Digital literacy is becoming more and more essential as we progress through this new age of technology and AI. I remember going through my elementary years and not touching a single computer at school until grade 6 when we learned how to type. During our various in-situs in our courses, I have seen students as early as kindergarten working with devices like iPads. Whether we like it or not, many students will be exposed to a from of technology from a very early age. Our responsibility as educators is to teach them how to use it as a tool for learning, as learning, and of learning.
During my six-week practicum in a grade 3 class, we helped students develop their typing and Microsoft office knowledge through the incorporation of Microsoft Word. Students learned how to login, locate the application, and how to format a paragraph. Many of these skills become almost unconscious to an adult after multiple years of practice. The COVID-19 pandemic was revealing to the educational community in the sense that we must develop this skills from an early age.
Along with developing skills in Microsoft office applications such as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, introducing resources like Canva can help students create an array of graphic representations of their learning. For example, Canva’s platform allows me to create videos, posters, presentations, worksheets, and even websites. This can be applied to multiple different grade levels and scaled to suit the student’s needs and abilities. Create-US offers an overview on how to introduce Canva and develop skills for using it for kids.
Here is a video you can show in your classroom to introduce Canva.
Other Resources
There are tons of online resources available to help students design their own graphic. Providing them access to these tools will allow them to use them in a way that suits their individual needs. Here are a few other resources that haven’t already been mentioned:
- Pexels has millions of different stock photos that takes away the extra step of ensuring we are following licensing guidelines. When I look for images for my blog posts, I must ensure the image is properly sourced and is distributable. A quick search on Pexels with the prompt ‘graphic design’ provided lots of different visuals I can incorporate.
2. WordPress is a great way for students to showcase their learning in the creation of a website. During my experience navigating WordPress, I would recommend providing an extensive tutorial on how to use the website, as it is not the most intuitive of platforms.
3. Scratch
Scratch is a free resource available for kids to learn the basics of coding. It is very interactive, allowing students to design their own animations.