Digital, Media, & Information Literacy

Digital literacy is about using and understanding information across various formats. Media literacy is critically analyzing all types of media that we are exposed to and information literacy is recognizing how to effectively use information. All three of these literacies cannot effectively actualize without the fours C's, which include critical thinking, creative thinking, communication, and collaboration. More specifically, digital literacy needs creative thinking use and create information in new formats. Media literacy requires critical thinking to evaluate all forms of media and empowers people to engage influencing our culture and society through media. Because information literacy is more about the individual, communication is important to decipher and investigate. 

In some form, I already practice all of these literacies in my own work and with my children. Now that I better understand these literacies, it will be easier for me to help my children through their process of critical reflection when we talk about the various types of technological devices and software they use at home and at school. I recently had a conversation with my eight year old daughter about the impact of her own social media account. It was difficult for me to explain the social consequences to her without getting her worried and afraid of using social media in the future. I could have employed media literacy tools to help her critically think about how her social media account could impact her life. With media literacy education, I could teach her the tools she needs to create her own messages.

I believe the use of technology in education is imperative. Young students should be digital, media, and information literate while simultaneaously learning about all of their other subjects too. I do think that some schools have already incorporated this. For example, my third grade daughter uses an iPad in her class. The school provides and iPad for every student. She recently did a penguin report on the presentation app using google drive. She explained to me that they complete their schoolwork on google drive and then send it to their teacher.  

Communities of Practice

A community of practice is a learning environment where participants in the community learn through engagement and social practice. Currently, my husband and I are parents at a cooperative preschool and our membership is a community of practice. As members of a cooperative preschool, there are many obligations that we are committed to. We must attend bi-monthly membership meetings, work at preschool once a week, attend four maintenance days in a school year, provide snack for the whole class four times in a school year and sign-up for a job to help with the operations of the school, as well as, contribute to fundraising. When I was a new parent in this cooperative, I was a bit overwhelmed with all of the obligations and participated only at a very minimum. Now that we’ve had a couple kiddos go through the school, I understand most of the functions of the school and I am now a Co-President of the Board. This reminded me of different levels of apprenticeships in a community of practice. Through active participation I constructed an identity, became more competent, thus, more involved in the main processes of the school. All of the families in this cooperative preschool make up a unique community with a passion for parent and family involvement in our kiddos’ school life.

According to Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger, researchers on the topic of communities of practice, communities of practice can be found everywhere, and, most likely, we are all involved in a few of them. Communities of practice definitely incorporates the four C’s: critical thinking, creative thinking, communication, and collaboration. The image below titled "Level of participation" shows the involvement levels in a typical community of practice. The core group and active level may employ most of the critical thinking and creative thinking skills in order to fulfill the mission or purpose of the community. Because learning is flowing throughout all levels of the community, communication is a skill used by everyone as they learn and teach one another through their participation. Collaboration is a key skill utilized in a community of practice. The members share a commitment and construct a particular identity in relation to the community. A community of practice is a great model of a 21st century skill.

I can see how it’s a bit more difficult to incorporate communities of practice into formal schooling, although, I believe I did participate in a community of practice in high school. I was in yearbook class all four years. Similar to my experience at the preschool, as a freshman I learned as I engaged and built relationships. By the time I was a senior, I was the Editor-in-Chief. The yearbook class was an elective and did not follow a traditional teacher teaches the students method. The Editor-in-Chief actually facilitated the work of the other editors and the editors worked in groups with the students. We all learned from each other. This method helped me learn how to participate in a group, engage and learn from my peers, and how to become a leader. I think the challenge for formal school systems is time. Teachers could encourage students to form communities of practice related to the learning outcomes of the curriculum, but, in order for the communities to form organically it may take longer than expected.

Digital Storytelling

There are four skills essential for the 21st century, also known as the four C's: critical thinking, creative thinking, communication, and collaboration. Critical thinking and creative thinking are skills used to solve problems and communication and collaboration are used to deal with people. Digital storytelling is a process that incorporates all four of these skills. It is reflective and encourages critical thinking and creativity, and, also adds an extension to creativity by using a technological medium. During the writing process, the author uses a storyboard to plan out the digital story by connecting the narrative to images. This is how the author collborates, by producing and repoting. Digital stories are intentionally made public by living on the internet, thus, the author communicates to its audience via the digital story. 

Digital storytelling serves as a educational tool for the author and the audience. I love John Dewey’s perspective about learning and reflection. One of his theories pointed out that we don’t learn from experience, but we learn from reflecting on experience. The author of the digital story undergoes reflection during the writing and story board process. The audience also learns by reflecting on watching the digital story. Another theorist, Lev Vygotsky, claimed the we learn through social interaction in a cultural context. And, as we learn, we internalize what we've learned through the interactions we have with our peers, teachers, parents, and other experts. Because digital stories are created by our peers and experts, they serve as a powerful cultural tool that has the ability to shape our culture. There’s a reason why YouTube is very successful. I believe it’s because we connect and learn from the digital storytellers.

(more details about Vygotsky's Social Development Theory in the video below)

Digital storytelling in the curriculum is a great empowerment tool that also makes learning fun. I believe it’s very important to incorporate technological devices and skills in our school systems. If younger students learn how to navigate current technology, they will practice and learn the four C’s. I already see this happening with my own kids, who attend a public school. My kindergartener is already learning how to write in a writer’s workshop taught in her class. She also uses the computer to play a game where she identifies letters in words and matches them to images. My third grader uses an iPad in her class often, and has already learned how to use Google Drive; she sends her work to her teacher via Google Drive from her iPad. Right now she is working on a project that she’ll need to make a presentation in front of her class from her iPad via AppleTV. As students grow older, it's important for them to understand how to leverage their skills in technology by relating them to the four C's.

Blogging in Education

Exploring our world through blogging can enhance our learning experiences. I believe that learning is all relative; we learn everywhere about everything. I now understand that the practice of blogging will provide a learning environment that strengthens skills essential for the 21st century. There are four skills: critical thinking, creative thinking, communication, and collaboration. Blogging is a great way to practice all four of them.

Blogging can even be a beneficial tool for kid's learning. Students can discuss what they've learned in class outside of the classroom. Blogging is also useful for developing writing skills, sharing ideas in a creative way, learning different technological mediums, and collaborating with other students and teachers. On another note, it is very important that we talk to our kids about how to leverage technological tools, such as blogging, to bring about positive outcomes into the world instead of fostering negative experiences.

Sometimes we may not understand what we've learned in the classroom until we've practiced it in real life. Blogging is a great way to share what we've learned by relating it to real life events. I like what George Couros stated in his blog post, "5 Reasons Your students Should Blog", about blogging being an open reflection to take time to think about what we've learned. It also gives the reader an open invitation to respond to the blog in the comments section. The comments could be a great way for learners to dialogue with other learners about their findings; also, it's a great way to dialogue with the readers.