It’s evident that the world is a global village, and digital literacy is becoming the norm in global education systems. Digital literacy will enable learners to effectively find, utilize, evaluate, and share information via digital platforms. With this knowledge, learners can solve challenges and develop new and lasting solutions. Below are nine ways you can improve digital literacy in the classroom.
1. Teaching About Netiquette
As a teacher, teaching your learners how to use different online tools effectively is the first step toward promoting digital literacy. Ensure your learners understand the essence of maintaining netiquette, such as honoring other users’ views, staying on topic, and communicating effectively on different digital platforms. Learners should avoid abusive utterances and comments while communicating on digital platforms.
2. Learning About Managing Online Identities
While using any digital platform, you will likely have an online identity and leave some digital footprints. As a student, building a good online presence is beneficial mainly to your future career prospects, as employers are interested in getting a clear picture of your online identity. Ensure you learn about safeguarding your privacy online and how to share useful information online. Remember, the information and data you share online are stored and can be retrieved easily.
3. Providing Online Learning Materials
Online learning materials will enable learners to acquire new skills while interacting in the digital space. As a teacher, you can expand on concepts by providing your learners with online visual aids, links to TED talks, enlightening docuseries, and other materials. On the other hand, students will find the topic more interesting and easier.
4. Incorporating Educational Apps
Educational apps enhance learning, as they are interactive and fun. Educational apps have quizzes and assignments presented interestingly. Some apps have in-built games that come in handy in promoting a friendly learning experience. While some apps are free, others require subscriptions at either monthly or annual intervals.
Open educational resources for k12 can also come in handy when promoting digital literacy in education.
5. Hosting a Live Virtual Event
Live events expose learners to online tools such as web browsers, social media sites, and video conferencing platforms. Learners will be able to interact with their instructors and peers remotely. During this process, your learners will put into practice digital etiquette skills.
As an instructor or teacher, send the webinar link and agenda to your students in advance to enable them to prepare any questions. Ensure the video conferencing platform is easy to use and student-friendly. This will eventually create a personalized learning experience and improve digital literacy in the classroom.
6. Making the Session Interactive
Digital literacy goes hand in hand with interactive sessions. You can have a platform to interact with your students directly and give them real-time feedback. Besides this, you can monitor all students’ learning progress and guide them individually.
7. Encouraging Learners to Develop eLearning Content
The best way to promote digital literacy is by having learners do most of the tasks themselves. You can ask your learners to create virtual presentations or e-learning blogs depending on your teaching subject.
By developing such content, learners will become familiar with copyright and intellectual laws regulating online content and resources. Students can also escalate their confidence levels and expand their research skills as they develop virtual presentations.
8. Guiding Students on Managing Digital Distractions
Despite online resources and digital tools making learning interactive and effective, they have brought many distractions. Digital distractions can easily lead to draining and procrastination, eventually lowering students’ academic performance.
As a teacher, you are responsible for guiding students in managing digital distractions. The best distraction management strategies include taking regular breaks, incorporating productivity tools, muting notifications, and setting realistic goals. With digital distraction management strategies, your students will record a higher academic performance.
9. Guiding Students on Avoiding Plagiarism
Often or not, your students will be making publications and posting them on the internet. You must guide your students on avoiding plagiarism while writing and making publications. Ensure your students cite sources accurately and support a discussion with relevant references.
Conclusion
Learners, teachers, and all stakeholders in education should embrace digital literacy as it brings educational advancements. Besides this, digital literacy makes learning interesting, and learners are able to internalize concepts faster. Without any doubt, digital literacy is worth implementing.