Digital Literacy

Part of what I have learned as a teacher is that student-learning needs to be collaborative and inquiry-based. Is there are better way to have students learn and interact with each other than through the use of technology? Students are already interacting with each other online, but they don’t have a model at school for how to interact appropriately with each other. Typically, they also aren’t taught how to interact appropriately online at all. I believe that burden will inevitably fall to schools. If this is our job, then we need to step up and do it. Technology is how today’s student interacts. As teachers, we need to be communicating as they do. Technology is the future, and as educators we should be preparing students for that future.
There are several ways that students can learn through the use of technologies. My district is currently undertaking an initiative of “Bring your own Technology.” This means that students are going to have the ability to bring their electronic devices, connect to a wireless network, and use this device to participate in class. I would love to see teachers using Ipads interactively with students in a classroom. Class discussions could happen via forums that are monitored by the teacher. Wikis could be a collaborative place where students tell each other about what they have learned. I would love for students to have the opportunity to interact in a social context in a monitored setting where there are rules that they must follow.