What is Digital Literacy?

What is digital literacy, it can be defined as "the ability to access, analyse, evaluate and communicate digital information, using relevant digital tools in a manner which is legally, ethically and socially aware." (pp 261) (Morgan, Sibson, Jackson 2022) It is important for educators to instill these skills so students can later use as tools when seeking employment in the future. The world is evolving and technology is advancing the skills needed. Having the skills for "digital literacy includes the ability to adapt to changing legal, ethical and social situations." (pp 261) (Morgan, Sibson, Jackson 2022) Having digital literacy in a classroom can help to create an inclusive learning experience for all learners, students seem to be more engaged when they see that there is technology being used. Seeing that a majority of students are already exposed to the world of social technology through Facebook, Twitter and other social media areas. "Digital literacy involves the use and scrutiny of information and sources of information." (pp 260) (Morgan, Sibson, Jackson 2022) Along with teaching digital literacy comes the teaching of their responsibility, and showing them how decipher fact from fiction. Teaching students these skills is one of the biggest assessets you as an educator can give to your students, its a key that can unlock so many opportunities. To get the ball rolling administrators need to prioritize digital literacy as a professional development for all teachers. 

Reference:

Ashlee Morgan, Ruth Sibson & Denise Jackson (2022) Digital demand and digital deficit: conceptualising digital literacy and gauging proficiency among higher education students, Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 44:3, 258-275, DOI: 10.1080/1360080X.2022.2030275 

Contemporary and Modern Literacy

" While traditional literacy focuses primarily on the ability to read and write printed text, digital literacy encompasses the skills needed to navigate and interact with digital technologies, including finding, evaluating, and creating information online, using various digital tools, and critically assessing information found on the internet." (Google 2025) 

Contemporary literacy can be seen as writing activities, "through writing activities, students basically also experience the process of acquiring knowledge about what they write." (pp.28) (Lustyantie, N., Suriyati, Y., et al.) (2022) Writing is a skill that is used to communicate ideas in a critical way. Where "digital literacy can be seen as a co-factor that can influence students' writing skills and enable their work to be effective and efficient." I couldn't see myself looking through clips and journals to find the resources that I would need. It is so easy today that you can sit in the comfort of your own home and use the internet to complete searches in seconds. How you can use tools such as auto-correct to be clear of errors, and Grammarly for correct structure. Although my supportive article was a review of argumentative literature in older grades, the concepts "recommends more emphasis to be given on developing students cognitive, critical and argumentative skills in order to cope up with the challenges of digital literacy."  (pp34) (Lustyantie, N., Suriyati, Y., et al.) (2022)

Reference:

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+does+digital+literacy+differ+from+traditional+literacy&rlz=1C1RXMK_enCA1029CA1029&oq=how+does+digital+literacy+differ+from+traditional+literacy&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigAdIBCjI5MzQ3ajFqMTWoAgiwAgE&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Lustyantie, N., Suriyati, Y., Isnan, F., Yudha, R., P. (2022). The Effect of Cognitive Style, Critical Thinking, And Digital Literature on Argumentative Writing Skills. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 22(1), 27-35. http://dx.doi.orf/10.12738/jestp.2022.1.0003

How can digital literacy be integrated into the curriculum?

In the fast-paced world of digital technology comes a new way of teaching and learning! There are some amazing resources on how to combine digital literacy into a curriculum lesson. Although my biggest pedagogy is to have a classroom that is decolonized I realize that having a classroom that combines all resources to grasp all learners. The majority of students have been submerged into a lifestyle that includes technology. So why not go with the flow, creating slide shows, using drones, creating cartoons/books, and researching the differences between traditional and modern medicines? There are also starter resources for teachers who need to touch up on their digital literacy skills. Follow the link below.

https://mediasmarts.ca/teacher-resources/digital-literacy-101?gclid=CjwKCAiAk9itBhASEiwA1my_6zf-h9CtAs4L-bf9wC7EES6rkTnTiGk5ahJKgvKPCkjohjHBdFCL7xoCbBkQAvD_BwE 

 https://mediasmarts.ca/sites/mediasmarts/files/guides/classroom_guide_digital_literacy.pdf 

Share examples of successful digital literacy projects or activities

In Australia teachers are using digital literacy to help build lesson plans that are digitally driven for students. Teachers can access Unit Plans and Lesson Plans there are also Professional learning areas that focus on teacher efficacy and performance in the classroom. This Cool website was not free, but you can surf and download some resources. Teachers in Aussie have been using this website for over 16 years, saving time by sharing resources.

https://cool.org/ 

On Blueskye I found Fact Contagion which helps with the credibility of an online resource, very important for every student and teacher when surfing for new things on the internet

https://bsky.app/profile/factcontagion.bsky.social/post/3lepwe76g5k2e 

Professor Illingsworth shares an article about a 12-year-old boy who creates a digital ecosystem taking digital literacy to a whole new level.

https://bsky.app/profile/samillingworth.com/post/3lecj5kpsxs27 

What are some common challenges educators face in teaching digital literacy?

 When searching the Archer Library I could not find an article that was less than five years old the latest one went back 10 years. Based on my experiences during my internship and my educational journey, accessibility to the internet is not always available for the student(s) at home. Being given a laptop is great, but in today's age, you need the internet just to type and use Microsoft Word. Then if you need clarity on an assignment you need the internet to ask questions. I can only imagine the difficulties that students faced during the Covid days when everything was done online. Another challenge is student engagement, how do you keep a classroom of 25 students on task? With that being said how do you not cross parental boundaries when it comes to their child and the access they get to the internet?