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Articles Archive - 2009 Digital Literacy: Integrating technology into schools, or schools integrated into new technology? It could be argued that the Internet is the education system's biggest rival for students' attention. But is rivalry the best way to view this situation? For those who spend time with youth, it's striking to observe how much children and teens enjoy using new technologies. Whether for communication, information or entertainment, young people are enthusiastically engaged in digital media. It's rare for school to inspire such passion: when it does it's usually through participation in subjects that provide students with opportunities for self-expression, such as art, music, creative writing and sports. According to first year findings in What did you do in school today?, an ongoing national study by the Canadian Education Association, students' engagement with school drops tremendously in Grades 6, 7 and 8 and, to a lesser degree, in the years that follow.[1] Why are youth, who spend hours researching topics they're interested in on the Internet, chronically uninterested in what school has to teach them? The Web facilitates a style of learning that stands in stark contrast to that of traditional classrooms. To begin with, these online explorations are student-centred; students choose to engage with Web content based on their own interests, learning through doing as they design and direct their online activities. The Internet is also a dynamic medium, maintaining its relevancy as content is continually added and shaped in synch with current events. Finally, the anonymity granted by the Internet has a major influence on the nature of online discussions and relationships. At once private and public, the Internet allows for a whole new kind of community based on technologically-mediated socialising. Schools have made considerable efforts to integrate new technologies into classrooms, primarily through equipping schools with computers, software and Internet access. In this we’ve been quite successful however the next step – encouraging teachers to integrate new technologies into their classroom practice – is more of a challenge. Firstly, how do you teach youth who may be more familiar with information technology than their teachers? Familiarity with technology is not the same as critical literacy, so there are opportunities here for everyone in the classroom – teachers and students alike – to be both instructors and learners. This reversal of the traditional teacher-student relationship may be uncomfortable for educators, but it's an opportunity to democratize the classroom through the sharing of expertise and experience. Secondly, how do you integrate these new technologies into the curriculum? Sites such as the Ontario Ministry of Education's e-Learning Ontario [2] provide teachers with access to educational resources created specifically for classroom use, while Manitoba’s continuum Literacy with ICT Across the Curriculum emphasises integration of ICT into everyday classroom experiences. At the same time, integrating resources that reflect the reality of students’ Web experiences – and not just specifically designed “educational” materials and environments – allows teachers to maintain the relevance of the classroom experience to the real world and students' lives. For example Diane Whiting, a Health teacher, decided to run a lesson on body image in Teen Second Life. Thanks to the ability of students to manipulate their avatars' bodies and ability of the Chat function to facilitate conversation, "The whole tone of the class changed dramatically. Students had conversations that just don't normally happen in the classroom."[3] Jon Beasley-Murray, a professor of Latin American literature at the University of British Columbia, assigned his students the task of improving and creating Wikipedia articles on various subjects related to the subject matter, with the goal of bringing these articles to "Featured Article" status within a semester.[4] In both cases, the biggest plus was the direct and concrete effect of these authentic online activities on the lives of the students, who learned that they can contribute to the world and have a place in it. Of course, for these approaches to be successful teachers must also be aware of the higher level digital literacies that are needed for students to successfully engage with new technology – most notably, critical and creative thinking. Since the Internet is an open publishing and communications medium, any number of opinions can be found there, including many that are racist, sexist or simply absurd. Therefore, students must be taught to reflect on their use of new technologies by deconstructing the various platforms, analysing their strengths and weaknesses as sources of information and communication, and reconstructing them, using the technology to express their opinions. Of course, teaching critical thinking raises the possibility that students will apply these skills to other areas of their lives, including school and the curriculum: "Why do we assume that Columbus discovered America?" "Why don’t we study female composers in Music class?" "Why do we read Shakespeare every year?" As we adjust our practice and our schools to teach the new digital literacies, we may know that we've succeeded when teachers are judged by the number of difficult questions asked by their students.
**************************************** Media Awareness Network (MNet) is a Canadian not-for-profit centre of expertise in media literacy. Its vision is to ensure children and youth possess the necessary critical thinking skills and tools to understand and actively engage with media. MNet's programs are funded by its public and private sector sponsors and partners, who include: CTVglobemedia • Canwest • TELUS • Canadian Internet Registration Authority • CTV • National Film Board of Canada • Government of Canada.
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