3 Tips for Helping Students Recognize the Role of Technology
Digital literacy examines the implications of technology use. Learners should feel encouraged to explore and assess how technology can be used to accomplish everyday tasks, to be creative, and to learn.
Tip 1. Prompt student-led discussions to compare and contrast how technology has evolved through history and its role in societal change.
This activity promotes critical thinking as students analyze the importance technology has played in past and present events. For example, how might the Revolutionary War have been different if people had access to some of the most prevalent technologies of today? Or how might school be different if the technology we have today were taken away? These types of prompts can help students recognize the role of technology in our lives, our culture, and our careers.
Tip 2. Participate in a classroom technology audit with your students, and ask them to consider how different technologies affect the learning process.
You may also prompt students to share what types of technologies they have and use at home and ask them to consider how tech affects their daily lives. This type of reflection can help students develop critical thinking and evaluative skills.
Tip 3. Introduce available technologies to help them make better decisions about how to access and use tech.
Students must understand how the available means of technology plays a role in their lives. For example, technology plays a larger role in the life of an individual with Internet access at home compared to an individual without Internet access. Prompting students to think critically about how they access and use technology helps them reflect on the pros and cons of different technology tools and resources.
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