Critical Digital Literacy: Empowering Students to Build a Better World
Channel: Molly June Roquet
Date: 2022-02-14

American Library Association Annual Conference

June 2021

Looking for new ideas for information literacy and digital citizenship instruction? In this session, learn about an approach that focuses less on teaching students what (not) to do online and more on empowering students to imagine and work toward a more humane digital world. Mark Roquet, Head Librarian at Redwood Day School, will share a critical approach that encourages students to ask tough questions, consider how digital tools interrupt or reify systems of oppression, and understand the promise and peril of networked technology, exploring issues like privacy, algorithmic bias, filter bubbles, and the commodification of attention and personal data. So many of the problems we face as a society are closely intertwined with and exacerbated by networked technology, and librarians are in an excellent position to help students grapple with these problems and build a more hopeful future where technologies are designed to improve lives rather than extract value. Roquet will share critical instructional approaches, possible lessons for students at a variety of grade levels, and ideas for integrating critical digital literacy into existing curricula or technology instruction. Finally, you’ll have a chance to apply a critical lens to your own curricula and leave with some ideas that you can implement immediately.