After my initial panel proposal was accepted, I ran this panel on working with students who have low technology skills as the opening panel for ThatCamp Philadelphia. I wanted to run this panel because this is an issue I deal with on a day to day basis and I am always trying to find new ways to initiate learning for my students. Technology skills are extremely important in this job market, so I really stress them in my classes.

Janine Utell took notes for this panel as well.

Digital citizenship is important. Not just for student work, but also for the job force (applications, etc)
Many participants noted that their students had a hard time interpreting what they found online. An example given a lot was clicking on “sponsored links” on a Google search.
Some schools offer a one credit technology course (that can be tested out of by students)
Library sessions are helpful, but more time needs to be spent on evaluating sources
This whole “digital natives” thing is nonsense. Many students don’t even know how to use ctrl-f!
Solutions to this need to come from the curriculum side, not just the classroom
An issue brought up, and I have heard this from students, is going from high tech classes back to really analog ones
A list needs to be made, on a school by school basis, of what students need to know for composition level technology skills
A big requirement that should be built into school handbooks is mandating that they check their email
There should be “technology across the curriculum” ala writing across the curriculum
An idea Sherrie Block and I have talked about here at BCC is doing workshops for students on a monthly basis.
There was a large concern in the room to not just outsource all of this to the library
I require my students to send me an email from their BCC email to prove they can open it and that it works. I use this for their first quiz grade
Another great idea that happens in my classes anyway is to have high tech students team up with low tech students
Walmart has computer only applications now. If you can’t figure it out, you can’t apply
New Jersey does have a K-12 information literary requirement according to Deb Gussman
There needs to be outreach to local principals/superintendents
Have students do a tech survey on their way into college
Gussman gives her online students a list of what they need to know before taking the class
I’ve introduced Zotero to my sophomores in the past
An idea I had was to have to students put programs like Zotero, Firefox, Google Chrome, etc on a flash drive using Portable Apps
Students absolutely need to learn how to cite before being allowed to use Easybib, Zotero, Moodle, etc
As Deb Gussman points out, Easybib, Zotero, Evernote and others output errors sometimes
An idea Utell had was to do coffee sessions with faculty who could be allies

There are so many great ideas here. I am forwarding this post to my Dean and program director because there is so much we could implement into our program.