PED 3119 Blog #1
Topic: Based on your readings and our discussions in class so far, what questions do you still have about digital literacies and the methods of instruction that you can use to support digital literacies learning?
I think in order to begin it is important to highlight the key concepts of digital literacy, which all breaks down ones ability to use, understand and create in order to be able to participate in a digital society. The following infograpgic does a fantastic jobs breaking down the important elements that fall under each category:
In my time spent so far in the classroom (both as a student and an educator) I feel that I have learned an immense amount about the importance of technology and becoming digitally literate. While it is thrilling and intriguing to learn about this entire other world, I am still weary of a few things when it comes to integrating the digital world within a classroom.
First and foremost I feel that assessment is always a concern and an area of growth as a teacher candidate and a soon to be new teacher. I want to make sure that I am giving fair and valid assessments that can match up to the ever-evolving digital world.
Also in terms of students becoming digital citizens I am still wondering how to properly facilitate this process at every grade level. I want to be able to teach students how to act online and also how to react online to anything that may happen, but to also keep the balance and not make them scared to go on the Internet. I am still looking for proper tools to teach students that technology and the internet are important tools and need to be treated as such. The article titled Beyond Digital Citizenship by Lynn Mitchell (2016) provides a jumping off point for educators that are interested in empowering their students to become digital citizens.
The chart below helps to shows the relationship between pedagogy and technical use:
Taking this into account there are multiple areas that need to be considered when integrating these technologies into your daily teaching practice. I am curious as to guide students on their own inquiry when using technology. How do you monitor what they are viewing? How do you ensure that they are creating thoughtful and intriguing questions and then following through on their inquries?
During our class time we were lucky enough to have a Skype conversation with Amber White a literacy coach, teacher and Edtech enthusiast from Michigan (find her on Twitter @Awhite100). She spoke about Digital Wonder projects and how students are able to use online websites to document their inquiries. Digital Wonder project relates very closely to the Genius Hour projects that I have had experience with in my previous practicum. I found that student engagement levels were very high but a lot of them struggled to get started. I am still wondering how to engage those students but keep them on task or on topics. As well I would like to know how to encourage students to pick a specific question that is open ended and leaves room for research.
Overall while digital literacies might seem overwhelming at first I truly do believe that the benefits outweigh any questions that are on my mind. I know that with the amount of research and guidance I will be able to integrate these technologies into my future classroom!
Thanks for reading my first technology based blog, take a minute to look at the resources below!
Sites to Check Out:
Article on Amber White:
Digital Literacies Info:
Digital Literacies in the Classroom: http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2014/10/29/ctq_crowley_digitalliteracy.html
References:
Coiro, J., Castek, J., & Quinn, D. J. (2016). Personal Inquiry and Online Research. The Reading Teacher, 69(5), 483–492. http://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1450
Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. (2009, May). Too cool for school ? No Way ! Using the TPACK framework : You can have your hot tools and teach with them, too. Learning & Leading with Technology, ISTE.org.
Mitchell, L. (2016). Beyond Digital Citizenship. Middle Grades Review, 1(3). Retrieved from http://scholarworks.uvm.edu/mgreview/vol1/iss3/3
Picture References
Digital Literacy: http://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy-fundamentals/digital-literacy-fundamentals
Personal Digital Inquiry Framework: Coiro, J., Castek, J., & Quinn, D. J. (2016). Personal Inquiry and Online Research. The Reading Teacher, 69(5), 483–492. http://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1450
