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How to help your Kid inculcate Digital Literacy early on

by admin
written by admin

In today’s time and age, young children and teenagers are more familiar with the latest trends in technology as compared to many adults. Technology and gadgets have made a huge impression in all aspects of our daily life. Whatever a child sees and experiences in his or her immediate environment imbibes very quickly. Therefore, when it comes to the use of the technological gadgets, kids and adolescents of this generation are already quite familiar with it.

Having stated that, digital literacy is a different ball game altogether. It does not entail the use of technology, internet and smartphones for entertainment and leisurely purposes, but demands the use of thedigital platform for skill enhancement.

From schools, colleges and even coaching academies rely on digital learning to impart quality instructions to the students. Take the example of Aakash iTutor, which in some ways is like an IIT JEE coaching app facilitating students to pursue quality learning in the remotest part of the country. Students do not need aninternet connection to access rich content material, which is a very useful feature of this platform.

The onslaught of technology is real and unrelenting. Parents must retrieve from the stance of debarring their children from the use of technology.  Instead, they should try inculcating digital literacy from a young age so that children can learn how to use technology in the optimum manners. Here are some suggestions in that direction –

Install a Computer in the Living Room

In the age of compact computing, buying a personal computer maybe seen as an obsolete. However, if you want your child to be familiar with using acomputer, this is a great investment. Several web applications can be used to prepare exciting projects and assignment. Similarly, if your child is fond of reading and writing, the computer will become the canvas for his or her work.

Download Learning Apps on Your Phone/Tab

It is easy to shape the interest of a child attending preschool or elementary school. So, instead of downloading video games apps on your phone, install interactive learning apps that are built to enhance vocabulary and language. If a child spends his or her time using a learning app, it will be easy to encourage learning in them through digital platforms at a later stage.

Get a Printer

Buying a printer is yet another investment that you will not regret. Today, children are required to submit school reports, holiday homework and assignments in print format. Therefore, having a hardware device like aprinter at home will be quite handy. Besides taking aprintout of school work, your child can also use it to take print of his or her personal work that would include artwork, cards and stories.

Buy Books as Soft Copies

If you want your child to develop a reading habit, it is not a bad idea to buy soft copies of various books. Buying soft copies of abook is very convenient, and your child will get familiarly with accessing digital study material. In the future, if he or she aspires to crack JEE exam, studying for IIT JEE coaching app that also offers asoft copy of the study material will be comfortable and convenient.

Teach them to usethe Internet is a Responsible way

This is a very pertinent point. As a parent, it is your duty to teach your child on how to use the internet is a responsible way.  The internet is flooded with much valuable information which will be very useful for your child. However, at the same time, you will not want your child to be exposed to the risk of the internet. Monitor your child’s internet activity. At the same time, talk to them and tell them about the risks to access wrong information on the web.

As a parent of a young child, the onus of preparing them for the digital age is on you. Therefore, you must make sure that it’s done in the right and responsible way.

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Education

Cancelled literacy and numeracy programme had ‘positive impact’

