Reading Review #1

While I am new to the world of the Teacher Librarian, I worked for 13 years as a technology teacher supporting both teachers and students in the effective use of technology. The guiding document for this in Manitoba is Literacy with ICT | A Model for 21st Century Learning (gov.mb.ca). This is a document/site I referenced often at the start of my journey as a technology teacher, and it is one I would return to in supporting a school community as a Teacher Librarian.

The bulk of my work was with elementary age students (Kindergarten to Grade 5) with some additional work with Middle School youth (Grades 6 to 8). As the Literacy with ICT web site states, ”Literacy is not only about reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing and representing. It is also about developing literacy with information and communication technology (ICT).” This is an area of great interest to me. As someone with both a Marketing and computer background, I am very familiar with the ways technology is used to try and influence people and gather information about them. Being literate with ICT is critical to safely navigating the world today.

While students are often quite good at using technology from a skills-based perspective, they are not always the best at decision making when it comes to technology, especially at younger ages. When it comes to ICT, both teachers and parents often feel at a loss when it comes to teaching their kids about technology because they feel they don't have the knowledge or skills to do so.

What teachers and parents need to understand is that their role in technology education is “… in helping our students become critical and creative thinkers as they learn with technology, and in guiding our students in the safe, responsible and ethical use of information and communication technologies (ICT).” I believe in this strongly. While teachers and parents may feel they have a deficit in technology skills or know how, they have an abundance of knowledge and experience in how to be responsible and ethical in life. 

The areas I would like to explore further in preparation for when I become a Teacher Librarian are digital literacy, literacy support tools available online and digital expression. More specifically:

  1. Digital literacy
    • Ability to evaluate information / website to determine bias and or value as a source of information
  2. Digital citizenship
    • Digital identity
      • Digital footprint
      • Masked vs Actual identity
  3. Online literacy tools - what is out there to support literacy efforts of teachers?
    • MS Teams has introduced a tool for this that I would like to better understand given so many schools use MS Teams
    • What other tools are available
  4.  Digital Expression - what are the different ways to give students agency when communicating their learning?

 References 

Literacy with ICT. (n.d.-b). What Is LwICT. Retrieved September 17, 2022, from https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/tech/lict/what/index.html

Literacy with ICT. (n.d.). For Teachers. Retrieved September 17, 2022, from https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/tech/lict/teachers/index.html

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