As members of the future workforce and
society, today’s students require guidance and education, in order to
successfully navigate and utilize the digital world that they were born into. Educators are tasked with introducing
students to new literacies that not only focus on skill development but also
emphasize social practices in the context of short message service (SMS),
multimedia messaging service (MMS), social networking activities, and mobile
technologies (Wan, 2012, p. 1066). School-age
children have a unique set of experiences awarded to them due to the digital
age in which they were born. However,
their birth date alone is not sufficient to equip them for navigating the
digital world without support. Successfully
preparing students to utilize technological tools and communicate within the
digital world requires that educators model these new literacies and
effectively connect pedagogy, curriculum, and technology. Challenges to this goal arise when educators
lack experience with various forms of technology, are left to navigate this new
terrain without support from their administrative team, and are provided with
inadequate infrastructure to meet classroom demands. For these various reasons, investing in the
development of new literacies is important, in order to help students navigate
the digital world that continues to evolve before their eyes.
In 2001 Marc
Prensky (p. 1) began referring to people born in or after 1980 as “digital
natives”. Prensky argued that these people have
spent their entire lives surrounded by and using various forms of technology
(2001, p. 1) and, as such, their brain has developed in a manner that is
different than their predecessors (2001, p. 3). Resultantly, there is an unavoidable conflict between
the digital native students found in today’s classrooms and their teachers who
are now forced to adapt their teaching styles (Prensky, 2001, p. 6). Lack of empirical evidence, however, has since
disputed Prensky’s claims and stated that, “the availability of technology,
prior experience, self-efficacy, and education” play a more important role in
one’s comfort with technology than simply a student’s age (Wan, 2012, p.
1065). There has been no evidence that
the brain of individuals exposed to various technologies is structured any
different than those who are not (Wan, 2012, p. 1065) and the use of technology
is no different from any other skill an individual needs to learn to function
within a community (Wan, 2012, p. 1066).
Despite evidence to the contrary, the myth of the digital native lives
on and can be a source of contention for educators.
The technology knowledge of classroom teachers
may seem lacklustre in comparison to the knowledge of the students in their
classroom; however, classroom teachers actually rely on technology, for
purposes in and out of the classroom, more than their students (Wang, Hsu,
Campbell, Coster, & Longhurst, 2014, p. 656). The relationship that many students have with
technology is one centred on entertainment and communication (Wang et al.,
2014, p. 656). To illustrate, a recent
survey of Canadian students found that online gaming, participating in aspects
of social networking, and streaming media such as music, television programs,
or movies, ranked in the top technology uses for students in grades four to ten
(Steeves, 2014, pp. 25-31). Thus,
today’s students are primarily relying on only two of the eight possible
digital realms: (1) rapid communication technology like mobile phones and
social networking, and (2) web resources like games, videos and music (Teo,
2013, p. 392). While students’
experiences in the digital world appear to be narrow in focus, they embrace new
web 2.0 skills and learn introduced programs rapidly (Wang et al., 2014, p.
656). Furthermore, students have
identified that they wish they had learned more digital skills in the classroom,
with identifying how to critique the validity of online information, how to
stay safe while online, and the legality of certain online practices topping
students’ knowledge wish lists (Steeves, 2014, pp. 25-31). While it can be easy to assume that students
have an increased knowledgebase when it comes to digital literacy, having
teachers provide purposeful education and ongoing modelling that is tailored to
be relevant and meaningful for their students gives students support to build
their digital skill repertoire.
Strengthening digital literacy skills and exposing students to new forms
of literacy has been the subject of discussion by education and government
professionals the world over. In 1997, it was identified that traditional
forms of literacy were not sufficient and that students required new skills
such as searching for information through non-linear routes (Simsek &
Simsek, 2013, p. 128). Since that time, the required skill set of
students has expanded to include the collection, organization, storage, and
publication of information through a computer device in graphic, text, or
number format (Haddadian, Majidi, Maleki, & Alipour, 2013, p. 195).
It has been assumed that a focus on technology would result in teachers
becoming unfocused with their planning as they would rely on computers to do
the work they previously did, but research has concluded that the
implementation of ICT lessons still requires teachers to utilize their
knowledge of instructional strategies and the developing brain (Boschman,
McKenney, & Voogt, 2014, p. 412). Furthermore,
the addition of digital literacy elements into a pre-existing curriculum has
been proven to extend learning opportunities and accelerate the learning rate
of students (Haddadian et al., 2013, pp. 194-195). However, with
technology being a fast-changing world, educators need to resist the urge to
jump at new ideas without thinking of how its implementation can be maximized,
what problems may arise, and how sustainable the tool will be for students down
the road (Latchem, 2013, p. 384). These concerns need to be addressed by
policy-makers and educators before and during the implementation of a digital
literacy program.
