What is Digital Literacy and STEM?

Technology advancements are revolutionizing every aspect of our lives. To thrive, people must understand how to use various technologies effectively to acquire, analyze, communicate, and create information. The collection of TechnoKids technology projects is designed to develop the skills students need today and provide a solid foundation that will guide them to future success. To make learning meaningful, TechnoKids uses a project based framework to integrate digital literacy skills and STEM education into curriculum.

What is Digital Literacy?

Digital literacy is the ability to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information in a digital format. As educators, we have always focused on building literacy in reading and writing. Digital literacy builds on these foundational skills. It is a combination of cognitive skills, such as critical thinking, creativity, and problem solving, and technical skills, such as the use of digital tools, software, and computer systems. Students need this broad collection of competencies to succeed.

What is STEM?

STEM Education is an interdisciplinary approach to learning that combines Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics to solve problems using real-world applications. It is important, not only because STEM careers are growing, and these skills are in demand. But also because the next generation of innovators must be able to combine knowledge from multiple disciplines.

Prepare Your Students for the Future

TechnoKids uses project-based learning to promote scientific inquiry, mastery of technology tools, advancement of computer engineering, and the application of mathematical reasoning. Interwoven throughout each project is an emphasis on creative artistic expression.

Scientists, technology experts, engineers, and mathematical thinkers will shape the products and services of tomorrow. STEM education places a focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The primary goal of blending these disciplines into curriculum is to provide students with the knowledge and skills required to pursue STEM related careers. TechnoKids supports STEM education. Here's how...

Establish an awareness of STEM related careers:
Through role play, students assume professions such as game designer, web developer, statistician, database administrator, financial analyst, or computer support specialist. These real-world learning opportunities encourage the pursuit of STEM occupations.

Form a diverse skill set required to succeed in a complex workplace:
Using an interdisciplinary approach, students blend learning from multiple subject areas to manage projects, synthesize vast amounts of information, collaborate with others, and disseminate information effectively. The ability to combine concepts and skills is essential for success in STEM careers.

Combine technology with professional skills:
Computer-based tasks include opportunities for students to enhance communication, leadership, teamwork, time management, goal setting, and self-monitoring skills. These are life skills that are necessary to compete in the workplace.

Prepare students for the workplace of tomorrow:
Project-based activities encourage the transfer of learning. The ability to adapt existing knowledge and skills to new situations is key to thriving in STEM jobs that have not yet been invented.

TechnoKids Supports STEM Education

Science

The S in STEM stands for Science. It is the cornerstone of STEM education. This is because the scientific method is a logical way to solve problems and can be applied to most learning experiences.

TechnoKids interdisciplinary projects includes lessons that support inquiry-based skill development. Our instructional materials:

Promote scientific inquiry:
Thought provoking challenges invite students to ask questions, formulate a plan to guide inquiry, collect data, interpret findings, and present conclusions. This process develops the analytical skills needed to excel in STEM careers.

Improve research skills:
Meaningful tasks encourage students to conduct primary research by recording first-hand experiences or secondary research by reviewing the work and findings of others. Being able to investigate a topic efficiently and critically is necessary for future endeavors.

Apply technological problem solving:
Open-ended activities empower students to tackle real world problems. They create tools, test the design, modify the process, communicate the outcome, and make recommendations for improvements. The capacity to invent creative solutions is required in STEM occupations.

Expand scientific knowledge:
Personalized learning allows students to pursue an area of interest. They develop a deeper understanding of science concepts by investigating environmental issues, timeline of significant scientific findings, or the interconnectedness of human activity. This inquiry can jumpstart the pursuit of careers in STEM-related industries.

Technology

The T in STEM stands for Technology. Technology is the software application or programming language used to complete a task.

TechnoKids projects include lessons that develop digital literacy and coding skills. Students learn how to apply Google Docs and Microsoft Office applications to solve a problem. They also gain programming expertise by designing websites, games, and animations using ScratchJr, Scratch, Python, and HTML. Our curriculum helps students:

Develop mastery of technology tools:
Skill building tasks combine word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, graphic design, desktop publishing, databases, and programming. A thorough understanding of how to use software applications is required in a digitized workplace.

Practice responsible digital citizenship:
Lessons emphasize the importance of practicing appropriate and responsible technology use. This produces digital citizens that have the integrity to apply STEM innovations for the betterment of society.

