Introduction

Introduction no room in my brain - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dbDJzDV1CM

Conclusion I am so smart- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhrfhjLd9e4

Power Pointhttp://www.scribd.com/doc/17887732/Digital-Literacy-Power-Point

Literacy defined

To understand digital literacy we must first have a full comprehension of what literacy is or what it means to be literate.

According to the Australian language and literacy policy (2001, as cited in Winch, Johnston, March, Ljugdahl and Holliday, 2006, p.xxxiii) "Literacy is the ability to read and use written information and to write appropriately in a range of contexts..."

Literacy is a social skill that is developed from birth. The aim of being literate is so the one has the ability to communicate. How we interpret text, decode and then encode these text enables us to then develop skills to become more adept with our communication skills.

Basic literacy skills are the fundamentals of a literate world. No matter the culture, place, period in history or technological advances. Human beings are a social being and their need to communicate with others is a human survival instinct and the driving force behind the need to become literate.History from the early days of the "cave man" the need to communicate is seen through the use of hieroglyphics, drawings and symbols. Moving through history we see the forming in all cultures a representation of symbols creating individual alphabets. Further moving throughout history we see the technological advances of the introduction of computers with the creation of a new form of literacy skills required. No matter what the advances throughout history the key is for all cultures and ages is the need to communicate.

Living in a multiliterate world and with technological advances, basic fundamental literacy skills must be developed to incorporate digital literacy within our everyday lives.

Digital Literacy Defined

Digital Literacy
“ . . . is the ability to understand and useinformation in multiple formats from a widerange of sources when it is presented viacomputers in an ethical and responsible manner.”
Paul Gilster, Digital Literacy (1997)
According to UNESCO’S ICT Competency Standards for Teachers (2008). Teachers and students living, learning and working in an information rich and knowledge- based society must utilise technology effectively.

Digital Literacy involves more than the ability to operate digital devices and use software. Cognitive, emotional, motor and sociological skills must also be developed. A holistic approach to teaching digital literacy is a must for any 21st century teacher so that students become life long learners who are:

• Information seekers
• Informed Citizens
• Analysers
• Evaluators
• Critical Thinkers
• Problem Solvers
• Decision Makers
• Effective Communicators
• Collaborators
• Publishers
• Producers
• Competitors

Theoretical perspective

“To resist electronic technology is as futile as trying to turn back the tides. It has already swept over us in ways we have yet to realize. It is not a question of whether to accept or reject this new world but of who is going to use it and how.”(Taylor and Saarinen 1994: Net Effects 1)

Game play is deeply productive in the way that the players can solve problems, share their solutions and strategies, develop skills, test themselves and maintain identities represented through using these games.

The emergence of a digital gaming culture is clearly reorganising and reshaping how we live our lives. Children will be faced with navigating their way through the internet, video games, ATMs etc. and will need the skills to apply in everyday life.

For today’s students, it is essential to incorporate these skills into education and will therefore produce economically: a skilled workforce for the ICT industry and ICT literate in general. Socially: for everyday life, commercial, social and public e-services and on-line public policy and democracy. Educationally: for learning, achievement of new educational goals and the enhancement of personal and interpersonal capacities.

James Paul Gee (2003) believes that when people learn to play video games, they are learning a new literacy.

Digital Literacy is a life skill and therefore is essential for today’s educators to implement within the classroom environment to prepare our children in becoming life long learners.

Researchers and Educators

Today’s educators have recognised the need for Digital Literacy. This is evident in the Queensland State Education 2010 (Education Queensland 2000a) where they have committed Education Queensland to a futures orientation. Through recent research in the Literate Futures report, it has been noted that students can be seen using the ICT tools for reading and writing, speaking and listening, viewing and online ‘surfing’ to analyse and understand traditional and new worlds, real and virtual communities and environments around them.

With technology changing so rapidly and a part of so many people’s lives, researchers have delved into the process of understanding how this technology will enhance student’s lives within the school curriculum.

Papert (2008) remarked that ‘it is apparent that gaming has educative/educational significance both overtly and covertly, and both aspects are important.

Gee (2003) states that ‘When we learn a new semiotic domain in a more active way, not as passive content, three things are at stake:
We learn to experience (see, feel, and operate on) the world in new ways.Since semiotic domains usually are shared by groups of people who carry them on as distinctive social practices, we gain the potential to join this social group.

We gain resources that prepare us for future learning and problem solving in the domain and, perhaps, more important, in related domains.

Teaching Strategies

Strategies for teaching digital literacy within the classroom.

