School of Information Studies SIS Research Seminar Series 2016 The multiple faces of digital literacy Dr Barbara Combes Lecturer, School of Information Studies CSU Secretary, Reading and Literacy Section, IFLA President, Western Australian School Library Association
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SIS Research Seminar Series 2016 - Charles Sturt University · • 3D, stereophonic, haptic sensory devices, ... • Web 2.0 literacy • network/Internet literacy • media/multimedia
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School of Information Studies
SIS Research Seminar Series 2016
The multiple faces of digital literacy
Dr Barbara Combes
Lecturer, School of Information Studies CSU
Secretary, Reading and Literacy Section, IFLA
President, Western Australian School Library Association
What does it mean when added onto another word, eg. financial literacy?
In this context does the word literacy mean good at something?
Competent and skills based?
When used as a descriptor, is the term literacy interpreted to mean competency?
What does the word literacy mean?
Some definitions …
School of Information Studies
Literacy definition
(Traditional) Literacy is:
"... the integration of listening, speaking, reading, writing and critical thinking. It includes a cultural knowledge which enables a speaker, writer or reader to recognise and use language appropriate to different social situations. For an advanced technological society such as Australia, the goal is an active literacy which allows people to use language to enhance their capacity to think, create and question, in order to participate effectively in society."
The National Secretariat for the International Year of Literacy,
1990.
School of Information Studies
Literacy definition
(Traditional) Literacy is:
... the making of meaning and its clear
communication to others. Truly literate people not only
read and write, but regularly do so in order to sort out
their ideas and put them in words, to fit them together
and test hypotheses - ie. to make sense and meaning
out of our world. Truly literate people acknowledge that
they need to write things down, to talk them out, to
read widely, to listen critically and to respond
articulately. Truly literate people are thinkers and
learners."
Brown & Mathie, 1990
School of Information Studies
Literacy definition
(Traditional) Literacy is:
"... the foundation of effective citizenship,
human communication and social integration in
a literate society. Therefore it is important to
foster the lifetime habit of purposeful and
critical reading for information, education and
recreation. Literacy is the foundation of
learning in all areas of the curriculum."Holdaway, 1979
School of Information Studies
Literacy in the 21st century
(Traditional) Literacy is multi-faceted:
Competencies – being able to:
• Listen and observe - we do this first. Children listen, mimic and observe with all their senses (touch, taste, hear, see)
• Speak - we do this second, seems we are ‘hard-wired’ for sound. Oral language is a foundational skill for reading and writing. (Moats & Tolman, 2009).
• Write - closely connected to reading and deconstructing code
• View – this is more than just observation. It is the sophisticated deconstruction and interpretation of images, sound and motion. Making meaning from images and multimedia is highly subjective and interpretive.
School of Information Studies
Literacy in the 21st century
Viewing – a title?
The leader is an extremely powerful member of the Body Corporate team.
(Note: The team may have to be told this.)
School of Information Studies
Literacy in the 21st century
(Traditional) Literacy is multi-faceted:
• Understanding (comprehension/making meaning)
• Critical (constructing/making meaning)
• reading
• thinking
• learning
• Re-purposing and using to meet a need
Literacy is more than the mechanics or competencies of reading.
It is understanding, using, re-purposing and communicating what you have read, seen, written and heard.
Literacy is a foundational skill.
School of Information Studies
Literacy in the 21st century
School of Information Studies
Digital Literacy
Digital literacy also includes a range of competencies
or skills:
• computer literacy
• ICT literacy
• Web 2.0 literacy
• network/Internet literacy
• media/multimedia literacy
• information management
These terms describe a set of skills required to be able
to use/navigate and understand information in the
digital environment.
School of Information Studies
Digital Literacy
Digital literacy also includes knowledge, understanding and
being able to apply concepts, standards and values, cultural
A fundamental skill when working with digital tools and
information is the ability to read, interpret and understand.
Research tells us that even good readers have difficulty
reading and making meaning from information presented on
the screen. Why we all print when reading for meaning?
School of Information Studies
Digital Literacy
We need to remember:
• Technology for learning is NOT compensatory, it is
complementary.
• It is a tool, not a solution.
• Teaching and learning in an online environment is a
different paradigm to f-t-f.
We require foundational skills to be able to learn in the digital
environment of the 21st century.
• The first of these skills is the ability to read (mechanics of
reading), interpret multimedia.
• The second is to be able to understand what we have read
(cognitive engagement), seen.
School of Information Studies
Digital Literacy
Once we have foundational skills we need to teach students
how to:
• use a range of media types including print, visual,
multimedia;
• use a rage of media tools including books, journals,
internet, Web 2.0 utilities, browsers, ….
• read, engage with and make meaning from a range of
formats including text, images, infographics, multimedia;
• manage vast quantities of information;
• extract, collate and evaluate information and re-purpose
it; and
• present new information in multiple formats.
School of Information Studies
Digital Literacy
The term digital literacy:
• is actually a concept;
• is evolving as the digital landscape changes;
• includes navigation skills and information management to
ensure up-to-date, relevant sources are located in an
accessible format and sources are well organised and
documented to enable efficient retrieval;
• Includes ethical and legal use of information, maintaining
security and privacy (your information and others);
• is about understanding how to be a global citizen; and
• is about those capabilities which fit an individual for living,
learning and working in a digital society.
School of Information Studies
Digital Literacy
The term digital literacy:
• is often understood differently depending on disciplines,
however, it should focus more on literacies than media.
Educators make assumptions about digital literacy:
1. the kids already know how to use technology – efficiently,
effectively and appropriately;
2. if they can read print they can make meaning from text on
screen; and
3. we don’t need to teach them.
Many teachers do not understand the term, nor do they use
technology efficiently, effectively or appropriately.
School of Information Studies
Digital Literacy
Back to our original question.
When used as a descriptor, is the term literacy interpreted to mean competency?
Probably, because most people do not engage with the deeper meaning behind a term such as digital literacy. We often only consider the word digital and at a very superficial level.
We use the term literacy as a descriptor in other contexts, because being literate is fundamental to how we communicate knowledge and meaning, and this includes the digital environment.
School of Information Studies
Digital Literacy
Definitions
Owen, S. (2013). Digital literacy, Deakin University. Retrieved
April 2016.
JISC. (2013). Developing digital literacies. Retrieved April
2016.
University of Illinois. (2015). Digital literacy definition and
resources. Retrieved April 2016.
US Digital Literacy. (2015). Digital and media literacy for