Lesson 6

BALURAN, Jan Westhine D. 
TTh-11:00AM-12:00PM
BSEd-English4A 

Developing Basic Digital Skills

Teachers should be clear on what basic knowledge, skills and values (or literacies) need to be developed by digital leaners as they adjust their teaching to effectively match the new digital world of information and communication technology (ICT). This basic literacies will not replace the 3 Rs namely: reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic. It is emphasized here the six essential skills to equip students in the millennial world. These are better called the fluency skills conveying the ease and facility in acquiring and using them. These fluencies are: First, the Solution Fluency, which refers to the capacity and creativity in problem solving. It requires whole brain thinking executed when students define a problem, and etc. The second is the Information Fluency which involves 3 subsets of skills, the ability to access information, the ability to retrieve information, and the ability to reflect on. Third is the Collaboration Fluency, refers to the teamwork with virtual or real partners in the online environment. Fourth is the Media Fluency, which refers to channels of mass communication (radio, televisions, magazine, advertising, graphic arts) or digital sources. Fifth is the Creativity Fluency, which adds meaning by way of design, art, and story-telling to package a message. And last but definitely not the least is the Digital Ethics which is guided by the principle of leadership, global responsibility, environmental awareness, global citizenship, and personal accountability. 

During my high school and previous years in college, I experienced a lot from using the technology. I experienced the six fluencies as part of my leaning. But it’s not deniable that even if we’re already exposed to this digital world, we’re still using the 3Rs as part of our learning.

The 3Rs will not be replaced by the six fluencies but they will still be introduced to the students. These learners would be acquiring higher thinking skills with the help of the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy: Creating-new product/point of view, Evaluating-justify stand or position, Analyzing-distinguish different parts, Applying-use information in a new way, Understanding- explain ideas, Remembering-recall information.

As to the application, we must inculcate to our students’ mind the six fluencies in order for them to cope with the fast changing technology. But, we must also forget to include the 3Rs as their guide.