Digital Literacy

For one week I have charting my use of digital technologies including use of my cell, phone computers, and TV. While I don't spend much time actually watching TV, the TV is on a lot at my house to cartoons that entertain a toddler for short moments. I seem to be glued to a laptop or desktop computer a good portion of my day doing homework, research, writing lesson plans, checking facebook and pinterest every 5 minutes. I also spend time checking four email accounts that I have all for various purposes like school, personal, business, and one for junk. I also check various news websites to read and listen to local and national news. I use my cell phone a few times per day to text family, friends, and peers with questions or answers to questions. I do spend some time talking with my husband each day on the phone since we are away from each other during the day.

Using digital technology I can exchange texts with just about anyone. Pinterest is great because I get to pin ideas about cooking, crafting, homes, fashion, and other various things. I use facebook to connect with friends through sending messages, writing on walls, and commenting on posts and pictures. E-mail is such a handy tool in the digital technology world. I can submit assignments to professors. I can also do collaborative work with peers and colleagues through google docs.

So how does this relate to teaching? My students probably aren't spending quite as much time looking at a computer screen because they are in class each day, but they are sending text messages to their friends and maybe their family. Students also post everything to facebook. They are using digital technology in their each day. I know students are using other digital technologies like YouTube. Students know how to use digital technologies really well, and can even use some more efficiently and with more expertise than I can. Knowing this I can encourage my students to use these technologies to collaborate with their peers on assignments. I can encourage them to read about topics we are discussing in class so they can see practical application.

Other ways I can use digital technology in my classroom is to use digital technology to do my set inductions that get students excited about the topic for the day. When doing portfolios giving students a digital options that would meet the requirements gives them an opportunity to use technology. Teaching students how to find research articles they can use on projects and assignments gives them an opportunity gain skills they may not have. It took me a long time to be able to find and read research articles and actually understand them. This takes time and scaffolding, but students are smart and have the ability to do it.

I think there are so many ways to bring digital technologies into the classroom. I think that as a teacher it takes some trial an error for find what works for you and your students. It's not impossible and there is so much positive that can come from it. Best of all a teacher can connect with his/her students in less traditional ways and still get the same objectives and standards met!