UNIT 1.

21ST CENTURY
SKILLS
CHRISTOPHER LORD TULAUAN·TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2020·

Introduction

Communication has gone digital and its pedagogical impacts demand new
skills. Although many of us already have some of these so called 21st
century skills because of our digital academic routines such as
communicating through e-mails, researching through the internet, sending
e-letters, messaging through Facebook Messenger, sharing files through
the ‘clouds’, participating in webinars, vlogging or even just pouring out
our emotions through posts and shares, there is a big challenge on how we
can become effective teachers and learners using these platforms. One key
answer to this lies on how we communicate. Nowadays, almost anything
that can be imagined with communication to occur for teaching and
learning is within our reach through the aid of Information and
Communication Technology (ICT). However, the big question is whether or
not we communicate effectively and successfully. Our manipulative skills
and knowledge over the communication applications and gadgets are
unquestionably in place, but our communicative skills should be improved
to suit the digital world.

Digital communication is complex that some of the elements of

communication such as non-verbal cues and spontaneity are removed
while a few things are added such as the channels of communication and
the means of feedback and adjustment. Hence, there is a need to
reconsider our ways in communicating that could potentially lead to
greater learning.
Unit Objectives:

In this unit, you are expected to:

a. draw connections between concepts involving digital communication;

b. discuss the importance of communication skills in relation to becoming

a good digital communicator; and

c. relate the importance of understanding copyright and fair use guidelines

as a teacher.

Lesson 1. Communication as a 21st Century Skill

At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:

a. Define concepts in digital communication skills;

b. Discuss the importance of communication skills in relation to becoming

a good digital communicator; and

c. Assess your preparedness in digital communication

A. ENGAGE

Below is an infographic presentation of the fundamental digital skills for

the 21stcentury teachers, taken from www.educatorstechnology.com.
Choose one which you think involves communication. Then, explain how
communication works in such a skill.

Output 1: Present your thoughts in one paragraph.

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d_788_8c6d510f1d66c89d6f4cb84d0a58f6d1f50580d6.png

B. EXPLORE

TASK 1. Read the following article about digital communication skills.

After which, do the following activities.

Digital Communication Skills You Need in the 21st Century

By John French

Communication in the 20th century was relatively easy. At school you

learnt to read and write, and things like the telephone and basic computer
literacy were relatively simple to master. But then The Digital Age and
Social Media exploded into our lives and our communication landscape
changed forever.

Younger generations or the digital natives have been fortunate enough to

have grown up and educated in the fast-expanding digital world.
Youngsters are luckily born surfing the growing digital wave. The young
pick up digital dynamics and digital communication skills very easily: they
master mobile phones by the age of three, and they can outsmart granny on
Facebook by the age of five.

Digital communication skills have revolutionised and changed the rules of

more traditional communication – both personally and professionally.

Here are some top communication tips to help you to thrive and
communicate effectively in our digital universe.

The Hard and Soft Skills in Digital Communication

There are two types of digital skills that must be mastered: digital hard
skills and digital soft communication skills.

Hard skills are the basic practical skills, like how to effectively navigate and
use social media and digital platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,
Instagram. Hard digital skills can include how to use software image
editing software, video conferencing, etc. These are essential basic hard
digital skills, and they are relatively easy to master with a bit of logic and
practice. Knowing how the various digital platforms work is a fantastic
beginning to start building your digital self-confidence.

Soft skills are the more complex and less tangible digital communication
skills that are needed for you to communicate confidently, clearly and
successfully with our various online contacts and stakeholders. These soft
communication skills are usually the harder skills to master, and they
usually require coaching support from good digital communication skills
training programmes.

Developing your digital soft skills

One of the miracles of The Digital Age is that humanity is now writing and
communicating far more than ever before in our whole social history. That
is an amazing fact!

There are however new rules and dynamics for writing digitally. We need
to learn how to communicate far more clearly, more succinctly and more
convincingly than ever before. Our blogs are competing with 4 million
other blogs uploaded daily on the internet. Your clients download
hundreds of emails into their inboxes every day. You need to learn how to
capture their attention and write clearly and convincingly enough for them
to actually read your e-mails and take action.
Not only this, you also need to learn how to engage and build relationships
online. If you are an entrepreneur or brand ambassador, it is important to
learn how to build digital platforms and audiences, and how to encourage
digital interaction.

If you want to become a digital influencer, or perhaps a 21st century leader,

you need to learn how to stand out above millions of other digital hopefuls
and build loyal followings for your digital brand.

The Difference between Real Time and Digital Communication

Have you ever considered that when you communicate digitally, you have
far fewer communication resources at your disposal than when you are
communicating face to face? When we communicate digitally we are
eliminating so many powerful communication tools like body language,
hand gestures, eye contact, posture and lively facial expressions. All these
live body language signals help you to have presence and make an impact.

