Formal Blog Task - Week 6

I read this text:

Palmer, S. (2006) Toxic Childhood: How the Modern World is Damaging Our Children and What We Can Do About It London: Orien

Palmer (2006) argues children need to have opportunities to learn about the world through first-hand experience. Therefore, teachers need to provide children with opportunities for learning practically, because teachers need to acknowledge that, 80 per cent of five to sixteen-year-olds have their own TV in their room, which was found in a UK survey conducted in 2005 (Palmer, 2006). This shows that teachers should care about how much children are exposed to digital technologies in this digital age. Teachers need to take an interest into what content their children are viewing, in order to educate them about the dangerous impacts they can have on their health, behaviour and learning (Palmer, 2006). Teachers need to work together with parents to try to break the ‘digital divide’ between children and adults so that everyone is more aware of the uses and impacts digital technology has on us, because we will always have access to technology but we need to be aware of when it is appropriate to press the ‘off-switch’ button (Palmer, 2006).

Johnson and Kress (2003) argue, digital literacy allows individuals to participate in society. Therefore, teachers need to understand the positive impacts digital literacy has on children such as, giving them a voice by communicating information in a literal way. Department for Education (2013) have stated that children need to become digitally literate to develop their existing ideas. This suggests that teachers should incorporate technologies because it will support children in the workplace and in the digital world (Department for Education, 2013). In addition to this, children are born in a digital age; therefore, different forms of media should be embraced into the classroom with a balance with traditional teaching methods (Meador, undated).

Whilst I was on my latest school experience, the children did not have much experience of digital technology, however for a series of lessons the children did use the computers to research about their history topic, which was on the titanic. The children had the opportunity to understand information about the titanic, through using different sources (Purposeful Technology, undated). The children were finding and selecting information, and they were motivated with the task in hand (Purposeful Technology, undated). However, teachers need to be aware of the potential threats that can occur for example, of using Web 2.0 technologies such as the use of social media sites within the classroom (Futurelab, undated). This is because of the lack of control we have of what children can view on the internet (Futurelab, undated).

There are many benefits of using digital literacy and embracing the digital age within the classroom. My experience of digital literacy is positive because technology has allowed me to develop my knowledge and skills in this area (Purposeful Technology, undated). Therefore, Dean (2010) believes attitudes towards literacy should be changed to encompass the era of digital literacy. However, if teachers have a genuine concern to what children are exposed to in this digital age, teachers need to educate children about the actual uses of technology (Purposeful Technology, undated).  

Bibliography

Dean, G. ‘Rethinking Literacy’ in Bazalgette, C. (ed) (2010) Teaching Media in Primary Classrooms London: Sage

Department for Education. (2013) Computing programmes of study: key stages 1 and 2. [pdf] Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/239033/PRIMARY_national_curriculum_-_Computing.pdf (Accessed: 18.02.2014).

Futurelab. (undated) Digital literacy across the curriculum. [pdf] Available from: http://www2.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/handbooks/digital_literacy.pdf  (Accessed: 18.02.2014).

Johnson, D., & Kress, G. (2003) ‘Globalisation, Literacy and Society: Redesigning pedagogy and assessment’ Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 10 (1), pp5-14. [online] Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09695940301697#.UwN6yWJ_ut8 (Accessed: 18.02.2014)

Meador, D. (undated) ‘Qualities of an Effective Teacher’. About:Teaching. [www]

Available from: http://teaching.about.com/od/pd/a/Qualities-Of-An-Effective-Teacher.html (Accessed: 18.02.2014).

Palmer, S. (2006) Toxic Childhood: How the Modern World is Damaging Our Children and What We Can Do About It London: Orien

Purposeful Technology (undated) ‘How can we embed digital literacy into the classroom?. [www] Available from: http://purposefultechnology.weebly.com/how-can-we-embed-digital-literacy-in-the-classroom.html (Accessed: 18.02.2014).