Adultliteracy. Implicit Computing Skills. Inspired by Kim Cofino's article in Technology & Learning, please add to this list! Digital literacy in a knowledge economy. John Hartley Updated Fri 13 Apr 2007, 12:25pm AEST There has been much comment recently on Kevin Rudd's proposal to fast-track broadband infrastructure in Australia. Even the Government thinks this is a good idea. The only difference between the parties is whether it should be supported with public as well as private finance. Not much of the debate has been concerned with what Australians might do with their digital capability once they've got it. Even less thought seems to have gone into how they - or rather we - will acquire the skills and motivations required to benefit fully from this new toy. Political attention is focused on publishers and providers not consumers and users. The 19th and 20th centuries were notable for massive and sustained public investment in schools and (later on) universities - the infrastructure needed to deliver near-universal print-literacy at low cost to the user.
That effort has not been matched in the digital era. But it needn't stop there. Digital literacy: How it affects teaching practices and networked learning futures - a proposal for action research. Digital literacy: How it affects teaching practices and networked learning futures - a proposal for action research Leigh Blackall Leigh Blackall is an experienced educator with a background in secondary and vocational education and training, based in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales Australia. Leigh's core interest is in using social software with learners. Leigh maintains the Teach and Learn Online Web Log and facilitates the Teach and Learn Online e- Group to maintain a community of practice around social software and distributed network learning. Click to view an archive of Leigh's recent Elluminate Live! In this critique Leigh Blackall discusses how digital literacy affects teaching practices in Australian education.
In developing this critique Leigh has collated and annotated, in a wiki, a fantastic range of links to relevant research. Access Word Document Access Adobe PDF Document. Digital Literacy Home. Welcome to the Microsoft Digital Literacy curriculum. Whether you are new to computing or have some experience, Digital Literacy will help you develop a fundamental understanding of computers. The courses help you learn the essential skills to begin computing with confidence, be more productive at home and at work, stay safe online, use technology to complement your lifestyle, and consider careers where you can put your skills to work.
Use the menu below to see the Digital Literacy curricula and courses available in your preferred language. After you select a language, click “go”, and the offers available will appear in a new dropdown box. The Microsoft Digital Literacy curriculum has three levels. The Basic curriculum features a course called A First Course Toward Digital Literacy. The Standard curriculum is available in four versions. Version 4 uses examples and simulations from Windows 8 and Microsoft Office 2013. Ten Years of Research on Adolescent Literacy, 1994-2004: A Review. Collaboration and Teaching: Using Social Networking Tools to Engage the Wisdom of Teachers. "Identity Production in a Networked Culture: Why Youth Heart MySpace" "Identity Production in a Networked Culture: Why Youth Heart MySpace" danah boyd American Association for the Advancement of Science February 19, 2006 Citation: boyd, danah. 2006.
"Identity Production in a Networked Culture: Why Youth Heart MySpace. " American Association for the Advancement of Science, St. [This is a rough, unedited crib of the actual talk.] Much appreciation to the Macarthur Foundation for funding this research and to the rest of the Digital Youth team for guidance and insight. If you have feedback about this talk/essay (especially if you think i'm wrong), write me: zephoria@zephoria.org This crib has been translated to French thanks to Laurence Allard.
NOTE: This talk morphed into a proper peer-reviewed academic article published in the MacArthur Series on Digital Learning by MIT Press: "Why Youth Heart Social Netowrk Sites: The Role of Networked Publics in Teenage Social Life. " Introduction: I have been following MySpace since its launch in 2003. What is MySpace: Profiles: Are College Students Techno Idiots? The Myth about Student Competency - Our Students Are Technologically Competent. © 2006 Diana G. Oblinger and Brian L. Hawkins EDUCAUSE Review, vol. 41, no. 2 (March/April 2006): 12–13. Diana G. Diana G. College and university students today seem so technologically competent.
Watch just about any college or university student. Faculty, staff, and administrators see the facile use of technology by students and assume that students have more than adequate IT competency. Virtually 100 percent of students use word processors and utilize the Internet for coursework. Part of a college or universitys charge is to prepare students not only for today but also for tomorrow.
Whereas colleges and universities often focus on technology skills, it is actually information literacy that should be the concern. Information literacy includes cognitive activities, such as acquiring, interpreting, and evaluating the quality of information. Whether the focus is calculus or calorie counting, information-literate users should be able to use IT to scan the environment. Notes 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Social Networks. Social Networking Sites: Safety Tips for Tweens and Teens.
