I chose two articles on digital literacy for this assignment. One discussed digital literacy development for adults, while the other discussed digital practices for literacy, learning and justice in the classroom. Each approached the subject of digital literacy from different perspectives.
“Digital literacy proficiency is needed to fully participate in economic, civic, work, and daily life in the United States.” (Digital Literacy This Brief, n.d.)
Working within elementary education, it is easy to narrowly focus on their current needs. However, when considering their future, it is vital to recognize future demands and expectations they may encounter as adults entering the workplace.
I think sometimes I forget to consider the goals and needs addressed simply by allowing the students opportunities to use technology in their everyday learning. Students are more engaged and motivated to learn when technology is involved. Some of the school specific learning apps, however, are not enough to keep the students engaged. Perhaps the question, when considering educational apps, is what skills do students need and will benefit from learning?
Rather than invest resources, energy, and professional development on individual tools, responsive digital instruction today must focus on the contexts of literacies that are used. To this extent, classroom technology uses should more clearly mirror the kinds of work environments that we expect students to eventually encounter. (LITERACY LEADERSHIP BRIEF Improving Digital Practices for Literacy, Learning, and Justice More than Just Tools, n.d.)
As a teacher, how does digital literacy affect my workplace experience? What skills are necessary to complete my role as a teacher? The past few years I have had the opportunity to learn or relearn various technologies uses in the classroom. I have learned many skills in the past few years out of necessity, while others I have spent time learning to enhance learning in the classroom. Most recently, I have been learning how to create Google slides for our class's morning meeting. I feel more comfortable and confident the more time I spend learning skills I can implement in the classroom and my everyday life. I feel a sense of accomplishment with each hurdle I am able to accomplish with digital literacy.
References:
Digital Literacy This Brief. (n.d.). https://www.air.org/sites/default/files/TSTMDigitalLiteracyBrief-508.pdf
LITERACY LEADERSHIP BRIEF Improving Digital Practices for Literacy, Learning, and Justice More Than Just Tools. (n.d.). https://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/default-source/where-we-stand/ila-improving-digital-practices-literacy-learning-justice.pdf
Hi Heidi,
ReplyDeleteAs a fellow first year special education teacher who is still figuring this all out, I wanted to recommend an amazing tool that I use in my classroom! I used to use slides until I discovered this and I fell in love. I am teaching 6th grade so I don't have morning meetings but I use "Classroom Screen" daily for my "do now" / "agenda" and getting the kiddos started for the day. I also use it to have directions displayed. It's a huge help for executive functioning and has so many useful tools that are free :)
Thank you, Jenna! I just checked it out and it looks like something I would love as well. I have been using ActivInspire for the students' lunch choices. It was set up by the teacher before me. I've played around just enough to edit and add items to that particular board, and how to pin the main menu on the board to use as a whiteboard, but that's about it. Other teachers in my building us it in their classrooms.
DeleteHeidi,
ReplyDeleteYour passion for teaching and improving really shines in your last paragraph. I can almost feel it.
Special Education is a horse of a different color. We have to be well versed in so many different areas to effectively help our students. The use of classroom technology is such a game changer and trying to figure out the best way to implement it in the classroom to effectively support our students takes time, patience and practice. Kudos to you for continuously working to improve upon it!
Hi Heidi. Like you, I spend time learning new technologies or expanding on what I already know in order to enhance my instruction. I try to take advantage of the asynchronous technology PD's that are offered through my district and most recently completed training in Magic School AI and Edpuzzle.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to share a way that we use Google slides in my classroom. The 15:1 team all use the same "Rainbow Planner". The first slide is the "cover" with the weeks dates on it and each slide after is for a day of the week. On the right side of the slide I add a picture or gif that has to do with the day's lesson, with the learning objective typed beneath it. Then on the right the hw is posted as well as what we will be doing for the day. I add the links to any media that I will be using here as well. It is a great resource for parents and students to refer to if they are absent and need to make up work and since all of the content area teachers use the same format it is consistent for our shared students.