Supporting Learners Through the Library: Digital and Media Literacy
Digital literacy is defined as "the interest, attitude, and ability of individuals to appropriately use digital technology and communication tools to access, manage, integrate, analyze and evaluate information, construct new knowledge, create and communicate with others" (BC Ministry of Education). With the rise of advocacy for technology use within the classroom, there is a growing limitless potential for what redefining learning using technology looks like.
With digital media, the key is learning to use it effectively. The digital environment is very different to a physical one, and students need to be taught how to navigate and self-monitor their technology usage. I like the word "mindfulness" that is used in the module - it brings to mind the responsibility of our actions online and being critical of what we read.
This week, our challenge is to curate effective online tools that we can use, share, and explore with students and other fellow teachers. While creating this "digital toolbox," I aimed to find and include at least one new resource that I hadn't used before into the mix as unfortunately, with the busy nature of my life right now, I am unable to spend as much time researching and gathering resources to develop this toolkit as I would like. The vast majority of my resources will be tools that I have used before.
I have decided to use the suggestion posted in the module and tried out Symbaloo. This is a bookmarking app that I have not used before previously, but seemed like it would be very helpful in gathering my resources in one handy place to share for others. You can view my webmix on Symbaloo here.
Top Row: This row contains digital resources that can help with student creations.
1. Canva - Canva is a website catering to those who wish to design. It is an excellent place to go for templates for all sorts of things, including posters, presentations, etc. Personally, I have used it with success when teaching students to create infographics in journalism class.
2. PowToon - PowToon is a free video editor/creator that will easily animate presentations into a smooth video. While I have not yet personally tried using this, it is a recommended resource from module 3, so I thought I would include it in here because I can see that the potential for it is great.
3. Prezi - Prezi is an online presentation creator that makes PowerPoint look like an ancient dinosaur. With a wider variety of animations, it really opens up the world of presentations. I have used this personally various times for different presentations and it's always met with a positive response due to the flashier animations.
4. Padlet - Padlet is a tool for real-time collaboration and idea sharing. I have not used this personally, but I have seen it in action and can say that it is an awesome resource for class discussions and brainstorming.
5. Scratch - Scratch is an online tool for creating "stories, games, and animations" and sharing them with a global community. This seems like a great resource for programmers-to-be to get started with and would be a great addition to a digital makerspace.
6. Wordle - Wordle is an online Word Cloud generator. While there are many different online generators nowadays, Wordle stands out because it is simple to use and easily customizable.
Second Row: This row contains digital resources that can help with student review and study.
1. Plickers - A combination of physical and digital, Plickers utilizes QR codes to its full capacity in a more tactile way to quiz students on content covered or just get feedback on a lesson. Students are usually very engaged during this because they have to turn their paper around for the teacher to scan their answers.
2. Kahoot! - Kahoot! is a quiz game resource that can help students to review concepts and content covered in class. Teachers can create their own quizzes, or they can challenge students to create their own review quiz games to help with review.
3. Memrise - Memrise is a vocabulary review website that allows students to enroll in courses and review vocabulary by playing games and racking up points. The gamification of the vocabulary review helps to engage students who might be unwilling to review normally.
Third Row: This row contains digital resources to help teachers with lesson planning and finding resources.
1. Teachers Pay Teachers - TPT is my favourite go-to place for one-off (or sometimes even unit) lesson plans. While a lot of resources on there are paid, there are still lots of free resources available to help spark the imagination.
2. Media Smarts - This website is included upon recommendation of module 6. There are lots of lesson plans, resources, and even digital games on the site to help students with understanding digital and media literacy. This is a great resource for introducing, reviewing, and exploring various aspects of digital literacy.
3. Khan Academy - Host to thousands of videos on different topics, I've had the most success using Khan Academy for their math videos. They are simple and easy to follow lessons that can be easily accessed at school or even assigned to students to view at home for a flipped classroom strategy.
