Our current American landscape is full of innovative possibilities alongside equally innovative challenges. The earliest evidence indicates that humans have been writing as early as 3,200BCE,, but humanity has now reached a stage where we write more in a day than ever thought possible- in fact, it’s estimated that 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created each day (Marr, 2018, para. 1). In only two years, we’ve outpaced the entire scope of the world’s history. In this new digital epoch, our secondary students stand at the precipice, ready to join the new 21st century democracy. For many of our students, democracy takes a singular form – you show up on election day, cast your vote, and walk away until the next election. In truth, democracy is a living entity that requires its citizenry to actively engage year-round, but the foreground of engagement lies in the skills of literacy, critical thinking, and digital fluency.
There is a myth of “the digital native” – that our students often know how to navigate the digital world far better than the adults, but it is just that- a myth (Margaryan, Littlejohn, and Vojt, 2011). While our students may appear to understand iOS, Android, and other interfaces well, their ability to navigate credible information, adapt to new tools, and proactively engage in their democracy still requires considerable scaffolding and education. To this end, educators must be prepared to remix the old school with the new. The need for critical thinking skills and literacy continues to be ever-present, but the language for these skills has changed to 21st technology. We, as educators, must empower our students to navigate these educational and technological needs if we are to truly embody an American democracy.
In days passed, students would often cite books from the local or school library when completing their research. In most cases, the credibility of these sources was accepted, and the students would move on. Now, students are challenged to discern what information is relevant or considered credible. They face new challenges including an overwhelming amount of information, questioning the motivations of websites that provide clickbait, or avoiding algorithmically provided echo chambers. These skills may not be dramatically new to any teacher in the humanities, but its importance has been catapulted to the front as our students are inundated with endless possibilities.
With this new information, our students have it within themselves to act on those issues that they are most passionate about. Active citizenry in a democracy requires an educated population that is willing to debate, discuss, and act on what they believe to be best. You empower one individual with the power of education and information, our democracy grows that much stronger. Students can use educational technology to connect with experts, find peers who share their passions, organize political discussions or rallies, and even create solutions for problems facing our society. These issues and solutions will be as varied as the students we empower, but this diversity will be the bedrock foundation for a 21st democratic future.
References
Margaryan, A., Littlejohn, A., & Vojt, G. (2011, February). Are digital natives a myth or
reality? University students’ use of digital technologies. Computers & Education, 56(2), 429-440. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2010.09.004
Marr, B. (2018, May 21). How Much Data Do We Create Every Day? The Mind-Blowing Stats Everyone Should Read. In Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2018/05/21/how-much-data-do-we-create-every-day-the-mind-blowing-stats-everyone-should-read/#3cf865d60ba9
Bernadette Bacero 
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