1. Classroom organisation - Organise the layout of student desks, their ability to observe the interactive white board. (Marzano & Pickering, 1997).
2. Lesson design - Purpose of lesson explained (explicit teacher talk) to the students. We are learning to and What I am looking for.
3. Rules and routines - Students need to understand that their are safety aspects required to be observed whilst working with ICT's.
4. Movement within the classroom - Students must have easy access to the interactive whiteboard so as to save time and keep students on task.
5. Transitioning - Learning managers must organise a transition from a demonstration starter activity to the practical " hands on" activities
6. Learning managers must time manage lessons and also organise the use of classroom support staff effectively. Expectations for each lesson - Understand and discuss these with the students.
7. Students to apply and develop skills - Explaining what and why the learning experience has been designed will enable students to develop skills using their prior knowledge and put into practise what they have learned in their everyday lives.
8. Encourage students - Learning managers using productive pedagogy and teaching strategies can assist students to use the skills they have learned to work more independently.
9. Reflection - Learning managers must reflect truthfully on each lesson to better inform their teaching practises and lesson design. (Education Queensland, 2002)

Some resources available and resources that might come in handy

Smart Table http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFEaXYrKmhY
Interactive white board http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjdNPMZJbLs
http://www.amblesideprimary.com/ambleweb/literacy.htm
http://www.knowthat.com/com/L3?Area=WordMatch
http://www.aerobics.com/gamegoo/gooey.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/bitesizeprimary/http://www.brainpop.com/
http://www.spellingcity.com/
http://www.primarygames.com/langarts/hangman/index.htm
http://www.gameslearningSociety.org/people_geej.php

How instruction in digital literacy address English Essential Learnings

How instruction in this aspect of literacy addresses English Essential Learning’s.I’ve abstracted from the English essential learning’s by the end of year 5.
“Students select and use tools and technologies, including information and communication technologies (ICTS), in purposeful ways. They make use of ICTs when interpreting and constructing texts.”
“Students use their imagination and creativity to interpret and construct English texts that share their experiences of the world, to explore ideas and information”
“They individually and collaboratively interpret and construct texts by identifying the audience, subject matter and purpose, and by applying their understanding of language elements and texts.”
“Information and news reports, articles, features, simple arguments, descriptions, explanations, group discussions and formal presentations are types of non-literary texts.”
Ways of working relating to Digital Literacy:
•Identify main ideas and the sequence of events, and make inferences
•construct literary and non-literary texts by planning and developing subject matter, using personal, cultural and social experiences that match an audience and purpose
•make judgments and justify opinions using information and ideas from texts, and recognise aspects that contribute to enjoyment and appreciationWriting and designingWriting and designing involve using language elements to construct literary and non-literary texts for audiences in personal and community contexts.
•The purpose of writing and designing includes entertaining, informing and describing”
•Writers and designers can adopt different roles, and make language choices appropriate to the audience
•Words and phrases, symbols, images and audio affect meaning and interpretation.
•Text users make choices about grammar and punctuation, to make meaning.Reading and viewingReading and viewing involve using a range of strategies to interpret and appreciate written, visual and multimodal texts in personal and community contexts.
• Purposes for reading and viewing are identified and are supported by the selection of texts based on an overview that includes skimming and scanning titles, visuals, headings, font size, tables of contents, indexes and listse.g. selecting an appropriate website from a list of different resources to support a task.

How and why digital literacy should be incorporated into English instruction in classrooms

“Information and communication technology enables individuals to access, construct and publish information for particular purposes and audiences. It also allows Communication and collaboration with others in real and virtual spaces. Individuals can use information and communication technology as a medium to express ideas and be creative. Interaction takes place at the interface between humans and machines. Interfaces can be designed and controlled to meet the needs of users.” (Page 3)Good news Lutheran school. (2005). Digital Literacy Curriculum.Retrieved July 25, 2009, from http://www.goodnews.qld.edu.au/eschool/ICToutcomes.pdf

How to teach using digital literacy

Confident ICT Learning managers understand the benefits of incorporating digital literacy's into their classroom.


The use of an electronic whiteboard for all Key learning areas assists in the enhancement of classroom discussions, provide opportunities to raise questions and stimulate exploration by students. Student learn how to brainstorm as a whole class, small group, partnered and individually.

Scaffolding lessons so that students can gain confidence and build upon their prior learning enables students to move along the learning continuum in becoming independent thinkers and learners. (Education, Queensland. 2002)

1. Modelling of any game begins with teacher demonstration. During this demonstration many opportunites are available for the learning manager to involve the students by having "hands on" demonstrations of drag and drop activities, annotation, shared reading, collaborative writing, collaborative problem solving and peer teaching.Students should be encouraged to share their own knowledge and prior learning with their peers.



2. Following on from modelling, the Learning manager should use transitioning strategies to have the students move onto the practical exercise.



3. Group work will permit the students to work with their peers allowing them to gain confidence with the task set.



4. Working alongside the Learning manager will enable him or her to gain a better insight of the individual students comprehension for each lesson.



