Helping Your Students Build Digital Fluency

Modeling balanced media use by infusing tech into class routines
By Jamie Knowles

 One of the many decisions we make as teachers is how to approach technology in a balanced way. The digital world is our students’ world, and tech has the potential to engage and inspire them. But we also want to avoid contributing to digital distraction.

One approach to finding this balance is to thoughtfully integrate tech into the culture of our class. By infusing it into the routines and practices that we and our students regularly engage in, students develop digital fluency: a broad set of skills related to tech use.

Digital fluency goes beyond knowing how to use any particular app or device. It’s a general mindset and know-how that helps students use technology to achieve their own interests and goals, whatever those may be. This helps students also learn media balance, because the more they see technology as a tool to achieving other things, the more they see it as just that — a tool — and not as something to be used uncritically.

So what does this actually look like in the classroom? Here are a few specific ways to infuse tech into your classroom culture.

Dig deeper into your school’s learning management system (LMS). While many schools train teachers to take attendance, enter grades, or even post assignments on an LMS (like Canvas or Schoology), they may not train them on using its other functions. For example, many LMSs have a communication tool that allows regular, accessible communication with students and families. The more you use it, the more it becomes the “bulletin board” for your class. Many LMSs also include a place to post and share lessons and curriculum. Sharing with colleagues, students, parents, and other members of the community help you both collaborate effectively and strengthen the culture of your classroom.

Incorporate devices into your lesson planning. Using tech can enhance many aspects of direct instruction and independent practice and can either be done whole-class or in stations. This frees you up to circulate and give one-on-one support or pull a small group. For example, instead of giving a presentation in class and having students take notes, publish the presentation on Google Docs and include directions for students to take notes. Then they can go through it at their own pace. Another idea is to have students take a practice quiz using your LMS or another assessment app while you circulate.

Use a classroom-management app. While the eventual goal is for students to be intrinsically motivated to treat each other well and be productive collaborators, those behaviors must often start with daily practice. One way to get students practicing the behaviors for a positive classroom culture is to use a classroom-management app. Consider this an enhancement to the tried-and-true strategy of positive narration, where verbal feedback focuses on students who are exhibiting the behaviors you want to see. Using this type of app allows you, with the tap of your phone, to award points for participation in discussion, active listening, showing empathy, or whatever categories you create. Points can be awarded to individuals, groups, or — my personal favorite — the whole class. Using an app also gives the added benefit of real-time accumulation of points, so students get immediate feedback on their participation and behavior. You can also tie rewards to the accumulation of points as a class, so that students encourage each other to exhibit positive behavior.

How do you thoughtfully integrate tech in your classroom? Share your ideas in the comments below!

This piece originally appeared on Common Sense Education.
Author

As senior manager for educator professional learning programs at Common Sense Education, Jamie Knowles creates online professional development services for teachers. Common Sense helps educators find the best edtech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to navigate the digital world with confidence. Get free resources including full reviews of digital tools, ready-made lesson plans, videos, webinars, and more at https://www.commonsense.org/education.

Prior to his work at Common Sense, Jamie taught middle school English in Oakland, California, for eight years. For the 2016–2017 school year, Jamie received an Excellence in Teaching award and was one of three finalists for Teacher of the Year in Oakland Unified School District. While teaching, Jamie also successfully implemented a $200,000 school-wide blended-learning program funded by the Rogers Family Foundation and led professional development on a wide range of teaching strategies. Jamie holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Eugene Lang College and a master’s degree in philosophy and education from Teacher’ College at Columbia University. Jamie lives in Oakland with his 2-year-old son, Malcolm, and his partner, Marijke, and often spends his free time chasing birds and playing in the sand.

 
Further Reading

1. The Hindu – Students need new skill sets
2. Newsweek – The Oldest Millennials Were Born in 1981
3. Inside Higher Ed – Solving the Work Force’s Skills Gap