Although creating activities that cover multiple spaces while incorporating technology can be fun for educators, we also have to consider how we support these activities beyond the screen? Very similar to ourselves, students are consumed and engaged by what is happening behind the screens of their phones which has translated to education. The assigned text states, “Current approaches to digital literacies tend to emphasize how students engage with what is displayed on their screens.” (Aguilera, 2017). As we push forward with new literacy practices, we are often thinking about what students are viewing on their phones. An interesting conversation that can be had with students, is who do they portray online vs. in person? Do their online and offline personas differ? (Aguilera, 2017). Similar to how our personas may not be entirely true or authentic, the same is to say about a lot of the information that is out on the web. For example, certain headlines that jump out at us are known as “click bait” (Aguilera, 2017). These headlines might say they have information about a certain topic then when you open it up it's fake or has misinformation. I have been a victim of click bait. I'll see an interesting headline about a celebrity and open it to find nothing about the story I was hoping to find. The same can be happening to our students. A staggering 37% of people in a survey admitted to sharing information online that turned out to be incorrect (Jacobson, 2017). Therefore, we need to teach our students to look beyond the screens and to “read the world” (Aguilera, 2017).
Allowing students to continue to use their media to learn and build their literacy is key, but teaching them how to do it in a responsible way should be emphasized. When students use technology correctly, it is called digital citizenship. It is defined as, “The rules for correct and responsible technology usage that provide guidance to students on how to direct the online world in their personal and academic lives rather than just being a citizen of a country…” (Öztürk, 2021). Just like how students need help from their parents and teachers when learning a new subject, they also need help on learning how to apply digital citizenship (Öztürk, 2021). When teaching a lesson about bacteria, I had students do a research project. I gave them a list of pre approved websites as well as journal articles to pull information from to ensure the information was true. However, I want my students to be able to decipher if the information is true for themselves. An activity that I think would be beneficial for science classes is to talk about climate change. There is so much misinformation out there surrounding climate change. I think comparing posts from social media to facts from scientific articles would be an interesting activity that could lead to a deep conversation with my students about the importance of fact checking what we see on our phones.
As an educator who likes to incorporate digital literacy and technology into my instruction, I am aware of the challenges they pose. Something to be aware of, is students have access to all different types of media, which can contain negative and hurtful perspectives that target marginalized groups. For example, “From the online persecution of women and the LGBTQIA community through Gamergate to the sexist and racist language often found floating in the comments sections of news articles and YouTube videos, digital literacies can problematically obscure the cultural practices these tools carry.” (Garcia, 2017). Despite the creative, engaging ways digital literacy provides students, the negative narrativities and comments are visible. This is something to keep in mind as educators when we use digital literacy in our classrooms. Although we can't censor everything from our students, providing them with websites that have good information or showing them content creators/youtubers that are non-biased could help shade our students from the hurtful comments and perspectives that are seen so often in the media.
Further Questions:
What are ways we can teach digital citizenship to our students?
How do we censor our students from inappropriate and hurtful comments in the media?
References:
Aguilera, E. (2017). More than Bites and Bytes. Literacy Today, 35(3), 12-13.
Garcia, A. (2017). Nondigtial Skills. Literacy Today, 35(3), 24-25.
Jacobson, L. (2017). Assessing News Literacy in the 21st Century. Literacy Today, 35(3), 18-22.
Öztürk, G. (2021). Digital citizenship and its teaching: A literature review. Journal of
Educational Technology and Online Learning, 4(1), 31-45. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/1500928
You were wondering “Do their online and offline personas differ? (Aguilera, 2017). Similar to how our personas may not be entirely true or authentic, the same is to say about a lot of the information that is out on the web.”. The first time I wondered that was when our family and friends' children decided to play the Roblox game in the “real world”. Then, I realized that the youngest generation is growing in two worlds: the” real” one and the” virtual” one. They can play the same game in the real and virtual world. I think we are different personas in different contexts: online, offline, social group, social status, cultural background, etc. But what I am trying to say is that our world now is expanded by the virtual world. Although language is the medium through which humans communicate, therefore, literacy is the foundation for developing all other aspects. According to Philip,
ReplyDelete“But classroom discourse and interaction - what we refer to as talk - remains one of the most overlooked dimensions of incorporating technology in learning. Text and tools only gain meaning and relevance in talk.” (Philip, 2013). This shows that talk plays a central role in assigning meaning and relevance to text, tools, and technology. Through talk, individuals share understandings, think critically, and shape everything.
References:
Philip, T. M., & Garcia, A. D. (2013///Summer). The Importance of Still Teaching the iGeneration: New Technologies and the Centrality of Pedagogy. Harvard Educational Review, 83(2), 300-319,400-401. https://sunyempire.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/importance-still-teaching-igeneration-new/docview/1399327199/se-2
Hi Brittany,
ReplyDeleteI think it's so important to ask students if their online personas differ from their authentic ones. When I teach information literacy I often tell my students a story about a time I took my daughter to a Justin Bieber concert. There was a young couple, maybe in their late teens, sitting next to us. Throughout the entire concert, while the crowd was singing and animated, they were sitting quietly and didn't seem to be having a good time. Then I watched as the boy held up his phone, told his girlfriend to smile and dance, and took a video of them jumping with excitement for a minute. The second he stopped filming they went back to sitting, looking bored. I love sharing this with teens because they always bring it back to their own lives and realize that we all present images that may not always be exactly true to who we are.
I also believe we can use this question to then explore with students the information they get from various sources online. It's a great way for them to understand that anyone can make up anything and make the information look credible with a professional-looking website.
What you wrote about comments on digital sites is spot on. It troubles me greatly that in our already divided society, disagreements are escalated by the ignorant and sometimes hateful comments that people make. Because they can hide behind their device, they feel empowered to say whatever they want. I'm guilty myself of diving deeply into the comments section of an Instagram or X post and I know that it's sometimes hard to stop reading. With impressionable children and teens, this aspect of social media and online forums can be especially harmful, as they don't have as much experience in real life filtering this type of language.