April 28, 2022

Importance of Digital literacy for teachers

A teacher too has to move ahead with the advances of the time and keep upgrading themselves. And digital literacy is a step ahead in their lives as an educator considering how online teaching has gotten increasingly popular in today’s day.

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Importance of Digital Literacy for Teachers

It’s no secret that the world has taken a shift towards digitalization. Its effects are seen in not only the entertainment and telecom industry, but in the work world, and the education industry too. And the fact that it simplifies tasks and increases reach, are major reasons that solidify that this advancement is here to stay and grow. Hence making it important for each one to learn and adapt it. Digital literacy is important for each one today. And with an increase in online teaching and online teaching apps to aid it, digital literacy for teachers is a must-have skill.  

Digital Literacy
  1. Digital literacy: definition and meaning  
  2. What is a digitally literate teacher?
  3. What is the importance of digital literacy to teachers?
  4. How do teachers apply digital literacy?

Digital literacy: definition and meaning

Digital literacy, as the name suggests, is one’s information and knowledge about the digitized world, such that one can better work with it. As per the American Library Association (ALA), digital literacy can be defined as, “the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills.” Simply put, it is a skill needed to live, learn and work in an environment where communication and information are accessible via digital technologies like the internet, social media, mobile devices, etc. It is a combination of critical thinking, social engagement, and knowledge of various digital tools.  

What is a digitally literate teacher?

A digitally literate teacher is one who has the knowledge and skills to work on various digital tools. 

Digital literacy for teachers helps them engage with the growing technology and benefits his/her students with its use. For instance, how the prompt shift to teaching online during the pandemic helped in keeping the classes going and thereby didn’t tarnish students’ future. This was possible due to both digital aid and digital literacy. 

At other times too digitizing the classes can make things more engaging. For example, PPTs make things more interesting and fun as compared to a verbal lecture.

And all this is possible only if the teachers are digitally literate. That is, they are technology-savvy, and updated with the newest digital trends and technology advancements.   

What is the importance of digital literacy to teachers?

A teacher too has to move ahead with the advances of the time and keep upgrading themselves. And digital literacy is a step ahead in their lives as an educator considering how online teaching has gotten increasingly popular in today’s day.

Furthermore, what makes it even more important is how it can help create an impact. Hence, digital literacy for teachers is important for it can majorly help in two ways:

  1. To make the classes more engaging and advanced. The right tools can help hold the attention of the students for longer. Moreover, it’s important that one keeps updating their teaching techniques with time in order to have a better impact on the learners.
  2. They can better help students to learn the ways and techniques of the modern-day, which are all digitized. 

How do teachers apply digital literacy?

As discussed earlier digital literacy can be applied to one, upgrade yourself, and next, to help your students. Here are a few ways that an educator can apply it:

  1. Make your class more engaging with digital aid inorder to captivate the attention better and for longer.
  2. Guide your students to be digitally literate such that it benefits them to strive in the present digital world and also safeguards them from mishaps. Some ways you can help are:
  • Teach them to use it appropriately, to evaluate and question the source rather than believing it blindly.
  • Save them from fake news, traps of online advertisements, plagiarism, etc.
  • Educate them about cyberbullying and how to deal with it.
  • Push them to be more creative, challenge themselves and grow to better positions.  
  1. Lastly, in case you are an online tutor or wish to become an online tutor you can work on finding the right online teaching app for yourself. One with advanced features to ease your task and enter the digital world of teaching with ease!  

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Syeda Ruqayyah Banu
Marketing Executive, Winuall

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