Digital Futures: A new program developing digital literacy skills to learn, live and work.

In 2022, the Westgate Refugee Support team has been thrilled to welcome volunteer and secondary school teacher Angela Xu, who has been instrumental in developing a new WRS program: Digital Futures.

Angela says, “With communication, access to information, entertainment and work processes increasingly occurring online and through digital technologies if students are not to be excluded it is important that they have the skills to use digital technology.”  Angela teaches computer skills at a Melbourne secondary school and is the Educational Lead in the trial program that will teach digital literacy at two schools that partner with us in Malaysia.

Angela explains that “the pilot will initially focus on making students familiar with digital devices and how they operate, being safe in on-line environments and how to use applications and resources that are available on-line at no cost.”  She adds, “if the pilot is successful a more complete curriculum will be developed that develops students' critical thinking and communication skills in using digital technology”.  The program uses the UNESCO Digital Literacy Framework as the basis to the curriculum, which is also being developed with our partner schools.

Bosco, the Principal of the Lautu Education Centre (LEC) is excited that he, along with two other teachers at LEC will participate in the pilot.  He says, “not only is it essential our students have the ability to use the internet and digital technology, as teachers we are really looking forward to developing our skills and the ability to teach digital literacy to our students.”

LEC, along with the Alliance of Chin Refugee (ACR) School are the two schools where the pilot will take place, with the aim to train teachers at these schools to teach digital literacy, with a focus on students who are nine years of age or older. At this age, students generally have enough English to be able to understand the content of the classes, and in most instances are already using mobile phones.

Teachers at ACR School have already commenced on-line training with Angela.  Mang Pi, the Principal at ARC, says “The teachers love it.  They are learning so much and can see how important this will be to students learning.”  Cingkop Khan, a teacher at ACR expressed some anxiety about teaching students digital literacy saying “some of the students know more that we do about information technology.  With the teaching resources that Angela trains us to use we will be able to make a difference for our students though and give them opportunities they would not otherwise have.”

Angela is currently providing online training sessions to teachers at ACR School and in September will be in Malaysia to provide in person training and to co-teach classes with teachers at ACR and LEC.  The teachers, with online support from Angela, will then provide classes in computer skills and digital literacy for the last term of the school year, commencing in October.  

If the program is a success, WRS will be exploring the potential to offer digital literacy to further classes and schools, supporting teachers with training and technology resources in 2023.