Why is Digital Literacy Important?

Digital literacy is important because it is constantly changing. Students need to be able to stay current with these changes. The video is right when it talks about advancements that are hard to wrap our minds around. Concepts that seem unthinkable, such as the recent approval of the FDA to research by inserting chips in human brains to connect directly to the internet, or the positive things that AI can do. Such as saving programmers hours writing code, 

Digital literacy is something teachers must embrace. We cannot just impose Leave it to Beaver in our rooms anymore.  There is a responsibility to stay with the times, and the times dictate that a revolution is here.  Every child has a device. More chidren than should have access to data and sharing of data.  They have an innate need to use it to communicate, because everyone else does. At the early elementary age, we can guard them well, but they still eem to be able to see things and communicate with each other given simple wifi.

If we can create curriculum that supports these devices at least in-part, we will be able to access a part of these students' learning that they are ready for and need to know.  Digital literacy can be an extremely efficient way to do work, learn concepts, and apply them.  It is our duty to explore the possibilities in our classroom , and to listen to the kids to see what is "next." 

Technology has had a great impact on today's population, especially the youth.  I see this with all of the AI now coming out - especially Chatgpt, that students are going to be having computers do more of their work, and they are not going to put forth the effort.  I know that right now students can just type in the topic of an essay or paper to Chatgpt and ask them to write it for them.  It spits out an acceptable paper.  I'm not sure how, but I know this will change how education looks and the way educators approach teaching in the future.  They have also developed AI software to now determine if a student has had an AI device type a report for them.  However, this device also is not foolproof and recognized a paper that an actual student wrote as AI-generated.  See this video: NBC News - https://www.nbc.com/nbc-nightly-news/video/tech-company-develops-program-to-detect-when-students-use-ai-for-school-assignments/NBCN443333605

The 4th Industrial Revolution has changed the way students learn because technology plays such a huge role in the classroom.  Most students are using digital platforms and devices throughout the day for everything from math practice to research.  Because of this shift, students need to be able to use these devices and the related programs safely and effectively.  They not only need to be able to do functional things like type, create power points and word documents, save their work, etc.  They also need to be able to locate and evaluate accurate and reliable sources, effectively communicate with others, and determine the best ways to use technology as a tool.

To make sure students are digitally literate, teachers need to give students opportunities to learn about technology and use it.  Just like any other skill, modeling and then giving students the time to practice is important.  Incorporating the skill in several content areas is also important, so students can see and explore the variety of ways technology can be used.  

The Fourth Industrial Revolution has had a significant impact on education, and as educators, we must address these changes in our teaching practice. The rise of technology has changed the way students learn and interact with information. Students today use technology to explore, connect, create, and learn in ways that were unimaginable before. The rapid change in technology has brought about a shift from traditional methods of learning to digital learning. Digital literacy has become one of the most critical skills for all students in this new era. Teachers need to teach students digital literacy skills, including determining the validity of online resources, protecting their own and others' private information online, giving proper credit when using other people's work, curating a positive and effective digital footprint, and engaging respectfully with others with different beliefs online.

Teaching digital literacy is not always effective as a standalone lesson. Teachers should incorporate these concepts into everyday activities rather than a stand alone lesson. Also, as educators, we must stay ahead of these changes and ensure that we integrate them into our teaching practices to provide our students with the skills they need to succeed in a digital world.  For example, with the advancement of AI, teachers should learn more and how to integrate it in their classroom, rather than try to ban it or pretend AI doesn't exist.  We are about to hit a major shift in AI in education and the ways teachers can assess students in the midst of AI.