Digital Literacy
Digital Literacy
Digital Literacy
uk
KEY TO THEMES
a Futurelab handbook OVERLEAF
Key to themes Acknowledgements
Futurelab understands that you may have The authors would like to thank the
specific areas of interest and so, in order teachers and students involved in the digital
to help you to determine the relevance of participation project.
each project or publication to you, we have
developed a series of themes (illustrated by Andy Dewey and Year 5 students,
icons). These themes are not intended to cover Knowle Park Primary School
every aspect of innovation and education and,
as such, you should not base your decision on Joe Tett and Year 6 students,
whether or not to read this publication on the Knowle Park Primary School
themes alone. The themes that relate to this
publication appear on the front cover, overleaf, Laraine Harris and Year 3 students,
but a key to all of the current themes that we Charborough Road Primary School
are using can be found below:
Kirsty Minter and Steve Pavey,
Digital Inclusion – How the design Charborough Road Primary School
and use of digital technologies can
promote educational equality Neil Woodcock and Year 4 students,
Luckwell Primary School
Teachers and Innovations –
Innovative practices and resources Tim Browse and Year 3 students,
that enhance learning and teaching Headley Park Primary School
Informal Learning – Learning that Bridget Chikonobaya and Year 7 maths students,
occurs when, how and where the Brislington Enterprise College
learner chooses, supported by digital
technologies Paul Hill and Year 11 science students,
St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School
Learning in Families – Children,
parents and the extended family We would also like to thank the Headteachers
learning with and from one another of the schools listed above and all those who
informed and contributed to the project.
For more information on our themes please
go to www.futurelab.org.uk/themes The digital participation research project and the
production of this publication has been funded
and supported by Becta.
4. Summary 58
Page 01
Digital literacy involves critically engaging
with technology and developing a social
awareness of how a number of factors
including commercial agendas and cultural
understandings can shape the ways in which
technology is used to convey information
and meaning.
INTRODUCTION
In short, digital literacy is the ‘savvyness’ that
allows young people to participate meaningfully
and safely as digital technology becomes ever
more pervasive in society.
Yet the notion of digital literacy and how it may Although there is increasing policy and research
translate to teaching and learning is not always attention paid to issues related to digital literacy,
well understood. This handbook therefore there is still relatively little information about
aims to support teachers to begin to think how to put this into practice in the classroom.
about how to address digital literacy in their There is even less guidance on how teachers
everyday practice. It explores the importance of might combine a commitment to digital literacy
digital literacy and sets out some pedagogical with the needs of their own subject teaching.
techniques for fostering it in the classroom How can digital literacy be fostered, for example,
from within subject teaching. in a maths or science lesson?
3
1.1 ABOUT THIS HANDBOOK
INTRODUCTION
This handbook aims to introduce educational The handbook ends by looking at issues related
practitioners to the concepts and contexts to continuing professional development for
of digital literacy and to support them in teachers and the ways in which digital literacy
developing their own practice aimed at fostering can support whole-school initiatives.
the components of digital literacy in classroom
subject teaching and in real school settings. It is teachers that are expert in their own
school context, in the needs of their students
The handbook is not a comprehensive ‘how and in the pedagogical techniques required
to’ guide; it provides instead a rationale, to support learning. This handbook has been
some possible strategies and some practical informed by the work of fourteen teachers
examples for schools to draw on. The first who are interested in how technology is used
section details the reasons teachers should in classroom teaching and who took part in
be interested in digital literacy and how it is Futurelab’s digital participation project. Rather
relevant to their subject teaching. It looks at the than being prescriptive, it aims to provide
increasing role of technology in young people’s information which will help teachers to make
cultures, the support they may need to benefit the best use of their own expertise to support
from their engagement with technology and students’ emerging digital literacy.
the way in which digital literacy can contribute
to the development of subject knowledge.
The second section discusses digital literacy
in practice and moves through a number of
components of digital literacy discussing how
these might be fostered in the classroom.
4
1.2 THE DIGITAL PARTICIPATION PROJECT
INTRODUCTION
1
1. Hague, C and Williamson, B (2009). Digital Participation, Digital Literacy and School Subjects: A review of the policies, literature and
evidence. Bristol: Futurelab. Available online: www.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/lit_reviews/DigitalParticipation.pdf
2. Thanks is therefore due to Guy Merchant, Julia Davies, Andrew Burn, John Potter, David Buckingham, Cary Bazalgette, Josie
Fraser, Martin Waller and Tabetha Newman
5
2. THE IMPORTANCE OF
DIGITAL LITERACY
Why is digital literacy important and why should We then move on to discuss how digital literacy
teachers develop digital literacy from within can support the development of subject
their subject teaching? knowledge in the context of a society in which
information and meaning are increasingly
This section begins by discussing the expanding created and communicated through
role of digital technology and media in society technologies such as the internet.
and in young people’s cultures. It looks at the
importance of supporting all young people to
effectively engage with the possibilities that
technology offers as well as the way it can
affect their lives.
