Teens in a Digital Desert

Digital Media Literacy in an Arizona OST Program
By Andrew Bernier and Rick H. Fowler

The education landscape, both in and out of school, has shifted dramatically, during the COVID-19 pandemic, to digital learning. This shift has compounded the need for digital media literacy, a wide-ranging and often-changing concept that encompasses the competence to use technical equipment, intelligently consume and process information, and create and share digital media (Heitin, 2016). Even as young people spend more hours in front of a screen than before, they are subjected to more media applications and outlets, from podcasts to videos, pictures, and infographics. These diverse media options are a rich digital landscape for youth to navigate and to which they can potentially contribute.

Tags: Middle and High School, STEM, Technology, Creative Youth Development, Mentoring