Professor Tim Newby Rudy Rico Digital Literacy Project
Part 1
Dear Julie,
Sis, trust me when I say I know exactly what you are sitting through. I had him as a teacher, too! You know, ever since I got here to the College of Education at Purdue, Ive learned a lot more about what it is like to be a good teacher in the 21 st Century. Theres actually a class Im taking right now that focuses on being digitally literate as a teacher in the 21th Century and why it is so important now more than ever. Digital literacy is important for three reasons when it comes to the classroom. First, it allows for the incorporating of several different teaching styles. All students learn in their own way, as you already know, so this helps them the materials presented to them in their own way. The next reason digital literacy is so important for the classroom is mainly because we live in the 21 st Century and most students are already familiar with technology and how it works. Applying it in the classroom will only benefit the students. Lastly, it is so beneficial for the teachers to digital literate skills because it will most likely be demanding in the classroom and they will need to know how to use it. The more the teacher knows, the more likely they are to get a job as well, and that is always an important factor! Let me back up a little bit since I didnt really get to explain what digital literacy is. Its hard to put it into a definition, so let me break it up into four parts. The first part is information. This consists of exactly what is sounds like. This is where you find, evaluate, and sort through information. The second part is tools. This is when you find what will be most appropriate to use in the classroom. The third instructional design. This is where you bring it all together and put it to use. The last main part consists of the social aspect of it. In other words, this is where you share and communicate all of the information, tools, and instructional design. Digital literacy has so much more detail and many more parts, but those are the four main ideas that tie it all together. As I learn more about it this semester, Ill be sure to keep you updated! For now, good luck with your teacher and do the best you can for now. And just remember, that is not truly how a good teacher educates students in the 21 st Century. Much love, Abigail
Part 2 Julie, Here is the video I was telling you about over the phone! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=075aWDdZUlM Now I wont say much because I want you to watch it and experience it for yourself, but this video does an excellent job of showing what it really means to be a good teacher in the 21 st
Century. Towards the beginning, it makes a point to say that teachers are no longer the main source of information since students can find whatever information they want via technology. Our job as teachers now is to teach them how to use these resources effectively and efficiently. So take a look for yourself and let me know what you think! Talk to you soon! Abigail
Part 3 Here is the link to the video I made for this part of the project: http://www.screencast.com/users/webstea/folders/Default/media/7b0d1114-692a-485d-a64e- 6cb233c32f68
List of Ideas: 1. As educators, you are no longer the source of information since anything and everything can now be found using technology. With that being said, it is your job to teach your students how to use those resources and devices efficiently and effectively. 2. Encourage them to use technology in/for class and apply it to the curriculum. The technology world is only going to expand and become more and more of an everyday necessity. 3. Digital literacy is made up of four different sections: information, tool, instructional design, and social. Each one of these play a huge part of being digitally literate. Teachers must know how to use these sections and be able to teach/explain these to their students. 4. As good educators in the 21 st Century, we need to make sure our students know to do these five tasks with digital literate skills; finding, evaluating, utilizing, creating, and sharing. 5. In the long run, to be a good teacher, we need to make sure we facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity. This is one of the ISTE standards for teachers. I personally think this is one of the most important parts of being a teacher in the 21 st
Century and this definitely cant happen or be effective without the help of technology and digital literacy.
Part 4 In todays world, we are faced with not only being able to read, write, etc., but all things digital as well. As educators, we need to know how to use computers and software that goes along with it. Students today are also very technology savvy with their mobile devices. We need to know how those digital devices all interact and how to bring those interactions to the classroom. As students, they are definitely going to be overwhelmed by the amount of technology out there and their need to be digitally literate, but it is our job as teachers to make sure that they have a calm mind about it and help them understand the concept of digital literacy. Now, in the digital world, things are constantly changing and evolving. The biggest thing we need to do as educators in the 21 st Century is make sure we are open minded and welcoming to these changes and evolvements. We are not going to be successful in this digital age if we are constantly sticking to what we know. The digital world is always changing, and that is something we need to get used to first and foremost. There are other skills we will need to have in order for us and our students to be successful in the twenty-first century. We need these certain skills and strategies to really be effective. Problem solving is one skill that every student and teacher needs no matter what they are teaching or learning. We need to be able to break down a difficult problem or situation and figure out how to solve it. Creativity is something that we all need to have in some form or another. It is obvious that we all show our own creativity in our own ways and that is why it is so important to have it in the 21 st Century. Technology definitely calls for open mindedness and creativity plays a huge role in that. This also helps students come up with unique and useful solutions to situations involving technology. Analytical thinking is something that is also important when it comes to learning and teaching, not just in a digital environment. This allows teachers to compare, contrast, evaluate, synthesize, and apply without instruction. Teachers will be put on the spot with their digital literacy and they will need this skill especially. Collaboration and communication are both a huge part of being digitally literate. Teachers should already have this skill in the classroom and with their peers, but it is important they have this in a digital environment as well. Without having these skills in the 21 st Century, teachers are going to encounter many difficulties and predicaments. Just for a quick visual, let us say that there is a teacher by the name of Mr. Alexander at South Way High School. He is very old fashioned and uses nothing but books as sources of information and only uses the chalkboard to teach that information. There are many problems Mr. Alexander is going to have as an educator in the 21 st Century. He says that it worked for the other 40 years he was teaching and he is not going to change his methods now. Sure, this may have been an excellent method of teaching back in the 1970s, but as I previously stated, you are not going to be a successful teacher in this day and age if you are not okay and adaptive to change. The digital world was practically nonexistent when Mr. Alexander first started teaching. He is not going to be relatable to his student, let alone grasp their attention with his methods. This does not allow for problem solving, creativity, or any other skills that are necessary for a successful class for neither the students nor the teachers. Being digitally literate is no longer a choice in the classroom. Teachers will not be successful in the classroom if they do not have digital literate skills. The ISTE standards are extremely helpful when it comes to being a roadmap for teaching in the 21 st Century. They coordinate perfectly with one another. These standards were written and put together by people who have taught before and/or know exactly what it takes to be successful in the classroom. Each standard was written precisely word for word so that teachers can use it as a guide in the classroom. For an example, one of the ISTE Standards for Teachers states that we need to facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity. This standard is one of the most important parts of being an effective educator and it cannot be done without the help of digital literacy. These standards give us a base to go from and branch off of with the help of digital literacy. Digital literacy and technology is definitely works as a partner with teaching and learning in the 21 st Century. Technology is and always will be evolving and changing in this world. The generations below us are going to become more and more immune to the digital world and as educators we need to make sure we keep up with that. Most of the time, it will be good for us and our curriculum to keep up with the digital world, but of course just like anything else, it will not always be 100% efficient. Students will try to find loop holes and there will always be glitches in the system, but for the most part, having technology in the classroom and both the teachers and students being digitally literate will only benefit and give room for growth in the learning experience.