Familiarity with the concepts of digital
literacy and new literacies is essential for educators to effectively meet the
needs of their students. A 2015 survey
of Canadian educators identified that 7/10 educators feel confident in their
ability to teach digital literacy skills (Johnson, Riel, & Froese-Germain,
2016, p. 71). In contrast, a survey of
Canadian students shared that less than 50% of students feel they are learning
digital literacy skills from their teachers (Steeves, 2014, p. 36). This disconnect may be the result of
educators adopting technology that mirrors traditional teaching practices, such
as an interactive white board replacing an overhead projector, rather than
incorporating aspects like social media that are relevant for students but do
not have precedent in the classroom (Johnson, et al, 2016, p. 4). As of 2015, 11 of Canada’s 13 provinces and
territories have established ICT curricular policies that range from infusion and
dispersal amongst pre-existing curriculums to structured cross-curricular
models and specifically assessed benchmarks (Hoechsmann & DeWaard, 2015,
pp. 15-17). While these publications can
be a valuable resource for educators only 33% identified that they felt
confident enough with these types of policies to share them with students
(Johnson, et al, 2016, p. 56). In the
same manner in which students require support and modelling to develop these
skills, educators require support in their learning as well. Many educators share that, “a lack of PD on
how to use new technology makes it intimidating to begin new things using the
new technology” (Johnson, et al, 2016, p. 76).
It is unrealistic to expect educators to effectively develop their
student’s digital literacy skills if they feel their own skills in the area are
lacking.
Development of a digital literacy program is
not only the responsibility of classroom teachers, but also the responsibility
of the administrative team at a school and division level. Teachers have identified that new technology
programs and activities would be easier to implement if they could work as part
of a team to support one another and exchange ideas (Stephenson, 2013, p. 11). However, it has been found that although most school
leaders have positive opinions towards technology, they fall into two very
different categories in regards to their approach: (1) distributed principals
who work closely with their teachers and ICT teams to ensure effective
implementation, and (2) formal principals who offer positive encouragement
towards ICT ideas but do not personally participate in planning or training
(Peterson, 2014, p. 302). Of the two
types of leaders, the schools that commit to digital literacy development as a
team initiative and focus on collaboration and communication are more
successful in their implementation than those schools who force a top-down
approach with minimal support (Peterson, 2014, pp. 304-310). Only 54% of Canadian educators feel their
school provides them with enough support on how to use technology with their
students (Johnson, et al, 2016, p. 43) and only 37% feel their admin would
support them if they ran into a conflict online (Johnson, et al, 2016, p.
45). In order to support their teachers
effectively, school leaders need to keep up to date with new technology
programs and tools, and model appropriate use for their staff (Waxman, Boriack,
Lee, & MacNeil, 2013, p. 193). Furthermore,
effective digital literacy programs should include long-term planning with
school leaders and address budgeting, hiring of necessary specialists, teacher
training, and long-term maintenance plans (Peck, Mullen, Lashley, &
Eldridge, 2011, p. 47). Thus, in addition
to teacher familiarity, an effective administrative team that is committed to
the purposeful implementation of digital literacy also contributes to
successful implementation, which benefits both staff and students.
Providing educators with the necessary
resources to effectively practice new literacies can be challenging when access
to the appropriate tools are limited or are not supported by effective
infrastructure. In order for various
technologies to support teaching and learning schools must be provided with:
(1) adequate infrastructure to support the use of technology in schools, (2)
equitable access to up-to-date equipment and resources, and (3) timely
technical support to ensure that technology works as it should so that
instruction can proceed smoothly (Johnson, et al. 2016, p. 77). If these requirements are not met then
educators are plagued by unreliable internet access, incompatible tools, slow
log-in times, and restricting school filters.
One example of barriers faced by educators was highlighted by Johnson
(2016, p. 73), “Preparing lessons at home and having none of the links or
programs work at school due to out-of-date technology at school or filters and
settings on computers and the board network.”
Unfortunately, teachers and students are sometimes left turning to their
personal devices and cellular service providers in order to have reliable
access to online resources (Johnson, et al, 2016, p. 78). Time is a valuable commodity in a classroom
setting and educators are not motivated to pursue digital literacy initiatives
if they feel as though they have to spend more time battling technology than
using it.
In conclusion, it can be challenging for educators
to effectively provide students with opportunities to develop their digital
literacy skills. Being born into the
digital age is not sufficient in equipping students for the higher-level skills
required for being successful in the digital world. The different ICT applications and level of
transferability that is required of students require modelling and skills
training in a variety of contexts.
Educators require training and long-term support to strengthen their
personal digital literacy skills and incorporate learning experiences for their
students. A school must provide not only
appropriate technological tools but also reliable infrastructure to ensure that
digital literacy opportunities can be incorporated seamlessly. Therefore, in order to ensure that digital
literacy programs are implemented successfully, and that students are prepared,
it is necessary to provide education and support from all stakeholders.
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