Incorporating Digital Literacy Skills into Instruction
In ECI 546, New Literacy Media, we learned about the importance of incorporating new literacies into the classroom. In chapter two of the New Literacies text, Tribuzzi and Fisher (2014) write, “We have an obligation to continue to build the traditional foundations of literacy, but we must simultaneously develop literacy in other areas: technological literacy; information literacy; media, global, and social literacy; and more” ( p. 25). In other words, we cannot do away with traditional formats completely, but need to teach our kids how these formats have evolved over time, and how to adequately navigate these new areas. It is for this reason that I decided to undertake a research project in which students would use the traditional literacy formats for researching and synthesizing information, and link these traditional formats with aspects of digital literacy.
In conducting research for their projects, students had to learn how to evaluate internet sources for credibility and bias. They had to use digital tools to collaboratively draft and edit their papers and they published the final products on their student blogs. In addition, students were required to use images and hyperlinks in their blogs, thus furthering their digital literacy skills.
In an earlier action research project conducted during my ECI 546 course, I had found that even when given choices in the technology used, students will often resist the unfamiliar. Sometimes, I assume that because students have grown up surrounded by technology, that they are comfortable with every aspect of it, however, their actions in this earlier project showed me that this is not the case. Much like teachers, students also get frustrated when they are learning how to use a new tool and would prefer to use a tool with which they already are familiar. As their teacher, it is my job to guide students through using these new tools, but also teach them how to problem solve when they hit roadblocks in technology. This means we can’t simply do something for them, even though sometimes it’s easier to do this. Instead, we need to guide them through reasoning it out on their own. We also have to push students to make the “risky” choice when it comes to technology. This may mean limiting their access to familiar tools and requiring students to use something they aren’t familiar with. The more opportunities they have to learn new platforms, the more easily they will be able to navigate through the new tools they are introduced to in the future.
When students were asked to create their blogs using the Weebly platform, most were completely unfamiliar with this technology platform and therefore hesitant to use it. Many students wondered why they couldn't simply share their papers with me on Google Docs. Using what I had learned through my ECI 546 project, I knew that I would need to act as a facilitator with this new technology tool, helping them to problem solve and teaching them how to use this new platform. Early on in the process, I identified a few "expert" students who seemed to pick up the tool quickly. I used them to help other students troubleshoot issues they had in creating their blogs and posting to their blogs.This process became a valuable learning experience for the students and helped them to increase their digital literacy skills.
In conducting research for their projects, students had to learn how to evaluate internet sources for credibility and bias. They had to use digital tools to collaboratively draft and edit their papers and they published the final products on their student blogs. In addition, students were required to use images and hyperlinks in their blogs, thus furthering their digital literacy skills.
In an earlier action research project conducted during my ECI 546 course, I had found that even when given choices in the technology used, students will often resist the unfamiliar. Sometimes, I assume that because students have grown up surrounded by technology, that they are comfortable with every aspect of it, however, their actions in this earlier project showed me that this is not the case. Much like teachers, students also get frustrated when they are learning how to use a new tool and would prefer to use a tool with which they already are familiar. As their teacher, it is my job to guide students through using these new tools, but also teach them how to problem solve when they hit roadblocks in technology. This means we can’t simply do something for them, even though sometimes it’s easier to do this. Instead, we need to guide them through reasoning it out on their own. We also have to push students to make the “risky” choice when it comes to technology. This may mean limiting their access to familiar tools and requiring students to use something they aren’t familiar with. The more opportunities they have to learn new platforms, the more easily they will be able to navigate through the new tools they are introduced to in the future.
When students were asked to create their blogs using the Weebly platform, most were completely unfamiliar with this technology platform and therefore hesitant to use it. Many students wondered why they couldn't simply share their papers with me on Google Docs. Using what I had learned through my ECI 546 project, I knew that I would need to act as a facilitator with this new technology tool, helping them to problem solve and teaching them how to use this new platform. Early on in the process, I identified a few "expert" students who seemed to pick up the tool quickly. I used them to help other students troubleshoot issues they had in creating their blogs and posting to their blogs.This process became a valuable learning experience for the students and helped them to increase their digital literacy skills.