Digital Literacy: Teacher Cast

Today's Tuesday tech tip is both a tool and a thought. I just came back from the most mind bending conference and walked away with so much new knowledge that I am excited to dole out. One key message at SxSWEDU was this: Digital Literacy must happen at school.  If you are wondering what digital literacy is, the American Library Association defines it as "the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills." All teachers have a responsibility to teach kids not only the skills to critically assess the information that they access but to help shape what they do with that information. Danah Boyd, author of It's Complicated, a book that through research uncovers myths about teens and social media, stirred up this conversation at SxSWEDU. She reminded us that students will choose to use the information they seek for good or for bad. What role will we as teachers play in how we influence their choices in relation to media interactions? What kind of content will they create? Are we growing kids that will spread positive messages or will they yield their digital literacy power to do harm? This has to be a part of the conversation. 

Where do we start? There are so many powerful resources for teachers, both in human form and online but one that I learned about is called Teacher Cast. It is an online network of teachers helping teachers. Much of the content is focused on using technology in the classroom to create content. As a teacher, if we don't see the value in this yet, we need to start considering our own blind spots. Kids will create their own content. What role will we play in shaping the type of content they create and how they choose to use it? We have a responsibility to be a positive influence on these types of choices that our students make. It's what we do.

Teacher cast provides podcasts, videos, blogs, and other resources that help craft meaningful technology-infused practices into student learning. It's meant to empower teachers to feel more comfortable with their technology usage so they can steer students in the right directions. Check it out. I don't think you will be disappointed.