Submitted by Tanis Harms (Community Learning Network)
The other day I was meeting with a teacher from my child’s school for a parent/teacher conference over Zoom. For context, I use Zoom most days of my life due to the different aspects of my role at CLN. I would say I’m even quite confident in my use of Zoom and navigating the many tools that it offers.
BUT
When I joined the Zoom meeting over my phone, I was muted upon entering the meeting. Do you think I could find how to unmute myself? Nope. I was tapping and clicking and swiping…oh my! The 3 P’s — Patience, Persistence, and Perseverance kept coming to mind.
Follow the red arrow below to see an example of how to have patience, persistence, and perseverance.
Okay, honestly I was struggling with having patience. I KNEW that somewhere on my screen there would be a place for me to unmute, so I kept searching and searching. The teacher kindly offered to unmute my microphone for me, yet my stubborn pride pushed me forward to search out the solution to the mystery for myself. Eventually, I did find it. Ask me where and how… I have no idea. However, my heart stopped racing, my embarrassment subsided, and I was finally able to speak. The 3 P’s prevailed!
Regardless of our level of digital skills, learning is constantly happening when we use technology. Whether it’s a software update, a different device, or a multitude of other reasons, I am pretty confident in saying that no one will ever fully master the use and navigating of technology every where, every time they use it.
Wouldn’t it be helpful to have a strong base of strategies and concepts that build our confidence in wanting to continue persevering even when we don’t know how or where to unmute?
Well, we’ve got a resource for that: Teaching Digital Skills: Strategies & Resources
CALP Staff have been asking for digital skills curriculum to use when teaching learners — or when wanting to learn for themselves. The problem with a curriculum in the world of ever-changing technology though, is that the curriculum is regularly outdated. Embedded in Teaching Digital Skills: Strategies & Resources is content, concepts, and strategies that can be used by both instructors and learners alike to jump directly into the area needed to build understanding, confidence, and skills.
Instead of trying to master every new tool or device, use this resource to learn tips that will build your confidence in solving tech problems when the answer isn’t obvious.
I have another parent/teacher conference coming up, and I’m going to practice some of the Cues & Clues strategies right now — which one? Check back with me.
Teaching Digital Skills: Strategies and Resources is a new resource designed to help CALP staff support adult foundational learners as they build digital confidence across devices and platforms. Much of the material has been adapted from Literacy for Life's Tech Talk materials, which focus on essential components of digital learning: Language, Navigation, Settings, Safety & Security, and Planning for Learning.
Want to do a deeper dive into exploring this new resource? Join us for Staff Picks: Teaching Digital Skills: Strategies & Resources.
This session will offer a clear overview and show how to use the resource to support learners working toward everyday digital literacy.
Date: Thursday, December 11, 2025
Time: 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.