Technology is changing faster than any acceptable use policy can keep pace with, and a school that defines digital literacy by the tools it permits will always be one step behind. The more enduring question is what kind of thinkers, collaborators, and creators we want students to become and how technology can serve that aim rather than quietly replace it.
Digital Literacy, as defined in the SAIS Teaching & Learning Framework, is the ability to thoughtfully and responsibly use technology, including generative AI and emerging technologies, to access and evaluate information and to create, communicate, and share knowledge effectively in digital environments. Digital Literacy is a cross-cutting theme that serves as an integrative force that strengthens, rather than diminishes, critical thinking and authentic learning experiences.
This resource gives school leaders research, tools, and templates to structurally support Digital Literacy for both teachers and students. When we design norms and systems that prioritize critical thinking and human connection, we lay the foundation for selecting technology and AI tools that allow us to embody our missions in new and exciting ways.
Beyond the Cheating Question
Taken together, these three data points describe a field in transition. SAIS ed tech professionals overwhelmingly name responsible, ethical, and academically appropriate use as their top priority, yet their most common concern is the perception of cheating. Both responses point to a familiar tension. When AI is framed primarily as an academic integrity problem, the natural response is to monitor and restrict. Clear policies matter, but an approach centered on detection can keep the conversation focused on the tool rather than on the thinking that the tool should support.
The Gallup findings complicate the assumption that young people are uncritical adopters of AI. Fewer than one in three Gen Zers now believe AI will help them generate new ideas, and more expect it to hurt that ability than help it. These numbers may suggest that many young people already sense what is at stake when thinking is handed off. Rather than positioning adults as enforcers and students as suspects, schools can treat discernment as shared work: naming when a tool amplifies thinking, when it replaces it, and what the community has decided it should never do.
“Digital Literacy is less about technology and more about judgment: knowing when to use a tool, why, and what it should never do for us.”
Amplify, Don’t Replace
Used without intention, generative AI can invite cognitive surrender, quietly taking over the very reasoning that learning is meant to build. Used with discernment, the same tools can strengthen each of the Framework’s core competencies. They can sharpen Creative Reasoning when students use AI to question, test, and refine their own ideas rather than generate them. They can deepen Relational Intelligence by connecting students with peers, experts, and communities beyond their own classroom walls. And they can open new pathways for Empowered Action by letting students build, publish, and solve problems in ways pen and paper never could. The difference lies not in the tool, but in the design choices schools make around it.
Getting Started
Digital Literacy is less about technology and more about judgment: knowing when to use a tool, why, and what it should never do for us. Start by identifying where your school is already strong in critical thinking, meaningful connection, and student creation. Then look for one or two places where a digital tool could extend that strength, helping students think more deeply, connect beyond campus, or create something they could not otherwise make.
- Where does technology currently amplify student thinking in our program, and where might it be replacing it?
- If a family asked what students should never hand off to AI, what would we say? Would our faculty give the same answer?
- What opportunities do students have to connect with people and perspectives beyond our campus through technology?
- What can students create here with digital tools that they could not create with pen and paper alone?
- How clearly do our technology decisions reflect our mission, and whose voices are shaping them?
Resources & Tools
These ready-to-use templates help school leaders assess current practice, clarify purposeful use, and choose digital tools that amplify thinking, connection, and creation. Begin here and adapt each tool to fit your school’s mission.
Learn More About Digital Literacy
SAIS Members: For more information about prioritizing cognitive engagement with digital tools, check out our webinar “The Thinking Problem: A Science of Learning Solution for AI in Schools” with Dr. Ian Kelleher.