When communicating digitally, we lose so many of our powerful verbal

communication tools. Most people communicate digitally only using
written communication, and thus lost the impact of their voices, tone of
voice, as well as the impact of their personalities.

Over 95% of people are just too terrified to post LIVE videos of themselves.
However, this is interestingly the most powerful digital communication
tool and it generally receives great feedback.

How to Let the Message Reach the Audience

Your message won’t be heard if no one is paying attention. The following

are some reminders to make sure the message gets across.
(trainingindustry.com)
1. Audio Authority

Sometimes messages don’t get through simply due to poor audio. When
given the choice to connect to an online meeting by telephone or by voice
over IP (VOIP), choose the one that will give you the best connection
quality. If you have a poor signal, you might think, “It’s okay; it’s bearable.”
However, it’s disrespectful to your audience to knowingly join an event
with poor audio. A common mistake in digital communications is to use
speaker phone (or the built-in-microphone on your device), which capture
unintended noise on the line and contributes to poor audio quality. Always
use a headset for clear audio sound. You can also invest in a noise
cancelling headset and install noise cancelling software.

Next, focus on your voice. If you’ve never heard the sound of your own
voice over the airwaves, call yourself and leave a voicemail. Play it back and
listen to the quality of your audio. Do you speak too fast? Do you properly
enunciate words? Do you use too many filler words? One more quick tip: If
it’s an early morning conversation, warm up your throat ahead of time with
some simple vocal exercises, like humming your favorite song.

2. Adjust Video

The fastest way to improve the quality of your online communication is to

use your webcam for video calls. Video streaming leads to more effective
communication, because you can see facial expressions and catch other
nonverbal clues. Get over your fear of being on camera. Instead, focus on
your audience and it will become easier over time.

To put your best face forward and show up professionally on webcam, do

these three simple things: 1) Adjust your webcam to the correct height so
that your eyes are level with the camera. 2) Place light in front of you, not
behind. 3) Check your background to ensure it’s appropriate.
3. Audience Engagement

The next key to digital communication success is to engage your remote

audience. When you aren’t together in the same room, there’s tremendous
temptation to multitask and only pay partial attention to an online speaker.

As an online meeting leader, you can set expectations ahead of each virtual
event. Let everyone know the purpose of the meeting and explain any
expectations for involvement. For example, your email invitation could say,
“In this meeting, we will all be on webcam and will brainstorm solutions to
X situation.” If you’re not the leader, you can request this information so
that you are prepared.

Then, carefully plan the first 10 minutes of your online event. Have
something on screen for everyone to discuss as they join, like an icebreaker
question. You could compare the weather outside each window or discuss
current events – anything to get participants talking and comfortable with
each other. While actual dialogue is preferred, the chat function also works
to encourage conversation. However, without the leader’s invitation, this
dialogue usually doesn’t occur naturally in an online environment.

Next, find ways to use the platform tools (chat, polling, status indicators,
drawing tools, etc.) to keep the audience involved. Whether you have an
extremely large audience, an audience of one or anything in-between, your
ability to keep them engaged and interested will directly impact the
effectiveness of your message. After all, your message won’t be heard at all
if no one is paying attention.

4. Adapt Visuals

Most online meetings involve the use of visual aids, such as presentation
slides. These enhance your message and should therefore be meticulously
planned.
If you’re presenting or teaching online, you’ll likely double or triple the
number of slides in your presentation. This is to keep the screen moving
and help capture audience attention, as well as provide extra instructions
that an online platform may require. For example, if I share a chart and
want my audience to zoom into a detail and highlight key points, I’d
include a slide with directions on how to complete these tasks.

Visuals should be crisp and clear with only one main thought per slide.
Sans serif fonts generally work best online. Your audience’s display options
may vary widely. Will they have huge external monitors or be on mobile
devices? Test your visuals in advance to see how they translate online. Use
large font, high-quality graphics and minimal text when possible.

5. Advance Preparation

None of these keys to successful digital communication happen by

accident. They require advance preparation on your part. The famous
saying, “Proper preparation prevents poor performance,” holds just as true
for online communication as it does everywhere else. But what specifically
do you need to prepare? Your workspace, your technology and yourself.

Start by taking stock of your workspace. Whether you work from an office,
your home or your local coffee shop, your work area dictates the quality of
your online connection. An enclosed space is ideal for high sound quality
and allowing yourself to focus solely on the digital space. But since perfect
environments aren’t always possible, spend a few moments optimizing the
space you do have available.

To prepare your technology, ensure the basics: Laptop charged up, mobile
devices updated and headset plugged in. Consider having a backup device
ready to connect if needed. And most importantly, take time to prepare
yourself – especially your voice and video.
In Closing

When you decide to focus on your digital communication skills, your

message will come across more clearly. By following these five simple keys
to success, you and your team will be able to say, “We’re communicating
well, and we just happen to be doing it online.