The topic about online participation and digital literacy introduced me in the subject “online learning”, the various digital tools and aspects of being digital literate. The question if being digital literate was age, generation or cultural related was part of my focus point in this weeks PBL group work. In my own investigation, I studied the video “The essential elements of digital literacies” by Belshaw, showing that there is not 1 dimension or “level” of being digital literate. Instead, there are digital literacies (DL’s) which needs to be “socially negotiated” and depends on “context”. Belshaw showed that success of DL’s depend on people’s ”interest” and ”motivation” rather than “age” and continuous. Worldwide, people “remix” what they want to communicate online but they need a framework to hang their ideas on so Belshaw created ”8 elements” of DL’s; “cultural, cognitive, constructive, communicative, civic, critical, creative, confident”. I agree that all these elements are needed online and that this is continuous through out time. However, these elements apply just as well in the world outside the web and how we practice our lives should be the same online and offline.    David White presented in the video “Visitors and Residents” Marc Prensky´s theory of “Digital Natives” and “Digital Immigrants” meaning that young people grown up with online participation and practice of digital technology becomes like a native language to them while older people not born with online tools and practice need to learn DL’s like learning a second language. In the article by Prensky´s, he points towards the problem about the “Digital Immigrants” being todays teachers of a classroom full of “Digital Natives” and how it couteracts the learning environment. I perceived that Prensky´s, message was that teachers need to change the “methodology” and “context” (but not important learning content) for online learning and become more like the “Digital Natives” to create an effective online learning.  I agree with White that it simplifies problems of online learning and creates prejudices about “Digital Immigrants” ability to teach content online. It´s not the ”know-how” to use online tools that defines students learning.  I agree with White that young people need to learn how to effectively learn source criticism, constructively discuss, argue and present own conclusions online in the same way as in a traditional old fashion physical classroom. White called this “learning literacies” that don’t come naturally for “Digital Natives” and still needs to be learnt by “Digital Immigrants”. The way of learning is not different online from offline.

”Online learning is no different from learning in a physical classroom, only differnt tools are practiced for learning.”

White created the “Visitor and Resident” model mapping people’s modes of engagement and how they practice online tools. This model makes us understand peoples ”attitudes” and ”approaches” which help us to support colleagues in our online environment.  But what are the implications for academic institutions and learners in an online learning environment? White showed that “sharing in the open” challenge learners and teachers since academic institutions strive to keep trust and credibility in their work. In Withes video “Visitors and Residents: Credibility” he continues to explain the importance of academic institutions modes of engagement online and work to keep the trust and credibility to learners online. White said that academic institutions traditionally have been and mostly still are in the “visitor” mode but needs transit to “resident” modes to keep up with the ongoing time and content changes, engage learners and keep trust and credibility of academia in public. As White explained, the institutions today are still largely closed both for institutional and open learners with non-open journals and libraries. Lately, small steps have been taken towards “open journals” producing “open data”. However, far from all academic institutions are practicing open learning to full extent.  For academic institutions to move towards a “resident” mode, there is a need for more active online engagement and a general academic approval (especially within the academia) for open sharing of educational content, research data and knowledge. In my opinion, this would give the academic institutions even higher credibility and trust from the public.

By Ellinor Östensson
2020-03-20

References:
Videos
David White in the video “Visitors and Residents”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPOG3iThmRI&feature=youtu.be
The essential elements of digital literacies by Dough Belshaw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8yQPoTcZ78
Visitors and Residents: Open Practice by David White: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X0g2OvSdWc
Visitors and Residents: Credibility by David White: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO569eknM6U
Article
Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants By Marc Prensky From On the Horizon (MCB University Press, Vol. 9 No. 5, October 2001) © 2001 Marc Prensky