The document discusses digital literacies and e-portfolios in education. It describes how today's students are accustomed to constant digital connectivity and multi-tasking. It identifies five fundamental digital literacies needed for the 21st century: attention, participation, collaboration, critical information consumption, and network smarts. The use of digital storytelling and e-portfolios at CPUT is examined, noting their benefits in developing student reflection, engagement, and various literacies, as well as challenges around access, time, and assessment. Effective practices highlighted include thorough planning, interdisciplinary support, and guidance for developing students' digital skills.

1. Challenge: Digital Literacies
Sonja Strydom and Daniela Gachago

2. New generation of students…
• My computer is the nucleus of my workspace
• When I need information I go online
• Besides IM or email my cell phone is my primary method of
communication
• I’m usually juggling five things at once
• My attention span is very small
• I want instant gratification
• I get bored very easily Oblinger 2008

5. Harold Rheingold
• Five fundamental digital
literacies, online skills:
– attention,
– participation,
– collaboration,
– critical consumption of
information (or "crap
detection"),
– and network smarts

6. Challenges
Horizon report

7. Digital storytelling
at CPUT
Daniela Gachago

8. Context

9. Established
• Paper based portfolio
practice
• Collection of evidence
• Individual work
• Feedback from tutor

10. outcomes
• Deepen student reflection
Intended
• Increase student engagement
• Address issues of diversity
in the classroom
• Develop digital literacies

13. Literature review
• DST facilitates the development
of a full range of digital
literacies, necessary for 21st
century graduates (Hull, 2003)
• as and when required, so that
they are using (and learning)
the tools to achieve a real
purpose rather than as skills
that can be checked off as
completed
(Olney, Herrington, &
Verenikina, 2009).

15. • Social cohesion
• Critical reflection
• Motivation / student
Benefits
engagement
• Director’s chair - pride
• Authentic audience
• Transfer of academic
content into community
• Development of various
literacies

16. • Diverse literacy skills levels to
start with
Challenges
• Access to Technology
• Time
• Trusting students
• Adapting model to specific
discipline
• Process vs product
• Assessment
• Dissemination of stories
(access, copyright)

17. Mobile learning and digital stories

18. Mobile learning and digital stories

19. effective practice
• Thorough step by step planning
Key points for
• Involvement of inter-disciplinary team
with various skills
• Provision of access to infrastructure and
resources
• Scheduled time in computer lab
• Step by step guidance for students
(scaffolding)
• Student assistants/support (especially
when dealing with large classes)
• Use of software that is freely available
on the Web
• Virus management
• Research on practice / design based
model
• Trust students’ resourcefulness and
creativity!

20. Any questions?
• www.cput.ac.za/blogs/edutech
• http://www.cput.ac.za/blogs/edutech/digital-
storytelling-resources/
• YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/CPUTstories
• gachagod@cput.ac.za or barnesv@cput.ac.za

21. e-Portfolios

22. outcomes
•
Intended
Deepen student reflection
• Increase student engagement
• Embed graduate attributes
• Evidence for assessment /
accreditation
• Develop digital literacies

23. ‘A digital collection of authentic and diverse evidence (e-portfolio) drawn
from a larger archive (PLE) that represents what a person has learned over
time, on which a person has reflected, designed for presentation to one or
more audiences for a particular rhetorical purpose’ (NLII, 2003)
Defining e-portfolios

24. e-Portfolio Process

25. ‘…it is argued that the real value of e-
Literature review
portfolios are not necessarily in the
showcasing of the product, but rather in
the process of learning and reflection
taking place in collecting evidence and
reflecting on experiences…’ (Barrett, 2011)
‘…e-portfolio practices require meta
cognitive skills of students since they are
required to ‘construct’ and
‘integrate’, combined with the expectation
of ‘making sense’ of their learning
(Dalton, 2007, p. 101)

26. • Development of own learning
goals
• Collaboration
Benefits
• Deeper levels of learning by
means of critical reflection
• Motivation / student
engagement / student-
centered
• Authentic audience
• Development of various
literacies

27. • Institutional control vs
student ownership
Challenges
• E-portfolio platform
• Diverse literacy skills
• Expected support
• Process vs product
• Student motivation /
incentives

28. Example: English Major

29. Example: Leadership and lifelong learning