Response to LA Times article entitled: “iPad use out of sync with L.A. charter school’s philosophy” (November 14, 2013)
As the Executive Director of Journey School, the only public Waldorf Charter School south of Los Angeles, I applaud Ocean Charter’s attempt to integrate iPads into the classroom. The ethical and critical thinking capacities, that are a hallmark of Waldorf education, prepare students to use digital devices wisely.
At Journey School, we approach the use of digital media strategically and in comprehensive fashion by teaching digital citizenship before students have full access to technology devices at school. We pioneered an innovative and nationally recognized middle school Digital Media Literacy specialty program called Cyber Civics.
Beginning in Grade 6, precisely when students develop significant intellectual capacity, one instructional hour per week is dedicated to Cyber Civics classes. These classes offer students the opportunity to extend their critical thinking skills into the digital world and explore important issues such as, digital footprints, cyber-bullying, copyrighting, plagiarism, online safety, and ethical dilemmas they will inevitably encounter online.
In Grade 7, with a solid foundation in what it means to be a good digital citizen, students are then entrusted with digital devices. They leverage digital media to deepen learning across the curriculum, and to show what they know in meaningful ways. Technology serves as an information and research tool. Students learn how to evaluate the credibility and quality of websites.
Finally, students employ technology skills to complete a year-long 8th grade in-depth research project on an important and relevant subject. Past projects include: Solar Power, The Brain, Rainwater Harvesting, and Metal Works.
Since we launched the Digital Media Literacy courses, there have been no reported incidences of student cyber-bullying. As a result, Administration and staff have been able to focus our attention on what matters most —student learning.
Every school should allocate time to prepare our kids to enter the digital world fully prepared to be safe and confident citizens. We welcome anyone interested in learning more about Digital Medial Literacy to visit the school or our website, https://www.journeyschool.net/innovation/digital-literacy/
– Shaheer Faltas, Executive Director
Photo credit: PradhanStudios.com
