Digital literacies in the classroom

    Digital literacy is a relevant topic because technology is changing faster than ever. For this reason it is significant to have the right competencies to enhance knowledge in society. According Hockley 'digital literacies refer to our ability to effectively make use of the technologies at our disposal' Hockely,N. (2013). This means the effective usage, knowledge and 
skills of digital devices for purposes of communication, expression, collaboration and creativity. This picture shows what we teach when dealing with digital literacy:

   

       We can divide digital literacies into four categories according to Hockly (2013). The ones that centers on: 

Information: the ability of not only finding the information but also assessing it.

Language: The incorporaron of both print literacies and texting literacies. 

Connections: It not only reflects personal identity but also it is a resourse for socializing. 

(re)design: The re creation of media into a renovated and shocking one.

   
     But why is it necessary for schools to teach digital literacy? When used in ways that intensifies learning, new technologies can help students develop and practice different skills. Most teachers believe that children are naturally skilled in using technology since they have been in contact with it from a very young age. Besides this technology can be used to motivate students due to the fact that they can enjoy it. Furthermore, it reaches students of various learning styles and allows them to create and design their own outcome which reflects their personalities and learning needs as well as giving students the chance to study technology which increases job opportunities.

   

    In addition to this, the teacher's job is important to have a close-up relation with digital technology in order to prepare students to excel not just in school, but also in the future workplace and throughout their lives. As teachers, we need to carefully think of which technological tools should be used in the classroom in engaging and original ways to improve student learning. It is also important to  provide students with authentic learning opportunities that are enhanced through digital technologies. 

   

    Finally, the goal of all teachers is to promote critical and innovative thinking and collaborative work in their students. Incorporating Digital Literacies into lessons can avoid the traditional face to face classroom relationship and through this teachers can ease their student's construction of knowledge and meaning.

    In our opinion, students should be encouraged to use digitial tools in the classroom since technology is part of their daily life. The implementation of thechnology enhace students skills in many senses and also can help them in their futures, for example when trying to find a job. Undoubtedly, also teachers need to be well trained in order to be prepared to incorporate technology in the classroom and help students to use it appropiately for educational purposes.

References: 

- Hockly, N. (2013) "Digital Literacies: What are they and why should we care"

Teachers’ roles and “Digital Natives"

      Originally, the role of the teacher was restricted by the transmission of content, and students were passive receivers of that content. Nowadays, the role of the teacher has changed. Now the teacher has to assume different roles. For example, facilitator, second mother, organizer, motivator, councellor, mediator, and so on.

    Moreover, with the development of new technologies, teachers must adapt to a new kind of student: the Digital Native. According to Prensky (2001) nowaday's students are digital natives since they were born sorrounded by technology. On the contrary, Digital Inmigrats are people who are not acquainted with this digital environment. Digital natives speak a compleatly different language and they have other ways to interact with the world.
It can be said that Digital Natives and Immigrants have different ways to process information. While Digital Immigrants learn in a linear and logical way, Natives consider everything as a whole and at the same time. They can study and learn things even with the TV on.
    We agree with Prensky when he says that “It’s just dumb (and lazy) of educators-not to mention ineffective- to presume that (despite their traditions) the Digital Inmigrant way is the only way to teach, and that the Digital Natives’ language is not as capable as their own of encompassing any and every idea” (Prensky, 2001). It is known that there are several ways of teaching a particular content adapting it to the students. Teachers should find effective methods to employ in every school subject and have students as model to follow.

              
     Teachers tend to assume that students are contaminated by the new technologies and social networks. This is not true because learners and educators can benefit from these issues. We think that Digital Inmigrants should try not to believe that their way of teaching is the only one. They should be willing to incorporate new technology in the classroom every time they can. In this way students would feel that teachers take their learning styles into consideration. including songs, videos, websites, etc. in our teaching, the acquisition of new content could be produced effectively and successfully.

References:

Prensky,M. “Digital Natives, Digital Inmigrants” (2001) pp. 1 and 6