Digital Literacy literature review: from terminology to action

Consequences of a digital literacy review:

moving from terminology to actionDr Tabetha Newman

www.timmuslimited.co.uk

April 2009

Consequences of a digital literacy review:

moving from terminology to actionDr Tabetha Newman

www.timmuslimited.co.uk

April 2009

!Beware! Contains multiple

definitions. Can cause

semantic argument /

headaches.

Today’s talkLet’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 literacyDigital literacyInformation literacyInformation literacy

Media literacyMedia literacyE-literacy ICT literacyE-literacy ICT literacy

Computer literacyComputer literacyInformation fluencyInformation fluencyCritical/basic skillsCritical/basic skills

E-safetyE-safetyDigital literaciesDigital literacies

?

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?

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?)

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)

1. What is digital literacy?Including skills and personality, and an understanding of ‘teachability’

TV advertising bias (diet)

Outside formal education

Passive , free-willed activity

Watching digital media

Consuming (push)

Context of use in current research1. What is digital literacy?

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!


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 competenceYoung people = Automatically digitally literate

Access to lots of information = Quality information

Evidence for current levels of digital literacy skills (findings of review)

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)


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

CLOSED ENQUIRYLearner responds to practitioner-generated

question

OPEN ENQUIRYLearner defines own question

High-level of guidance

Low-level of guidance

No guidance Structured guidelines

Self-determined guidelines

Define

Access

Understand & evaluate

Create

Communicate

(Hoping to) amalgamate the mass of models into one for practitioners

3. Digital Literacy models: a synthesis

Simplifying the ‘process’ stages involved in task-based learning projects


question






Define

Access


Create

Communicate


DevelopmentDevelopment


question






Define

Access


Create

Communicate

(Willison & O’Regan 2005)

Adding a ‘developmental’ axis to highlight need for practice and collaboration



question






Define

Access


Create

Communicate

Provide room for teacher to add context, or learner to describe their process


3. Digital Literacy models: a synthesisNow we’ve got this model, do we use it and if so how?

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

Conclusions, take-home messages, moving towards action!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!

Copies of the Literature review (as a catalogue of evidence and separate executive summary) available from www.timmuslimited.co.uk

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: tabethanewman

Skype: tabethanewman

Thanks

Education

Digital Literacy literature review: from terminology to action