Digital technologies are becoming increasingly integrated into our daily lives. Yet, a lot of people do not have access to or understanding of the essential digital skills needed to use online platforms. The Ministry of Education and Schools needs to think about developing a digital literacy curriculum so that everyone can use the Internet.
Students can benefit from digital literacy in schools. An individual’s chances of success in life are higher the earlier they start to feel at ease with digital tools.
In my future classroom, I will plan to use digital literacy to further students’ knowledge in Social studies, science, English Language arts and so on. In this post I will focus on Health Education.

Here, I will describe how teaching digital literacy can be incorporated into the Health Education curriculum for middle school students while still adhering to the NCTE framework’s objectives. Health Education may need to incorporate digital literacy more than any other subject because technology plays such a major role in the lives of young people. The images of themselves and their peers that young people choose, edit, and sometimes even carefully manipulate have a significant impact on how they see themselves. Beyond body image, certain characteristics of digital media, such as shareability and persistence, which make it difficult to log off and give rise to the eerie feeling of “fear of missing out”—the notion that your friends are enjoying themselves online while you’re not—can also have an impact on the health of young people.

Lastly, it’s important for students to comprehend some of the relationship-damaging effects that digital media can have, how to handle them, and how concepts like consent and respect translate online.

https://www.powerschool.com/blog/the-classroom-guide-to-digital-literacy-in-k-12-education/

So What is  Digital Literacy ?

The term “digital literacy” describes the capacity to locate, assess, utilize, and share online information using information and communication technologies (ICTs). Children can develop their critical thinking abilities and lay a solid foundation for future endeavors by becoming digitally proficient.

Why is Digital Literacy  Important for students?

Digital literacy is becoming more and more important for daily living, work, and education. In fact, a statement on the significance of digital intelligence was released in 2017 by the House of Lords in the United Kingdom. The report, which also advocated for digital literacy to be the fourth educational pillar in addition to arithmetic, reading, and writing, emphasized the significance of digital skills in the twenty-first century.

However, a lot of people—especially kids—lack the skills and understanding necessary to use the internet safely. 1.3 billion children between the ages of three and seventeen do not have access to the internet at home, according to UNICEF. This equates to two thirds of all school-age children worldwide.

The complexity and advancement of ICT devices, including the internet, will cause children who lack digital literacy to lag behind. Digital literacy is essential to children’s skill development in elementary school, according to UNICEF. The degree to which kids comprehend the digital world will determine their educational prospects, employment prospects in the future, and general well-being.

The Importance of Teaching Digital Safety in the Classroom

Online bullying, false information, criminal activity, and predation are just a few of the significant risks and challenges that children must deal with. Social media platforms in particular can exacerbate mental health and body image problems in young people. It’s possible for kids to feel inadequate, alienated, and alone.

Early digital literacy is crucial for protecting children from harm. Teachers can assist and mentor their elementary school students as they interact with the internet by putting in place a digital safety curriculum.

Young students should be aware of some important internet safety guidelines. Students should never, for instance, disclose private or sensitive information online, either in public or in private conversations. Students should report any dangerous activity they come across online, including cyberbullying, to a responsible adult right away. If a student sees someone asking for personal information online or if the student feels uncomfortable in any other way, they should also ask for assistance.

Digital Literacy Curriculum For Students

Developing a long-term, successful digital literacy curriculum is essential to assisting students in navigating the digital world of today. Nonetheless, a lot of teachers struggle with developing curricula, getting money, or getting support for their use.

Digital learning is both a team effort and an ongoing process. In order to close the digital divide, educators, administrators, parents, and students must support important digital literacy initiatives.

Key Components of a Digital Literacy Curriculum

In addition to teaching fundamental computer skills, a curriculum for digital literacy should concentrate on three important learning units. Instructors can delve deeper into different subjects to help students grow as their digital literacy skill set advances.

These elements will assist school pupils in developing the fundamental abilities required to use the internet.

–Reliability of information found online: Students must be able to use search engines to fact check information online. In these articles  How do we teach students to identify fake news? | EdCan Network and ” Developing Critical Literacies: What We Need to Know in a “Fake News” World – Canadian School Libraries Journal  For instance, it’s helpful to know about reliable fact checking sites , just to name a few like Snopes, Politifact, and FactCheck.org. to assess the reliability of websites, and recognize inaccurate or low-quality content. It discusses strategies for assisting our students when integrating digital literacy into the classroom. One of the strategies is using real world examples and I find it to be a very useful  strategy in spotting fake news .

Teachers ought to instruct students in the use of internet search engines for information retrieval, including the creation of shortcuts to access official and educational websites. In addition, critical thinking abilities and the ability to spot telltale clues of skewed language, excessive advertising, and grammar or spelling errors should be taught to students.
-Distinguish real from “fake news”: Teaching students how to distinguish real from fake news is very important so that when they are online inside or outside the class they wont be fooled by headlines or titles of videos. In the YouTube video by John spencer, he mentioned the five C’s to teach our students in digital literacy.

–Using the internet safely: Students should be aware of the fundamentals of online safety, including how to respect others online, protect accounts with strong passwords and how to keep private personal information. Teachers have the option to delve deeper and instruct students on topics like managing their digital footprint, online bullying, and scams.