A digital identity is becoming more and more important in today’s society. Through our Media Literacy class I am learning the valuable skills to help these students begin to develop an “informed and critical understanding of the nature of the media, the techniques used by them, and the impact of these techniques (Media Literacy 156 ).” Students need these skills to succeed in our modern culture. Students spend countless hours interacting with some form of technology; unfortunately a lot of them are not informed of the safety and concerns surrounding these devices. Privacy and cyber-bullying are the first two that come to mind. Students hide behind their computer screens and do not take into consideration “would I say this to the person’s face” (Shea 2004). Safety and security when surfing the net protect the student’s identity and allow them to find accurate information. This is important to me as a teacher and since these students do not always get informed at home it becomes our responsibility. In addition to obtaining a digital identity, learning web etiquette is important. Web etiquette, I am starting to realize is not widely understood which is hindering the development of these students’ digital identities. Fortunately there are tools on the web to help with that as well, Web 2.0!
To help promote a digital identity I hope to incorporate Web 2.0 into my classroom. Web 2.0 is a savvy cross-curricular tool. Depending on the skill I am able to develop by working with the countless tools of Web 2.0 I will be able to incorporate these into any subject. Students want to be engaged in the class by topics they enjoy and if they are able to explore, explain, evaluate and extend their knowledge so they are still meeting the curriculum standards it is even more beneficial. Check out this video Web 2.0 in the Classroom to see the impact technology truly does have on students. Unfortunately not all classrooms will have the technology to interact worldwide but if clear instruction is given to the students, full advantage of the tools can be taken at home. The Guide to Effective Literacy states “media literacy does not mean “don’t watch”. It means “watch carefully, think critically (4)” and that is what we must keep in mind. Before the classroom was about rewrite, rewrite and memorize information. Today we want to foster an environment to explore, discover and question everything. As educators we want to foster a safe and respectful learning environment that is inclusive to all students from different cultures. We want our children to engage in the social world by interacting with the millions of people on the web. Endless information is at our finger tips which can be used to develop a “creative revolution”. It is our job to help them make sense of the constant impact of new information. This is why Media literacy is so important.
To help promote a digital identity I hope to incorporate Web 2.0 into my classroom. Web 2.0 is a savvy cross-curricular tool. Depending on the skill I am able to develop by working with the countless tools of Web 2.0 I will be able to incorporate these into any subject. Students want to be engaged in the class by topics they enjoy and if they are able to explore, explain, evaluate and extend their knowledge so they are still meeting the curriculum standards it is even more beneficial. Check out this video Web 2.0 in the Classroom to see the impact technology truly does have on students. Unfortunately not all classrooms will have the technology to interact worldwide but if clear instruction is given to the students, full advantage of the tools can be taken at home. The Guide to Effective Literacy states “media literacy does not mean “don’t watch”. It means “watch carefully, think critically (4)” and that is what we must keep in mind. Before the classroom was about rewrite, rewrite and memorize information. Today we want to foster an environment to explore, discover and question everything. As educators we want to foster a safe and respectful learning environment that is inclusive to all students from different cultures. We want our children to engage in the social world by interacting with the millions of people on the web. Endless information is at our finger tips which can be used to develop a “creative revolution”. It is our job to help them make sense of the constant impact of new information. This is why Media literacy is so important.