Engineering

The E in STEM stands for Engineering. Engineers invent. They solve real world problems, improve everyday systems, and think outside the box to make innovative devices. When students engage in hands-on learning to design, analyze, build, and test their ideas, they are developing foundational engineering skills.

TechnoKids projects target different types of engineers. Our instructional materials:

Spark an interest in software engineering:
Coding tasks develop computational, logical, and analytical thinking. These skills, along with problem solving, persistence, and collaboration are essential when working as a software engineer. Empower students with fun programming activities as they program a pet monster game, code a digital story, make an online arcade, loop sequences to make spirographs, design an interactive maze, and build a text-based treasure hunt. These learning experiences open doors to lucrative computer science careers.

Build web development skills:
Lessons ignite a passion for web design. Build a web page with coding exercises that apply HTML and CSS. Or construct and publish a website with links to safe places for kids. These activities can shape an interest in web development, potentially leading to a job in mobile app development or ecommerce solutions.

Develop a passion for environmental engineering:
Meaningful activities transform learners into environmental stewards. They raise awareness about problems such as recycling, fuel emissions, or plastic pollution. This advocacy can be the catalyst to further study in environmental engineering.

Highlight in-demand jobs related to database systems:
Instructions detail how to construct tables, forms, queries, and reports to manage information. Students explore the real world application of databases as they play the role of an event planner. These skills can be expanded upon to pursue positions in database development or database management.

Amplify excitement for computer hardware engineering:
By participating in a simulation, students become computer specialists who convey information about how devices work. This form of role play kindles further interest in STEM related occupations such as computer technician, network specialist, or robotic engineer.

Arts

Some educators say STEM, while others say STEAM. The A in STEAM stands for Arts. At TechnoKids, we think the Arts are a critical part of STEM education. This is because creative thinking is the spark required to discover novel solutions, propose original ideas, or improve processes. Plus, artistic design is interwoven throughout most STEM projects.

TechnoKids tasks apply students' creativity. The fun activities:

Support the creative process:
Media arts projects engage students in visual storytelling, animation, and graphic design. The activities promote divergent thinking. Creativity is necessary to thrive in STEM careers where innovative solutions are required.

Encourage exploration:
Digital art activities have students experiment with tools to discover their purpose. Students design creative icons and meaningful logos to enhance and complement their projects. The confidence to take risks leads to innovation of emerging STEM technologies.

Boost innovation through programming:
Coding and game design foster artistic vision. With the aim of building a new and original program, students develop divergent thinking and artistic skills. Creative freedom is stimulated as they code a magical land, become game developers, invent a carnival challenge, animate a modern fairy tale, invent a musical instrument, design an adventure quest, and style a web page with graphics.

Pair technology with visualization:
Artistic challenges apply the principles of design to express an idea. The ability to transform an abstract notion into a product others can view and understand is vital for communicating new STEM related ideas to others.

Mathematics

The M in STEM stands for Mathematics. This includes mathematical practices such as analyzing, calculating, and manipulating data. Moreover, it extends to logical and computational thinking skills.

TechnoKids cross-curricular projects introduce students to digital tools such as spreadsheets and databases for data analysis. Our instructional materials also include programming tasks. The detailed lessons:

Cultivate a positive attitude towards mathematics:
Practical scenarios apply mathematical concepts to boost candy sales, plan a shopping spree, launch a business venture, flowchart a process, score a game, or budget a weekend getaway. These activities make math authentic, enjoyable, and non-threatening, which can motivate further mathematical study.

Connect math to the real world:
Role play transforms students into theme park operators, restaurateurs, event planners, investors, programmers, and social scientists. These experiences nurture an interest in career choices in STEM fields such as marketing, business, entrepreneurship, investing, and statistics.

Incorporate problem solving:
Concrete experiences such as designing a floor plan, polling attitudes, or analyzing sales reports help students apply mathematical strategies to discover viable solutions. These learning opportunities stimulate the critical thinking skills and logical reasoning required in STEM professions.

Integrate the use of mathematical applications:
Engaging lessons incorporate spreadsheets, databases, and survey tools to organize, calculate, graph, and forecast data. These skills are a precursor to learning advanced STEM tools for computation or data manipulation.

Digital Literacy and STEM Activities