Childhood and Digital Literacy in the Digital Age

Childhood and Digital Literacy in the Digital Age

With a focus on the text, Toxic Childhood (Palmer, 2006), it is possible to question the relevance of the digital age and the use of digital literacy to teachers. Palmer (2006) identifies many issues that the digital age can cause to current childhood. One of these issues is the increasing gap in social class arising from the digital age, as there is a specific focus on commodities and money available. This poses relevant to teachers as items that may divide social class can enter the classroom. As made clear in seminars on popular culture, children are very driven by popular culture and items that hold value to them. This is significant to teachers as it is questionable whether this can be used in the classroom without promoting a divide in terms of the access children have to certain items of technology, this view is opposed by Marsh et al. (2005) who states that it is very effective to use popular culture in the classroom.

From previous seminars addressing the use of advertising aimed at children, it was apparent that children may be exposed to advertising and other forms of technology that are not age appropriate (Gunter, 2011). Palmer (2006) also agrees that children can be at risk, particularly from television and internet as it was identified that only 15 percent of adults knew how to apply parental setting that protect their child. It is worthwhile evaluating that the text was in fact published in 2006 therefore it is likely that many more parents are aware of the safety options available now. Furthermore, the risk that can be posed to children from television and internet should be a concern for teachers as it is possible that teachers can in fact support children in staying safe when using current technologies. In my own experience it has been possible to take part in a lesson that taught children e-safety, the children took this very seriously as they were aware that it was relevant in the digital age.

Palmer (2006) not only analyses these issues of social class and safety but identifies how technology can in fact be useful in terms of communication. Within the text, the use of technology worldwide is referred to as a global village. This is one of the very few positives of technology that Palmer identifies. This may be because of the possibilities that this opens up to schools in terms of contacting schools in other countries in order to teach children about other cultures. Therefore making the use of digital literacies very helpful for teachers in terms of emails and forms of communication. This is considerably important as the text exemplifies how when used appropriately, the use of digital literacies are increasingly important to the classroom for teachers.

 

Gunter, B., Oates, C., & Blades, M. (2004). Advertising to children on TV: Content, impact, and regulation. Routledge.

Marsh, J. Brooks,G. Hughes,J. Ritchie, L. Roberts, S. Wright, K (2005) Digital beginnings: Young children’s use of popular culture, media and new Technologies University of Sheffield (Section 2.10 p.46; Sections 3.2 & 3.3 p48/49)

Palmer, S. (2006). Toxic childhood: How the modern world is damaging our children and what we can do about it. Orion Books: London.