Digital literacy. What does it mean? What does it look like? How does it apply to me as a future teacher? These are all important questions.

To start, Digital Literacy is the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information using digital technologies like iPads, smartphones, computers, tablets, etc. ^[1] It is not uncommon to see toddlers playing games on tablets, teens texting their friends on a smartphone while streaming music, or kindergartners logging onto class computers and using the internet to for ABCmouse and IXL. As a matter of fact, restaurants are catching onto this recent fad of using technology in different ways. Buffalo Wild Wings utilize tablets for gaming with adults and children as well as having the capability to order food and drinks.

As a prospective high school teacher, it is important that I learn why technology in the classroom is important and to enable my students to use that technology constructively for learning. While many teachers discourage the use of technology in their class, it would behoove me to embrace that students love their technology and enable them to use it in a meaningful way; even if I do not like it myself. Students do online research and it is important that I help them discern credible sources and nonsense, how to properly cite their work, and to give credit to the person they got their information from.^[2] Students use technology to communicate over various social media outlets and it is important they understand how to use these networks responsibly by not sharing too much information and helping them understand the cause and effect of cyber bullying. It will be my job as an educator to make my students responsible users of the their technology and give them a platform to learn and build on.

References:
1. US Digital Literacy. (n.d.). Retrieved February 17, 2016, from http://digitalliteracy.us/
2. What Digital Literacy Looks Like in a Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved February 17, 2016, from http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2014/10/29/ctq_crowley_digitalliteracy.htmlhttps://librarymediaclasses.wikispaces.com/Digital+Literacy+Class+Website