Digital literacy forms a cornerstone of modern education, it equips students with the knowledge and skills to traverse the ever more digital world around them. As teachers of science, it is not about simply using digital tools to create more dynamic presentations to enhance delivery, it’s about developing critical, ethical and practical digital skills, as outlined in the ACARA Digital Technologies Framework (ACARA, 2021).

The framework outlines five key elements of digital literacy: practising digital safety and wellbeing, communicating and collaborating, investigating, creating, and managing and operating. These elements provide an overarching structure for our development as science teachers and what needs to be passed onto students in our classrooms. It emphasises the diverse set of skills students need to develop, from safety in digital environments to leveraging technology to analyse at new levels, to creating content in new, interesting and dynamic ways. The applications in science classrooms are boundless, with opportunities to teach skills, involve new technology and learn important lessons in every science classroom. This resource will aim to explore how and why different elements can be incorporated into your classrooms.

The investigating element encourages students to search for, interpret and evaluate information in critical manners, not only improving their abilities in the scientific inquiry but beyond. Leveraging tools like research platforms, visualisation software and simulations can thoroughly support this development in the science classroom. Meanwhile the creating element is characterised by the plethora of new tools available for students to present their ideas. With a key component of scientific research being communicating your ideas effectively, the utilisation of these tools provides enormous opportunity for development in this area.

While the ACARA framework provides exactly that, this resource aims to focus on science teachers and their needs directly and has been developed hand in hand with them. So, jump in and see what we have to share in this exciting space, explore what is out there and use it as a launching platform on your journey to promoting digital literacy in your science classrooms.