Researcher says digital literacy education for kids more important than ever

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – We’re hearing a lot about digital literacy these days, especially as fake news is finding an audience.

A local researcher says just because your kids know how to use a smartphone, doesn’t mean they’re digitally literate.

Ron Darvin, a UBC PhD student in the faculty of education, says in this era of massive amounts of online information, our kids are going to need to learn to discern between what’s true and what’s not.

And that kind of education should start sooner rather than later.

“The moment kids use these devices, it’s very important for us to understand that while they can use social media and play games, there’s more to technology than entertainment.”

He suggests kids in school be taught how Google generates its search-engine lists, and how to identify the most credible sources of information.

He says parents can play a role, too, by teaching their kids to be critical about what is found online.

“Recognizing how, when we are looking at news, that some news is a hoax or fake. It might be instinctive to some, but for others you have to spell that out. Kids needs to be able to find visual cues and recognize sources to make decisions about the authenticity of the information.”

In Canada, 99 per cent of students are able to connect to the Internet inside or outside school.

By Grade 11, 85 per cent of them have a mobile phone.

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