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Before I worked with teens, I taught digital literacy to adult refugees through a program funded by the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Many of my students had never touched a keyboard, let alone owned a computer.
In fact, early on I realized just how novice some my students were. When I mentioned the mouse at the start of the lessons, one of my students quizzically asked, "What do you mean a mouse?" The student, who just a few years ago lived in a Kenyan camp, didn’t understand why I was talking about rodents.
The children of these adult refugees don’t struggle as much with technical skills as their parents do because they attend American schools with access to technology. From adult learners, I would regularly hear comments like, "my kid knows that" or "my kid can help set that up for me."
That's why refugee children are often called upon by their older relatives to be digital advisers, even though they might have gaps in their digital literacy because they lack family support and guidance.
