Task: Choose from the following list of topics and create a research page that includes a description/definition of the topic (a few paragraphs or so is fine) and how you think it might relate to the purpose of this class…and links to 7 or more “readings” that support or expand upon your description/definition along with a brief summary. “Readings” may include articles, web pages, blog posts, video, podcasts, etc.
Topic: Digital Literacy
Literacy itself is more than the ability to read and write. It includes lifelong learning of searching, adapting, processing, analyzing, communicating skills. When we speak of digital literacy the forum changes from the written word to electronic communication networks. With technology, come additional digital tools to master and topics such as fair use and online privacy to examine. It is an interesting dynamic where your online presence becomes an extension of yourself. We attain digital literacy when we can function in that environment, learn, share, communicate effectively, and become a contributing member, or citizen, of that world. My definition is probably somewhat simplified, but the term includes vast topics.
Research links:
U.S. Digital Literacy site at http://digitalliteracy.us/ includes some much more eloquent definitions of digital literacy. The site includes many educational resources to teach digital literacy to our students.
Teaching Channel Presents: Digital Literacy in the Classroom video podcasts at https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/tch-presents-digital-literacy which provides lessons for use with your own students.
Review of Doug Belshaw’s The Essentials of Digital Literacies on TER Podcast #42 at http://readwriterespond.com/?p=627
Jenny Luca’s interview at Edutech 2014 at http://jennyluca.com/tag/digital-literacy/
Poster: Module design for digital literacy development at http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/OULDI/?p=361
Hall, R., Atkins, L., and Fraser, J. (2014). Defining a self-evaluation digital literacy framework for secondary educators; the DigiLit Leicester project. Research in Learning Technology, the Journal of the Association for Learning Technology (ALT). 22.
Digital Futures in Teacher Education at http://www.digitalfutures.org/ is an open textbook for educators and schools. Registration is required to access materials. The site discusses a three-stage model which includes digital competence, digital usage, and digital transformation.
Digital Literacy and Classroom Curriculum at https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/curriculum is an online text on the teaching of digital literacy, ready for use.
Digital Literacy is one of nine themes of digital citizenship defined at Digital Citizenship- Using Technology Appropriately. The focus is that students must learn how to learn in a digital society by learning emerging tools.
All of the links relate to our class because digital citizenship encompasses digital literacy. As we become functioning, responsible members of digital communities, we can contribute, shape, and learn best if we have digital literacy.
Your definition of digital literacy may be “simple” but that doesn’t mean it isn’t valuable (or that it’s easy!).
That “module design for digital literacy development” is interesting, indeed. Obviously you’ll have delved significantly deeper (or wider?) into digital literacy with Doug’s book by now, but I’ll be interested to see how these initial thoughts and resources fit with—or don’t fit with—the model he proposes.