June 14- Increasing Digital Literacy

Being digitally literate is becoming increasingly important in today’s online world. The website PowerSchool defines digital literacy as

the ability to evaluate, utilize, share, and create content using online resources including eBooks, websites, social media, and videos

From: My PowerSchool
3Es of Technology Integration - Mrs. Beck's Portfolio
Photo by: Mrs. Beck’s Portfolio on Google Sites

As an educator, teaching students the skills in order to be digital literate is crucial in supporting their learning and identity online. There are many ways to incorporate the teachings of digital literacy through a variety of subject areas. PowerSchool website provides skill areas to teach students in the classroom to improve digital literacy skills. These areas include:

-Teaching how to properly cite sources and copyrighted material

-Understanding the difference between real and fake news

-Participate in online communities through apps or games

-Being able to identify relevant images and videos

-Understand how wording can affect bias of ideas

How Cognitive Bias Can Affect Buying Behaviour - Adcock Solutions
Photo by: Adcock Solutions on Google Images

An example of a lesson regarding the idea of words creating bias in the online world is linked here. Katherine Koskie created a worksheet for students to conduct some research online by searching for specific news articles and finding words in these articles that suggest bias towards an idea instead of just listing facts. It is important for students to be aware of bias language so they can understand and differentiate between facts and ideas. This assignment is easy to access and students can access this assignment through google docs and input their information right into their own document.

NCTE Goals

The National Council of Teachers of English have developed a framework of goals for increasing digital literacy skills for all ages. The goals range from participating effectively but also critically in online networks to recognizing multicultural literacy identities and languages. These goals are broad ideas that are important to include in teachings focusing on digital literacy. Teachers can incorporate these goals into lessons involving technology because as a digital citizen, these are skills that we should constantly be using and following. For example, while having students do a research project, teach them the difference between real and fake news and being able to have a critical lens on signs that suggest content to be fake.

Real and Fake News in Grade 6

There are many ways to teach the difference between real and fake news. However, it can be more challenging with younger students. I chose to focus on grade 6 as this is a common age and grade where students start conducting research and writing papers including research content.

A great introduction lesson to real and fake news can include the quiz called Break the Fake: News either as a whole class together or in smaller groups. This quiz focuses on social media posts, which most students this age are familiar with and includes images where students and teacher can discuss why the post is either real or fake. The quiz is very easy to access and use.

Curricular connections to the lesson(s) of real and fake news from the Saskatchewan Curriculum include connections to the health curriculum and english language arts curriculum of decision making or articles with content about identity, healthy relationships, personal standards and goals.

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