4. Pinterest - Pinterest is always my way of finding fun, creative ideas for the classroom, especially when I'm in need of classroom decoration ideas or art projects. As the old saying goes, if it's already been done before, there's no need to reinvent the wheel. Pinterest is great for finding fun projects to do, and while not all of them are simple, there is something for everybody.
5. Read Write Think - A great website for resources on improving literacy development in your classroom. This is a resource I find myself going back to often as an English teacher.
6. Mystery Science - This is a K-5 science curriculum that has lessons, activities, and worksheets that can easily be used in the classroom. Each lesson is focused around a big idea or question that students will try to answer.
Fourth Row: This row contains other resources that don't quite fit into other categories, but are still useful and important to keep in the toolkit.
1. TED Talks - The great thing about TED Talk videos is that they are so diverse and you can use them for many different audiences. I've used them with both students and professional groups with success - the key is finding relevant videos to watch and discuss. They are great for either supplementing a lesson, initiating a conversation on a topic, or informing the audience of new research about a certain topic.
2. Teaching Channel - This website is purely for professional development, as there are many different video resources and articles to help a teacher improve their practice. While it is focused on an American curriculum, I think that there is still a little something for everyone.
3. Goodreads - Goodreads is a online community where students and teachers can share their reading lists and book reviews. This is a great way to engage students in their reading by having them keep track of what they've read and look for books that they might enjoy based off of recommendations.
4. Wonderopolis - This is a website that I recently found to promote non-fiction reading. Each article is focused around a question that students will try to answer. This is great for literacy development in the elementary years, and the wide variety of topics covered can also be used by teachers to develop a lesson around.
References:
BC Ministry of Education. (n.d.). Digital Literacy. Government of B.C. Retrieved from https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/teach/teaching-tools/digital-literacy
Brown, J. [TEDx Talks]. (2016, March 28). Redefining learning & teaching using technology [YouTube]. TEDxNorwhichED. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOTEQVYDPpg
Chang, R. (2018, October 21). Digital Toolkit. Symbaloo. Retrieved from https://www.symbaloo.com/shared/AAAAAZsIj6gAA41-4j8F2A==
Digital literacy is defined as "the interest, attitude, and ability of individuals to appropriately use digital technology and communication tools to access, manage, integrate, analyze and evaluate information, construct new knowledge, create and communicate with others" (BC Ministry of Education). With the rise of advocacy for technology use within the classroom, there is a growing limitless potential for what redefining learning using technology looks like.
With digital media, the key is learning to use it effectively. The digital environment is very different to a physical one, and students need to be taught how to navigate and self-monitor their technology usage. I like the word "mindfulness" that is used in the module - it brings to mind the responsibility of our actions online and being critical of what we read.
This week, our challenge is to curate effective online tools that we can use, share, and explore with students and other fellow teachers. While creating this "digital toolbox," I aimed to find and include at least one new resource that I hadn't used before into the mix as unfortunately, with the busy nature of my life right now, I am unable to spend as much time researching and gathering resources to develop this toolkit as I would like. The vast majority of my resources will be tools that I have used before.
I have decided to use the suggestion posted in the module and tried out Symbaloo. This is a bookmarking app that I have not used before previously, but seemed like it would be very helpful in gathering my resources in one handy place to share for others. You can view my webmix on Symbaloo here.
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| My Symbaloo (2018) |
1. Canva - Canva is a website catering to those who wish to design. It is an excellent place to go for templates for all sorts of things, including posters, presentations, etc. Personally, I have used it with success when teaching students to create infographics in journalism class.
2. PowToon - PowToon is a free video editor/creator that will easily animate presentations into a smooth video. While I have not yet personally tried using this, it is a recommended resource from module 3, so I thought I would include it in here because I can see that the potential for it is great.
3. Prezi - Prezi is an online presentation creator that makes PowerPoint look like an ancient dinosaur. With a wider variety of animations, it really opens up the world of presentations. I have used this personally various times for different presentations and it's always met with a positive response due to the flashier animations.
4. Padlet - Padlet is a tool for real-time collaboration and idea sharing. I have not used this personally, but I have seen it in action and can say that it is an awesome resource for class discussions and brainstorming.
