Digital Literacy Lesson Plan #PLEK12

UFAllie’s Digital Literacy Lesson Plan

This lesson plan is for anyone interested in learning more about navigating the digital world online.

Introduction

Digital literacy can be seen as a continuum rather than a start/finish. As technology grows and changes, so will your opportunity to stay up with the resources out there available for digital literacy. Everyone has to start somewhere. Evaluate where you are now and where you want to be. That is the first step in analyzing your level of digital literacy in the online world.

Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

·         Define digital literacy and explain its importance

·         Evaluate your own level of digital literacy

·         Develop a plan to increase your level of digital literacy

·         Participate in an online community

Resources to Get Started

Based on your own interests and studies, look for opportunities to join social networks in your areas of interest. This can include professional development sites, social networking sites, educational institutions, and hobby sites.  You might visit Twitter, Google, Yahoo, or Facebook to get started. The only way to navigate online is to start somewhere. (If you are under age 18, please get permission from your parents/guardian before participating in any online site).  

Example

My interest is in performance support systems (including online communities) that support fitness, nutrition, and weight loss. I found a website that is supportive of my research area, which is finding websites that help support weight loss and fitness. I reviewed and commented on this blog: http://lowcarbcompatible.com/

I have also joined other social communities, such as Weight Watchers. http://www.weightwatchers.com/plan/index.aspx. I have used this site for their community discussion, as well as intermittently for their tools (based on membership).

Additionally, I have several professional interests. I am a member of several professional organizations, and I frequent these sites on an ongoing basis. I check for recent job postings and conference information.

http://www.ispi.org/

www.stc.org

Lesson Activities

By the end of this self-paced lesson, students should post the following deliverables:

·        Brainstorming list of what digital literacy is, what it means, and what topics are related

·        Blog reflection on the importance of digital literacy

·        Goal statement – include where you are currently and what improvement you’d like to achieve in increasing your own digital literacy

·        Action plan for learning new tools and techniques to reach your goal

Activity 1 - Brainstorming

·        Using a diagramming tool or just pencil and paper, think of any topic you can think of related to digital literacy.

·        Respond with as many reasons as you can think of as to why digital literacy is important. If it helps, answer why five times… This will help you think of many reasons.

·        Include as many related topics as you can.

·        Upload your document or scan your notes and upload that.  (Example purposes only – no upload location).

Activity 2 – Blog reflection

·        If you haven’t already (and with the persission of a parent/guardian for those under age 18), join a blogging community and post a blog with a reflection on the importance of digital literacy.

·        Use your brainstorming notes to refine your thoughts and create a short outline (3-5 topics)

·        For each topic, add your reflective notes and any references you might have.

·        Post the link to your blog. (Example purposes only – no link location).

Activity 3 – Goal statement

·        Goal statement – include where you are currently and what improvement you’d like to achieve in increasing your own digital literacy

·        Define where you currently are in the continuum of digital literacy. Tell me is you believe you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced and why

·        Describe your goal for improving your level of digital literacy. What specific things would you like to achieve to improve your goal?

·        Upload your document.  (Example purposes only – no upload location).

Activity 4 – Action plan

·        Action plan for learning new tools and techniques to reach your goal

·        Provide a statement for how you plan to achieve your goal. Include specific timelines and specific activities you will do on your own time to achieve your goal.

·        Upload your document.  (Example purposes only – no upload location).

·        Share your experiences with a friend and a relative.

Resources

Here are some resources to help get you started.  I will add to this list as I identify more resources. Please check often.

Bloggers beginners guide - http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/02/14/blogging-for-beginners-2/

The TEACH Toolkit: An Online Resource for Understanding Copyright and Distance Education http://www.educause.edu/Resources/TheTEACHToolkitAnOnlineResourc/155597

Duffy, P. & Bruns, A. (2006) The Use of Blogs, Wikis and RSS in Education: A Conversation of Possibilities. In: Online Learning and Teaching Conference 2006, 26 Sep. 2006, Brisbane.  http://eprints.qut.edu.au/5398/

Microsoft’s site that provides information on basic computer skills -http://www.microsoft.com/about/corporatecitizenship/citizenship/giving/programs/up/digitalliteracy/default.mspx

Top websites for citation application tools -  http://instructify.com/2009/07/16/top-5-citation-applications/

http://www.ergobservatory.info/ejdirectory.html - Directory of Open Access Scholarly Journals in Education from the Education Research Global Observatory

Directory of Open Access Journals - http://www.doaj.org/doaj?func=subject&cpid=127

ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) - http://www.eric.ed.gov

Google Scholar - http://scholar.google.com