Students these days live in a digital world. They learn, play and communicate using computers and technology in ever changing and evolving ways. Unfortunately, many of us tasked with teaching children to safely and ethically navigate this digital world, including parents and teachers, were not raised with the use of these same technologies. So how are we to teach digital literacy if we ourselves are still, in many cases, learning these skills ourselves?
Thankfully, there are many tools and lesson plans available for teachers and parents out there. Below, I have rounded up a few useful links and lessons for those wanting to help educate kids on how to navigate the digital world.
If you're just looking for ready-made lessons, the most thorough and recommended ready-to-use resource I found was a program called My World. This tutorial set gives students tasks using tools they are likely familiar with - such as a search engine and a social media site - to help them navigate different aspects of digital literacy. There are four lessons focusing on the following: research and evaluating online resources, approaching digital privacy, managing online relationships, and ethical use of digital media. It is unfortunately not free, requiring an annual license fee. The license fee can be purchased at the district level, so check whether or not your district has access; if you are in Surrey or Coquitlam (or a few other districts), you may be in luck! MyWorld is an award-winning resource and looks like it would be very useful with secondary students.
Commonsense.org has some great lesson plans, including one on how to evaluate websites for research using the C.A.R.S. (Credibility, Accuracy, Reasonableness, Support) Method. The website includes links to videos, worksheets and slideshows to help with the lesson, so this is a great resource for a teacher just testing the waters of teaching digital literacy.
Students need to know how to evaluate websites, but also how to get appropriate websites using search engines in the first place. This video called Teaching Students How to Research by EdTech is great for teachers who themselves want to learn the important aspects of how to research online. It discusses quite a bit about how google works and how to use it effectively, going over some of the common mistakes students make when researching, and it gives tips on how to teach these skills to students. There are also links to lesson plans and other useful videos in the video description. This is really for the teachers to understand what they are up against, and then from there select resources and design lessons for students.
If you are more concerned about teaching students about online safety and want a ready-to-use lesson plan, the RCMP has created a lesson called Where's The Line? aimed at grades 6-8. It's designed to help kids know their rights (and responsibilities) with respect to online activities, and help them consider what they can do to stay safe and where they can go for help if things get rough. It's very thorough, even containing the legal language relating to online activities, which is a bit dense for students that age and will require a lot of support to help them understand.
If you're a little more comfortable putting together your own lessons, Media Smarts is a great place to start. Their Digital Literacy 101 page includes videos to grab students' attention (each ending in a question or discussion prompt to get students thinking and talking), posters to display around the room, and a classroom guide to help teach educators how to effectively use these tools to teach digital literacy. There is even information on how to run workshops for teachers - a great idea for future professional development events.
Regardless of how we teach students to navigate the digital world, there is no getting away from the fact that phones are with students all the time. Managing them in class can be tough, especially since we need to teach students to self-regulate with the use of their personal electronic devices. Liz Kolb has a few ideas for how to help students manage their devices, without it being a matter of total prohibition or punishing bad behavior. Basically, it amounts to clear communication - asking students what they use their phone for and what they think is appropriate in the classroom, and giving clear indications for students of how much they will be expected to use/put away their phones for a given lesson.
The digital world is not going away any time soon, and is a major part of our work lives and social lives, our education and our entertainment. It is our obligation to teach students how to navigate the digital world safely and effectively.
Citations
Thankfully, there are many tools and lesson plans available for teachers and parents out there. Below, I have rounded up a few useful links and lessons for those wanting to help educate kids on how to navigate the digital world.
If you're just looking for ready-made lessons, the most thorough and recommended ready-to-use resource I found was a program called My World. This tutorial set gives students tasks using tools they are likely familiar with - such as a search engine and a social media site - to help them navigate different aspects of digital literacy. There are four lessons focusing on the following: research and evaluating online resources, approaching digital privacy, managing online relationships, and ethical use of digital media. It is unfortunately not free, requiring an annual license fee. The license fee can be purchased at the district level, so check whether or not your district has access; if you are in Surrey or Coquitlam (or a few other districts), you may be in luck! MyWorld is an award-winning resource and looks like it would be very useful with secondary students.
An introduction to MyWorld. Video care of YouTube.
Students need to know how to evaluate websites, but also how to get appropriate websites using search engines in the first place. This video called Teaching Students How to Research by EdTech is great for teachers who themselves want to learn the important aspects of how to research online. It discusses quite a bit about how google works and how to use it effectively, going over some of the common mistakes students make when researching, and it gives tips on how to teach these skills to students. There are also links to lesson plans and other useful videos in the video description. This is really for the teachers to understand what they are up against, and then from there select resources and design lessons for students.
EdTech's Teaching Students How to Research. Care of YouTube.
If you are more concerned about teaching students about online safety and want a ready-to-use lesson plan, the RCMP has created a lesson called Where's The Line? aimed at grades 6-8. It's designed to help kids know their rights (and responsibilities) with respect to online activities, and help them consider what they can do to stay safe and where they can go for help if things get rough. It's very thorough, even containing the legal language relating to online activities, which is a bit dense for students that age and will require a lot of support to help them understand.
If you're a little more comfortable putting together your own lessons, Media Smarts is a great place to start. Their Digital Literacy 101 page includes videos to grab students' attention (each ending in a question or discussion prompt to get students thinking and talking), posters to display around the room, and a classroom guide to help teach educators how to effectively use these tools to teach digital literacy. There is even information on how to run workshops for teachers - a great idea for future professional development events.
Interactions Through Digital Media Can Have a Real Impact. Care of YouTube.
Regardless of how we teach students to navigate the digital world, there is no getting away from the fact that phones are with students all the time. Managing them in class can be tough, especially since we need to teach students to self-regulate with the use of their personal electronic devices. Liz Kolb has a few ideas for how to help students manage their devices, without it being a matter of total prohibition or punishing bad behavior. Basically, it amounts to clear communication - asking students what they use their phone for and what they think is appropriate in the classroom, and giving clear indications for students of how much they will be expected to use/put away their phones for a given lesson.
The digital world is not going away any time soon, and is a major part of our work lives and social lives, our education and our entertainment. It is our obligation to teach students how to navigate the digital world safely and effectively.
Citations
C., C. (n.d.). Lesson Plan: Evaluating Websites. commonsense.org. Retrieved from https://www.commonsense.org/education/lesson-plans/evaluating-websites
Kolb, L. (2017). 3 Tips for Managing Phone Use in Class. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/3-tips-managing-phone-use-class
Media Smarts (n.d.). Digital Literacy 101. Retrieved from http://mediasmarts.ca/teacher-resources/digital-literacy-101
Media Smarts (n.d.). MyWorld: A digital literacy tutorial for secondary students. Retrieved from http://mediasmarts.ca/teacher-resources/licensed-resources/myworld-digital-literacy-tutorial-secondary-students
Media Smarts (2018). Interactions Through Digital Media Can Have a Real Impact. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2mrvhMY4QA&feature=youtu.be
Media Smarts (2018). MyWorld: Digital literacy resources for teens. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nemTlFIZ988&feature=youtu.be
Royal Canadian Mounted Police: Center for Youth Crime Prevention (n.d.). Where's The Line? Online Safety Lesson Plan. Retrieved from https://mediasmarts.ca/sites/mediasmarts/files/lesson-plans/lesson_online_safety_6-8.pdf
The EdTech Show (2019). Teaching Students How to Research. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmRakMppVtw
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