Digital Literacy Skills Instruction and Increased Skills Proficiency

Abstract

Though today’s students are considered digital natives, they lack the digital literacy skills needed to be competent and productive members of a digital society. Students may have experience with using technology, but they need to develop specific skills that align with consuming and producing with technology. While there may be agreement that students need digital literacy skills and established state, national and international standards to be met, there are a variety of concepts that are considered part of digital literacy and there is a lack of equitable instruction and expectations for ensuring students have these necessary skills. There is a problem in PK-12th grade education that includes a lack of evidence about the effectiveness of using content knowledge instruction, practice, and application experiences to develop students’ digital literacy skills. However, by creating a path for enduring understandings for students and providing professional learning experiences for teachers, the effectiveness of student digital literacy skills can create positive social change as students would be better prepared to safely and efficiently live and interact in a digitally based society.