Robert Gordon University 9 May 2014 Rhona Sharpe @rjsharpe DEVELOPING DIGITAL LITERACY: 5 P’S FOR ONLINE LEARNERS
May 06, 2015
Robert Gordon
University
9 May 2014
Rhona Sharpe
@rjsharpe
DEVELOPING DIGITAL LITERACY: 5 P’S FOR ONLINE LEARNERS
We live in a world that is
open
networked
Where learning environments are…
social
personal
mobile
with cats
How are learners operating in this open, networked,
digital world?
Participatory
Iterative
A shared, collective inquiry
A tool for positive change
Changes our relations with students
Learner experience research
TRUE OR FALSE?
Q1. Learners of the same generation share similar approaches, attitudes and skills with regards to technology use
Q2. Learners’ transfer their ways of using technology from social to educational contexts
TRUE OR FALSE?
Q3. Learners think they are digitally literate
Q4. Learners are digitally literate
Q5. Incoming students expect teaching staff to have a good grasp of how to use established digital technology.
TRUE OR FALSE?
Q1. Learners of the same generation share similar approaches, attitudes and skills with regards to technology use
Q2. Learners’ transfer their ways of using technology from social to educational contexts
Q1: The Digital Native Myth
Rosen (2012).
TRUE OR FALSE?
Q1. Learners of the same generation share similar approaches, attitudes and skills with regards to technology use
Q2. Learners’ transfer their ways of using technology from social to educational contexts
Q2: Tech savvy students
“I just click here and oops that isn’t what I wanted, so I do a lot of that and I find it quite helpful. You learn something every time you go around and around the menus”
Jeffrey et al. (2011, p.403)
Q2: New literacy practices
Gourlay, L. & Oliver, M. (2014)
TRUE OR FALSE?
Q3. Learners think they are digitally literate
Q4. Learners are digitally literate
Q5. Incoming students expect teaching staff to have a good grasp of how to use established digital technology.
Q3: Confident technology users
81% believe they are digitally literate
88% love digital technology.
1.6% use their smartphone for study
In general, students believe they are more digitally literate than their peers and staff.
Emma Woods, Westminster University, JISC Transformation project
TRUE OR FALSE?
Q3. Learners think they are digitally literate
Q4. Learners are digitally literate
Q5. Incoming students expect teaching staff to have a good grasp of how to use established digital technology.
The functional access, skills and practices necessary to become a confident, agile adopter of a range of technologies for personal, academic and professional use
Oxford Brookes University (2010) Strategy for Enhancing the Student Experience.
Q4: Defining digital literacy
dlf.brookesblogs.net
‘Literacy’ implies socially and culturally situated practices, often highly dependent on the context in which they are carried out.
Beetham & Oliver (2010)
TRUE OR FALSE?
Q3. Learners think they are digitally literate
Q4. Learners are digitally literate
Q5. Incoming students expect teaching staff to have a good grasp of how to use established digital technology.
Incoming students expect
Teaching staff have a good grasp of how to use established digital technology and incorporate technology into their teaching in an appropriate manner.
Ubiquitous free-at-the-point-of-use access will be provided to the all of the Web.
A VLE populated with comprehensive organisational information and course related materials.
It will be possible to easily connect any number of personal devices to the network
White, Beetham & Wild (2013)http://digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.org
Q5: High expectations of tutors
OVERVIEW
Incoming students have high expectations1. of institutions to provide robust and accessible
technology2. of teachers to incorporate technology into their
teaching in an appropriate manner
Incoming students3. often do not have the access or skills to use
technology to support their study4. sometimes demonstrate highly personalised,
contextualised practices we can learn from.
What activities help develop effective practices for online learning?
prioritise
personalise
participate
present
progress
1. PRIORITISE
I got behind and it was too hard to catch up
What unsuccessful online students want us to know
19.7% I got behind and it was too hard to catch up
14.2% I had personal problems
13.7% I couldn't handle combined study plus work/family
7.3% I didn't like the online format
7.3% I didn't like the instructor's teaching style
6.8% I experienced too many technical difficulties
Fetzner (2013)
1. PRIORITISE: IDEAS TO TRY
Learner readiness quiz
Shared calendar
Twitter chat
Watching events
Virtual office hours
#phdchat#wenurses
2. PERSONALISE
“No, of course I do not have my computer on when I am trying to learn because sometimes it distracts me because I have the Messenger on or I will read the newspapers and I don’t like that if I am trying to learn”.
(Winter et al, 2010, p.78)
2. PERSONALISE: IDEAS TO TRY
Improve onscreen reading. Readability.com
Genius hour for content curation e.g. Pinterest, Lessonpaths, Live Binders
Disconnecting e.g. Stayfocussed.com, Getpocket.com
Getpocket.com
3. PARTICIPATE
“Log into Facebook and Skype to see what others are doing – we have a quiz for one of the units that we decide that we’ll try and do together this afternoon..”
Andrews & Tynan (2012, p. 574)
3. PARTICIPATE: IDEAS TO TRY
Window shots
Course glossary
Annotated bibliography
Blogging rubric
Edit Wikipedia entries
Crowdsource maps
REFERENCE ME
4. PRESENT: IDEAS TO TRY
Repositories
Infographics
Online posters
Virtual conference
Daily create Follow @ds106dc
H818: THE NETWORKED PRACTITIONER
Open Studio, multimedia posters, virtual conference, badges, Cloudworks . . . beyond
5. PROGRESS: IDEAS TO TRY
Charting toolkit
Badges
Learning analytics
Activities that help to develop effective practices for online learning:
1. Are based on our understanding of how learners experience online learning
2. Encourage the development of personalised practices which meet each learners’ needs
3. Engage learners as active participants4. Provide opportunities for learners to
present themselves and their work5. Give feedback and reward for progress
REFERENCESAndrews, T., & Tynan, B. (2012). Distance learner : connected, mobile and
resourceful individuals. Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 28(4), 565-579.
Beetham, H. & Oliver, M. (2010) The changing practices of knowledge and learning, in R. Sharpe, H. Beetham & S. de Freitas, Rethinking Learning for a Digital Age, Routledge. London & New York.
Benfield, G. (2012) InstePP Evaluation report. Oxford Brookes Unversity. Oxford.Fetzner, M. (2013). What do unsuccessful online students want us to know?
Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 17(1). Gourlay, L. & Oliver, M. (2014) Learner experiences vs the learner experience:
visual and ethnographic methodologies, ELESIG webinar http://elesig.ning.com/page/webinars
Jeffrey, L., Bronwyn, H., Oriel, K., Merrolee, P., Coburn, D., & McDonald, J. (2011). Developing digital information literacy in higher education: obstacles and supports. Journal of Information Technology Education, 10, 383-413.
Rosen, L. (2012) iDisorder. Understanding our obsession with technology and overcoming its hold on us. Palgrave MacMillan.
Weller, M. (2011) The digital scholar: how technology is transforming scholarly practice. Bloomsbury. London.
White, Beetham & Wild (2013) Students' expectations and experiences of the digital environment Literature review. http://digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.org