The first reading that I decided to reflect upon was
“Digital Literacy” by Jenifer Vanek. I found the section about the tips for
teaching digital literacy in your classroom to be the most interesting and
informative for me. For instance, prior to implementing technology into your
classroom, the students need to have a foundation built of their knowledge on
how to properly use the technology, the different components of the technology,
as well as the vocabulary present when using technology such as words like
‘backspace, shift’ or other keyboard keys that the students are going to have
to learn in order to use the technology to enhance their learning. As someone
that is in the field of early childhood education, we see the use of computers
in the classroom drastically increasing, so teaching the students in grades K-5th
how to properly use the computers will only help them later in life when they
enter high school and college, the article states that “Teachers should use
these technologies in their instructional programming so that learners can
become comfortable with them and to support learners’ transition to college and
careers” (Vanek, 2010), this statement implies that technology is just going to
continue to become more and more relevant in the students' lives as they grow up so they might as well
learn these skills early on to benefit them academically in the present time
but also set them up for success later in the future.
The
second reading that I wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on was
“Improving Digital Practices for Literacy, Learning, and Justice” made
available by the International Literacy Association in 2018. The portion named
‘recognizing limitations and improving classroom practices’ goes through some of the aspects of learning
that digital resources cannot achieve and one of those points was “Make school
more interesting, engaging, or exciting for students simply by having wireless
access or digital screens delivering curriculum”, although I do agree that
technology should not be the only way that curriculum is presented to students,
as I believe that hands on learning is very effective, but by adding technology
into the classroom I have seen firsthand how excited the students get when they
have the opportunity to use the computers. For example, when I was student
teaching in a 3rd grade classroom, the incorporation of the
computers made the students excited to learn and expand their reading and math
skills using programs such as i-ready. To make my statement clear, I think that
the technology should be used in addition to hands on learning practices, the
technology is there to help enhance the students' skills after they have learned
the topic but can also help to make learning fun at the same time.
Improving digital practices for literacy, learning, and Justice. (n.d.). https://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/default-source/where-we-stand/ila-improving-digital-practices-literacy-learning-justice.pdf
Vanek, J. (n.d.). Digital Literacy. https://www.air.org/sites/default/files/TSTMDigitalLiteracyBrief-508.pdf
Agreeing with your first paragraph, technology is very important and teachers do need to be literate. When I was in elementary school I can recall a teacher helping me create my first Google email which I still use today. I didn't understand it at the time and I thought it was boring but it has been highly important to me throughout the years. We are giving to the students what our teachers gave to us and I think it is a big responsibility.
ReplyDeleteHi Alexa!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the points you have made regarding implementing technology. Many times we think all students are well versed in technology use. Many times, students do not know how to utilize certain features of technology. In order to successfully implement technology, students need to be taught how to use technology. I feel that setting this foundation helps to develop essential skills for students. During COVID, many students and their families struggled to navigate online school due to lack of knowledge on technology. If schools had been teaching students how to use technology some of this stress could have been alleviated. Technology is prevalent in schools and education and will continue to be. Ensuring students know how to use this technology is essential.
Hello Alexa! I agree that Vanek's tips on incorporating Digital Literacy activities were informative. Moreover, I would argue the need for exposure to Digital Literacy goes far beyond keyboarding. Not only do we need to send our students into the real world with basic keyboarding skills, but we also need to send them with a foundational level of Informational Literacy. Vanek (2010) stated that most professionals need to be able to search for, evaluate, and present data in today's job market. Therefore, it is on us to help students grow in their understanding of a device and how to use it to complete tasks.
ReplyDeleteAlexa - I agree that incorporating digital tools to support skill acquisition, deepen knowledge, and develop 21st century abilities is an enhancement to curriculum and student engagement. I like how you mentioned hands-on learning because there is a body of research that supports child brain development when provided with opportunities to explore, innovate, manipulate, create and tinker. As educators, we need to be cautious about instructional practices becoming rote. While reading the same article, I reflected on my observations of primary students passively clicking away to get to an embedded, incentivized game and intermediate students bored with digital programs they've been using for years. I've witnessed students craving time to communicate, collaborate, and engage with teachers and peers in place of digital "learning" that feels stale. It's suggested "relationships are the fundamental core of a schooling experience" (International Library Association, 2018, p.5) which I believe is foundational to powerful pedagogies and instructional environments.
ReplyDeleteHave you experimented with finding ways to integrate digital tools alongside hands-on experiences with students?
ReplyDeleteHi Alexa!
I appreciate your reflections on both readings. You made an important point to address the need to build a strong foundation in digital literacy for young students. What age do you think we should start this at? I think students can start with the basics in maybe first grade and then keep learning more as they get older, this way students are well equipped to have long term success. Maybe you have a different idea on the age but I would love to hear your feedback on that and also what strategies do you think we should start off with to enhance their use? I do agree that technology shouldn’t replace hands-on learning, it’s hard nowadays to do anything without technology but I think getting back to the basics of hands-on learning is essential for student development.
Hi Alexa!
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said in the first paragraph about it never being too early to learn these basic skills. I truly believe that students who are learning these basic technology skills early in life are really set up for success by the time they reach high school. Learning the basic skills is really just one of the first building blocks that students continue building on throughout school and their lives.
Which leads me to my next thought, I absolutely agree that technology should not replace instruction from teachers. It is beneficial as a tool in the classroom but nothing more. When I student taught in 1st grade, they had ~15 minutes of iPad time a day and they couldn't use them during indoor recess. They would always get so excited to use them and you could tell which kids had devices at home and which kids didn't because the kids who did would navigate without a problem!