Digital Literacy Training

Having technology at hand is not the same as creating a meaningful experience with technology for the users. There has been an “overemphasis on the importance of the physical presence of C&I [computers and the Internet] connectivity to the exclusion of other factors that allow students to use computers for meaningful ends” (Valadez 33). Teachers need to reevaluate their existing pedagogical approaches to create meaningful interactions with technology for students. “…African American students were more likely than White or Asian students to use computers for lower-ordered activities and were more likely to be taught by teachers who were unprepared to use computers in their classrooms” (33). Teachers and librarians must implement dynamic and creative lessons to create a meaningful interaction with technology versus “drill and practice routines” (33). “There is an unnecessary technology gap between young people and many of their parents and teachers. The net result of this gap is that our kids are too often at risk in an environment where some of them are prone to risky behavior,” which is why there must be a continual conversation with the community, libraries, parents, and teachers (Palfrey 109). All those who have an invested interest must create an environment where learning can be shared and fears can be addressed.

Being a participant in the “global online culture” that Palfrey addresses requires higher digital literacy skills. These are the skills that students need explicit training on and we cannot be afraid, as digital immigrants, to immerse ourselves in it. "Fear is the single biggest obstacle to getting started on that second path, the one where we realize the potential of digital technology and the way that Digital Natives are using it" (Palfrey 8). Additionally, teachers must not fear using technology in their assignments, despite a high student to computer ratio, because this also creates inequity in technology use. Teachers in more affluent schools, which often correlates with more affluent students, are “more likely to assign computer work to students than those teachers with less favorable ratios of six or more students to a computer…provid[ing] a distinct advantage over low SES schools in gaining the experience and practice necessary for using the Internet as an educational resource” (Valadez 32). If educators continue to use technology in the dogmatic drills that often are used by under-prepared teachers, they can “actually worsen inequality by failing to address the key issue regarding the way computers are used rather than merely providing more physical access to technology” (32). Overwhelmingly, the studies show that many educators are not trained to properly address technology in their classrooms. This also means that librarians have more weight to bear in supporting students. The key to bridging the participation gap is to provide meaningful participation with technology that will engage students to be creative problem solvers and think critically—to be digitally literate. Jackson’s study showed that “greater Internet activity was associated with higher standardized test scores,” but this was only shown after users had continuous access to technology for an extended amount of time—to develop skills on how to be proficient users of the Internet (186).