Most of us know that literacy is the ability to read and write. But what does it mean to be digitally literate? And why does it matter? While reading, writing, and critical thinking are still crucial elements of digital literacy, today’s complex information environment requires additional competencies that go beyond traditional literacy skills.

As the name suggests, digital literacy sits at the intersection of literacy and technology, and includes a wide range of skills that include creating and sharing digital content as well as the ability to find, evaluate, and use digital content. Digital literacy improves our ability to navigate a complex, and often polluted, information environment. It helps us think about different ways of disseminating information to a broad audience through a variety of mediums such as websites, blogs, videos, podcasts, social media, games, and more. Digital literacy also gives us the skills to think critically about the impact of technology on our lives, privacy, inequality, attention spans, relationships, and mental health.

The University of Utah’s Urban Institute for Teacher Education in the College of Education, English Department, and Digital Matters invite you to join us for a two-day series of workshops to introduce 7-12th grade teachers to a mix of practical and theoretical Digital Literacy skills and concepts. Participants will work with University of Utah faculty and staff to learn more about podcast production and multi-modal writing/video essays to help your students move beyond the traditional research paper. As a group, we will gain a framework for thinking about timely topics such as misinformation, news integrity, and digital citizenship. To facilitate 21st century teaching and research, we will delve into effective online teaching and ethical use of digital resources. We also welcome the chance to hear from 7-12 grade teachers about what skills and concepts you would like to learn about to help your students become digitally literate.

Join us in June for this series of interactive and collaborative workshops!