Creating Digital Learners
When you think about the term digital literacy, you may think that it just refers to one’s proficiency with technology; however, digital literacy is much more than that. Digital literacy is connected to so many other skills, and I think that is why it is so important today. I think that incorporating the use of technology into the classroom is very effective, as long as students know how to use technological tools properly. Nowadays, many schools have several technological resources to teach students about digital literacy; however, many of them don’t know how to use that technology in the most efficient manner. Students need to be taught how to critically consume information from reliable resources and summarize information that they come across rather than plagiarizing it. Furthermore, they need to realize that not everything that they see or read about online is true, and they need to be able to distinguish what is “fake news” and what is the truth.
Although using technology is great, we can’t let our students lose sight of the basic skills that they should all have, such as writing on paper. I don’t know how many times I have heard the excuse of “I can’t write my essay in class because I can’t think about what to write on paper. I need my laptop in order to write my essay.” Students should not be using this excuse as a way of not wanting to do work in class. This also demonstrates that school aged children today have built a reliance on technology. As educators, we need to ensure that we are using technology in the most effective ways, so that students become more technologically inclined, but not over reliant.
Even though many schools may have enough funds for technological tools, it is difficult for some schools to use technology in their classroom due to the lack of resources that are readily available. For that reason, teachers within those schools need to ensure that their students are given comparable learning opportunities in the absence of technology. For example, looking back on my practicums, I was placed in very different schools - from a low income school to a very well off school. One of my practicum placements was in a low income school where they had no technology at all. There was no computers in the classroom, no class set of iPads, or even computer labs. The only computers that students could use were all in the library, and there were only approximately 20 computers. This meant that not all students within one class could have a computer to themselves if they ever went to the library as a class. Teachers would also have to book out the computers in the library to use during class time, and due to the lack of computers in the school, it was very difficult to get computer time unless the teacher booked far in advance. Additionally, the majority of the students at that school were low SES, they didn’t even have access to a computer or printer at home to type up and print off any essays or assignments. For that reason, teachers at that school tried to avoid any assignments or activities that involved technology. Due to their SES, many of the students at that school didn’t have a cell phone because their families couldn’t afford one for them. Because of this fact, cellphone use in class was never a problem that I had to address with the students while I was there, and usually it is the biggest issue in classrooms today. This goes to show that incorporating technology into classrooms has both its pros and its cons.
Although using technology in the classroom can be beneficial, it can also be dangerous as well, and that is why so many students feel unsafe online. Online safety is a huge concern because there are so many incidents of bullying, identity theft, and sexting online for example. With an increased use in technology, the rates of cyberbullying has also risen, especially among school aged children. Because of this, students need to be taught how to use technology safely and appropriately. We, as educators, need to raise awareness for proper use of technology so that students don’t abuse the privilege that they have. If technology is used effectively for educational purposes than students will become digital learners and benefit greatly from it.
