Digital Literacy 2020-2021

Lazonder, Walraven, Gijlers and Janssen (2019) found that acquisition of digital literacy skills was unrelated to success in reading or math; however, students from a lower socioeconomic background had more difficulty acquiring the digital literacy skills related to creating and transforming information.

Using a digital literacy performance assessment, Jin, Reichert, Cagason, de la Torre, and Law (2020) found that secondary students demonstrated higher digital literacy scores than elementary students. Elementary students did not show a gender difference in performance; however, as students entered secondary schools, boys tended to outperform girls demonstrating a higher level of digital literacy.

According to Carter, Rice, Yang, and Jackson (2020), teachers can support students’ distance learning through well-structured lessons that provide pacing support, monitored engagement with structured materials, and support for families.

Digital literacy and by extension distance learning requires agency on the part of the teacher and student that includes motivation and self-regulation skills. According to Carter, Rice, Yang, and Jackson (2020), teachers can support students’ distance learning through well-structured lessons that provide pacing support, monitored engagement with structured materials, and support for families.

Carter Jr, R. A., Rice, M., Yang, S., & Jackson, H. A. (2020). Self-regulated learning in online learning environments: strategies for remote learning. Information and Learning Sciences.

Improving Digital Literacy

Schools have been forced to move to online instruction for the majority of the school year due to the pandemic; however, teachers and students have struggled with the new reality because of the limited use of technology prior to the pandemic. The following mini-lessons give teachers and students the opportunity to learn a new platform, practice it and improve their confidence while teaching and learning online.

Materials Needed: Chromebook, computer or ipad for each student, teacher-prepared instructional video, links for students. Knowledge of how to use Linoit.com. This is a platform that uses a bulletin board and sticky tabs to demonstrate learning, have discussions, practice skills etc.

Lesson 1- Linoit.com is a great tool to use with students so that they can engage with the teacher and other students. In this first lesson, the teacher will prepare a video that explains what it is and how to navigate the platform. Students will watch the video and then email the teacher with one of two responses: they understand how to get started or they do not understand, adding specific questions they may have. The video shows students three ways to engage on the platform. For this first lesson, the teacher will respond to the students’ email with a link to the platform. Students will be asked to add a post with their name and a fun fact about themselves. Once everyone has posted, they will be able to go back to the platform and see each student and what they had posted. If the teacher sees that a student has not posted or is struggling to make the first post, he or she will contact the students and provide support. Example of the first task: See Below

Lesson 2- This lesson will help students expand their knowledge of the platform by teaching them how to add a picture to the board. The teacher will record and post another video explicitly showing the students how to add a picture sticky next to their introduction sticky. The teacher will then have the students go to the platform to do that and view their classmates pictures as well. Students will be asked to join a Google meet after they have completed the task. They will discuss the ease or difficulty of performing the task. This also gives students who cannot figure it out the opportunity to collaborate with others to learn how to navigate this task. Example of second task: See Below

Lesson 3- This lesson will show students how to add videos or documents to the board that they are all sharing. The teacher will record and post another video explicitly showing the students how to add a YouTube video and a word document or PDF to the area that has their other stickies. The teacher will then have the students go to the platform to do that and view their classmates videos and documents as well. Students will be asked to join a Google meet after they have completed the task. They will discuss the ease or difficulty of performing the task. This also gives students who cannot figure it out the opportunity to collaborate with others to learn how to navigate this task. Example of third task: See Below

Who do these activities help?

These activities help students and the teacher build a shared understanding of the digital literacy needed for this platform. By using well-structured lesson plans that provide pacing, repetition, and support, students are able to increase their understanding of the new platform that they will use in the future for other bigger or more content appropriate tasks. The use of a general or basic set of lesson plans in the beginning, builds students awareness of what will be necessary to be successful using this platform. These lesson plans will also build a teacher’s awareness of students understanding of the platform so that they can provide the proper mediational support when needed. This will limit the confusion of whether or not a student is struggling due to the content or the platform. If a teacher is certain that students really understand how to navigate the platform, they will be able to focus more on the content learning of students while using the platform.

Ways to Modify

Tomlinson (2005) describes the importance of being proactive rather than reactive. If teachers plan for a variety of pathways for students to be successful and are flexible, students will be more likely to be successful in their learning and development. The beauty of the lessons in this tool kit is that students are able to respond individually and in person (via Google meet) to ask questions and validate their understanding. However, there may be students who still need more support. This is a point where teachers can work one-on-one with a student or they could ask a student who is confident in using the platform to pair up virtually with another student to help them understand how to use the platform better. If a student is still struggling, the teacher could make another video that would walk them through each step very slowly.

Tomlinson, C. A. (2005). Traveling the road to differentiation in staff development. Journal of Staff Development, 26(4), 8.