is no access to the internet. Furthermore, students would not have had the ability to learn online during the Coronavirus pandemic which would have forced students’ marks to degrade significantly. The internet and social media are irreplaceable and rapidly ever-changing. Having access to the internet twenty-four hours a day, every day empowers creative minds and extraordinary thinking to occur through experimenting which enables the production of the fast-changing online world; there is a good deal of undiscovered things embedded within the internet that many do not know of, and it can be quite frightening.

“Just ten years ago, social media did not exist; in the next ten years, something else radically new will emerge”

(Dentzel, 2014)

It is known that “humans are social by nature” (Mike Ribble, 2017) and have the need to communicate with others to feel not alone, which idolizes the action of education and brings awareness to digital literacy for everyone, but especially those at a young age because younger children are beginning to create their digital footprint and accessing the internet at a young age. Teaching about digital literacy within the classroom “empowers students with the skills and understanding necessary to not only use the internet and technology to their benefit but also to use it in the most effective ways to quickly find information and utilize the ever-expanding list of sites and means of communication” (Nina W, 2019) to their benefit. However, the incorrect use of the internet and ability to harm others has become an “increasing cause for concern for both teachers and students” (Nina W, 2019) around cyberbullying, demonstrating the need for more education and awareness surrounding it. Students must know they can feel protected, but they first must know how they can be protected. The internet does have negative aspects, but with education, it can be changed ensuring that the internet will “foster growth” (Dentzel, 2014) among students, and society as a whole. The internet promotes “opportunities for strengthening the economy” (Dentzel, 2014) that society benefits from the everyday.

In the 2021-2022 year the RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Crime Centre had “received a total of 52,306 complaints”, which was a significant increase of “510 percent” (Kelly Geraldine Malone, 2022) seven years before. It is obvious the use of the internet has increased but “experts have pointed to increasing online activity during the pandemic” (Malone, 2022) as the main contributing factor.

The National Council of Teachers of English identifies various goals to aid educators and students in digital literacy such as stating that “active, successful participants in a global society must be able to

• Participate effectively and critically in a networked world
• Explore and engage critically, thoughtfully, and across a wide variety of inclusive texts and tools/modalities
• Consume, curate, and create actively across context
• Advocate for equitable access to and accessibility of texts, tools, and information
• Build and sustain intentional global and cross-cultural connections and relationships with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively and strengthen independent thought
• Promote culturally sustaining communication and recognize the bias and privilege present in the interactions
• Examine the rights, responsibilities, and ethical implications of the use and creation of information
• Determine how and to what extent texts and tools amplify one’s own and others’ narratives as well as counter unproductive narratives
• Recognize and honour the multilingual literacy identities and culture experiences individuals bring to learning environments and provide opportunities to promote, amplify, and encourage these different variations of language (e.g., dialect, jargon, register)”

Educators must assist students in “navigating both real and digital worlds” (Nina W, 2019) respectfully and responsibly. Teaching students “how to conduct a proper Google (or *insert preferred search engine*) search, as well as which sites are reputable to use as reference materials, among other useful knowledge” (Nina W, 2019) is something that is often not done in current school systems but is what many educational systems need to adapt to when using the internet for students learning, and because of the rising number of young children having access the internet without knowledge of what could happen.

When using the internet and technology in the classroom teachers should ask themselves the following questions from NCTE:

• Do learners select, evaluate, and use digital tools and resources that match the work they are doing?
• Are learners critical, savvy producers and consumers?
• Do learners build and utilize a network of groups and individuals that reflect varying views as they analyze, create, and remix texts?
• Do learners analyze information for authorial intent, positioning, and how language, visuals, and audio are being used?
• Do learners find relevant and reliable sources that meet their needs?
• Do learners use a variety of tools effectively and efficiently?
• Do learners select and use appropriate tools and modalities for audience and purpose?
• Do learners take responsibility for communicating their ideas in a variety of ways with different modalities and clear intentions?

Asking questions such as the ones above ensures students are knowledgeable about how to navigate their digital paths and ongoing educational needs. If education is praised upon current students and the generations to come, there will be a more positive upbringing to the use of the internet and social media. It is beneficial to have “web content filtering and monitoring” (Nina W, 2019) and for an educator to overlook conversations and learning that occur within the use of the internet and technology in their classroom. For example, an educator could promote the opportunity for their grade 5 English students to “select and use a wide variety of social media tools for communication purposes” (Dr. Alec Couros and Katia Hildebrandt, 2015), like TikTok or Instagram, to purposely listen to a variety of “texts from a variety of cultural traditions (including oral traditions shared by First Nations and Métis Elders and Knowledge Keepers)” (Saskatchewan Curriculum) to promote a diverse learning experience. Students must be able to “identify ways of protecting their hearing and sight while using different digital devices”, “discuss what content is appropriate and inappropriate to view online”, and “learn when and how to get help if they encounter an unsafe situation online” (Couros and Hildebrandt, 2015) before engaging with the internet. Opportunities that involve students learning to use “ keywords to search as well as a variety of search strategies” (Couros and Hildebrandt, 2015) will increase the likelihood of creating a positive impact on digital literacy for students. Techniques could be identifying educational hashtags for students to follow on the various platforms they may use. Many of my current students have TikTok accounts, therefore I follow hashtags and accounts that could provide them with educational and valuable connections. The digital world offers digital deals meaning you are typically exchanging something, but you alone are not receiving anything in return. Students need to be aware of these digital deals, fake news and the harsh reality of digital literacy if not being responsible and safe while accessing the internet.

Digital Citizenship Curricular Resources

• Web literacy for student fact-checkers 
• Why do people fall for fake news?
• Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education and Infolit Standards for Teacher Education
• KQED lesson plans
• Evaluating sources in a ‘post-truth’world
• Fake news: A library resource round-up
• Dynamic landscapes – Resources list
• Lessons in critical thinking
• NewseumED unit on media literacy
• TED Ed playlist: Hone your media literacy skills
  • How to choose your news
  • How false news can spread
  • How to spot a misleading graph
  • How statistics can be misleading
  • Can you spot the problem with these headlines?
• “Be Internet Awesome”
• Digital Literacy Curriculum
• Safe Online Surfing
• Ignition