Schools March 2010
Digital literacy Teaching critical thinking for our digital world
This document aims to provide all teachers with information and guidance about digital literacy.
Digital literacy: a brief introDuction Digital literacy is the combination of skills, knowledge and understanding that young people need to learn in order to participate fully and safely in an increasingly digital world.
THIS GUIDE
This array of skills, knowledge and understanding is a key component of the primary and secondary curriculum and should be incorporated in the teaching of all subjects at all levels.
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what digital literacy is
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why digital literacy is important for us all
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why it should be taught in schools, in all subjects and levels
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how to incorporate it into classroom teaching
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where to get more information.
This short guide explains:
a planning tool to support teachers Becta has created a Digital Literacy Planning Tool to help teachers in incorporating digital literacy across the curriculum. Our aim is to make the development of digital literacy easier to incorporate into classroom practice, and more explicit.
1. What is Digital literacy?
2. Why is Digital literacy important?
Digital literacy is a combination of:
Technology provides opportunities to participate in new kinds of learning, social, community and work activities. We all need to be digitally literate to make the most of these opportunities.
• functional technology skills • critical thinking • collaboration skills and • social awareness. It is sometimes called web literacy, information literacy, internet literacy or media literacy. The term ‘digital literacy’ relates to: • the functional skills of knowing about and using digital technology effectively • the ability to analyse and evaluate digital information • knowing how to act sensibly, safely and appropriately online • understanding how, when, why and with whom to use technology.
Evidence has shown that while many young people feel confident about using technology, this doesn’t always translate into competence. This is particularly apparent in relation to ‘higher level’ critical thinking skills, e.g. awareness of commercial strategies or bias in the media. Supporting young people to make informed decisions about how and why they participate digitally is an important response to the commercialisation of childhood, to the need for e-safety and to children’s increasing use of technology. Digital literacy is also important for society. Digital literacy can affect equality of access to information and services, employment, social inclusion and further learning opportunities. In turn, this can affect wider business productivity. Indeed developing digital literacy is a key aim of the Government’s Digital Britain strategy, as outlined in the 2009 Digital britain report.
3. Why shoulD Digital literacy be taught in schools, in every subject, at every level? The National Curriculum describes the learner entitlement to use ICT to support learning across the curriculum. However, research shows that not all learners are equipped with the skills knowledge and understanding that will enable them to critically engage with technology and use it effectively. In the same way that traditional literacy is essential for all subjects, digital literacy needs to be incorporated into all teaching. Developing digital literacy is about addressing the changing nature of subject knowledge and acknowledging that young people will need different kinds of skills, knowledge and understanding in order to develop their subject expertise. Every teacher can offer a different perspective as to how technology can add value in their subject. Young people are more likely to stay safe online if they have the ability to make appropriate and informed decisions about their use of technology. the byron review refers to the need to increase children’s resilience to harmful and inappropriate material to which they may be exposed. The success of young people in engaging effectively with technology will impact on their learning, lifelong education, leisure and future working lives.
DIGITal lITEracy In THE cUrrIcUlUm The Independent Review of the Primary Curriculum argues that creating successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens depends on a sound education in literacy, numeracy and ICT. This recognises the increasing digitisation of the world, which “will require digital literacy of all children for their full participation in society” (Rose, J. 2009). Reforms to the secondary curriculum are based on a rationale that in order to be successful in the future, young people need the skills and competences to manage their own learning and lifelong development in a changing world.
4. hoW can We incorporate Digital literacy into teaching?
5. Where can We finD out more?
Many of the skills within digital literacy are explicit There are many resources online to assist with in the National Curriculum expectations. developing digital literacy and critical thinking skills. Take a look at the examples below, or Our Digital Literacy Planning Tool aims to make follow the links to further sources of information. the development of digital literacy easier to national curriculum incorporate in everyday teaching. The tool helps teachers choose an appropriate teaching style for a task and plan activity around five core areas: • defining the task • finding information • evaluating information
View the expectations for ICT activities supporting digital literacy: media literacy Media literacy activities on the BBC media literacy resource focused on advertising Activities for learners from Media Smart What do you do on the internet? North West Grid for Learning’s online quiz for KS3 students
• creating a solution
how google works Activities for students and information
• communicating findings.
safe searching Advice for learners on the Kidsmart website
The tool offers a set of questions to support teachers in developing each area. It is easily adaptable for use on small tasks as well as larger projects.
videos for teaching different secondary subjects: hard to teach A series of nine videos with innovative ideas for using ICT when teaching different secondary subjects advice and resources for teachers: Web literacy video On the Teacher’s TV website media literacy resource focused on advertising Teaching materials from Media Smart Developing thinking skills at Ks3 From the Department for Children, Schools and Families media literacy teacher training resources From the Media Education Association becta website: safeguarding learners Includes information on teaching safe and responsible online behaviour safe searching Resources on the Kidsmart website
DOWnlOaD nOW
information literacy resource From Learning and Teaching Scotland
Click here to download the Digital Literacy Planning Tool and adapt it to your needs.
printed resources: “getting the buggers to find out” A book by Duncan Grey
(Continuum International Publishing Ltd, 2008)
How do searcH engines work?
THe iMPorTance oF criTicaL THinking wHen Using THe inTerneT
Many learners report that they don’t know how to search effectively online. Recent research from Ofcom showed that one in three children currently believe that Google ranks sites according to truthfulness. (UK children’s media literacy interim report, Ofcom 2009)
Take a look at the Web Literacy video on the Teacher’s TV website.
This is simply not the case. Instead, Google ‘spiders’ through sites, looking for their relevance to the exact search terms. Ranking relates mainly to how many other sites link to that website, which act like a ‘vote’ for that site. Also companies can pay to advertise, and so sit at the top of the list.
It shows a group of Year 9 pupils looking at three websites. The subject matters are Martin Luther King, the holocaust and Victorian robots. None of the websites are what they seem. The first two are fronts for racists and holocaust deniers. The last is a goodnatured spoof. None of the pupils spotted any problems with the validity, reliability or authority of the sites. Many said they would cut and paste information from the sites for use in their work. See how digital literacy teaching changed their minds.
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