5. Scratch - Scratch is an online tool for creating "stories, games, and animations" and sharing them with a global community. This seems like a great resource for programmers-to-be to get started with and would be a great addition to a digital makerspace.
6. Wordle - Wordle is an online Word Cloud generator. While there are many different online generators nowadays, Wordle stands out because it is simple to use and easily customizable.
Second Row: This row contains digital resources that can help with student review and study.
1. Plickers - A combination of physical and digital, Plickers utilizes QR codes to its full capacity in a more tactile way to quiz students on content covered or just get feedback on a lesson. Students are usually very engaged during this because they have to turn their paper around for the teacher to scan their answers.
2. Kahoot! - Kahoot! is a quiz game resource that can help students to review concepts and content covered in class. Teachers can create their own quizzes, or they can challenge students to create their own review quiz games to help with review.
3. Memrise - Memrise is a vocabulary review website that allows students to enroll in courses and review vocabulary by playing games and racking up points. The gamification of the vocabulary review helps to engage students who might be unwilling to review normally.
Third Row: This row contains digital resources to help teachers with lesson planning and finding resources.
1. Teachers Pay Teachers - TPT is my favourite go-to place for one-off (or sometimes even unit) lesson plans. While a lot of resources on there are paid, there are still lots of free resources available to help spark the imagination.
2. Media Smarts - This website is included upon recommendation of module 6. There are lots of lesson plans, resources, and even digital games on the site to help students with understanding digital and media literacy. This is a great resource for introducing, reviewing, and exploring various aspects of digital literacy.
3. Khan Academy - Host to thousands of videos on different topics, I've had the most success using Khan Academy for their math videos. They are simple and easy to follow lessons that can be easily accessed at school or even assigned to students to view at home for a flipped classroom strategy.
4. Pinterest - Pinterest is always my way of finding fun, creative ideas for the classroom, especially when I'm in need of classroom decoration ideas or art projects. As the old saying goes, if it's already been done before, there's no need to reinvent the wheel. Pinterest is great for finding fun projects to do, and while not all of them are simple, there is something for everybody.
5. Read Write Think - A great website for resources on improving literacy development in your classroom. This is a resource I find myself going back to often as an English teacher.
6. Mystery Science - This is a K-5 science curriculum that has lessons, activities, and worksheets that can easily be used in the classroom. Each lesson is focused around a big idea or question that students will try to answer.
Fourth Row: This row contains other resources that don't quite fit into other categories, but are still useful and important to keep in the toolkit.
1. TED Talks - The great thing about TED Talk videos is that they are so diverse and you can use them for many different audiences. I've used them with both students and professional groups with success - the key is finding relevant videos to watch and discuss. They are great for either supplementing a lesson, initiating a conversation on a topic, or informing the audience of new research about a certain topic.
2. Teaching Channel - This website is purely for professional development, as there are many different video resources and articles to help a teacher improve their practice. While it is focused on an American curriculum, I think that there is still a little something for everyone.
3. Goodreads - Goodreads is a online community where students and teachers can share their reading lists and book reviews. This is a great way to engage students in their reading by having them keep track of what they've read and look for books that they might enjoy based off of recommendations.
4. Wonderopolis - This is a website that I recently found to promote non-fiction reading. Each article is focused around a question that students will try to answer. This is great for literacy development in the elementary years, and the wide variety of topics covered can also be used by teachers to develop a lesson around.
References:
BC Ministry of Education. (n.d.). Digital Literacy. Government of B.C. Retrieved from https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/teach/teaching-tools/digital-literacy
Brown, J. [TEDx Talks]. (2016, March 28). Redefining learning & teaching using technology [YouTube]. TEDxNorwhichED. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOTEQVYDPpg
Chang, R. (2018, October 21). Digital Toolkit. Symbaloo. Retrieved from https://www.symbaloo.com/shared/AAAAAZsIj6gAA41-4j8F2A==
What a great list of resources. I will definitely be using these in my planning and in the classroom. I like the idea of assigning videos for them to watch at home for reinforcement. Thank you
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