DIGITAL LITERACY AND THE COMMON CORE

DIGITAL LITERACY

The ability to use digital technology, communication tools or networks to locate, evaluate, use and create information. 1

The ability to understand and use information in multiple formats from a wide range of sources when it is presented via computers. 2

1. Digital Strategy Glossary of Key Terms http://www.digitalstrategy.govt.nz/Media-Centre/Glossary-of-Key-Terms/ accessed August 21, 2008.

2. Paul Gilster, Digital Literacy, New York: Wiley and Computer Publishing, 1997, p.1. 

21ST CENTURY SKILLS

Skills and standards that adequately address both the core academic knowledge and the complex thinking skills that are required for success in college, life and career in the 21st century.

ALIGNMENT OVERVIEW: P21 FRAMEWORK AND THE COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS (CCSS)

The CCSS explicitly call for, and integrate, higher-order thinking skills as a means to achieving career and college readiness for all students.

The CCSS have established widespread consensus around a national baseline for college and career readiness, which includes a focus on rigorous core academic content mastery along with competencies like critical thinking, reasoning, communication and collaboration.

The CCSS documents establish critical thinking, reasoning, communication and media/information/technology literacy in ELA and mathematics as key performance outcomes around which curricula and assessments should be focused.

While the CCSS do not explicitly address every skill in the P21 Framework, several areas (such as critical thinking, communication and collaboration) are strongly represented throughout. These areas of the CCSS are good places for educators interested in 21st Century Skills to begin—but not end—the work of preparing students for success in college, career and life.

ELA

P21 Framework Element CCSS ELA College and Career Ready Definition

Core Subjects Build strong content knowledge

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose, and discipline

Communication Comprehend as well as critique

Information Literacy Value evidence

Self Direction Demonstrate independence

Global Awareness Come to understand other perspectives and cultures

Information, Media and Technology Skills

Use technology and digital media strategically and capably

EDUCATORS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN 21ST CENTURY SKILLS WILL NOTE THE FOLLOWING:

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (in Reading) emphasizes interpretive and analytical skills across a range of texts, digital information and media.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge (in Writing) is excellent; the strand is prominent and thoughtfully articulated. The indicators at each grade level support the development of inquiry-based research skills in the context of writing, all of which are central to critical thinking.

Comprehension and Collaboration (in Speaking and Listening) effectively highlights the importance of interpersonal communication and collaboration as a key aspect of mastering speaking and listening.

MATHEMATICS

P21 Skill Mathematics Practices

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Communication Information Literacy

ICT Literacy

Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them

Reason abstractly and quantitatively

Model with mathematics

Look for and make use of structure

Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others

Attend to precision

Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning Use appropriate tools strategically

Standard Language 21st Century Skill(s)

Reading-Informational texts, Anchor 1Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

Analyze media (understand both how & why media messages are constructed & for what purposes)

Speaking & ListeningAnchor 2: Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

Create media products

WHERE DO I START?

Use backward-design principles (such as Understanding by Design1) to design curriculum that encourages inquiry-based learning and enables embedded, performance-based assessments.

Develop interdisciplinary performance tasks and/or project-based learning units that integrate the full P21 Framework in alignment with CCSS; consider capstone performances such as senior portfolios.

Create curricula-embedded assessments to enable assessment as and for learning.

WHERE DO I START? Collect and share exemplary student work

that demonstrates mastery of college and career ready knowledge and skills. Use these examples to improve professional understanding among educators of “how to identify 21st century knowledge and skills” in student work.

Provide meaningful opportunities for educators to collaboratively review curricula, student work and student performance data, in order to refine the curricula and assessments over time.

CLOSE READING

What is it? Keeping your eyes on the text to read the content

very carefully, paying attention to details. Quite different from summary or big idea, close reading requires active thinking and analyzing of the content to make decisions and to cite evidence directly from the text.

http://www.leadandlearn.com/blog/2011/09/how-close-reading-increases-student-access

INFOGRAPHICS

WHAT IS AN INFOGRAPHIC?

1. It's a visual explanation that helps you more easily understand, find or do something.2. It's visual, and when necessary, integrates words and pictures in a fluid, dynamic way.3. It stands alone and is completely self-explanatory.4. It reveals information that was formerly hidden or submerged.5. It makes possible faster, more consistent understanding.6. It's universally understandable.

http://communicationnation.blogspot.com/2007/04/what-is-infographic.html

INFOGRAPHIC EXAMPLES…

http://www.coolinfographics.com/blog/tag/education

WALKING THROUGH THE PROCESS…

What does the Standard language say? What 21st Century skill do I want to address? What product or activity would help demonstrate

what the students are learning & thinking? What web 2.0 tool would best produce the

product/activity? What do I need to use the web 2.0 tool?

Standard Language 21st Century Skill(s)

Product/activity that would demonstrate thinking & learning

Web 2.0 Tool/Technology Tool

What do I need to use this tool? (ie: accounts, pictures, etc.)

Reading-Informational texts, Anchor 1Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

Analyze media (understand both how & why media messages are constructed & for what purposes)

Compare an infographic FOR using cell phones in school with an infographic AGAINST using cell phones in school Read closely Determine what the author

intends is the purpose Make inferences from the

text & graphics Cite evidence as to why you

think the author is on this side of the issue

Pull out a conclusion to the author's purpose & stance on the issue

Infographic s with information on both sides of the issue-

-nothing additional, just the infographic itself to view digitally

Speaking & ListeningAnchor 2: Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

Create media products

Create an infographic based on research from various websites in addition to students' own data collection.

http://www.gliffy.com/Gliffy website to create diagram Poll everywhere to gather statistical research from classmates

Create accounts for students to use in class for Gliffy Poll everywhere- nothing additional required. Create questions for each class period M-F to gather data on issue/topic

WEB 2.0

What is “Web 2.0”? Web 2.0 does not refer to a specific version of

the Web, but rather a series of technological improvements

Web 2.0 technologies provide a level user interaction that was not available before

WEB 2.0 TOOLS Tagxedo http://www.tagxedo.com/

students can make book covers, use vocabulary or spelling words to create the art.

Doodle http://doodle.com/

Teacher productivity tool- for groups to schedule an event or meeting together without taking a lot of time.

Trello https://trello.com/

Project organizing site for teacher productivity- groups could use to work on a project together, even if everyone is in different places.

One Word http://oneword.com/

Students can use the one word to just write...teachers wouldn't even need to use the site, could just borrow their word daily and have the kids just write.

WEB 2.0 TOOLS

Blabberizehttp://blabberize.com/Students could use primary sources of leaders and record a speech or quote that fits. Students could record their side of the debate. Then using a photo of themselves or of a clip-art type character upload their argument.

Vokihttp://www.voki.com/#Students or teachers can create a voki that can speak for them. You could record lesson directions, homework help, a speech, a debate, classroom rules, and much more!

WEB 2.0 TOOLS Khan Academy http://www.khanacademy.org/

Use this to show math tutorials to students that might be struggling, that maybe missed a day or that just want that extra challenge. Have students create their own tutorials to show they know the content.

TED http://www.ted.com/

Look up talks about classroom topics or use TED as a teacher tool. Enjoy learning something yourself each week!

Wonderopolis http://wonderopolis.org/

Have a daily reporter to let the class know about the Wonder of the day. Students could brainstorm what they know about the topic, what they want to know more about. At the end of the day your reporter could read the facts to the class so they could check their ideas.