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2.1 DIGITAL
CULTURES
3. In 2009, a quarter of households in Britain had never had access to the internet. For more information internet use in Britain see
Dutton, WH, Helsper, EJ and Gerner, MM (2009). The Internet in Britain 2009. Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford.
4. See, for example, Evans, J (ed) (2004). Literacy Moves On: Using popular culture, new technologies and critical literacy in the
primary classroom. London: David Fulton Publishers.
5. Club Penguin is a virtual world for children of 6-14 years old owned by Walt Disney Corporation.
6. Wiegel, M, James, C and Gardner, H (2009). Learning: Peering backward and looking forward in the digital era. ILJM 1,1
7. Gunther Kress, for example, argues that texts are becoming increasingly multimodal and screens are coming to replace books
and the page as dominant media. See, for example, Kress, G (2004). Reading images: Multimodality, representation and new media.
Conference Presentation. www.knowledgepresentation.org/BuildingTheFuture/Kress2/Kress2.html
7
In addition, some young people are using
technology to design and author their own
media. They may, for example, be creating a
MySpace page or producing and editing music
and film and sharing it online. Many young
people may also be regularly sending each
other video clips from YouTube, for example,
or cartoons and photos they have found on the
internet. Their aim may solely be to make their
friends laugh or it may be more complex and
ambiguous. In either case they are using digital
technologies to communicate and therefore to
create and share meaning in multiple formats.
8. Davies, J and Merchant, G (2009). Web 2.0 for schools: Learning and social participation. New York: Peter Lang: 15
9. Ito, M (2009). Media literacy and social action in a post-Pokemon world. A keynote address for the 51st NFAIS Annual Conference.
www.itofisher.com/mito/publications/media_literacy.html
10. Many approaches to the Sociology of childhood are also coming to position children as active meaning-makers. See, for example,
Prout, A and James, A (1997). A new paradigm for the sociology of childhood. In A James and A Prout (eds) Constructing and
Reconstructing Childhood. London: RoutledgeFalmer
8
Activity: Children these days111
Digital natives?
As attention is increasingly given to children
and young people’s interaction with digital
cultures, it is easy to assume that young people
are ‘digitally native.’ It is often alleged that
having grown up with technology, young people
have a wealth of digital technology skills that 2
far surpass those of their ‘digital immigrant’
parents and teachers.12
In addition, teachers are increasingly
Many young people are confident in using a
reporting that many young people are not as
wide range of technologies and often turn to the
knowledgeable and ‘savvy’ as they can appear
internet for finding information. They appear to
to be. Young people’s confidence about their
be able to learn to operate unfamiliar hardware
use of technology can be misleading.
or software very quickly and may take on the
role of teaching adults how to use computers
Students frequently struggle with their research
and the internet.
skills when searching for relevant information
on the internet, for example. They can find
This is not evenly spread amongst all young
it hard to select the information they need.
people, however, but is instead affected by
Teachers who set research tasks as homework
issues of class, race, gender and nationality.
complain of ‘copy and paste syndrome’, the
Researchers point to a ‘participation gap’ which
situation in which they find entire chunks of,
signals unequal access to the opportunities,
often only vaguely relevant, information which
skills and experiences that will prepare
has been copied and pasted from a website
students for life in the 21st century.13
into a student’s homework without the student
engaging with its content.
11. This activity is taken from the Futurelab handbook ‘Curriculum and teaching innovation’
12. See, for example, Prensky, M (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon 9,5: 1-5. Critiques of the idea of the ‘digital
native’ include: Facer, K, Furlong, J, Furlong, R and Sutherland, R (2003), Screenplay: Children and computing in the home. London:
Routledge. Buckingham, D and Willett, R (eds) (2006). Digital Generations: Children, young people and new media. London: Lawrence
Erlbaum Associates Publishers. Vaidhyanathan, S (2008). Generational myth: Not all young people are tech-savvy. Chronicle of Higher
Education, 55,4
13. Jenkins, H, et al. Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: Media education for the 21st century. McArthur Foundation.
