Future Lab
Chalk and talk are not only gone but so is the level of control and organisation that teachers previously had over their students and classroom. The digital age offers teachers so much more with regards to information and processes. It offers new ways of working with students and opportunities to develop voice and identity yet teachers must also be aware of the fact that students need to gain skills in dealing with information, they need skills in helping them develop the many strands of digital literacy.
I have recently come across a site called Future Lab that is really valuable to my professional learning.
They discuss the importance of encouraging participation in their publications. They also remind teachers that “It’s not chalk and talk anymore.”
Reading the research gathered from teachers about the term “digital literacy” was helpful – one of the teachers suggested that they use the words gaining “information fluency”. Another teacher interviewed argued that “it was not so much about IT or ICT but rather making sure that the students have the skills to use all the information around them … “
This teacher also added that it was not so much about computers but also about mobile devices as well. In addition, digital literacy was about making sure the information was reliable, that students could organise and interpret the data and most of all keep themselves safe!
So true.