Lesson 6: Developing Basic Digital Skills

CONTENT

An effective teacher acknowledges the critical needs of the learners. Basically, every educational institution follows a standardized competency which a good teacher religiously realizes. As the key prime mover of the learning process, it is dogmatically important for a teacher to always see to it that the learners are learning what is intended for them to learn. This can be substantially evaluated through imposing behavioral assessments. Alongside the increasing demands of technology in educational whereabouts, educators should as well establish an increasing attention on the development of students’ essential skills.

There are enumerable specific skills, values, and attitudes a teacher should help the learners obtain. It is in this section that the six essentials to equip students for success is enumerated and summarized into: solution fluency, information fluency, collaboration fluency, media fluency, creativity fluency and digital ethics.

Solution fluency – exposures to real-life situations and problem-solving encourage critical-thinking among learners. Their ability to respond, react, and resolve is demarcated from the way they see conditions and how they analyze real events. Such activities allow students to think carefully, look for appropriate methods, and monitor facts thus developing metacognition.

Information fluency – with the availability of ICTs at home and school, storage of information goes beyond just plain texts. The ability to store information of all forms (texts, pictures, audios and videos) is an important skill that every student must be fluent at. This is unquestionably useful to them, especially in fulfilling their future educational pursuits. Information fluency is not only referable to technology as a medium to store information. It also includes the reasonable utilization of various technological tools in receiving and disseminating information. Hence, information fluency is always associated with reflection fluency. One must reflect before accepting or giving-off information.

Collaboration fluency – learners have multiple intelligences. Although they don’t exhibit them in equal degrees, honing these intelligences is always a challenging possibility. Role-playing, brainstorming, and other activities that would allow students to collaborate with their peers are essential for their interpersonal growth. Applying collaborative strategies helps students to develop their ability to communicate with people. Evidently, learners of today are more likely to engage in communication via social media. The on-line virtual world have offered modern learners to express their ideas more comfortably and are able to hear other persons’ viewpoints. A flexible teacher looks at this as an opportunity to engage the learners on virtual collaborative tasks. Today, educational technology developers have devised applications and software that would provide a conducive virtual setting for the teaching-learning process such as Edmodo.

Media fluency – if the learners understand how technological tools work, they are able to work with uniqueness. A mindful teacher helps the learners in attaining media fluency through giving them tasks that would correspondingly require the act of looking for concrete information sources. This could be the television, radio, magazines, or the internet. Media fluency is the ability to use learning tools to the fullness of its usefulness. Part of being media fluent is obtaining critical analysis and evaluation, and the ability to use concrete graphical objects to represent certain concepts.

Creativity fluency – creativity is an intelligence and supposedly, we should not compare one’s creativity to that of the others since it is relative. However, there are “creativities” that are more pleasing to the eyes and are generally acceptable, and this is what an ingenious teacher aims to inculcate in the permanent artistic domain of the learners. Unless the learner has the inclination, we cannot force him/her to make a perfectly proportionate hand-made or digital portrait of Justin Beiber or Zayn Malik. But a teacher can always teach learners the specific guidelines in producing creative outputs. “Does this font style fit my presentation? Which contrast is better to look at? Is my font size readable enough?”

Digital ethics – digital learners are prone to the exposures of negative entities from the net. Yes, information is just one click away, but so as pornography, privacy hacking, cyber bullying and so much more. Although values orientation starts at home, a watchful teacher can reinforce the formation of positive values through presenting the students their total accountability in using the net, informing them ahead the possible harm that a virtual misconduct may bring, and of course, through being an iconic model to them. Learners are being molded to become globally conscious and not globally inconspicuous.

EXPERIENCE

In my educational endeavor, so far, technology has been really helping me a lot. Of course, my first one-in-one encounter with Mr. Computer was like that of the usual – shaking hands and hesitation I would ask, “Am I going to click ‘ok’ or ‘close’?” whenever an unfamiliar notice pops out into the screen. Continuous exposures on computer along with the step-by-step guidance of my teachers helped me develop a close relationship with technology, and as I continued to explore new things, I learned more. The skills that I have acquired are helping me in producing comprehensive and creative outputs. Through being fluently skilful, I can communicate with others and vividly deliver useful information.

REFLECTION

Without conforming to the common conception of the majority about technology which believes that the latter is a bane, I can testify that technology is an amazing tool for effective learning. The application of technological tools, however, still greatly depends on the intentions and values of the input source which is the person in control. It is important that I understand these things so I may be able to impart knowledge to my future colleagues and students in a way that is not contradictory to the ethical values of the social context.

APPLICATION

WOW! Teaching is really an act of nobility. There are many things to take into consideration, and tasks are just multi-disciplinarily overwhelming! The purpose of letting learners learn to manipulate useful technological tools is not only to acquire information more effectively but to be more flexible as well. In my future teaching exertion, I can always have technology as a friend. However, its use should never be overwhelmed, it should be modulated. Appropriateness and the suitability on students’ learning styles are still of a great consideration in selecting teaching strategies. If it is best to include technology in the learning experience, then be it. Students, however, should be made aware of their accountabilities as active users of on-line information media, and must be well-oriented on the must-be-observed limitations of net browsing.