Zelia Attaway M2.2 Blog- How New Literacies are Relevant to Us
The two readings I chose were “Digital Literacy” and “Improving Digital Practice for Literacy, Learning, and Justice.” Both articles discuss how media and technology can be beneficial to education when used intentionally and effectively.
In the article “Digital Literacy,” the author explains that digital literacy must be taught in a meaningful and structured way. The article highlights the importance of students and teachers developing skills in basic computer use, network literacy, digital problem-solving, and information and media literacy. Each of these areas plays a critical role in classroom instruction. I agree with the author that students must learn how to use technology correctly—not only for academic purposes, but as an essential life skill.
The article states, “A National Skills Coalition study concerning the foundational skills required to perform entry-level service work reported that 73% of workers in these positions lacked digital problem-solving skills” (Bergson-Shilcock, 2017, p. 9). This statistic made me reflect on when digital skills are actually being taught. When do we start teaching students how to properly use a computer or the internet? When do we teach them how to evaluate reliable sources or research a topic using effective questioning? There is often an assumption that students already know how to use technology simply because they are surrounded by it, but this may not be true.
Another statistic that stood out to me was: “Although all but 10% of Americans use the internet, those who do not have internet access at home tend to have less than a secondary education and live in households earning less than $30,000 a year” (Anderson, Perrin, Jiang, & Kumar, 2019). While this information is shocking, it also highlights the strong correlation between access to technology and educational and economic opportunities. This reinforces the importance of teaching digital skills early and equitably. I would use the article “Tips for Teaching Digital Skills” to support teachers and LTAs, as I believe that once educators are comfortable with technology, they can more effectively teach students how to use it appropriately in the classroom.
The article “Improving Digital Practice for Literacy, Learning, and Justice” emphasizes that technology should support literacy instruction rather than replace it. I appreciated this message because it reinforces that while media and technology can enhance learning, they cannot replace foundational literacy skills. The article explains how people regularly move between digital and nondigital spaces, stating that “many people today move fluidly across digital and nondigital resources,” combining face-to-face interactions with digital tools to create multimodal products (p. 2). This demonstrates how technology and in-person learning can work together to reach broader audiences and deepen understanding.
The discussion about cell phone use strongly resonated with me, especially given current policies in New York State. In my school, students are required to keep their phones put away, and teachers and support staff are also prohibited from using their phones during the school day. However, administrators—including principals, assistant principals, and deans—are permitted to have and use their phones. The article addresses this imbalance, noting that strict phone policies often mirror working-class job environments, while higher-paying professions allow greater flexibility and expect employees to remain digitally connected (p. 5). This raises important questions about how school policies prepare students for real-world expectations.
Rather than removing technology from classrooms entirely, this article argues for teaching students how to use it responsibly and effectively. Doing so helps prepare students to be college-ready and marketable in a rapidly evolving workforce.
Last week, I attended a professional development session focused on media use in the classroom, and I was excited to share what I learned in this course. During the session, various educational apps were introduced to support instruction. I emphasized that teachers must explore and understand these apps before introducing them to students. As a result, we divided the apps among four groups so each group could explore them more deeply. In two weeks, we will reconvene to discuss our findings and determine when and how to introduce these tools to students in ways that enrich instruction and promote meaningful learning.
References
American Institutes for Research. (Year). Digital literacy. Teaching the Skills ThatMatter. https://www.air.org/sites/default/files/TSTMDigitalLiteracyBrief-508.pdf
I feel that often professional development can feel unproductive, but the one that you planned out seems to have great value in the classroom! Teachers should always be looking for ways to improve their instruction and curriculum, and introducing the class to new programs is a great way to do this. Engagement and exploration are not only important for students learning the website, but also for teachers during professional development. I am sure that you saw great success in this meeting.
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