Digital Literacy literature review: from terminology to action

Consequences of a digital literacy review: moving from terminology to action Dr Tabetha Newman www.timmuslimited.co.uk April 2009

Consequences of a digital literacy review: moving from terminology to action Dr Tabetha Newman www.timmuslimited.co.uk April 2009 ! Beware! Contains multiple definitions. Can cause semantic argument / headaches.

Today’s talk Let’s hope I can reduce the complexity of digital literacy into 20 minutes… 3. Digital literacy models 2. Today’s learners 1. What is ‘digital literacy’?
Becta literature review: (1) clarify terminology, (2) describe levels, enablers, blockers (3) synthesise models into one
4. Conclusion

1. What is digital literacy? So much terminology, so any viewpoints, so little time… Digital literacy Information literacy Media literacy E-literacy ICT literacy Computer literacy Information fluency Critical/basic skills E-safety Digital literacies ?

1. What is digital literacy? Converting all nineteen definitions in L&K (2008) into a tag cloud

1. What is digital literacy? “ The awareness, attitude and ability of individuals to appropriately use digital tools and facilities to identify, access, manage, integrate, evaluate, analyse and synthesise digital resources, construct new knowledge, create media expressions, and communicate with others, in the context of specific life situations, in order to enable constructive social action; and to reflect upon this process” The DigEuLit Project’s definition is holistic and usable (Martin 2006)

1. What is digital literacy? Three components of digital literacy emerge from the literature Social awareness (understand your identity, collaborate, adapt communication to context/audience) Knowledge of digital tools (hard/software awareness/competence – ICT literacy?) Critical thinking (evaluating, contextualising – information literacy?)

1. What is digital literacy? Knowledge of digital tools (hard/software awareness/competence – ICT literacy?) Critical thinking (evaluating, contextualising – information literacy?) Social awareness (understand your identity, collaborate, adapt communication to context/audience) Including skills and personality, and an understanding of ‘teachability’

1. What is digital literacy? Context of use in current research TV advertising bias (diet) Outside formal education Passive , free-willed activity Watching digital media Consuming (push) Information seeking, web searching Formal educational setting Active, directed activity Interacting with digital media Task-based, problem solving (pull) Digital Literacy Media Literacy

Unlikely to get a short definition that everyone agrees with – trying to describe something that constantly evolves with the creation of new digital (therefore social) contexts
Digital tool knowledge + critical thinking + social awareness
Martin’s definition gives a good starting point
Will evolve, e.g. some suggest pluralizing to encompass all skill-sets and literacies
Significant proportion skills-related and teachable…
… but it’s not just skill-related and task-based
1. What is digital literacy? My ‘terminology’ conclusions… define loosely and anticipate future evolution!

2. Today’s learners
Most young people have inadequate web search and evaluation skills
Impact ICT overestimated: often undirected in classroom as enrichment
Students are often disheartened during web searches, and want to know how to carry out research projects well
Frequently incorrectly assumed that:
ICT exposure = ICT competence
Young people = Automatically digitally literate
Access to lots of information = Quality information
Evidence for current levels of digital literacy skills (findings of review)

2. Today’s learners What ENABLES the development of digital literacy skills? (findings of review)
Embed digital literacy into subjects and research projects to provide context
Training and guided practice for students regarding research skills, step moves from high practitioner guidance to independent learning
Hidden benefits Acknowledge this investment may increase learner employability, satisfaction and engagement but not necessarily attainment as we currently measure it

Underestimation of young people’s understanding of use and breadth of digital tools and overestimation of critical thinking skills
High guidance or nothing. Students mainly taught with high guidance, occasionally dropped into independent learning (e.g. web searching) with no training or support
Recounting not re-contextualising. Practitioners/exam bodies need to avoid this or will block critical thinking and promote plagiarism
Exam/reality mismatch: Recall of facts versus adaptive, collaborative life skills.
What BLOCKS the development of digital literacy skills? (findings of review) 2. Today’s learners

3. Digital Literacy models
Many have tried to simplify into list of skills and order
Now considered sometimes useful, but overly-simplistic
Yikes! The M word : what does it mean? (findings from review)

3. Digital Literacy models
Two types of model:
Two basic types, most are process models
Models over-simplify…
… but learners/practitioners/policy makers asking for simple, usable framework to incorporate digital literacy skills into current teaching practice

3. Digital Literacy models: a synthesis (Hoping to) amalgamate the mass of models into one for practitioners CLOSED ENQUIRY Learner responds to practitioner-generated question OPEN ENQUIRY Learner defines own question High-level of guidance Low-level of guidance No guidance Structured guidelines Self-determined guidelines Define Access Understand & evaluate Create Communicate

3. Digital Literacy models: a synthesis Simplifying the ‘process’ stages involved in task-based learning projects CLOSED ENQUIRY Learner responds to practitioner-generated question OPEN ENQUIRY Learner defines own question High-level of guidance Low-level of guidance No guidance Structured guidelines Self-determined guidelines Define Access Understand & evaluate Create Communicate

3. Digital Literacy models: a synthesis Development (Willison & O’Regan 2005) Adding a ‘developmental’ axis to highlight need for practice and collaboration CLOSED ENQUIRY Learner responds to practitioner-generated question OPEN ENQUIRY Learner defines own question High-level of guidance Low-level of guidance No guidance Structured guidelines Self-determined guidelines Define Access Understand & evaluate Create Communicate

3. Digital Literacy models: a synthesis Provide room for teacher to add context, or learner to describe their process CLOSED ENQUIRY Learner responds to practitioner-generated question OPEN ENQUIRY Learner defines own question High-level of guidance Low-level of guidance No guidance Structured guidelines Self-determined guidelines Define Access Understand & evaluate Create Communicate

Only relevant for task-based learning
Some value: most current opportunities are via task-based projects, framework useful start for newbies
Needs digitally literate practitioner to bring it to life
Definitely over-simplifies digital literacy and restricts user to linear approach (damaging?)
Best used as a foundation: where we are now, and a starting point from which to describe where we want to be in 5 years time
3. Digital Literacy models: a synthesis Now we’ve got this model, do we use it and if so how?

4. Conclusion
Significant proportion of digital literacy involves ‘tools + skills’ and much of this can be taught
But it involves teaching via practice and context, not theory
We need to get learners and practitioners up to speed on basics AND embrace evolution of digital literacy concept
Road mapping can lead to educational reform (e.g. Norway)
From terminology to action!
Conclusions, take-home messages, moving towards action!

Copies of the Literature review (as a catalogue of evidence and separate executive summary) available from www.timmuslimited.co.uk
Email: [email_address]
Twitter: tabethanewman
Skype: tabethanewman
Thanks

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Digital Literacy literature review: from terminology to action

by Tabetha Newman on Apr 07, 2009

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