Halloween themed guest lecture on e-learning and the 'uncanny' relationship between academic knowledge and digital expertise.

1. Making sense of learning in a digital age
University of Liverpool, October 31st 2012
#livdiglit
Helen Beetham @helenbeetham

2. Happy Halloween
cc. http://www.soil-net.com

3. experience the uncanny....
digital know-how academic learning
cc. http://www.soil-net.com

4. be haunted by...
the student who is
more digitally capable
than you are
the colleague who believes
nothing has improved on
the printing press
cc. http://www.soil-net.com

5. and enjoy...
some good stories
reasons to be cheerful
cc. http://www.soil-net.com

6. Co
m
Te pu
ac te
hin rs
g in
& Te
Le ach
ar
nin in g
g Ini
A bit of history
Te tia
Ne ch tiv
tw no e
JIS or
k lo gy
C ed
Le Pr
e- a og
lea rn
Be rn ing
nc ing
hm pr
ar og
Te kin ra
ch g m
no m
log
e-
Le e
y- ar
De En nin
ve ha g
lop nc
ing ed
Di Le
git ar
al nin
Lit g
er
ac
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
ies

7. A bit of history
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
From computers to networks to
technology-enhanced environments
From teaching with technology to
learning with technology
From discrete activities
to digital literacies and a digital curriculum

8. Digital technology is systemic in education
‘We are not
rethinking some
part or aspect of
learning, we are
rethinking all of
learning in these
new digital
contexts’ (2007)

9. Digital technology is systemic in education

10. Digital technology is systemic in education
Students’ first experiences of University are primarily digital
Students use their digital devices, services and networks to
support their studies whether we invite them to or not
Specialised, dedicated systems attuned to academic
practices
Most digital technologies and practices we take for granted
originated in University (research) departments
Universities are big businesses dependent on ICT based
business systems

11. But not everybody is happy about it

12. the digital university as a haunted house
cc licenced to country_boy_shane on Flickr and Fotopedia

13. The digital university as a haunted house...
Many students (and staff) see virtual learning as inimical to
a full engagement in the university experience
The expectation that students (and staff) will be digitally
literate is introducing new stresses and inequalities
Universities no longer have a monopoly on valued
knowledge or even on HE-standard learning
The internet is forcing universities to become global
institutions

14. What are you hopeful or excited about?
What are you fearful or worried about?
#livdiglit
post-its
cc. http://ninaturns40.blogs.com

15. questioning the ghost
cc licenced to Scr47chy on Flickr and Fotopedia

16. The wonderful digital future
useable devices
frictionless adoption
personal knowledge environments
learning embedded into daily life
information-rich objects, locations
intelligent agents...
‘If the technology is good enough we
don’t need digital literacy’

17. The constant scholar
The work feels the same as ever; the media can feel novel, of
course, but it doesn't feel to me like anything substantive has
changed.
Why are we using the term ‘digital’ at all? It’s just being critical
and reflective about the resources we’re using.
Isn’t all this technology just a distraction
• from the real business of study?
cc licenced to lisby1 via flickr and fotopedia
http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-3956791025

18. Against the wonderful digital future:
learners are not doing it for themselves
• Active knowledge building and sharing are minority activities to
which most learners are introduced by educators (Selwyn 2009-11)
• Learners experience many difficulties transposing practices from
social contexts into formal learning (Cranmer 2006)
• Learners struggle to critically evaluate online resources (BLibrary)
• NetGen (<25yo) use ICT more for social/leisure but older and better
qualified people use it more for study (Ramanau et al. 2010)
• Learners' engagement with digital media is complex and
differentiated (Bennet et al. 2008, Hargittai 2009)
• Students are fundamentally divided on the use of digital devices
and services for study (NUS surveys 2010-12)
Digitally proficient learners need a solid grounding
in academic practice to succeed

19. Against the constancy of scholarship:
knowledge practices are changing
Transfer of attention from print to screen
Multiplicity of media: hyperlinked and hybrid media
Blurred boundaries of information/communication
Ubiquitous access to information and to connected others
Routine surveillance and capture of processes/events
Networked societies and interest groups
Massive, interlinked data sets and related tools
Offloading of cognitive tasks onto digital agents and networks
Presentation of self in digital contexts
Open data, open research, open publishing
New modes of data visualisation
New research questions and specialist areas

20. Disciplines and technologies
are questioning each other

21. What are they saying? #livdiglit
What questions is your discipline asking
of digital technology?
What would you like technology to do that
enhances your practices and values as an
academic in your subject area?
What questions is digital technology
asking of/in your discipline?
How are you having to adapt your methods
and practices e.g.
data capture and analysis, collaboration,
research communication, writing, teaching?

22. now you see it...

23. Define digital literacy
in a way that makes sense for your department
#livdiglit
post-its
‘capabilities that fit an individual
for living, learning and working in a digital society’

24. Learning literacies in a digital age 2009-2010

25. Digital Literacies baseline study 2011-2012

26. Some conclusions
the practices that underpin
effective learning in a digital age
‣are meaningful in the context of academic disciplines
‣are an aspect of students’ emerging identities
‣require a confident but also a critical attitude to ICT
‣are creative/productive as well as critical/assimilative
‣are both formal and informal (and blur these boundaries)
‣emerge in meaningful activities in which technologies
support the purpose authentically

27. But at the moment...
‣students are confused about how digital technologies
can legitimately be used to support academic study
‣students’ practices may be hidden: personal study
habits, outsourced curriculum, ‘grey area’ activities
‣support is fragmented, expectations are not managed
‣students require training and/or mentoring for advanced
and specialised applications
‣‘bring your own skills’ is a source of potential
disadvantage

28. What can we do?
cc. http://www.soil-net.com

29. Explore the interface with students

30. Explore the interface with students
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=e3WwfP34Qv0&feature=youtu.be

31. Develop hybrid approaches and paths of least
resistance
Academic referencing
• Zotero: fits with practices of browsing
• Mendeley and Delicious: fit with
practices of social networking
• Endnote: steep learning curve,
expensive, inaccessible
• Students understand the underlying
values: acknowledge your sources; build
explicitly on the knowledge of others
• At the start of an academic career,
format matters much less than building
references, mapping the territory, getting
it captured

32. Allow a repertoire of technologies and viewpoints
•Students are often unclear about how to work with data
in meaningful ways
•More and more data sets are openly available to use for
learning and research
•Data visualisations are one
way students are developing
a repertoire of different
viewpoints and methods, and
drawing different conclusions

33. Use tech/no tech as tools for critical thinking

34. Have students participate in public debates

35. Open digital texts to critique
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=MmdlBEs1HEk&feature=youtu.be
cc licensed to Matthew Hayler, Exeter Cascade project 03.14 to 05.01

36. Involve students in research
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbtf-
wCglX0&feature=youtu.be
cc licensed to Erin Walcon, Exeter Cascade project 04.17

37. Conclusions: towards a critical digital literacy
• We may never ‘catch up’ with
students’ digital know-how...
• ... but academic values, practices
and methods remain uniquely
valuable.
• Try: co-mentoring, students as
pioneers, public expression of
ideas, digital story-telling...
• Students’ digital know-how can
be treated as a resource.
• Encouraging a critical approach
to technologies as you would to
ideas.

38. Questions and comments
#livdiglit
@helenbeetham

39. For our conclusions #livdiglit
post-its
Hopes, fears and
recommendations

40. JISC Developing Digital Literacies programme
#jiscddl

41. 12 institutional projects