Reflection #3

I am surrounded by teachers. My mother was a kindergarten teacher for 30 years until “retiring” to a part-time elementary school librarian position who has her +15 (bonus teacher schooling but isn’t a Masters) that focused on technology in the classroom. My youngest sister is a high school social studies teacher. My partner is a high school computer science teacher, in a separate district from my mom and sister, doing his masters in technology in education. I was lucky enough to have all three of them in the same place this last weekend and I asked if they were familiar with the BC K-12 Digital Literacy Framework. None of them were. Even my partner. Actively doing his Masters. In tech in education. Working as a computer science teacher.
Suffice it to say, I think this framework has been criminal under-advertised.
I pulled it up and went through some of the highlights. Most of the items that were listed as primary requirements, both my sister and partner agreed very few, if any, of their grade 8 through 12 students would be able to do any of the required competencies. I would understand that there would be some catch up in the first couple years, but this framework has been around for a decade.
Seeing as this framework was released alongside the updated curriculum (see Media Smarts’ article for details and additional links for the updated curriculum), I would have expected more people to be well versed in it. I have been working in a school district as well (in procurement at the District Education Office), and I have not once in three years seen a professional development session about this framework. When I am back in my position, I will be recommending at least one of the keynote speakers for at least one Pro-D day annually covers the digital framework. Hopefully the province puts additional resources towards expanding this curriculum. I would love to see actually computer courses return. They would be well utilized as prep block coverage in elementary schools and as a grade 8/9 life skills rotation.

BC Digital Literacy Framework (K-12)
BC Post-Secondary Digital Literacy Framework