5. Co-constucting information through whole class discussions will allow the learning manager to ask questions and answer any problems the students may have. Explicit teacher talk and open ended questioning will assist students into higher order thinking about all digital learning activities, not just gaming.



6. Co-operative working within small groups is essential for some students. The learning manager may use this time to have a small focussed learning group whilst allowing the other students to move onto more independent working.

Learning Managers and Digital Literacy

Teachers need to understand a subject so that they can convey its essence to the students. The priority for the teacher is to assist students in establishing a “sound knowledge base” on which they are able to build upon, as they become exposed to different life experiences. Life long learning for students is only achievable, if the learning managers themselves are willing to embrace new technologies for effective and purposeful teaching.
Learning managers must first teach themselves through workshops, literature and hands on experience. Achieving this, the learning manager will become confident in his / her own abilities to experiment with ICT’s, design learning experiences for students that has a high impact on students learning.
Research has shown that interactive game play is among the most powerful drivers for learning the skills children need for 21st century success. Well informed learning managers who use digital literacy’s within their classroom, have the ability to reach each student no matter their mental or physical ability, so as to enhance each student’s individual learning.
The use of digital literacy’s within the classroom is not to make the lesson look pretty or easier for the learning manager, but for the learning manager to draw on new technology to create a lesson that focuses on the outcomes for student learning.
A list of some questions Learning managers should ask themselves:-
1. What is the learning aim of this lesson?
2. What are the intended learning outcomes?
3. What do my students already know?
4. What do my students need to know?
5. What do my students need to do?
6. Does this lesson cater for all the students in the classroom?
7. What teaching strategies will I use to covey this lesson?
8. What happens if there is no power or the computer is broken?

What is gaming?

Classrooms and Learning managers are embracing the changes in this the 21st century.

What is an educational game?
"An educational game, one designed for learning, is a subset of both play and fun. It is a melding of educational content, learning principles, and computer games" (Prensky, 2001). Digital game-based learning is organized to provide both education and pleasure. Play relaxes people, putting them in a receptive state for learning.

According to Will Wright who himself a game writer believes that "games should not be there to teach, but to motivate students into learning".

Interactive whiteboards, laptops, digital cameras, digital movie making and educational software.In this the 21st century these now are the "diverse set of tools and resources used to communicate, create, disseminate, store and manage information" Blurton (2008).

Resources within schools through ICT's are giving learning managers more options in the way that they "teach" a lesson. Research shows that students at all levels are responding to educational games. psychological research has shown that verbal information is in fact better remembered when accompanied by a visual image. Paivio (1971) believed that a learner would not be overwhelmed by multimodal instruction but can benefit from it.

Learners in this the 21st century spend many hours outwith school playing computer games. If asked about the characters in their game or rules the learner would be able to give step by step details. This 21st century child learns through many forms, "hands on" written and verbal instruction. They are learners who require more from the traditional education system. They want to be informed rather than preached to. They want teachers who are not disconnected from new technologies but those that are plugged in and ready to work in partnership with them.

Educational games and lessons combine the old with the new. Technology does not mean that students do not have to be literate in both numeracy and English, but does mean that with the new technology available, students have the opportunity to learn from a "hands on" approach to learning. Educational games have been developed for all key learning areas. These games become a concrete learning tool for students due to the "fun" way they are taught. We know that learning does not have to be fun but we also must understand that if learning managers use teaching strategies completely foreign to the student, it will take a lot longer for the learner to grasp the concept if they ever do.

James Paul Gee

References

References

Gilster, P. (1997). Digital Literacy. John Wiley & Sons, Inc : USA. Retrieved July 28, 2009 from
http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Literacy-Paul-Gilster/dp/0471165204#reader

Gee,J. (2004). What video games have to teach us about learning and Literacy. New York, USA: Macmillan.

Lankshear, C. (2008). Changing Literacies. In FAHE11001-Managing E-Learning: Resource Materials. Rockhampton, QLD: Central Queensland University.

Marzano, R., & Pickering, D., et al. (1997). Dimensions of learningteacher’s manual (2nd ed.)
Aurora, Colorado: McREL.

The State of Queensland (Department of Education, Training and the Arts). (1994). Productive pedagogies, classroom manual. Retrieved March 11, 2009 from
http://education.qld.gov.au/public_media/reports/curriculum-framework/productive-pedagogies/pdfs/prodped.pdf

http://education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/learning/literate-futures/

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2008). ICT
competency standards for teachers. Retrieved July 14.2009 from
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001562/156207e.pdf

Winch, G., Johnston, R., March, P., Ljungdahl, L., Holliday, M. (2006). Literacy. Reading
Writing and children’s literature (3rd ed.) Melbourne, Vic, Australia : Oxford.

Yeats, W B., Education quotes. Retrieved July 23, 2009 from
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_education.html