Here is a definition of digital literacy:
“the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills.”
American Library Association’s Digital Literacy Task Force
More digital literacy explanations:
What is digital literacy and why does it matter?
We currently live in a world that is hugely influenced by technology. We can contact nearly anyone across the world, we can share information in seconds, and we can create things that years ago we wouldn’t have been able to. With technology comes more efficiency, flexibility, accessibility and simpler communication. However, in the same way that it makes things “easier”, it has also brought on more things that people need to be made aware of.
Not all information is good information. We are in a day and age where there is SOOOO much information being thrown at us through different mediums (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, movies, TV shows, news articles, advertisements) that we now need to learn the skills to be able to sift through what is good and bad to try and make sense of different topics and ideas. This is where taking time to teach students, as well as ourselves about digital literacy is important.
I am in the Bachelor of Education: Middle Years program so the grade range I have been focusing more closely on during my studies and internship is grade six to nine. This is a prime age range for students to be learning about digital literacy if they don’t already know about it. Many teenagers have social media, multiple forms of it even, so they are going to be given a TON of information CONSTANTLY. This is also an age group that can often be targeted through social media through different scams, or by not having the awareness of the impact that can be made through what they themselves post or share on social media. These students NEED to be learning digital literacy skills for the protection of themselves, and the protection of others.
Even aside from social media, this age of students is where they do lots of research for assignments in multiple subjects. They need to have the skills to be able to seek out true information, and to understand when information is misleading, or false.
Dr. Alec Couros and Katie Hildebrant (2018) provide a few strategies of how to teach students to identify fake news.
- Move beyond traditional information evaluation checklists
- Prioritize helping students develop investigative techniques
- Teach students to identify bias (use a tool like a media bias chart)
- Bring real-world fake news examples that we encounter everyday into the classroom
Using some of the strategies, especially by providing examples for students to see, could be very helpful in expanding their digital literacy. I also feel that these are some skills that adults should also try and practice, especially in a world where big and controversial topics are constantly being publicized.
This video provides some information and an opportunity to practice looking at different headlines and learning how they are considered to be misleading. The main idea shared in terms of health news is that “a headline is used to catch attention, and it is the most effective when it makes a big claim.” Whereas “many scientific studies produce meaningful results when they focus on a narrow, specific question.” (Leek & McGowan, 2019). To better understand a claim that is being made by a headline, it is important to look at the research that was done behind it to see what was being studied and find out what was actually found. This skill is useful for everyone who has social media or who watches/reads the news.
This video is filled with good quotes and really important tips for both young people and adults to consider when reading or watching the news. Here are some of the quotes that stood out to me:
“One of the best ways to get the truth (or something close) is to get the original news unfiltered by middlemen. Instead of articles interpreting a scientific study or a politician’s speech, you can often find the actual material and judge for yourself.”
“But if everyone is a reporter, no one is.”
“Words like think, likely, or probably mean that the outlet is being careful, or worse, taking a guess.”
“Try to verify news before sharing it”
“While social media has enabled the truth to reach us faster, it’s also allowed rumors to spread before they can be verified and falsehoods to survive long after they’ve been refuted.”
This particular video was made in 2014, but the information it provides is very useful especially during this time with huge news spreading around constantly around health (COVID), politicians, climate change, celebrities, education, finances, etc.
Connection to Curriculum
Many outcomes require research and investigation of different topics. There are also other outcomes that requires students to display their own research and understanding of topics. Both of these areas require students having a good understanding of digital literacy. This means that there needs to be opportunities made as a teacher to go over safety rules around using technology, as well as practice with helping students identify when the information they are finding is true, or potentially misleading or false.
Below are some specific outcomes from the grade six curriculum that would require, or at least encourage students to have an understanding of digital literacy.
Language Arts:
CC6.4 Create and present a variety of representations that communicate ideas and information to inform or persuade and to entertain an audience, including illustrations, diagrams, posters, displays, and cartoons.
Students will need to know how to accurately and effectively present information.
CC6.6 Use oral language appropriately to express a range of information and ideas in formal and informal situations including presenting an oral report based on research, a demonstration, and a short dramatization.
Students will need to know how to properly research, as well as present their ideas accurately and effectively.
Health:
USC6.7 Assess how health promotions and advertising (related to but not limited to tobacco, alcohol, diabetes, and HIV) influence personal standards and behaviours and determine how and why certain groups of consumers (e.g., youth as ‘replacement’ smokers) are targeted.
Students will need to know how to judge information they are given and its effectiveness in influencing its targeted audience.
Math:
SP6.1 Extend understanding of data analysis to include:
- line graphs
- graphs of discrete data
- data collection through questionnaires, experiments, databases, and electronic media
- interpolation and extrapolation.
Students will need to know how to accurately and effectively represent their data and information found.
Physical Education:
PE6.15 Examine, evaluate, and represent the historical and present impact of our World neighbours on the development of movement activity options as a means of supporting the well-being of self and others.
Students will need to know how to properly research.
Science:
DL6.5 Assess effects of micro-organisms on past and present society, and contributions of science and technology to human understanding of micro-organisms.
Students will need to know how to properly research.
Career education, health, social, and science also have multiple outcomes and assignments that require investigation and research.
The NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) contains a framework for literacy in a digital age. They provide different aspects of digital literacy, as listed below:
- 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 contexts
- Advocate for equitable access to and accessibility of texts, tools, and information
- Build intentional global and cross-cultural connections and relationships with others so 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 honor the multilingual literacy identities and culture experiences individuals bring to learning environments and provide opportunities to promote, amplify, and encourage these differing variations of language (dialect, jargon, register)
In my classroom, I could see myself trying to incorporate a few of these ideas. I will list just a few that I would include.
Participate effectively and critically in a networked world – This is an opportunity for students to find relevant and reliable sources; to take risks trying new things with different technological tools; using a variety of tools, critically analyze a variety of information and ideas from a variety of sources, etc.
Consume, curate, and create actively across contexts – This is an opportunity for students to examine the credibility and relevancy of sources they consume; consider the author, the purpose, and design of information they consume online; evaluate content they find online before sharing with others; communicate information and ideas in a variety of forms and form various purposes, etc.
Build intentional global and cross-cultural connections and relationships with others so to pose and solve problems collaboratively and strengthen independent thought – This is an opportunity for students to collaborate with others whose perspectives and areas of expertise are different from their own; listen in a way that allows them to intentionally build on one another’s thinking to gain new understanding; make intentional moves to learn from and with others, etc.
Overall, I want to try and incorporate teaching digital literacy throughout all subjects where I am able to. I want to make it a constant conversation and have it be a common practice for students to be aware of in my classroom
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