Image via Common Sense Media.
With the recent readings and my in-depth exploration of the MediaSmarts and BCed plan sites, one thing I have really noticed is how intertwined all the different literacies are. It brings me back to Heather Davis’s (2010) quote, “Much of these alternate literacies can reinforce and provide added dimension to the information competency and create critical skills for the 21st century student.” It’s almost like a giant web of interconnected ideas, skills, and thinking all drawing from and playing off of each other. As the MediaSmarts site states, “[I]t is important to keep in mind that competencies for digital literacy and media literacy are not separate, but rather complementary and mutually supporting and are constantly evolving and intersecting in new and interesting ways.” It would actually be pretty fascinating to see a web created that listed all the different literacies showing how they are all related and connected. As a teacher-librarian, I believe it is very important for me to have a deeper understanding of each of the literacies, how they are “unique” and how they are “connected.” I have always known, to a degree, about the different types of literacies, but I had not really spent that much time really trying to think about how they are similar and different and how they play/connect off each other. This is, of course, still a work in progress. As I further develop this knowledgebase and understanding, I feel like I can better meet my students’ needs – I will be better able to help them connect their dots, develop deeper understanding, and personalize their learning. It is not so much that the students themselves need to know these differences, but that I know them and can use this knowledge to better construct powerful and effective lessons. When I am planning units and collaborating with teachers, I can connect these literacies to the activities we are preparing.
Image via MediaSmarts.
When creating my digital and media literacy toolkit, I wanted to thus ensure I had a variety of tools that would be useful, engaging, and inspirational for teaching and learning. I also wanted to ensure that they helped students become “critically engaged consumers of media” while also enabling them to “participate in digital media in wise, safe, and ethical ways” (MediaSmarts). I started off my exploration with the MediaSmarts page and eventually branched out into other areas (youTube, Google, etc.). Please remember that my toolkit is not “complete” but a work in progress. I see it as something that will change and grow depending on my needs and my students’ needs. I have included many sites that have a variety of links and ideas as I like to keep my options open so that I can tailor make my lessons for my current students and school. If I narrowed my toolkit down too much, then it may not reach as many learners.
I decided to create my toolkit with Symbaloo, which is a new-to-me program. The tutorial made it look quite simple and I loved how visual the layout was. I loved that I could quickly add a tile and that it would automatically find a symbol to match the website address I entered. Being able to color code tiles also helped to simplify and organize my project. I can definitely see potential in using this with classes or creating special ones for my staff.
Just for your reference, I separated my tiles into 5 different groupings, as follows:
- White Tiles – Websites that provide easy-to-use lessons
- Yellow Tiles – Posters
- Pink Tiles – Sites with general information on digital and media literacy (often having multiple uses)
- Blue Tiles – Games to use with students
- Red Tiles – Videos (I have included videos that I could show students as well as videos that I can watch or show teachers)
Now, as I wrap up my learning curation for this module, I always like to link back to my essential question which is: How do learning commons better help schools achieve their goals? My essential question, to me, is extremely important, particularly in the context of my school and my situation. Because my library has had such changeover (in staff, in teacher-librarians, etc.) and because it is located in a small school and in a small community, its not really perceived as being important or as a “hub of learning.” I truly feel that demonstrating how a library learning commons can better help schools achieve their goals will help and revive its importance and make it more central and integral to learning. Last year was my first year at the school and I was already starting to see a more positive shift in attitude simply with my encouragement for collaboration and my interaction with staff and students. By being able to use my learning and experiences in this course and others in the TL diploma, then I feel that I will be better able to meet my users’ needs and build up a somewhat deflated library. So, how does building a digital and media literacy toolkit help me demonstrate how learning commons better help schools achieve their goals? Well, by creating students who are good digital citizens, we are not just helping them develop ICT skills and showing them how to use the Internet and technology safely, properly, and in a positive way, but we are also showing them how to protect their own privacy (and respecting the privacy of others); think critically and creatively; communicate effectively and respectfully with others; and behave legally and ethically (i.e. respecting the copyright). As the MediaSmarts page states, “Digital Citizenship is ‘character education’ in a networked world.” Ultimately, we are helping students develop higher critical and creative thinking in connection to ICT. This, in turn, will help schools achieve their goals, because students will be able to think more critically and creatively, use technology more effectively and ethically, and apply their learning in new and innovative ways. If students can do these things, they will naturally transfer to the skills and higher thinking needed to meet school goals.
References:
BC Ministry of Education. (2012, October 17). Developing digital literacy standards. Retrieved fromhttp://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/dist_learning/dig_lit_standards.htm
Kang, C. (2014, March 5). Why all that time texting is good for your kids. A Q&A with author Danah Boyd. [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/03/05/why-all-that-time-texting-is-good-for-your-kids-a-qa-with-author-danah-boyd/
Konnikova, M. (2014, July 16). Being a better online reader. Retrieved from http://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/being-a-better-online-reader
MediaSmarts. (n.d.). Digital & media literacy. Retrieved from http://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy