slfolen-blog

[slfolen-blog]

Just as we would not traditionally assume that someone is literate if they can read but not write, we should not assume that someone possesses media literacy if they can consume but not express themselves.

Henry Jenkins, Convergence Culture: When Old and New Media Collide

[slfolen-blog]

In this article, high school English teacher and Instructional Technology Coach Brianna Crowley questions why schools need to teach digital literacy--especially when children are often considered more digitally literate than adults. Before discussing why digital literacy needs to be taught however, it must be defined. Crowley quotes the New York Department of Education’s definition of digital literacy:

“... having the knowledge and ability to use a range of technology tools for varied purposes ... [digitally literate people] use(ing) technology strategically to find and evaluate information, connect and collaborate with others, produce and share original content, and use the Internet and technology tools to achieve many academic, professional, and personal goals.”

The idea that children understand what it means to navigate the digital world because it has been around their whole lives is referred to as“digital native.” While those who came before the proliferation of the Internet, smartphones, and social media, myself included, are considered “digital immigrants.” Crowley argues against this mindset and refers to research that claims the “digital native” theory is incorrect; children require just as much instruction with digital literacy as with traditional literacy and educators need to “define essential skills,” taking into account children’s stages of development.

Crowley makes another point when she cites Danah Boyd’s piece from Time, “Let Kids Run Wild,” who describes society’s response to children and technology as “fear-based and reactive.” Rather than guide our children and teach them how to appropriately use digital tools, we’ve focused on protecting them. This is what I have done in my own home with parental controls on all our devices and by constantly monitoring my children’s usage. Sometimes in an effort to protect, we unintentionally leave our children at a disadvantage when we don’t prepare them for the responsibilities they will face in the future. Crowley makes a sobering statement when she says, “If instead of opportunities we see monsters, teachers and parents miss a chance to help children find their way in a digital world.”

[slfolen-blog]

This article from readwrite by Sarah Perez describes the results from a study out of Northwestern University that was published in the International Journal of Communication. The study is from 2010 and the participants are college students, but I think it is a good example of what happens when children are not properly instructed in digital literacy. More than 1,000 first-year college students from the University of Illinois, Chicago were surveyed on their web search habits. The most alarming outcome was student’s reliance on search engine rankings. Perez quotes one participant’s response when asked what a certain website was, “Oh, I don’t know. The first thing that came up.” Additional findings showed neither the websites author nor credentials were indicated by an overwhelming majority of participants and they exhibited an emotional attachment to the search engine they used, Google being the most trusted.

I have been a college student for over four years now and one of the topics that continually comes up in course after course is how to find reliable information on the web. The first time I was told to look beyond the first page of search results I realized I was relying too heavily on the search engine to do the work for me. My 5th grader has a tendency to get sloppy and take shortcuts with her homework when she just wants to be done with it. If she were not taught digital literacy, I could easily see her doing the same when it comes to searching the web. This comes back to an element in the definition of digital literacy from the previous post, “use(ing) technology strategically to find and evaluate information.” Teaching children digital literacy is more than just showing them how to use digital tools, it is teaching them how to use them critically and responsibly so they do not end up in their first year of college dependent on a search engine to tell them what information is important.

[slfolen-blog]

If every student in the public education system was provided a laptop or tablet would they become digitally literate? According to Nicole Mirra, assistant professor of English education at the University Texas at El Paso, the answer is no. A device is merely a device and can only do what it is told to do. That is why Mirra argues, “Devices don’t make the learning, strong pedagogy does.” In an attempt to ensure equitable access, school districts have rolled out initiatives to get devices into the hands of every student. A problem arises however, when teachers are not provided with “. . . sustained, meaningful, professional development . . . so that they can create strong, technology-enriched pedagogy.”

Mirra cites research which found most teachers are apprehensive about the usefulness of technology in the classroom, as well as how to incorporate it into their teaching. The assumption that because teachers use these technologies in their private lives means they can incorporate them seamlessly into curriculum is false. That is why Mirra developed a course for English teachers based on the idea that it is not access to the tools themselves, but rather how they, “. . . open up opportunities to increase access to and participation in academic, professional, and civic life for all young people.”

Not long ago, I spoke with an elementary school teacher who told me the way math is taught in public schools is not how she remembers it as a child. Sometimes she feels she is learning right along with her students. Hearing this made me understand why a teacher may not be too thrilled to bring new technology into their classroom. For teacher’s to be put in a position where they have to learn how to teach something while they are actually teaching it is an unrealistic expectation. As Mirra notes, “. . . devices do not magically transform learning.” 

[slfolen-blog]

There can be infinite uses of the computer and of new age technology, but if teachers themselves are not able to bring it into the classroom and make it work, then it fails.

Nancy Kassebaum, Kansas State Representative 1978-1997

[slfolen-blog]

So far I have defined digital literacy and explained how it goes beyond merely putting devices into student’s hands. Another essential component is digital citizenship, defined by Kelly Mendoza, senior director of learning and engagement for Common Sense Education as,

“. . . a set of skills focused on behaving safely, thinking critically, and participating responsibly in the digital world. These are 21st-century skills that are essential for students to be able to communicate, collaborate, think critically, and create effectively with technology.”

