We have just started to work on our first topic; digital literacy. In my ONL-group we have discussed this topic in a couple of meetings now but I still have some problems getting familiar to the meaning of these word. So I dug into the Internet to try to find some explanation and/or definitions. Some of the explanations I found on YouTube. As a senior lecturer at a University I am more used to searching for my answers in academic databases. But this time, as a result of our discussions, I chose to turn to the digital world (eg. YouTube) but without losing my critical eyes regarding the credibility regarding the digital sources. So here are my reflections after our first topic weeks.
Digital literacy is about using technologies as you live, learn and work in a digital world (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4wLvLQ5AFI).
For this you have to be able to;
1) Search, locate and navigate in digital environments.
2) Evaluate, analyse and apply your findings. And by using your critical skills you have to evaluate if your findings are relevant to your needs.
3) Organize and store your information, in a digital way.
4) Create, construct and generate digital artefacts, eg. an online presentation or a film.
5) Communicate, connect and collaborate with others in digital environments, using a variety of technologies (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4wLvLQ5AFI).
During our ONL-course we were introduced to some films in the subject. In two of the lectures, as well as during a webinar, David White from Oxford University gave me some very interesting lectures and perspectives. He compared the digital literacy and technology to language. Young people learn it from birth while we older people have to learn it over time. His comparison was that for the younger the digital world is their native “language” while for us older the digital world is like a second language (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPOG3iThmRI&feature=youtu.be). I can really adapt to this. This is exactly how I feel. But with a lot of practice, a second language can be almost like a native one. So I just have to practice!
David White also introduced a model of technological skills. Mode of engagement in “residents” and “visitors”. This model also includes another dimension; “personal” and “professional” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPOG3iThmRI&feature=youtu.be). This has to do with how we use different platforms online, such as Facebook, Wikipedia, Instagram, Zoom etc. In visitor mode we leave no social traces, while we in residual mode we chose to be present with other people. We also, during the webinar, got to draw our own personal model. This way we could analyse where we all are right now. This model will change over time as we individually develop our digital literacy. These traces remain even after we go offline. So, don’t write what you can not say out loud!
In another lecture David White talked about credibility of the web and how fast the credibility of the web changes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO569eknM6U&feature=youtu.be). We use the web as it is a fast way of getting information. But that also require the ability to analyse the information in a scientific way. We are eg. used to getting our scientific work published in scientific literature. But time changes fast and now we rather want our scientific results to be published inline, but in a “safe” way after being checked by referees.
Another interesting lecture was listening to “The essential elements of digital literacies” with Doug Belshaw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8yQPoTcZ78). He talked about that using internet has to be easy, but it is not so often logic. He compared it to learning to play the guitar. You have to practice. His aspect is that you should focus on a persons interest and try to get them to develop their digital skills for themselves. At the same time we need some structure in this work, some guidance. He came therefor up with “The eight essential elements of digital literacies”; cognitive, constructive, communicative, civic, critical, creative, confident and cultural and a remix of these (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8yQPoTcZ78).
Digital media is also getting more sophisticated and harder to navigate. To survive you have to know how to navigate in a network digital age, you have to know and understand how to access and evaluate it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o96ey4jCgE).
By talking about digital literacy, while David White was walking around in the library of Oxford University, gave me a very interesting view about the culture of the academia with all the books on the bookshelves vs. the new world of Internet. Such a paradigm shift. Or not? And where do we teachers at universities stand? What are our digital literacies? And how well are our student’s literacy of the digital and technological world. Are they really as well educated in digital literacies as we think they are? David White showed in his webinar that his studies show that there are no age differences in digital literacies. Is “native” or “second” language just a myth?
