Technology Literacy/Safety and Responsibility Guidelines

Technology & Information Literacy

Technology Literacy, the ability to know how and when to use which technology to meet a need, is essential for success in modern society. Technology Literacy in turn is foundational for Information Literacy, which is knowing when and why you need information, where to find it, and how to evaluate, use, and communicate it in an ethical manner.

Technology & Information Literacy at Concordia is not a set of classes, but rather are a continuum of skills and training, integrated across the entire curriculum, and developed through close collaboration among tech staff, teachers, and library and curriculum development staff.

Safety and Responsibility

To be sure, technology improperly used can be a source of great distraction, wasted time, and exposure to age-inappropriate content. However, properly used, technology can be a pathway to higher levels of student creativity and research in a new world of learning and expression. Technology can lead to broader knowledge, deeper understanding, greater collaboration, and a joy of learning.

At Concordia, we employ a graduated approach where students gain greater freedom and more responsibility as they prove their ability to productively and safely use technology for learning. Teachers and Digital Literacy Coaches are on hand to guide students as they grow in this area.

At home, parents are the key to their student’s education and should always be involved with their student. The most important technology rule for parents is that they should guide their student’s use of the Internet, regardless of the age of their student. It is important that parents know what their student is actually doing on the computer, instruct them and set limits about what is acceptable, and talk to them about what they are seeing and reading. Concordia offers workshops to help parents in this area.