A Digital World

Have you ever imagined what the world would look like if the internet suddenly disappeared?

Would we breathe a collective sigh of relief, move to the countryside, and take up bread-baking as a hobby? Or would we melt into a puddle of despair, while suffering the ill-effects of unprecedented boredom and Disney+ withdrawal?

Using the internet has become as much a part of our everyday lives as eating, breathing, and sleeping (that is, if one can fall asleep after surfing the newsfeed before bed). The world is quite literally at our fingertips. It's also on our nightstands, in our pockets, and in the hands of our young students. As educators, our duty is to ensure that students are well-equipped to traverse the digital sphere.

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, technology has enabled us to take classes remotely, connect with loved ones across the globe, have our groceries delivered to our doors, and stay up-to-date with news and public health orders. We live during a time where the answers to life’s burning questions can be found in a matter of seconds.

Why is the sky blue? How do I change a tire? What is the air-speed velocity of an unlaiden swallow?

Since the internet is designed to capture our attention spans in order to sell us products and ideas, these curiosities can easily turn into "research rabbit holes." I once spent three hours reading about tea kettles... What can I say? I love tea! And now my search engine algorithm knows that I do too. To this day, I am consistently bombarded with advertisements for tea-brewing products.

While the global connectivity of the internet harbours many positive implications for education, society, (and my ever-expanding collection of random facts), the web is also riddled with misinformation, phony "articles," and downright dangerous scams. As worrisome as technology can be when considering the safety of students, we teachers must fight the urge to flap our arms and yell, "run the other way!"

Why? Because it's in our students' best interests.

The Importance of Digital Literacy

The world is becoming more digital by the day, and it's important that our students become responsible digital citizens. A strong foundation of internet-safety skills enables students to explore their creativity in a secure and supported manner.

The world is quite literally at our fingertips. It's also on our nightstands, in our back pockets, and in the hands of our young students. Our duty is to ensure that students are well-equipped to traverse the digital sphere.

Media Smarts, Canada's Centre for Digital and Media Literacy, released a framework that is designed to teach students how to "make good choices about privacy, ethics, safety and verifying information when they’re using digital media" so that they can "be prepared to be active and engaged digital citizens."

The framework revolves around the following pillars: Ethics & Empathy, Privacy & Security, Community Engagement, Digital Health, Consumer Awareness, Finding & Verifying, and Making & Remixing. This document offers a high-quality system for teaching students to use technology safely and creatively.

Click here to access the framework.

By implementing these pillars of digital literacy in our classrooms (whether in-person or online), students will be better equipped to embark on their digital journeys of learning.

- Colleen Hallett, January 2022