What is digital literacy?

Digital literacy is the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills.

About this class

In this class we will be learning how to use Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides. We will learn about our digital footprint and our responsibility in Digital Citizenship. We will be introduced to the first steps of programming which is building a web site.

We will also be brushing up on our keyboarding skills trying to get better and faster. We will accomplish this by daily keyboarding warm-ups and bell ringers.

Expectations

Students are expected to try hard. Some have picked up many bad habits over the years and this class is designed to help replace these habits with good techniques. Keyboarding technique is very important to build speed and accuracy.

Keyboarding Techniques

1. Sit up straight. Slouching is not very good on your back.

2. Feet on the floor. Feet should be on the floor and maybe crossed at the ankle but not at the knee.

3. Elbows bent and wrist straight. Elbows slightly bent to the side in a comfortable position. Wrist should be straight and not bent or resting on the desk or laptop. (This causes Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.)

4. Hands hovering over home row. Fingers should be curved and hovering over the home row keys.

5. Eyes on Copy. Eyes should be focused on the material being typed and not on the fingers.

6. Position the keyboard so that the "B" key aligns with the belly button. Move the keyboard to the edge of the desk so that your wrists are not resting on the desk.

Practice. Practice. Practice.

Everything we do in our digital world requires typing skills from playing games to applying for a job. It also helps in memorization as well. I expect students to practice for an hour, at home, each week. Please keep track of it in the student planner. You know what they say about "Practice?" Practice makes perfect.

Plagiarism

We will learn the proper way to format a report so that we can avoid plagiarism. Plagiarism is when you take someone else's work and claim it as your own. This is also stealing. If you are caught plagiarizing you will receive a 0 (zero) on the assignment.