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep
  • School pupils take an exam
  • A cancelled government education scheme helped thousands of pupils improve their English and maths results.
  • The literacy and numeracy signature programme ran from 2013 to 2015 but was not renewed due to a lack of money.
  • It helped almost 19,000 pupils, provided jobs for 310 new teachers and gave extra staff to hundreds of schools.
  • The final report on the second year of the programme has just been published by the Department of Education (DE).
  • Funding
  • It received £13.8m funding from the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) and an additional £1.9m from DE.
  • The scheme was targeted at pupils in both primary schools and post-primary schools who were struggling to reach basic standards in English and maths.
  • Only newly-qualified teachers could apply for the jobs, which were for a two-year period.
  • The final report reveals that of pupils helped by the scheme:
  • 76% of primary school pupils reached level four or above in English, the expected skill level at the end of primary school;
  • 80% of primary school pupils reached level four or above in maths;
  • 65% of post-primary pupils got a GCSE grade C or above in English;
  • 60% of post-primary pupils got a GCSE grade C or above in maths.
  • Implications
  • A majority of pupils supported by the programme also improved their attendance at school.
  • Almost nine out of 10 primary schools that took part said the signature programme was successful.
  • Eight out of 10 post-primary schools also reported that it had benefited pupils.
  • Chris Donnelly, the principal of Holy Cross Boys’ Primary School in Belfast, said the programme had a proven impact on his pupils, with teachers working with them in small, tutorial-style groups.
  • “One of the keys to the success of [the scheme was that] it wasn’t necessarily targeting the children who would be deemed the low attainers, like so many of the initiatives in schools do,” Mr Donnelly said.
  • Aims
  • “It was targeting children who were underachieving – that’s a distinct cohort of children, and we were able to see the success.
  • “Schools are going to now feel the pinch, and unfortunately initiatives like this and their legacies that are going to suffer.”
  • The final report said the signature programme had “far-reaching implications”.
  • “Not only were the original aims achieved but the programme produced a number of outcomes and made a positive impact in our schools,” it said.
  • It was revealed that the signature project was ending in June 2015, although some school principals had called for it to be extended.
  • [Source:- BBC]
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Education

Spread of fake news prompts literacy efforts in schools

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

Sunshine Year Media LiteracyIOWA CITY — Alarmed by the proliferation of false content online, state lawmakers around the country are pushing schools to put more emphasis on teaching students how to tell fact from fiction.

Lawmakers in several states have introduced or passed bills calling on public school systems to do more to teach media literacy skills that they say are critical to democracy. The effort has been bipartisan but has received little attention despite successful legislation in Washington state, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Mexico.

Several more states are expected to consider such bills in the coming year, including Arizona, New York and Hawaii.

“I don’t think it’s a partisan issue to appreciate the importance of good information and the teaching of tools for navigating the information environment,” said Hans Zeiger, a Republican state senator in Washington who co-sponsored a bill that passed in his state earlier this year. “There is such a thing as an objective source versus other kinds of sources, and that’s an appropriate thing for schools to be teaching.”

Advocates say the K-12 curriculum has not kept pace with rapid changes in technology. Studies show many children spend hours every day online but struggle to comprehend the content that comes at them.

For years, they have pushed schools to incorporate media literacy — including the ability to evaluate and analyze sources of information — into lesson plans in civics, language arts, science and other subjects.

Their efforts started getting traction after the 2016 presidential election, which highlighted how even many adults can be fooled by false and misleading content peddled by agenda-driven domestic and foreign sources.

“Five years ago, it was difficult to get people to understand what we were doing and what we wanted to see happen in education and the skills students needed to learn,” said Michelle Ciulla Lipkin, executive director of the National Association for Media Literacy Education. “Now there is no question about the vitalness of this in classrooms.”

A study published last year by Stanford University researchers also brought the issue into focus. It warned that students from middle school to college were “easily duped” and ill-equipped to use reason with online information.

The researchers warned that “democracy is threatened by the ease at which disinformation about civic issues is allowed to spread and flourish.”

In June, Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy signed a bill establishing an advisory council to develop recommendations that will include instructing students on evaluating what they see and read online.

Jennifer Rocca, a high school librarian in Brookfield, Connecticut, was among several supporters who urged lawmakers to pass the legislation.

Her digital literacy course, a requirement for freshmen, challenges students to evaluate the credibility of online sources so they can spot falsehoods and biased information. She requires students to cite their sources when conducting research and explain why each would have the authority to be credible.

Without stronger statewide standards, Rocca said she worries that some school districts will not do enough to develop skills that are critical for students and society.

“You should be expected to navigate the internet and evaluate the information no matter where you go to school,” she said.

Many of the state bills are based on model legislation backed by a coalition of groups, including Media Literacy Now and the Digital Citizenship Institute. Advocates say the laws are a good first step that must be paired with updates to teacher education programs, funding for professional development and other changes throughout the education system.

[“Source-Thedailynonpareil”]

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