Digital literacy in Preschool???

When I think and look at a preschooler, all I see are these tiny humans who just love and enjoy anything and everything. They typically see the best in all that they do while also seeing the world as a huge happy place. So how might I teach about digital literacy to a three or four-year-old and what would that even look like?….(as I sit here scratching my head).

It is no secret that technology is a huge factor in our everyday lives, that being whether you are three, thirty-three, or eighty-three….(maybe). So how can we teach young children what digital literacy is and ways to use it when online or using technology? In preschool, it may be a bit harder to teach digital literacy as the children do not have a full grasp of how the internet even works…heck they do not even know how to spell yet besides their names, but there are still many ways to incorporate digital literacy into their play and exploration, as well as showing them ways to be safe and to ask for help or ask an adult when using a device. Teaching digital literacy might look more like helping and teaching the children about asking permission, being kind to others (when using our words), and even teaching them about consent in a way that a 3-year-old would understand. For example, expressing to the children that some of our friends in the classroom do not like their photos to be taken so Ms.B (myself) does not take their photos. As well as having a conversation about what kind of devices they have in their houses, what devices they are allowed to use, and what they use the device for. Ways that a conversation like so could be incorporated into the NCTE Framework could be by exploring and engaging critically, thoughtfully, and across a wide variety of inclusive texts and tools. I know that Youtube is a huge app used by many, including children to watch videos of creations, family channel vlogs, and much much more. This conversation with the children would connect with the points in the Framework of the NCTE of:

• Do learners critically analyze a variety of information and ideas from a variety of sources?
• Do learners choose texts and tools to consume, create, and share ideas that match their needs and audience?
• Do learners create new ideas using knowledge and insights gained? Do learners analyze the credibility of information, authorial intent, and its appropriateness in meeting their needs?

As well as having a conversation with the children some other ways to teach and incorporate digital literacy could potentially be by a digital literacy alphabet game or any other type of age-appropriate digital literacy game since the children work on and are beginning to learn the alphabet in preschool. Also adding in a fun and entertaining story such as this engaging yet funny short comic would entertain the children but also touch on how stories may not always be 100% true.

As a teacher for preschool, it may possibly be a bit more challenging to fully get the children to not only understand what digital literacy is but also ways to be kind online. However, there are multiple ways to incorporated it into their everyday learning and play without confusing or having them question what is going on! If I were a teacher in an older grade for example, grade 3 or 4, I feel it would be a bit more easy as the children are a bit more older and are able to grasp an understanding and know more about the internet and technology at that age.

A few great teacher resources to watch, read, and learn from on how to incorporate and teach about digital literacy are listed below!

• The smell test: Educators can counter fake news with information literacy. Here’s how.
• What’s news: Fake, false, misleading, clickbait, satire, or carefully reported?
• How do we teach students to identify fake news? (EdCan Fact Sheet)
• Web literacy for student fact-checkers (Resource from Mike Caulfield)