The Do's and Don'ts of Digital Literacy

Digital Literacy has completely changed since I was a kid in my elementary, junior, and high school classrooms. Completely changed! Back in the early 2000s, the teacher still used the chalkboard and overhead slides. I think by the time Digital Literacy became a big component in the classroom, I was graduating high school. I attended schools such as the second school in the article, the school in which technology was not a big component of our learning due to the financial aspect. We had a Computer Room in the schools but the amount of computers were limited. However, whenever technology was used in the classroom, it was included in a major assignment.

The most notable components of the article were the list of Dos and Don'ts of Digital Literacy, specifically the Don'ts portion of the list. I can agree in some aspects about what teachers should not do in the classroom regarding Digital Literacy such as limiting students' creativity with Counting Slides. At this point, with so much Digital Literacy out there, teaching and assigning projects with PowerPoint has become outdated and simply, boring. However, I cannot agree on the sentiment of not criticizing Digitalk. Call me a traditionalist, but I cannot allow my students to use acronyms in their paper. I can see some assignments, letting the language slip, but not all assignments. Although I agree with using technology in the classroom, I cannot allow Digitalk to replace academic language.

Of course, Digital Literacy is necessary because we live in a Digital Age. Certain sites, like Mind-Mapping Sites, not only helps inside of the classroom but outside of the classroom. Loomio, for example, was a great tool that teachers and students can use at all grade levels to ensure that collaboration occurs. We talked a lot in class today about communication. I think it is necessary to have all forms of communication because communication can occur in various ways. Oral communication is required in the classroom but now we must include digital communication. Standards ensure that students are learning but we as teachers are not beholden to the standards. By that, I mean that teachers should not feel like standards are handicapping their teaching. I feel like standards are very general with their wording. With standards, there is room for challenge and creativity. Although the Technology Standards are lengthy, teachers have even more of an opportunity to diversify their digital learning.