Literacy in a Digital World

This week we took a deeper look into Digital Literacy. Similar to the “Digital Fluency” element of digital citizenship we explored in the past, Digital Literacy is defined by The American Library Association as “the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills.”. According to the National Council of Teachers of English, Digitally Literate people 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 contexts;
  • 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 so as 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 (e.g., dialect, jargon, register).

In order to “participate effectively”, “engage critically”, “promote culturally sustaining communication, and “counter unproductive narratives”, users must have the ability to differentiate between real and fake content. This is an incredibly important aspect for our students to understand if we want them to be able to navigate, and exist in the digital world.

According to the video “Helping Students Identify Fake News with the Five C’s of Critical Consuming” studies have shown that only 25% of high school students were able to identify real news stories. Digital tools allow anyone to create fake, but convincing messages in order to achieve any number of desired outcomes including sowing division and generated views and revenue. This is concerning considering the quantity of false or misleading information that is presented as facts in the digital world. In fact, studies show that misinformation gets more traffic than real news, as discussed in the article “Developing Critical Literacies: What We Need to Know in a “Fake News” World”.

So how can we help students safely navigate the internet? One way to start is to teach them about the different types of misinformation. This can be done using models like the ones created by Claire Wardle or Media Literacy for Citizenship. (Shown below)

7 Types of Mis- and Disinformation found here.
10 Types of Misleading News found here.

After students have an idea of what types of misinformation there are they still need to be able to identify it. As a future middle year teacher, the students in my classroom will most likely have plenty of exposure to misinformation online. One strategy that students could be taught to help evaluate online sources is the “5 C’s method”

  • Context – look at context
    • Credibility – does the site have a reputation? Sources?
    • Construction – what is the bias? Loaded words? Omissions? Speculation?
    • Corroboration – check with other credible sources
    • Compare – what are other credible sources saying? Check other viewpoints

One Connection that could be made to the grade 7 curriculum would be the ELA outcome CR7.7.

CR7.7: Read independently and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of specialized information texts including non-fiction books, grade-level instructional materials, articles, reports, reference materials, instructions, advertising and promotional materials, and websites.

With this outcome you could emphasize the importance of digital literacy when viewing information texts online. After practicing strategies to identify fake content students search out their own articles, or be provided with them, and as part of their comprehension identify whether they believe the article is real or not. With notable connections to indicators:

  • (c)           Read to complete inquiry/research using online resources, reference books, periodicals, and pamphlets. Cite sources of information.
  • (i)           Recognize author’s point of view and reason for choosing it.
  • (k)          Reflect on and support personal and critical response with reference to text.

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