Today’s children are growing up in a world
known as the ‘Digital Age’ where technology is swiftly developing and moving
on. This constant exposure to digital media has modified the way ‘digital
children’ process, communicate and use information. As a result they are
extremely different from previous generations as recognised by The 21st Century
Fluency Project.
The 21st Century Fluency Project emphasise
that students today are limited in their ability to do well because lessons are
aimed at children from another age. Therefore, it is up to teachers to become
learners and discover the 21st Century digital world and its
culture. Teachers are required to use the tools and skills that the children
will need to have in the culture of the 21st Century. Therefore, teachers
will need to adapt to the technological changes within the classroom so
children can be aware of what may impact them in their future. For example, it is
hard to find a company today that does not require some form of computer skill.
According to The 21st Century Fluency
Project, children today have a short
attention span for traditional methods of teaching, therefore, traditional
literacy should be used in conjunction with digital literacy in order to engage
and motivate children, which is key to a successful lesson, as stated by Josiah
(The 21st Century Fluency Project). Through banning digital media in schools,
such as phones, teachers are missing out on opportunities to embrace the
digital culture and incorporate it into lessons. For example, blogging is so
embedded in the lifestyles of children today that teachers could use them
within literacy as it is something they know and engage with.
It is important for the teacher and other
educators, such as parents, to care about digital literacy because it is a part
of the way children today communicate and it would be a disadvantage to not
acknowledge this through the use of different forms of media literacy (The 21st
Century Fluency Project). For those teachers and parents that are considered ‘immigrants’
to the digital world, it gives them a chance to explore and learn, with the
children, the many opportunities that digital media has to offer.
The 21st Century Fluency Project: Understanding Digital
Kids II
I agree with what you have said about traditional literacy and new technologies being combined, however, I think that if teachers were to use phones within the classroom clear rules should be put in place so they do not distract from the learning in other subjects. From personal experience I have seen that this is possible, as when teaching a lesson in Estonia, unaware that children had their phones on them until after the session, the lesson was successful and the learning intentions achieved.
ReplyDeleteI think giving children some sense of autonomy within the technology that is used within the classomm will most probably boost their motivation to tackle lessons that they have become bored within, but I agree with Charlotte about rules being set up so children know the boundries and what can be used to the relevence of the lesson. As one of the oldies I struggle to keep up with technology, but luckily for me I produced two digital natives of my own that I can ask for help if needed.
ReplyDelete