Digital Literacy

“If Beyoncé thinks her body needs to be edited, what on Earth does mine need?” writes teenager Sarah Kendrick in a commentary on the KQED site (a National Public Radio/ Public Broadcasting System affiliate). As Kendrick points out, it takes courage to buck the pressures of social media and post real, unaltered, “unPhotoshopped” images of oneself online. She goes on to challenge other teens to ditch image-editing tools and embrace the beauty of their imperfect, natural selves.

“If Beyoncé thinks her body needs to be edited, what on Earth does mine need?” writes teenager Sarah Kendrick in a commentary on the KQED site (a National Public Radio/ Public Broadcasting System affiliate). As Kendrick points out, it takes courage to buck the pressures of social media and post real, unaltered, “unPhotoshopped” images of oneself online. She goes on to challenge other teens to ditch image-editing tools and embrace the beauty of their imperfect, natural selves.

"Picting" – the usage of image-based materials - is the new literacy for today's students, assert professors Cathie Norris and Elliot Soloway in a recent blog post. In the post they examine how social media's reliance on images and the amount of time youths spend on social media is changing literacy and that it is something that parents, teachers and even employers need to pay attention to. Students spend much more of their time outside of school using and communicating with pictures than text. Popular social media applications for youth, such as SnapChat and Instagram, are primarily photo-based, so this begs the question: will pictures really come to be worth a thousand words?

"Picting" – the usage of image-based materials - is the new literacy for today's students, assert professors Cathie Norris and Elliot Soloway in a recent blog post. In the post they examine how social media's reliance on images and the amount of time youths spend on social media is changing literacy and that it is something that parents, teachers and even employers need to pay attention to. Students spend much more of their time outside of school using and communicating with pictures than text. Popular social media applications for youth, such as SnapChat and Instagram, are primarily photo-based, so this begs the question: will pictures really come to be worth a thousand words?

Teaching children not to plagiarize is sometimes not as easy as just having a discussion. It is a crime as old as the first pictograph and to kids, it often seems a victimless crime or one they don’t completely understand because there are so many different kinds of plagiarism . What other persuasions can you add to your argument beyond “just don’t do it?” Take a look at the 15+ Unobvious Consequences of Plagiarism in Academia on the PlagiarismCheck.org site to see what teachers from all levels of education have to say on the subject.  Some remind kids that the loss of reputation is everything. Others talk about how it is a killer of creativity, and that students should learn to value their own thinking and learning. The final remarks of one commentator reminds kids that broken trust between students and teachers is very hard to repair.

A recent EdTech article titled 3 Basic Digital Citizenship Standards All Educators Should Know and Teach, is a great read for both educators and parents. The article reminds adults that children look to them for media literacy tips, which is especially important in today’s news climate, with information posing as reliable not always being accurate. Parents and other significant adults also need to remind young people of the consequences of their digital actions and that a key part of digital etiquette is the understanding of copyright laws and plagiarism. In addition, both parents and students need to also understand the regulations that schools must follow to protect student data and privacy.

As we confront the idea of misinformation creeping into our lives, especially from digital sources, many argue that we need redefine literacy for the digital age. Are we going to become people who “only watch and listen – a characteristic reminiscent of medieval times?” The idea that a source is only valid if written or printed is disappearing, and many people feel that seeing or hearing something gives it uncontestable value. A great example of this is the use of mobile devices to capture instances to share with the world rather than putting it in words or giving context to a visual. This is also creating a generation gap between kids and parents and students and teachers.

As Ruth Reynard puts it in her article entitled Redefining Literacy in the Digital Age “What is becoming clear is that increasing numbers of students do not have the skills required to understand conventional information sources and media, and older generations of people do not understand newer informational environments or exchanges. So, when folks are encouraged to "read" websites, that is not happening by individuals on either side of that gap.”

After this last election many people looked around and wondered how we became so estranged and divided from each other. Some blame is placed on the fact that when searching for information online, the top results are sites that reflect the kind of outlook and political ideology that you already favor. Now it seems that one of the ways that had exposed us to the lives of people different than ourselves in the past is also disappearing. Mainstream network television that used to introduce the American public to multiple viewpoints is beginning to transform into a different experience. For example, “One Day at a Time,” a 1970s sitcom about what it was like to be a single, working class parent, regularly attracted 17 million viewers every week. With the advent of streaming and subscription on demand services, television no longer has that broad cultural reach. Instead, what we watch is consciously chosen, and just like an online search, most often reflects the views and opinions we already hold. In a way, we’re returning to the cultural era that predated radio and TV - one where there wasn’t very much shared culture.

As the battle against fake news continues, several websites have been created that allow you to verify sources of news articles. One article you may want to check out that includes an extensive list of fake news sites is Snopes' Field Guide to Fake News Sites and Hoax Purveyors. A great source to bookmark is RealorSatire.com, which allows you to post the URL of any article and it will quickly tell you if the article comes from a fake or biased news website. Also helpful are FactCheck.org and FirstDraftNews.com. Following them on Twitter and Facebook will yield a steady stream of informative posts. Teachers are also trying to deal with the problem of fake news, so it is a good idea for parents to discuss with their children who may be using the Internet for research on current events.

As the battle against fake news continues, several websites have been created that allow you to verify sources of news articles. One article you may want to check out that includes an extensive list of fake news sites is Snopes' Field Guide to Fake News Sites and Hoax Purveyors. A great source to bookmark is RealorSatire.com, which allows you to post the URL of any article and it will quickly tell you if the article comes from a fake or biased news website. Also helpful are FactCheck.org and FirstDraftNews.com. Following them on Twitter and Facebook will yield a steady stream of informative posts. Teachers are also trying to deal with the problem of fake news, so it is a good idea for parents to discuss with their children who may be using the Internet for research on current events.