Making Sense of Digital Literacy Education - Education Week Article

Making Sense of Digital Literacy Education - Education Week Article
Author: Ian Quillen on July 2, 2010

Summary: 

I found the following excerpts from the article to be very profound:

• "The issues of a cyberbullying or a bullying situation ... can get amplified on Twitter. It moves on to MySpace, people organize, and then it ultimately, in one case, led to youth violence. So [those teachers] see a very direct link between needing to educate their kids early about the basics of digital citizenship and how the technology amplifies all of that behavior."

• "Our role has really been to say these issues of children's behavior [online] really belong in the center of education as opposed to justice and law enforcement," Burch said. "Because this is about empowering young people to navigate this world responsibly and ethically. And it's about doing that in the context of school and home."

• Based on the research of Harvard University education professor Howard Gardner , the Digital Citizenship in a Connected Culture  curriculum is framed around the principle that students must understand the impact of their digital conduct on themselves, their friends and family, and their greater community. 

Our students fall into the categories of being the victim or the bully when it comes to cyber-bullying. In the digital age, social networking sites are the main avenues that our students are currently taking to involve themselves in negative acts. We need to educate students to learn how to protect themselves from bullies, threats, and harm and keeping their lives safe. There are research out there that has developed curriculum that is geared mainly towards educating our students. We need to work with our colleagues, staff, and admin in terms of incorporating this research in order to get our students to become aware of digital citizenship and media literacy.


3 discussion questions:

1. "Our role has really been to say these issues of children's behavior [online] really belong in the center of education as opposed to justice and law enforcement," Burch said. Do you agree with Burch?
   
   
2. "'Our parents can be scared of media and fearful about its impact...'" Why do you think this is happening?
   
   
3. In our schools, what are some ways or steps to take the proactive approach in educating our students about digital citizenship?

Personal reflection on information and media literacy:

I see the importance of incorporating information and media literacy into my lessons because it provides the framework for what is expected throughout the entire course of the work. Students know what they are limited to doing and are provided background information as to how to go about doing things online --- safely and properly. The Jr. High School level Technology Standards (8.6.1) specifically states that students and teachers should discuss the importance of following legal and ethical guidelines when using information and technology, and the consequences of misuse. We can use this in reference to cyber-bullying, when students are misusing information and technology to their own advantage. Before we dive into our lessons that incorporate the use of the internet or any research online, we must learn to prevent future negative impacts by educating our students about internet safety and digital citizenship. There are tons of resources out there and this article has mentioned some that are already free and accessible.