Digital literacy involves using technology appropriately and understanding its social effects. It has nine elements including access, communication, and security. Teachers can promote digital literacy by using technology to differentiate instruction, assessing students' learning styles. Online tools like VoiceThreads and WebQuests allow collaborative projects that develop digital and global citizenship skills. WebQuests provide structured online research on global topics to apply learning.

1. Digital Literacy Essential Question: How can you use technology to promote digital and global citizenship?

2. NETS Standards NETS-T II.A Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity. NETS-T II.C Customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources. NETS-A V.D Model and facilitate the development of a shared cultural understanding and involvement in global issues through the use of contemporary communication and collaboration tools.

3. What is Digital Citizenship? According to the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), digital citizenship has to do with how technology is used and the effects of that use on the rest of society (http://www.iste.org). There are 9 elements of digital citizenship, which include: Access Commerce Communication Literacy Etiquette Law Rights and Responsibilities Health and Wellness Security

4. What is digital literacy? Digital Literacy is “the process of teaching and learning about technology and the use of technology” according to http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/Nine_Elements.html. Students and teachers need to have an expertise with emerging and developing technologies that are used for both consuming and producing information. Information literacy is another aspect of digital literacy for 21st century digital citizens.

5. How can you promote digital literacy in the classroom? Use technology to differentiate instruction according to students’ learning styles and multiple intelligences. A learning style inventory or multiple intelligence inventory will reveal how your students learn best. http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/index.htm

6. http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/index.htm

7. What are some online collaborative tools that can be used to promote digital literacy? In addition to wikis and blogs, other online tools can be used collaboratively for brainstorming or for organizing a project. Livebinders can be used to organize resources or for group projects where each student has their own tab that they are responsible for. For a 90 second tutorial go to http://livebinders.com/welcome/video_window?video=%2Fswf%2Fwhat.swf https://bubbl.us/Bubbl.us makes brainstorming really easy. Multiple students can create and save word maps or take a screen shot like this one.

9. How can you combine multimedia presentation and group discussion? “A VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia slide show that holds images, documents, and videos and allows people to navigate slides and leave comments in 5 ways – using voice, text, audio file, or video.” http://voicethread.com/about/features/ Check out the promotional video at http://voicethread.com/ Student and teachers and anyone who is allowed access can participate in the VoiceThread from any location at any time.

10. Other Presentation tools: http://www.slideshare.net/Slideshare provides a format for showing PowerPoint Presentations online. Viewers can then leave comments on the presentation. This would be a very appropriate tool for an online class or a traditional classroom. http://prezi.com/Prezi is a canvas based presentation tool where the presentation zooms in and out, rotates and spins. This type of tool can really grab the attention of students, who may want to create their own Prezis.

11. “Why blog, when you can glog?” http://mrearl.edu.glogster.com/glog-5942/

13. How can a WebQuest be used to promote digital literacy and global citizenship? A WebQuest is a project for students that can be inquiry based, problem based, project based, or simply for research. The task is clearly defined for students and links to websites are provided to limit navigation to scholarly sources to for efficient use of time. The WebQuest can be extended to have students apply what they have learned. Giving students options and choices gives them ownership.

14. Examples: http://sites.google.com/site/citizenresponsibility/home https://mattearlswiki.wikispaces.com/Africa+Webquest http://www.webquest.org/

24. How can you use WebQuests to promote digital literacy and global citizenship? http://senseable.mit.edu/nyte/visuals.html