As an ELA teacher, there are some elements of my curriculum that I can teach most efficiently with good (or bad) old-fashioned direct instruction. Thankfully, digital literacy is not one of those elements. I’m beginning to understand literacy instruction like grammar instruction: tuck it in, in small doses, as you go along. Learn by doing.
For example, when my students write online, we learn how to use Google Doc’s sharing settings early on- particularly, how to share a doc with me without sending me a notification (Who needs 150 notifications in their inbox?). Shortly thereafter, when we peer-edit, I show them how to use comments and the suggesting function in docs, so that they can make suggestions to each other’s work without permanently changing it. When we really get rolling, we start playing with Google Draw. And just recently, we embedded YouTube links into slides. As natives, some of my students already knew how to do some of these tasks- but all of them have needed guidance in something. And once they know, they know. Students use that skill, in the same way that they’d use a comma, just when they need it, throughout the year. They become more literate as needs arise.
As digital natives, my students know how to “be” in the jungle. They can log on and search or type with ease. But learning to do these things well and efficiently is where I come in. Teacher. Mother beast. Jungle guide.