Digital Literacy: What You Need To Know

Digital Literacy: what is it? Cornell University defines Digital Literacy as "the ability to find, utilize, share, and create content using information technologies and the Internet." (https://digitalliteracy.cornell.edu/)

(http://guides.libraries.uc.edu/digliteracy)

Digital Literacy is an important facet to the modern day Elementary classroom. The New York Department of Education defines digital literacy as “having the knowledge and ability to use a range of technology tools for varied purposes.” (http://schools.nyc.gov/community/innovation/ConnectedFoundations/EDL/default.htm)
They also continue on to say, Digitally literate people are those who “can use technology strategically to find and evaluate information, connect and collaborate with others, produce and share original content, and use the Internet and technology tools to achieve many academic, professional, and personal goals.” (schools.nyc.gov)

But if children are constantly looking at cell phones, iPads, and laptops all day, why is it important to teach them digital literacy? Simply said, children teach themselves about most things they come across in the digital world. They spend a lot of time exploring independently and picking up on things rather than being taught them in the classroom setting. It's important to educate students about the importance of digital literacy and especially things like copyrights and plagiarism because it has a place in the real world. For example, if students aren't taught about plagiarism at a young age, they would not understand the serious consequences that come out of it in the professional world. 

(http://digitalliteracy.us/thought-leadership/)

PBL and IBL: Advantages and Uses in the classroom

Project Based Learning

Project Based Learning is a very engaging and hands on experience for students. It is used to focus the students attention on real life skills and situations. It is not always the most conventional approach because a lot of effort goes into preparing for it, but it has proven to be effective. For example, this Early Education center in Auburn, Alabama shows an exciting and fun environment to teach their students about the real world. 

Inquiry Based Learning

We want to understand how the world works, and we do this by asking questions - or inquiring. Inquiry Based Learning always starts with a question.

It is strongly based on the John Dewey Constructivist Theory which states that children learn best when they are asked questions because they create new knowledge as they gather information.

Through this they will be able to reflect on their new knowledge and create their own opinions and ideas.

Through Inquiry Based Learning, Students are learning the skills to evaluate information on their own rather than just recall. 

The teacher acts as a facilitator (content expert, planner) devising a topic or coming up with open ended questions by designing activities that activate prior knowledge. It is typically a structured environment. 

Levels of Inquiry 

- structured: teacher directs inquiry. provides question to be investigated and gives instructions. good for teachers new to IBL

- guided: teacher chooses questions, but students take the discussion where they would like to go. teacher gives feedback or poses further questions.

- open: students take the lead. supportive role. higher order thinking. 

Coupled inquiry is combining two different methods, one after the other. can be useful to maximize benefit for students needs. 

About Me

Hi! My name is Krystyna Krzeminski and I am a junior Elementary Education major here at East Carolina University. I am originally from New Jersey, so I am quite a ways from home. I am an active member of the Alpha Phi sorority, which helps me feel like I have a home away from home since I'm 8 hours away. I am also a Campus Manager for University Tees here at ECU, which is a custom apparel company that provides merchandise for a varying range of student groups and organizations on campus. I will also be interning with University Tees full time for the summer of 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio as a marketing intern. 

In my free time, I really like to hang out with my friends and do fun things around Greenville like getting brunch at The Scullery downtown, walking on the greenway, and going to ECU football games. I'm looking forward to documenting my experiences throughout this course during the semester and being able to reflect back in the future!
I'm looking forward to becoming a teacher because I really love the idea of having a positive impact on the development of lives of children and shaping their education. I love being able to make a difference even if it's something small. Having your student understand something and appreciate your hard work makes it all worth it!