Digital Literacy and Harnessing the Capabilities of Technology in the Classroom

You may have heard the term “TMI.” It is slang for “too much information” and is often used in social media or chat messages when responding to someone who discloses more personal details about themselves than they should. But if you are using the internet to research a topic for work, school, or simply because you are interested in it, you may come down with a case of TMI or information overload. This can make it challenging to filter through information to determine what data is credible or useful.

Even if an individual is skilled at navigating the web and is comfortable using a wide variety of digital tools, this does not translate into being digitally literate. Competency in the digital world requires that an individual be proficient in the use of digital tools to sort, evaluate, and analyze the information gathered online, and then create meaning from that information so they can use it. Teachers in K-12 schools can play a key role in ensuring that their students become digitally literate. Dawn Hathaway, academic program co-coordinator of the Designing Digital Learning in Schools graduate certificate and associate professor in the Advanced Studies in Teaching and Learning program within the School of Education at George Mason University, recently provided her perspective on the issue of digital literacy and using technology in education.

Technology has the potential to increase student learning and engagement.

When teachers provide instruction aimed at developing the digital literacy of their students, they are preparing those students to compete for the jobs of the future in a globally connected economy. Those jobs will require the ability to adapt to emerging technologies, many of which have yet to be developed. But to do this successfully, teachers must develop their own digital literacy and become comfortable using digital tools such as YouTube, blogs, podcasts, infographics, and a wide variety of other apps. As educators become familiar with using these digital tools, they need to think about how their functionalities can be harnessed to create lessons and content that will increase learning and engage students.

The ISTE Standards provide guidance for integrating technology into the classroom.

Among the resources available to teachers who want to become proficient in using technology to enhance the learning experiences of their students are the ISTE Standards published by the International Society for Technology in Education. The organization describes the ISTE Standards as a framework for using technology to create high-impact, sustainable, scalable, and equitable learning experiences for all learners. They have been adopted by schools throughout the United States and in many countries around the world. The ISTE Standards include sections for students, educators, educator leaders, and instructional coaches that cover an extensive range of topics related to the role of technology in the classroom.

Commonsense Media

Another resource for teachers is Commonsense Media, a nonprofit organization that provides recommendations on age-appropriate learning apps and websites that educators can use. The site also provides tips on how teachers can integrate technology into their classroom, strategies for teaching students the principles of digital citizenship, recommendations on how to connect a student’s social-emotional learning with their digital wellbeing, requirements for protecting student privacy when online, and many other important topics that impact both teachers and students in K-12 schools.

Artificial Intelligence in Education – Opportunities and Risks

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly developing technology, still in its infancy, that presents opportunities as well as challenges that are certain to have a significant and lasting impact on the education profession. In May 2023, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology (OET) released a report titled, “Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Future of Teaching and Learning: Insights and Recommendations.”

The report highlights the educational benefits of AI such as capabilities for interactive speech recognition that can help teachers support students with disabilities or functionalities that can help teachers in responding to variations in the English language proficiencies of multilingual learners. These and other capabilities illustrate how AI can be adapted and personalized to address a student’s individual learning process or learning style so that teachers are better able to meet their needs. AI also has risks that include student privacy and security concerns, algorithmic bias, and faulty information outputs, among others. A factsheet released by OET summarizes the key findings of the report and offers recommendations on steps that education leaders, technology researchers, and government policymakers can take to strengthen protections and maximize the benefits related to the use of AI in education.

To learn more about the Graduate Certificate in Learning Technologies with a concentration in Designing Digital Learning in Schools offered by George Mason University’s School of Education, please visit the program website.