digitallearning.macfound.org/atf/cf/%7B7E45C7E0-A3E0-4B89-AC9C-E807E1B0AE4E%7D/JENKINS_WHITE_PAPER.PDF
9
“I don’t buy the digital natives argument, “As a teaching professional, I have a
a lot of them are quite perplexed by the responsibility to ensure my students are
amount of stuff on the web, actually they not just digitally confident but digitally
have a pretty poor understanding of the competent & literate.” Secondary geography
reliability of sources, how to assess it and and Advanced Skills Teacher (AST)
how to reference it.” Year 11 science teacher
Students can find it difficult to work out Developing digital literacy is important
whether the information they find on websites then because it supports young people to
they do not recognise is trustworthy, with be confident and competent in their use of
many of them relying on their chosen search technology in a way that will enable them to
engine to display the most relevant and reliable develop their subject knowledge by encouraging
websites at the top of the list of search results.14 their curiosity, supporting their creativity, giving
Many have little understanding of how search them a critical framing for their emerging
terms work or the powerful commercial forces understandings and allowing them to make
THE IMPORTANCE OF DIGITAL LITERACY
that can result in a particular company being discerning use of the increasing number of
top of the search engine’s list. digital resources available to them.
need to apply to their use of technology. All Consider how the lived experiences of the
young people need to be supported to thrive in students you teach are different from those of
digital cultures; they need help making sense children who were at school in the 1960s, 1970s
of a rapidly changing world of technology and 1980s.
which gives them access to vast amounts of
information, which is infused with commercial With colleagues, draw a picture of a typical ‘21st
agendas and which for many reasons can be century student’.
difficult to interpret.15 It is teachers who have
2 experience in the higher order critical thinking
skills that can support young people’s use of
Reflect on your drawing. What are the
characteristics of this ‘21st century student’?
digital technology. What are their aspirations?
When teachers, parents and other adults Now consider what your aspirations are for
subscribe to the notion of young people being them. As a subject/year group teacher what
digital natives, they are likely to view themselves hopes and ambitions do you have for your
as less informed about technology and may not students? What are you trying to achieve in
therefore recognise the way in which they can your teaching?
support young people’s digital literacy.
What sorts of skills, knowledge and
Teachers are ideally placed to help young people understandings do you hope to foster through
develop, not only more competent search skills your teaching that will support your students to
but also the critical thinking skills that allow achieve their aspirations and to be successful?
them to question and determine the reliability of
information they find on the internet. Teachers
can also support the other elements of digital
literacy; they can help students to be creative, to
collaborate, to communicate effectively and to
develop cultural and social understandings and
to know when technology can best be used to
support these processes.
14. Ofcom (2009). UK children’s media literacy: 2009 interim report. Ofcom. Available online: www.ofcom.org.uk/advice/media_
literacy/medlitpub/medlitpubrss/uk_childrens_ml/full_report.pdf Other research which looks at the difficulties that can be
encountered by young people when researching online includes Rowlands, I, and Fieldhouse, M (2007). Information Behaviour of the
Researcher of the Future: Trends in scholarly information behaviours. British Library/JISC.
www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/reppres/ggworkpackageii.pdf
15. Sonia Livingstone, for example, describes her experience of accidentally ordering a book in German whilst shopping online to
underscore the point that a world infused with digital media is not always immediately legible to either adults or children and can be
difficult to navigate. Livingstone, S (2008). Key Research, Keynote with David Buckingham at Ofcom: International
10
Children arrive at school with an existing
2.2 SCHOOL knowledge and experience of digital media.
Yet, the use of technology they experience
SUBJECTS in schools often bears little relevance to the
ways in which they are communicating and
AND DIGITAL discovering information outside of school.17
This is creating what David Buckingham refers
TECHNOLOGIES to as the new digital divide or “a widening of the
gap between the culture of the school and the
We have seen that in a society increasingly culture of children’s lives outside of school.”18
saturated with technology young people are Young people’s own knowledge, ideas and
values are not reflected in the education
Over the past 20 years there has been a The challenge is for teaching practices and
significant increase in the difference between the curriculum to adapt to learners changing
young people’s digital technology use outside needs in these digital media contexts. By
and inside school. In the 1980s and for much fostering digital literacy in subject teaching,
of the 1990s, most children first encountered practitioners are not only acknowledging and
these technologies in the classroom. This is no reflecting young peoples’ lived experiences of
longer the case.16 digital media cultures, they are supporting their
students to extend their knowledge and become
critical and discerning participants in their own
in-school learning.
