The single biggest problem facing education today is that our Digital Immigrant instructors, who spe

1
How are digital literacies impacting on learning
and teaching?

• The single biggest problem facing education
  today is that our Digital Immigrant instructors,
  who speak an outdated language are struggling
  to teach a population that speaks an entirely new
  language (Prenksy, 2001)
• In this session we aim to
• Explore what we mean by digital literacy and
  consider how the digital world is new and
  different?
• Explore the challenge of the digital world for
  staff who have to design learning encounters
  which engage the net-gen.
• Consider whether all the net-gen really are so
  well equipped to deal with the digital world

2
What do we mean by digital literacy?

• The traditional definition of literacy was the
  ability to use languageto read, write, listen,
  and speak. (Wikipedia, 2006)
• Traditionally literacy meant the ability to
  read and write, and to understand.
• Towards end of 20th century there was a shift
  towards
• Not just focusing on text
• Looking at the wider social context the culture
  in which communication takes place (New Literacy
  Studies)
• Seeing literacy not as a universal skill, as it
  can only have meaning within the social context
  of the individual
• Seeing learning as socially based and occurring
  within communities of practice with common
  understanding

3
What do we mean by digital literacy?

• Digital literacy is the ability to understand and
  apply information conveyed from a wide variety of
  sources via an increasing array of electronic or
  digital tools.
• Gov/Commercial sector tend to see digital
  literacy as a measurable thing.
• And, as a result of this understanding take it
  upon themselves to define what literacy is, to
  teach it, measure it, assess it, and remediate it
  in a word, to universalise and standardize it.
  (Lanksheer and Knobel, 2005).
• What Lanksheer and Knobel propose instead is a
  socio-cultural approach to digital literacy where
  it is viewed instead as a myriad of social
  practices and conceptions mediated by digital
  tools.

4
What do we mean by digital literacy?

• The University of Glasgow have been involved in a
  EU wide project to consider digital literacy.
  Alan Martin Project Lead suggests digital
  literacy is about knowing what information is
  available and where to find it. It is about
  understanding what is right for you. It is about
  using it (responsibly) in your daily life(2006).
  
• Martin identifies five elements of e-literacy
• 1.awareness of the ICT and information
  environment
• 2.confidence in using generic ICT and information
  tools
• 3.evaluation of information-handling operations
  and products
• 4.reflection on ones own e-literacy development
• 5.adaptability and willingness to meet e-literacy
  challenges

5
How is the digital world different?

• The extent of information available
• Anyone can publish
• It is a visual world (graphics, photos, videos,
  emoticons etc)
• It is a multi-media and multi-medium world (e.g
  email, messaging, texting, blogs and each of
  these has its own associated conventions and
  style.
• Information is constructed in a non-linear
  hyperlinked fashion.
• It is an interactive, instant world.
• It is a highly social global place with millions
  of communities (e.g. chat rooms, newsgroups,
  social networking sites, ranking systems)

6
The challenges of the digital world

• Lots of talk about web2 what is this a phrase
  coined by O'Reilly in 2004, which refers to a
  perceived second generation of web-based
  servicessuch as social networking sites, blogs
  and wikis, communication tools, that emphasize
  online collaboration and sharing among users.
  (Wikipedia)
• Others feel that the web is simply returning to
  its roots as a read/write tool and also entering
  a new, more social and participatory phase.
  (JISC)
• Whatever the view it is clear that the web is
  fast becoming as much a tool for enabling
  interaction and participation as for conveying
  information. Two-way instead of one-way.

7
The challenges of the digital world

• Kartoo
• Del.icio.us
• A Blog
• Flickr
• YouTube
• Myspace
• RSS and podcasting

8
Are all the net-gen really so well equipped to
deal with the digital world?

• The digitally literate individual has been given
  a number of names Net-Gen, and Digital Native
  (Prensky, 2001) are the most common. They were
  born post 1982 and have grown up with the
  Internet.
• Depending on their life experience many Baby
  Boomers (1946-64) and Generation X (1965-81) will
  be confident in the digital world but according
  to Waite (2001) it is still a second language to
  them.
• But does all the net-gen really have the
  necessary digital skills
• Search skills
• Critical thinking
• Understanding of ethical issues, privacy,
  property etc
• Ability to match message to medium
• Able to navigate the three-dimensional world
  (Lankshear and Knobel, 2005), and construct
  information from multiple sources rather than a
  single information source (Gilster, 1997)
• Active learners

9
Key challenges

• So, lets hear your views on
• What support structures need to be in place to
  support the net-gen to be digitally literate?
• What teaching and learning strategies do you
  think will engage the net-gen?
• What support would enable you to understand and
  exploit the possibilities of the digital world?

10
Key challenges

• Some of our initial ideas
• For students
• Graduate skills framework to include digital
  literacy
• Bb new tools
• For staff
• Staff development workshops, but..
• Communities of practice
• Pathfinder