Mendoza proposes implementing the “whole-community approach” to foster a culture of digital citizenship. She explains it is much more than simply providing quality instructional materials or having students sign an acceptable use policy. Creating a culture of digital citizenship depends on administrators, faculty, teachers, students, and parents dedication to, “using technology responsibly, safely, and ethically.” Integrating technology into schools is an arduous task, with challenges like “cyberbully, online oversharing, privacy violations, and evaluating trustworthy information.” For effective integration, these problems must be addressed through digital citizenship.

I learned from an elementary school teacher that the reason she does not assign many class projects is because parents complain. As a single mother, I can understand this attitude, especially when it turns from student project to parent project. However, the more I research this topic, the more I realize how important it is to be involved in teaching my children how to be responsible digital citizens. The great thing about the “whole-community approach” is that all members are involved in the instruction and modeling of appropriate behavior. In addition, when students receive a consistent message from all sides, the lessons are more likely to stick.

[slfolen-blog]

[slfolen-blog]

In my research for this project, I’ve frequently come across articles about using blogs in the classroom.  This particular article, “Blogging? It’s Elementary, My Dear Watson!” proposes that blogging is not just for middle school and high school students, but also has a place in elementary classrooms. The author, Lorrie Jackson, cites research on the benefits of students having an audience for their’ writing, “Research has long shown that students write more, write in greater detail, and take greater care with spelling, grammar, and punctuation, when they are writing to an authentic audience over the Internet.” She also suggests students are more interested in writing when their work is published online and subject to comments.

Blogging in the classroom is one of my favorite tools for introducing children to digital literacy. It teaches students to write in a digital format and encourages them to consider how their writing may be received by a larger audience. There are blogging websites and software available specifically for educators that provide the structure and safety teachers need to incorporate blogging into their classroom. One of them is kidblog, which offers great ideas for blog topics like creative writing, math problem solving, book club, and science notebook. 

[slfolen-blog]

[slfolen-blog]

The sentiment that using something children are already engaged in to educate them is not always a good idea. However, when it comes to video games, it may be a brilliant one. Much of the attention on video games is focused on the violence of some games, but according to Forbes, there is only one of these games on the list of top five bestselling video games of all-time. The other four (in order of sales) are Tetris, Minecraft, Wii Sports, and Mario Bros. The Nintendo Wii is often thought of as the most family friendly of the gaming consoles – which is one reason we have one in our home – and even though it was released over ten years ago, it is still a good example of how to use video games for education.

According to edutopia contributing editor Laila Weir, “Ongoing research shows that students learn more quickly and easily with instruction across multiple modalities or through a variety of media.” First grade teacher David Brantley from West Lafayette, Indiana uses the Wii to teach his students about weather and geography. He also uses sports games like Wii Golf and Wii Baseball to teach students how to record and chart data. At the same school, a kindergarten teacher and third grade teacher brought their classes together for some Wii bowling and incorporated math activities to teach double digit addition and mental math. Another kindergarten teacher uses Wii’s Big Brain Academy to teach logic and math by solving problems that require counting, recognizing patterns, and size comparisons.

I remember how much I looked forward to playing Oregon Trail and Carmen Sandiego when I was in elementary school. The best thing about using video games in education is that they motivate children to participate in learning activities they may normally balk at. One of the kindergarten teachers tells of a student who did not want to be in school because it was work, but once she began using the Wii, he was happy to join in with the other students. There can be pitfalls if video games are not implemented into curriculum properly, but there are many games available specifically for the classroom to avoid this. For instance, iCivics is a computer game which teaches students about politics and government. Video games can be a great teaching tool to engage students and may even be the best way to reach the most reluctant learners.

[slfolen-blog]

I spoke with an elementary school teacher who majored in history and asked her why schools no longer teach much about history and government. It was disheartening to hear her respond that most of the focus goes to subjects students will be tested on. In a previous post I mentioned iCivics, a computer game that teaches students about civic engagement. iCivics was founded by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in 2009, with the goal of “restor(ing) civic education in our nation’s schools.” iCivics allows students to assume the role of a judge, member of congress, community activist, or the president and perform jobs like arguing a court case or running a campaign in a real-world environment. Some of the topics covered are the constitution, branches of government, citizenship, politics, and international affairs. The games are designed to be played in a single class period, but some take only ten minutes. They can be played 1 on 1, in a group, or an entire class and can also be assigned as homework for students to play at home.

Besides the obvious educational and motivational benefits, iCivics has made the game user friendly for teachers. It includes both PDF and PowerPoint instructions, pre- and post- discussion questions, and extension activities, as well as the ability to track students’ performance. And the icing on the cake, it’s free!  One teacher who uses iCivics explains that the game works for 21st century learners because it is goal oriented, provides immediate feedback, and inspires inquiry. Independent studies have shown iCivics to be effective, even when accounting for gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic status. A study out of Baylor University of 4th to 11th graders showed a significant mean increase in scores from pretest to post test, with the greatest increase in 4th graders whose scores practically doubled. The focus on test scores in not a topic I will get into, but I will say it is unfortunate that some subjects are becoming extinct. Fortunately, games like iCivics provide a way to teach traditional subjects, motivate and engage students, and produce great results for any student.

[slfolen-blog]

[slfolen-blog]