Digital Literacy is More Than Just Social Use

This week I read an article that identified the need for digital literacy outside of social use. As educators, we often stress to our students the importance of privacy and social awareness online in social communities. Much of teaching technology, especially to ESL students is teaching technological skills outside of students’ everyday social use. Many of my students can run circles around me when it comes to using technology in social ways but what they are lacking is basic technology skills that will benefit their educational career for years to come.

The article identified a set of technology skill needed for students, starting with the ability to write an appropriate email or essay. The author pointed out that many students don’t know how to write an email without using text language or the language they would use when commenting on social media rather than professional language. By learning this skill, students will be able to write better emails, blogs and essays. The important skills set for students include the ability to see technology as a tool to solve problems, gather credible information, evaluate sources, and navigate through digital portals. While student often use technology to problem solve, part of digital literacy is using technology to create as well. The abundance of social media in our everyday lives is not going anywhere anytime soon. It is our job as educators to help our students see technology as a valuable educational tool rather than just a social tool.

Source: http://www.tcpalm.com/story/specialty-publications/progress-and-innovation/2017/06/19/educatipn-overview/364299001/

Babbel- Language Learning on the GO

This week I read about a new language-learning app called Babbel. Babbel focuses on real life language learning through conversation rather than typical textbook vocabulary and phrases. Since learning a new language take a dedicated amount of time to acquire, the use of Babbel allows user to practice their language skills in 10-15 minute lessons while on the go. The program features 14 different languages ranging from Spanish to Indonesian.

Babbel does not only teach vocabulary and conversation in the learned language, it  challenges the learner to test their speech again native speakers to teach more of  an authentic accent. Babbel combines authentic learning with convenience to make language learning more attainable and achievable in our busy lives. Find out more about Babbel here. 

Netsafe- Helping Students Deal with Online Safety and Bullying

This week I read an article about an Internet safety group created in New Zealand called Netsafe. Essentially, Netsafe provides advice and resources for educators on how to manage online safety for their students. The site came about after complaints of online bullying have increased over the years as technology and Internet access is becoming more abundant with students. Netsafe found a need for schools to integrate online safety and digital citizenship skills into the curriculum to ensure that all students are practicing these skills in school and at home.

Netsafe can be useful to develop a proactive plan to talk about what is important and appropriate in school communities while developing incident response procedure and security systems. These lessons can be accessed online or face-to-face for parents and educators to become more aware of protocol for online safety and digital citizenship.

I think this site is beneficial to not only technology administrators and educators, but parents and students as well. From what I gathered from the article and from browsing the Netsafe site, this site has comprehensive article on cyber bullying, harassment, cold call scams, and overall online safety. One feature that I truly find beneficial is an incidence-reporting feature. Victims and bystanders can report an online incident and a Netsafe professional will contact the reporter with advice on what to do next. This feature is a great way for young students to report online bullying or harassment especially if they are not comfortable bringing the problem to their parents or teachers.

References:

Curran, M. (2017, May 29). Netsafe helping students deal with cyber bullying. Retrieved June 07, 2017, from http://nz.educationhq.com/news/39693/netsafe-helping-students-deal-with-cyber-bullying/

Netsafe: https://www.netsafe.org.nz/

Mondly- A kid friendly app for any Language Learner

The article I read this week was a review of the language app Mondly by Darla Sutrich. Sutrich pointed out that with technology giving access to so many things, our children’s lives are going to inevitably be interconnected globally. Therefore, the more languages a child can learn, the easier it’ll be for them to connect with other nationalities.(2017)

Mondly has become popular among this younger generation because of the high quality audio, games, sounds, and attention grabbing visual effects. One thing that really sets Mondly apart from other language apps is the integration of vocabulary conjuring to help the learner not only learn the language but also the use of grammar within the language.

The app has a daily reminder alarm so users take advantage of the daily lessons. It also has adjusted difficulty level to ensure that users are not becoming too overwhelmed or bored with the content. Lessons are categorized into various subjects and based around daily activities so learners are able to incorporate the language they learn while using the app in their everyday lives. Mondly uniquely presents lesson in a way that best reflects the users learning style. Through interactive conversations, word games, sentence building, and listening activities, users can play games to choose to learn in 33 different languages.

I personally feel this app would be beneficial to any language learner. The graphics look engaging and the use of everyday language helps learners incorporate new learned language into their daily activities. While to subscription is steep at $9.99 a month $49.99 per year, too much for an educator to subscribe to for each student,  I think the benefits of the program would outweighs the cost if you were purchasing for your own child to use at home. 

Reference

Sutrich, D. (2017, May 30). Mondly Review: A Robust Yet Child-Friendly Language Learning App for Your Kids. Retrieved June 02, 2017, from https://www.androidheadlines.com/2017/05/mondly-review-robust-yet-child-friendly-language-learning-app-kids.html