Practical ways to teach digital literacy in the classroom

Jade Blue

With constant changes and advances in digital technologies, employees in all fields of work are increasingly exposed to digital technologies in their working environments. Technology has long been an integral role in our lives and it is essential that learners become digitally literate in order to take full advantage of new and flexible ways of working and make the most of the opportunities that digital technology provides both now and in the future.??

What aspects of Digital Literacy should I teach???

A good starting point in selecting an area of Digital Literacy to teach in your classes is the Cambridge?Employability Skills Framework for ELT.? In this framework, we have found it useful to break Digital Literacy down into three core areas:??

• Using tools and creating digital content?refers to a learner’s ability to source, manage, and make critical judgements about digital data, information and content.? Learners need to be able to select and use appropriate digital tools and create digital content to solve problems or complete tasks.???
• Sharing and interacting online?is about a learner’s ability to use appropriate technology to connect and interact efficiently with colleagues, customers and suppliers, to collaborate with others digitally to complete tasks, and to interact appropriately in a digital workspace by demonstrating intercultural awareness and maintaining confidentiality.????
• Safety and wellbeing online?is related to a learner’s ability to respond to inappropriate behaviour online, follow organisational guidelines, and safeguard an organisation’s digital content and devices.??

How could I integrate these skills into my classes???

There are many ways that you could integrate these aspects of Digital Literacy into your English language classes. You may find opportunities for these in your courses already, for example when you carry out web-based research projects or use digital tools. You can also try these activities below. These are suitable for both face-to-face and remote learning contexts.??

PRIVACY AND SECURITY GUIDELINES?– PART ONE??

Begin by asking learners to name some times when privacy feels important to them.? This might be at home, at school or in the workplace, or out in public. Put learners into small groups and ask them to work together to write a definition of privacy.??

Next, ask learners to name some times when security feels important to them. Encourage them to think about times when it feels important to be kept safe or have information about themselves, the people they love and their personal belongings kept safe. ???

Ask learners to think about privacy and security in online contexts and explain that you want them to work in their groups to brainstorm a list of guidelines for how we can protect our own privacy and security, and the privacy and security of organisations we work for.? Examples might be:??

• Don’t share personal information online??
• Ensure your internet connection is secure??
• Choose strong passwords?
• Keep your antivirus programme up to date??
• Be careful what you download?

PRIVACY AND SECURITY GUIDELINES – PART TWO?

After groups have brainstormed several ideas, ask them to select one or two that they feel are especially important.? Groups are likely to come up with similar guidelines, so try to ensure that each group selects a different guideline.??

Have groups write their chosen guideline on a piece of paper, or collaborative document if you’re teaching online, and pass it to another group.? Once each group has been allocated a different guideline, allow some time for them to discuss the following questions:??

• What is the reason for this guideline???
• What are some things that could happen if you follow this guideline???
• What are some things that could happen if you don’t follow this guideline???

Finally, ask a representative from each group to read out the guideline they discussed and share their group’s responses to the questions.? Invite other class members to contribute by adding or responding to ideas.??

If you have extra time, you may want to extend this activity by setting your class the task of choosing an organisation and researching their privacy policy on their website.? Learners can then work in pairs or small groups to compare the policies of different companies, and discuss what makes a good/bad privacy policy.???

TOP TOOLS?– PART ONE??

Ask learners to list or brainstorm different categories of digital tools and software that are useful for people working in business contexts.? Encourage learners already in employment to share what types of tools and software they currently use.? Write learners’ ideas on the board, and elicit or add the following examples if they haven’t already been suggested:??

• Calendar and scheduling software??
• Communication and collaboration tools?
• Customer relationship management tools??
• Design tools and software??
• Email marketing/newsletter tools??
• File storage and access??
• HR management software?
• Online accounting software??
• Project management platforms??
• Social media management tools??
• Video conferencing software??

• Virtual Private Networks??
• Website performance monitoring tools??

Ask learners to rank the ideas on the board in order of usefulness, taking into account their current or future field of business.? Put learners into pairs and ask them to compare and explain their rankings.?

TOP TOOLS – PART TWO?

Next, explain to learners that they’re going to choose?one of the categories?and carry out some research online to identify?two tools or software programmes?for that category.? Explain that learners should research and compare different tools and software before choosing the two that they feel would be most valuable to the learner’s current or future work context. Some learners may be very familiar with certain tools or software if they’re already using them at work, so encourage learners to choose a category that is useful for their field of business, but which they would like to learn more about.????

Allow learners time to carry out research, and provide the following questions as guidance, explaining that learners will need to answer these questions for each of their two chosen tools:??

• What is the tool or software used for???
• How does it work???
• How easy is it to navigate and/or learn how to use???
• How is it useful for your particular current or future work context???
• What can you learn about the tool or software from the user reviews???

Finally, bring learners back together to share their findings in pairs or small groups.??

Conclusion?

Gaining a deeper understanding of employability skills and how to develop them not only helps higher education students prepare for their future careers, but also increases the chances of success and job satisfaction for people already in work.??

Read more about our Employability Skills modules here, which cover digital literacy and all the key soft skills that are crucial for preparing students for the workplace and career success.?

Like what you read- find more articles on employability skills here.?