The Significance Of Teaching Digital Literacy In Schools

Introduction:

It is widely understood that digital technologies bring a whole new level of knowledge into the classroom. What once would have taken us hours to find in a book can now be found in thirty seconds with just a couple of taps on a phone. A landmark that may have cost hundreds of dollars to visit may now be explored in 3D on Google Maps. Of course, these are fun aspects and make our days very convenient, but it is not all about entertainment and facilitation. Technology will inherently be a part of our students’ personal lives, whether it is for games, research, communication, or anything else. It is thus absolutely crucial that we teach them the techniques and qualities required to become a good digital citizen.

Another important aspect to note is that our society’s current rate of sociological, technological and economical change means transferrable skills are more essential in primary education than ever before. If we lay a strong foundation in students’ utilisation of digital technology for research purposes, young people will grow up with not only the ability to learn more, but the desire to.

To have a computer is to have the entire world one click away. There are countless ways this can assist teachers with teaching and learning. First, however, teacher must understand how to use these technologies to their advantage, and ensure students are using them correctly.

Teaching Tool:

One tool that would provide a considerable extension of learning in the classroom is an iPad. The Apple iPad has the features of a computer (namely, access to internet browsers, document creating software, games and communication networks) in a straight-forward, easy-to-use operating system.

Utilising iPads in a teaching setting has a countless number of advantages, at the forefront of which is its outstandingly simple operation. Accessing different applications on the iPad is as simple as tapping the corresponding icon, which commonly has an image relating to the app (a camera for the camera app, a music note for the music app, etc. ). This very basic, user-friendly operating system allows for ease of digital education. In our current society, many children can use iPads/tablets before they can speak, which highlights the simplicity of this software. It is also important to note that the ease of understanding this technology does not only benefit students, but also teachers. A number of teachers grew up without digital technologies, and must now try to learn a new software every month or so, with the rapidly-changing nature of technology. Providing something like an iPad can help teachers overcome these issues. They are notedly easy to pick up on, and there are little to no operational differences as new models come out. This way, teachers can constantly be provided with the newest, most advanced technology, without having to completely relearn their technological skills.

High portability allows students to use the iPad in their practical learning activities, both inside and outside of the classroom. This is very useful in learning tasks that occur out in the playground or on the oval, for example shooting a video in media arts.

One other very useful aspect of the iPad, is its ability to be used any way the teacher wishes. There are endless settings on ‘Child Lock’, a feature that allows adults to bar children from accessing particular applications. Personalising the system is not only a good way to implement safe use of digital technology, it is also very helpful in choosing exactly what your students will need for their studies. Online textbooks, 3D maps, GPS tracking and interactive learning activities are just a few of the thousands of applications available for download on Apple software. Downloading applications specific to your topic, and deleting those that are not used, will ensure students stay focused and on-task during digital learning activities.

Conversely, there are a number of challenges associated with the implementation of tablets in classrooms, predominantly the price. If a school decides to completely replace desktop computers with iPads, their costs will drop, however if they decide to implement iPads in addition to desktop computers and/or laptops, it will take a large portion of school budget. It is also to be noted that as these tools are designed to be portable and carried throughout the classroom, there is a higher risk of breakage than there would be in the use of a desktop computer. However, it can be debated that the cost of repairing tablets is lower than repair and maintenance on older desktop computers.

Whilst parental locks were discussed as a positive aspect of iPad software, they are not always completely reliable, especially when students are accessing the web, and search engines such as Google. Even with Safe Search on, sometimes search engines can provide search results that are not always child-friendly. Fortunately, this is easily mediated by simply searching a particular term or phrase yourself and thoroughly examine the results before asking your students to do so in a lesson.