M2: Blog Post 2- How New Literacies are Relevant to Us
The readings by Vanek (2020), and
the International Literacy Association (ILA) (2018), describe critical
components of digital literacy in education. Within the first reading by Vanek
(2020), digital literacy is defined as the ability to use technology to
communicate information, analyze, evaluate, create, explore, and become
integrated into today’s society. Digital literacy is necessary to participate
in today’s society, it is essential and impacts employment, civic engagement, critical
thinking, and the ability to process and analyze information. It is shocking to
read that over 70% of entry-level service workers do not have the foundational
skills necessary for digital problem-solving and two out of three of these workers
struggle to use a computer but do anyway. (p. 3) Necessary skills for learners when
it comes to digital literacy include the ability to locate and assess credible digital
sources, proficiently creating and sharing digital content, understanding
digital tools and platforms, as well as engaging within various digital environments.
Implementing digital literacy into the classroom can look different depending
on the strategy used, such as having students create a media platform that
expresses themselves but also illustrates how and which digital tool best
communicates this. Other ways include supporting foundational computer skills
and the use of relevant technologies.
Similarly, within the second reading by
the ILA (2018), digital tools are not considered to be the only solution to
educational challenges, but rather, should be used in teaching that integrates
digital resources to support learners and their goals. The ILA (2018), expresses
the effectiveness of digital literacy when it is weaved into a caring vision
and reflects learning that occurs outside of the classroom. (p. 6). One of the
most surprising takeaways was how often digital tools are misused in
educational environments, such as eliminating authentic interactions for
communication like emojis and memes. (p. 5). This point challenged my ideas
about what classrooms and student engagement truly looks like, and how utilizing
digital technologies/cell phones is often necessary even for middle-class
workers. Not to mention its importance as a nurse when administering medications,
acknowledging new physician orders, monitoring lab results, seeing patient care
task reminders, and communicating with other members of the care team.
As a nurse educator teaching within an undergraduate nursing program and on a medical-surgical floor, these readings reinforce the need to embed digital literacy into both skills and academic instruction as well as practical clinical training within the hospital setting. Incorporating digital literacy into my teaching of both nursing students and registered nurses can assist in critical thinking, effective use of electronic health records, and ultimately reflect life-long learning that can occur with evolving digital technologies and resources. A method used within both the college and hospital setting is the use of virtual education. On the medical-surgical floor, education via online modules that review policies, hazardous materials information, etc., is a common use of digital literacy. At the college, discussion board forums are commonly used to achieve communication and research. Virtual education has been shown to assist nursing students in information seeking skills, which is vital to nursing research and for analyzing evidence-based practices (Shamsaee et al., 2021). However, when this education can be blended with problem-solving experiences, nursing simulations that mimic a case study patient, and interpreting a morning bloodwork panel within the fake electronic health record, digital literacy can facilitate learning as well as demonstrate and become required instruction for professional nursing practice. The readings can be effectively applied to nursing education and digital literacy can support nurses and student nurse to the needs of current healthcare.
References
International
Literacy Association. (2018). Improving digital practices for literacy,
learning, and justice: More than just tools. https://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/default-source/where-we-stand/ila-improving-digital-practices-literacy-learning-justice.pdf
Shamsaee, M., Shahrbabaki, P. M., Ahmadian, L., Farokhzadian, J., & Fatehi, F. (2021). Assessing the effect of virtual education on information literacy competency for evidence-based practice among the undergraduate nursing students. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 21, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-021-01418-9
Vanek,
J. (2020). Digital literacy. American Institutes for Research. https://www.air.org/sites/default/files/TSTMDigitalLiteracyBrief-508.pdf
Hi Taylor,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post, especially as I gained insight from your nursing background. I was also very shocked by the statement made about the percentage of people lacking basic computer skills. These skills are important for many aspects of jobs, which can cause a lot of damage if done wrong. The article mentioned that two out of three adults don't have these skills, but try anyway which worries me that eventually these computer jobs will be done through artificial intelligence rather than trying to find someone who has these skills. I saw that you mentioned how important it is for nurses to have these skills for inputting information on patients and the medications they have been administered. I'm curious to know if this is something you had training on when accepting your job, or if they sort of expected you to have these skills. Digital literacy is important to implement into our classrooms as it can help set students up for the real world. The more experience and knowledge students have with digital literacy, the more prepared they will be for their future work endeavors and the professional world.