Over two classes in the first couple of weeks of October, the Elementary cohort got the opportunity to experience two guest lectures from Science World- Coding Unplugged and Math and Computational Thinking. During this time, we were asked to think about the importance of digital literacy but first I had to gain a clearer understanding of what digital literacy truly is and means. Digital literacy is defined by Western Sydney University as “having the skills you need to live, learn, and work in a society where communication and access to information is increasingly through digital technologies like internet platforms, social media, and mobile devices.” According to Western Sydney University, digital literacy involves three key aspects: communication, practical skills, and importance in the professional world. Good communication skills including logical descriptions of ideas, asking appropriate questions, and upholding an environment that is respectful and trusting are just as important in the digital world as they are in the real world. Practicality, in terms of using technology to access and manage information in a moral and renewable way, is important to maintain in digital literacy. This can be a challenge at times due to the rapid and continuous updates and changes to technology we are experiencing in modern societies. Also, digital literacy is important in the professional world because many business-like interactions now occur online and one needs to know how to manage these interactions in an appropriate manner.
The importance of having digital literacy was never more apparent than it was at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. COVID-19 was declared a pandemic on March 11th, 2020 and schools, workplaces, sports facilities, workout classes, and much more were forced to shut down in-person gatherings due to a “state of alarm” being implemented just a week later. Because this all happened so fast, only the teachers who were digitally adept were able to transition to an online format and continue teaching with minimal to no trouble. Those teachers who struggled with technology had their classes interrupted and cancelled for weeks as they tried to navigate what was going to happen during this difficult time. When it became clear that school would not be returning to its original format and that it would be mandatory to finish the 2020 school year online, it was only then that digitally challenged teachers had to work with their local district supports to figure out a plan to finish the rest of the school year online.
It is important for me to have digital literacy as a future teacher because I want to be prepared in case anything like when the events of the COVID-19 pandemic forced everyone to go online for education were to ever happen to me. If that were to happen, I would want the transition to be as seamless as possible and I would not want to lose any instructional time. Along with this reason, digital literacy is important for me to have because there are many different types of technology used in a classroom today that I want to be able to know how to use efficiently (e.g. Smartboards, projectors, document cameras, etc.). ResourcEd states that digital literacy is important to teach to students in the classroom because it teaches students to become digital citizens that are responsible for the way they use technology as a way to connect to the world around them. It also states that teaching digital literacy teaches six core skills: collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, citizenship, character, and communication. Teaching students about online safety and about critically analyzing what they find online can help to protect them from the online environment that can quickly become a toxic and potentially dangerous environment in society today. I will continue to keep this information in my mind as I further develop my digital literacy skills.
Sources Used- https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/studysmart/home/study_skills_guides/digital_literacy/what_is_digital_literacy file:///C:/Users/julsl/Downloads/sustainability-13-01858-v2.pdf https://resourced.prometheanworld.com/digital-literacy-classroom-important/