16. Buckingham, D (2007). Beyond Technology: Children’s learning in the age of digital culture. Cambridge: Polity Press
17. Selwyn, N, Boraschi, D and Özkula, SM (2009). Drawing digital pictures: An investigation of primary pupils’ representations of ICT
and schools. British Educational Research Journal. 35,6: 909-928: 909; Levin, D and Arafeh, S (2002). The Digital Disconnect: The
widening gap between internet-savvy students and their schools. Pew Internet and American Life Project. www.pewinternet.org/
Reports/2002/The-Digital-Disconnect-The-widening-gap-between-Internetsavvy-students-and-their-schools.aspx
18. Buckingham, D (2007). Beyond Technology: Children’s learning in the age of digital culture. Cambridge: Polity Press: 178
19. For a discussion of enquiry-based, partnership approaches to teaching and learning that aim to democratise the curriculum
by allowing young people to bring their existing knowledge, experiences and curiosities into the classroom as a starting point for
learning, see the Enquiring Minds project reports: www.enquiringminds.org.uk/our_research/reports_and_papers
20. Mayall, B (2007). Children’s lives outside school and their educational impact. Primary Review Research Briefings 8/1. Cambridge:
University of Cambridge Faculty of Education.
11
School textbooks have traditionally contained
Activity: Schools these days21 the information deemed by subject experts
to be the essential body of knowledge to be
Purpose: passed on to the next generation. The growth
Today, there is intense debate about the type of the internet means that these textbooks
of education system required to prepare are now complemented, and sometimes
young people for the 21st century. Many contradicted, by internet resources which
commentators suggest that the experiences provide alternative sources of information in
of children have changed dramatically over more diverse formats and modes, such as,
the past 50 years and that schools have failed video, audio or animations.
to keep pace with this change. As such there
2.2 SCHOOL SUBJECTS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES
has been a drive for innovation in teaching and Digital literacy has therefore become an
learning that has resulted in a number of new important resource which supports learning by,
initiatives and curriculum changes. for example, allowing students to successfully
find and select relevant information and access
THE IMPORTANCE OF DIGITAL LITERACY
It is useful for teachers to explore the context subject knowledge in different formats.
from which various educational initiatives have Subjects of the curriculum provide distinctive
emerged. perspectives and approaches for young people
to actively make sense of their experiences
Suggested activity: in the world. Technology not only shapes and
Discuss/think about the current economic, influences the ways in which school subjects
cultural, political and social influences are learnt, it can affect what young people
on schools. know about school subjects and the skills
that they will need in order to develop their
_ What’s happening in society that’s causing subject expertise.
schools to change?
This means that teachers and learners need
_ What reforms are there? Where are they to engage both with traditional and well-
coming from? What’s driving them? established ways of understanding the world
2 _ What messages are being given to schools
through, for example, historical, geographical,
mathematical, religious or scientific knowledge
and do they contradict each other? but also need to be able to make sense of the
digital media world and the way that it has
_ How can/should/must schools respond to the potential to impact upon traditional
external influences? subject knowledge.
21. This activity and other activities designed to support practitioners to explore some of the issues and challenges around curriculum
change can be found in Enquiring Minds Professional Development Materials, available online at:
www.enquiringminds.org.uk/pdfs/Enquiring_Minds_professional_development_materials.pdf
12
2.2 SCHOOL SUBJECTS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES
THE IMPORTANCE OF DIGITAL LITERACY
2
The Geographical Association’s new manifesto “It is still about exploration and discovery but
A Different View22, looks at the opportunities using media and digital technologies as well
and challenges for geography as a subject as first-hand experience.”
discipline in the 21st century. The association
take the view that whilst subject content In the manifesto the Geographical Association
remains important, it is also essential to also emphasise the importance of young
develop new opportunities presented by digital people’s lived experiences and acknowledging
technology and to support young people in these by incorporating them, along with young
gaining the skills they need to be a “skilful and people’s interests, into the curriculum.
employable” geographer in the 21st century.
“Young people’s lives: using their own
“A Different View is an affirmation of images, experiences, meaning and
geography’s place in the curriculum. But the questions; reaching out to children and
world changes, and so does the curriculum.” young people as active agents in their own
learning.”
The manifesto stresses the importance of ‘real
world learning’ but also highlights that the www.geography.org.uk/adifferentview
geographical skills of exploration, discovery,
and assembling information can be applied to
the digital geographical world.
