Why is digital media literacy relevant for NZ primary educators?
Digital literacy represents a necessary, inevitable, and realistic response to the complex, ever-changing electronic environment, and communication cornucopia that surround us (NAMLE, n.d.) In this video Beverly Amer discusses why digital literacy is important and why it matters.
Why is digital media literacy important in NZ primary schools? |
The significant impact of technology in schools over the past decade has been clear in New Zealand education . Technology has transformed not only the way teachers teach curricula, but it has marked an influx of 24/7 media usage (Rosen, 2011; Bellanca & Brandt, 2010; Netsafe, n.d). Therefore, digital media literacy is society's and education's way of teaching students the skills needed to thrive in a technological society and a response to reduce the negative effects of technology.
A significant new challenge this digital revolution has presented for teachers is the establishment of an environment where educators and learners are “confident in the safe and secure use of technologies” (Netsafe, n.d, p. 2). Now, with the approaching installation of ultra-fast Internet in New Zealand, schools and educational institutions will encounter an increasingly more complex digital environment that requires an appropriate strategy to cybersafety through digital media literacy (Netsafe, n.d.). According to Netsafe (n.d) earlier models of school cybersafety were dependent upon teachers and administrators monitoring and restricting access to specific content. However, this ability is now limited due to the greater number of technological devices present in society and the classroom. Netsafe (n.d.) maintains that most schools in New Zealand have implemented ICT (information, communication and technology) guidelines and approaches, both practical and managerial.Therefore, the increasing variety of ways to use technology demands the focus of cybersafety to move beyond procedures and policies to include a digital literacy framework. Therefore, digital media literacy in New Zealand schools is fundamental to education because is important for learners to build the skills and knowledge of how effectively self-manage, and to develop the disposition to critically think when using technology mediums such as the Internet. Thus, educators and parents need to recognise the influence of the Internet, and intentionally take the steps needed to increase their own capability to guide/instruct young people in establishing their own digitally literate skills (Netsafe, n.d; Baker, 2010). In addition to this, the method of establishing a cyber safe environment has progressed from protecting persons to giving/teaching individuals the proficiencies, “knowledge and confidence to maximise the opportunities the effective use of technology can bring”. To develop parent and teacher's (even professional's) understanding of digital media literacy, they must understand that when a child enters school they will have limited practical cyber safety skills, and when they graduate they are expected to possess a set of proficiencies which will enable them to successfully participate and contribute as competent citizens in society. Encapsulated within this set of skills is an individual’s ability to use technology efficiently (Netsafe, n.d.). "To become a successful student, responsible citizen, productive worker, or competent and conscientious consumer, individuals need to develop expertise with the increasingly sophisticated information and entertainment media that address us on a multi-sensory level, affecting the way we think, feel, and behave" (NAMLE, 2013, para. .4) |