Literacy & Social Networking. The Silver Lining in MySpace? Mention MySpace and other online "social networks" to educators and parents and you'll likely get a reaction worthy of Edvard Munch's The Scream . Take a peek at the Internet-style spelling and grammar on these sites and you might belt out a shriek yourself. But not so fast, says an educator named Joe Bellacero. A veteran New York City English teacher, Joe is now the associate director of The New York City Writing Project , a professional development organization that stresses teachers teaching teachers. As you can imagine, he knows a thing or two about the language arts. Joe explains why he thinks popular social networks might just be a boon for students -- and how teachers can tap their hidden value.
Has cryptic online "computer speak" caused kids to forget how to write? Well, you could take that view. What's happening online right now is a real opportunity for young people to invent language and invent conventions. How so? So teachers can harness this language to teach? That's right. Information literacy for old dogs. October 17, 2006 — It’s certainly reinforced by parents daily that their children know more about their technological surroundings than their parents do. After all, it’s the children that have always placed their requests upon parents for the latest-and-greatest come Christmastime; and, since the late 80′s, it’s been everything from the Famicom/NES to the Xbox360, or even the increasingly-complex Tickle Me Elmo craze. Today’s American children have an insatiable want for everything tech, be it a new computer or even an electronic version of an old favourite.
This technological prowess, be it as simple as operating a stereo or as complex as transcoding audio from an open-source format to AAC, continues to progress as children age as they grow comfortable learning new technologies or adapting old ones to new concepts. Explaining information literacy Instead of reinventing the wheel, terms exist for technological aptitude in the realm of library science. Teaching the old dogs new tricks. MySpace. High School tensions often run high. Posturing, profanity, put downs—racism…When my students wandered into my room distraught, angry, stressed or otherwise defeated I always offered an ear, but sometimes I needed to give a bit of heart and mind. When a student came to express a sense of injustice at administration I put them in front of the computer and allowed them to compose and send an email from my account to the principal, dean of students, athletic director etc. Writing their thoughts via email enabled them to calm down, clarify their concern and address an authentic and appropriate audience.
The issue under consideration was not always taken up formally; often it was enough simply to express emotion. And it allowed for an impromptu mini-lesson on style and grammar. Last night I read a public comment from my son on his MySpace page. There are many features of MySpace that both enable multimodal literacy and at the same time raise concerns for parents, caretakers and teachers. Using MySpace to Teach Information Literacy. Sure, online social networks have potential for outreach and advertising, but can they also be used for instruction? A common annoyance on MySpace are friend-spammers . I'm not sure what the slang term is, but these are essentially profiles created to direct viewers to another web site.
This isn't always as malevolent as the media likes to hype . The most common examples include profile customization tools, web cams, and unsigned bands. It's sad to see that people actually believe these profiles are real. Users want to believe that some model-hot girl is lonely and sought them out for friendship. The sad thing is that guys actually fall for it. So, why not start a class looking at such a profile and evaluating it? Look for the flaws. It also allows you to segue into more traditional content—something like this: Ok, so let's step out of MySpace now and see how we can apply this to your assignment. This opens up discussion about critical thinking, analysis and resource types. Copy and Paste Literacy: Literacy Practices in the Production of a MySpace Profile - An Overview. 8:42am – The national spelling bee is underway. CNN showed a few of the participants this morning. I heard on sports talk radio that this year ESPN will not be showing the Bee.
Rather, it’s broadcast partner ABC will be showing it to cable and non-cable audiences alike this weekend. This comes in the wake of a Hollywood movie, Akeelah and the Bee, and the successful documentary Spellbound from 2001. Kids competing against each other in national competition to spell words is now a Big Deal. I like the idea of national attention on smart kids and on academics. Last week, a New York Times column about the National Geography Bee caught my eye. Spelling Bee contestants get a word list. The questions “require different levels of thinking.” Passy concludes with this explicit comparison between the two bees: The author’s point, though, aligns itself with a column in today’s New York Times by Emily Stagg, a three time finalist in the Spelling Bee. I agree with Mr. Delia's podcast. 2 Cents Worth » Literacy in Tucson. The educated blogger. Dave’s Educational Blog » E-Learning 2.0 - Why bother? - or “A rant on how techknowledge changes everything and always has”
I kinda think that what I want to say should particularly not be said in this format. It really should be a well researched essay. Now, while I understand that this would lead most people into stopping what they were doing, and were I someone else I would agree with myself, given similar situations, there is also that slight chance that I’ll say something that is really worth reading.
Imagine me as the longwinded drunk in the bar who stands up for a moment, sways slightly and says “I’ve got something I wanna say,†in a slow, over pronouced kinda way and then proceeds to tell everyone exactly what’s on his mind. Most of that stuff isn’t really worth listening to, and i hope that you have a coffee to sustain you until you can judge it’s merit (or relative interest).
These are the things i wanna cover (blog style). This article that started many things for me. So again, here are the questions I want to talk about. This is backed up by the experience of most teachers. The New Literacies Research Team at UConn. Better Writing from Text Messaging and Blogging Teens.