Welcome to the EduVerse with ProfessorJBA. This series is designed for parents and caregivers in an effort to inform them about the various roles and aspects of the educational landscape to ensure that caregivers can make informed decisions regarding their child(ren)’s education.

The American Library Association’s (ALA) Digital Literacy Task Force defines digital literacy as “the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills.”

Digital literacy proficiency is essential in the workforce. I believe parents must know the impact the advanced digital age has on their children and families.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, students were put into situation where they were supposed to use digital literacy skills to learn. The problem is there was not a solid nor consistent focus digital literacy prior to the pandemic. Instead, students bumbled through trying to access information and using their cognitive and technical skills.

Even though students are back in person, they still need these skills sharpened. We need to first start with data.

Let’s go beyond standardized test data. I encourage parents to get with teachers, instructional coaches, and specialists and ask them the hard questions. What’s not working? Why aren’t our students exceeding the standards for reading and math? How can we improve teaching and learning at home? How can digital literacy profiency help address the previous questions?

The answers to these questions are not cookie cutter. It involves time, communication, commitment, and intentional focus on the specific child’s need. I want parents to know the right questions to ask in order to advocate for their children.

Being able to learn, teach, and adapt to advancing technology is a skill that every child in this generation and beyond is going to need. I believe having a school library helps erase equity issues with literacy, and libraries should have digital resources and programming for students, teachers and families.

We are failing the next generation by allowing schools to not have advanced technology labs, libraries/media centers or advanced technology devices for all students, teachers, and staff. Also, students need internet access at home.

These resouces should not be wants or desires but mandated resources in order for us to truly provide a free, fair, and equitable education for this generation of students. If students are not able to interpret, understand and engage with technology for learning, working, developing, creating, and building then there will be many more children left behind.

I’m challenging parents to join in the educational equity movement by advocating for school districts and states to ensure digital literacy bills are in place to protect all students and eliminate opportunities for educational equity gaps to increase.