Digital literacy is quite a
buzzword in education circles. Take a look at the promotional material of any
school in Singapore, and digital literacy is almost always a part of the
campaign. However, for those institutions that take digital learning seriously,
it is not all about just the use of interactive smart classes or ipads and
macbooks for homework assignments. As per Cornell University, digital literacy
is “the ability to find, evaluate, utilize, share, and create content using
information technologies and the Internet." Similar definitions are out
there explaining the concept in a couple of sentences, however Digital Literacy
is much more intricate.
It starts with access to basic
technology in the classrooms. It includes digital devices like laptops,
desktops, ipads etc for daily use in the classrooms. Being digitally literate
implies the similar ability to read and write, but sans the paper, pencil,
books and lectures. With use of personal e-devices in classrooms, having a
class internet page, a blog to discuss class activities, digital calendar of
upcoming events and the like is a given. A tool to assess a student’s learning
progress all this while, allows for up-to-date information at any point in time.
Education is going where students
are, and they are spending more time on social media. It can be a great place
to meet and discuss relevant topics. Schools are constantly increasing their
social media presence via facebook and twitter for the same reasons. Also, a
strong cloud computing support is inevitable in a digitally charged
environment. Being able to access lessons across devices and locations helps
students to seamlessly access their learning material and share it easily as
well. Collaboration is no longer restricted to being physically present in each
other’s company. With digital databases, students are able to collaborate with
much ease and efficiency.
With so much information
available online, how to act in a digital world is of great importance. Being
digitally literate also means how to be a responsible digital citizen and being
aware of one’s rights. It includes things like Cyberbullying, privacy and
content, online purchases and use of licenses, legality of online material and
digital footprints.
With the internet era, getting
hold of information is no longer a difficult task, but how to make use of all
the data at hand is of prime importance and a skill to learn. This is one of
the main motives of digital literacy. Locating, evaluating, using and adding
value to an existing information is a
part of the rich and interactive digital learning environment. Schools like the
Canadian
International School are known for their digital teaching and
learning aids in classrooms and beyond. The school is a Common Sense Digital
Citizenship Certified School and has adopted their Scope & Sequence: K-12 Digital
Citizenship Curriculum helping students stay safe and act
responsibly online. Digital literacy is
a great propeller to learning and is surely transforming the way educators are
taking lessons in classrooms(and beyond) and students are learning. With fast
paced changes in this landscape, it will be fascinating to experience what more
digitization in education brings in for the future generations.For
more information kindly visit canadian school
singapore
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