Recently, I re-read a study sponsored by the MacArthur foundation on Digital Learning.  The study can be found at http://digitallearning.macfound.org.  I may have mentioned this study before in another blog post.  But, as a part of some training materials we developed for our product, I have put some thoughts together on the need to update teaching digital literacy in K-12 in light of all the new Web 2.0 tools.  Time in a computer lab learning Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, and Excel is simply not enough anymore.

The study makes a point (among others) that young people are learning basic social and technical skills that they need to fully participate in contemporary society while interacting with one another on-line.  My observation is that this is true to a point, but that there is a gap in learning when it comes to some areas of digital literacy.  I’ve read that to be a digital citizen means knowing about:

• Internet access methods
• Communication methods
• Literacy
• Security and Safety
• Etiquette
• Rights and Responsibilities
• Law
• Health and Wellness
• and, Commerce

I can believe that some of these can be “picked up on the streets” in ways which formal learning in a classroom or via computer can not.  For example, digital etiquette might be better learned by adapting to the norms of the on-line community one is interacting with vs. trying to use rules learned elsewhere.

But, there are some rules of digital etiquette which make basic communication more productive and less prone to misinterpretation.  An example area is how to deal with commentary on a blog post.  Or, how to comment in a productive manner vs. an unproductive manner.  Being exposed to some simple rules can help avoid problems which may prevent the blog author from having a positive experience.

Digital safety gets a lot of play in the media, and it is a topic that worries many parents.  The idea of a stalker obtaining information from one’s child and worse yet, making contact in the real world as a result of a virtual connection is chilling.  Just like teaching the important message of “Don’t talk to strangers”, we need to be teaching the basics of dealing with the prospect of Internet crime, cyber-bullying, and identity theft.  K-12 educators reinforce the “Don’t talk to strangers” message in early grades, but rare is the lesson plan that includes a discussion of how to deal with cyber-bullying.

Some educators are pushing for mainstream education to include the idea of a digital update on the Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives.  (See: http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Bloom’s+Digital+Taxonomy)  It is fascinating to see things like twittering, instant messaging, and text messaging being included in a list of educational objectives.

However, this is very progressive thinking.  Most schools still view many of these tools as distractions and do what they can to block access to the basic tools that students will use the moment they leave school.  Some people worry that this is making school seem increasingly less relevant to our youth.  But, to adopt the widespread use of web 2.0 tools during the school day will require a new model of teaching, and many schools are just not in a position to make the commitment to change.  Why is that?  I believe that society has laid too much of a burden on schools and teachers.  It used to be that the goal of public education was to insure that our youth became ready to take their place as an informed electorate.  Essentially, the very future of our country depended on it – a lofty goal to say the least.

But, as Christensen states in his book “Distrupting Class”, schools are now saddled with so much more from an expectation point of view that it is difficult to conceive how they can be successful, let alone adapt to continuous change. For example, Federal law requires that students be protected from inappropriate content while at school.  This is part of the digital safety concept and I agree that students need to be protected.  It would be great to have some of this burden be borne by ISPs and internet content providers as well so that kids can be protected outside of school too.  I do not agree that cutting students off from the tools they need to be successful is a good plan, but I can empathize with educators who choose to do so.  I would put forth the proposal that schools consider teaching a course or a series of courses on Digital Literacy where the point of the class is to make the students proficient in the tools.  While driver’s education has been cut from many high schools due to budget issues, it is pretty clear that federal programs like e-Rate are there to insure schools can teach digital literacy.

What are your thoughts?