Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011 Aim: What do I (Ms Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011 Aim: What do I (Ms. Feder) believe about Digital Literacy?

Digital literacy should be used to support traditional literacy skills. Teachers must expect students to be artists, commentators, reporters and distributers in traditional reading and writing Teachers must expect students to be artists, commentators, reporters and distributers in digital literacy Web tools should be used to support and enrich students’ literacy skills – use status as “digital native” to support traditional reading and writing tasks Traditional literacy and digital literacy can go hand- in-hand to support lifelong learners in BOTH types!

Digital literacy should be used in the classroom to build upon their daily use of social media technology, in order to support a participatory culture of learning. The gap in the digital world comes not from the difference in ability to access digital media, but in students’ participation and how they are using social networking sites. We, as teachers, must help our students develop their various skills in the classroom to address this gap. We can use students’ prior knowledge of social media to build upon their use of digital media and begin to not only build their digital literacy, but their traditional literacy skills, in order to address the achievement gap.

Students should learn, along with the basic skills of digital literacy, the ethics of using technology. It is essential that with a broader grasp on digital literacy, students must also be able to use technology properly, responsibly, and with a full understanding of how permanent the Web can be. You cannot teach digital literacy without also teaching the morals and ethics that come with being a part of an online community.

How can we accomplish these goals? Tech Class! Educating our Teachers Access of technology to students on a regular basis

In conclusion… Through an understanding of proper use, teacher openness to new forms of teaching and learning, and the access to explore and learn through new technologies, we can allow a fluency in digital literacy to help us work to close the achievement gap in education.