22. The Geographical Association (2009). A Different View: A manifesto from the Geographical Association. Sheffield: The Geographical
Association. www.geography.org.uk/adifferentview
13
THE IMPORTANCE OF DIGITAL LITERACY
2.3 THE POLICY CONTEXT
14
Secondary curriculum reform Primary curriculum reform
In 2008 the National Curriculum23 for secondary In 2009, The Independent Review of the Primary
schools in England, Wales & Northern Ireland, Curriculum26 recommended the introduction
was reformed to give schools more local of a new primary National Curriculum for
flexibility in planning and managing their own England, Wales and Northern Ireland, aimed
curriculum. Through a greater focus on the at reducing prescription and content in order
core capacities and capabilities thought to be to allow primary schools greater autonomy in
essential for 21st century learners, the new shaping a curriculum that meets local needs.
curriculum aims to support young people
to become successful learners, confident The new curriculum would share the aims
individuals and responsible citizens. of the secondary curriculum, setting out a
national entitlement for all children aged 4-11,
The new curriculum has a slimmed down to become successful learners, confident
subject content element and stresses the individuals and responsible citizens.
need for the development of skills such as
23. Details of the National Curriculum for England, Wales and Northern Ireland can be found at: curriculum.qca.org.uk
24. From the National Curriculum, Key Stages 3 and 4, Functional Skills
curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key-stages-3-and-4/skills/functionalskills/index.aspx
25. Curriculum for Excellence website: www.ltscotland.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence/index.asp
26. Rose Review website: www.dcsf.gov.uk/primarycurriculumreview
27. Rose, J (2009). Independent Review of the Primary Curriculum: Final Report. London: DCSF. Quote used p71.
publications.teachernet.gov.uk/eOrderingDownload/Primary_curriculum_Report.pdf
15
21st century skills The e-safety agenda
This increased focus on digital technology in The developments in digital technologies
schools is related to a Government agenda and increasing use of the internet and mobile
focused on developing skills in order to ensure technologies by young people have seen
personal, local and national prosperity. growing public and policy concerns over safety.
Concerns centre on the potential for young
The Leitch Review of Skills28 published in people to be vulnerable to exposure to content
2006 stated that in order to maintain global that is inappropriate such as pornographic
competitiveness, the UK needed to develop and images, to abuse by adults they meet online
enhance the 21st century skills of its workforce. and to bullying via new sorts of communication
In 2009 the departments for Culture, Media & channels.
Sport (DCMS) and Business, Innovation and
Skill (BIS) published the Digital Britain29 report These concerns around children’s well-being
which set out the requirements for Britain’s prompted the government to commission
digital future and argued that the digital skills, a review into children’s e-safety. The Byron
THE IMPORTANCE OF DIGITAL LITERACY
motivation and confidence of all citizens needed Review: Safer Children in a Digital World
to be developed in order to enhance their highlighted the need for young people’s
participation in the digital world. education and the development of young
people’s skills in order to keep them safe on
For education this has meant an increasing the internet. It argued that the focus should
2.3 THE POLICY CONTEXT
emphasis on its role of equipping students be on preserving young people’s right to take
with the skills considered essential for their risks as an important part of their development
future roles in a ‘knowledge economy’. The but stressed the need to support them by
Government’s Harnessing Technology strategy equipping them with the skills needed to make
places an emphasis on ICT being at the core informed choices and think critically about the
of a modern education system which aims opportunities offered by digital technologies.
to support young people in developing 21st
century skills and competences.30 The Byron Review led to the establishment
of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety
2 New pedagogical approaches that support
creative, personalised learning and skills
(UKCCIS), a coalition of government, charities
and industry. In December 2009 the UKCCIS
development have emerged to sit alongside launched, ‘Click Clever, Click Safe: The first UK
the traditional approaches to the curriculum.31 child internet safety strategy’. This strategy sets
There is a focus on the ‘new basics’ such as out a commitment to parents and young people
thinking skills, learning to learn and problem to support the development of skills, knowledge
solving, as well as specific ICT skills and the and understanding to help children and young
ability to be flexible, creative and innovative. people stay safe online and to ensure “that the
Digital literacy can support many of these school curricula across the whole of the UK
skills as well as having a broader reach by reflect online safety for all age groups.”33
allowing students to learn how to engage in A focus on digital literacy in schools can
wide-ranging practices of understanding, using, help to address concerns about e-safety by
creating and sharing knowledge when using furnishing students with the ability to engage
digital technologies. safely in multiple practices surrounding the
use of technology.
28. Leitch, S (2006). Prosperity for all in the global economy – world class skills (HMSO). Available online: hm-treasury.gov.uk/leitch
29. Department for Culture Media and Sport and Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (2009). Digital Britain: Final Report.
London: HMSO. Available online: www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/digitalbritain-finalreport-jun09.pdf
30. Becta (2008). Harnessing Technology: Next generation learning 2008-14 (Becta)
31. An example of this is the RSA’s Opening Minds programme, a competence led curriculum. Further details at:
www.thersa.org/projects/education/opening-minds
32. Byron Review (2008). The Byron Review: Safer children in a digital world. London: DCSF.
33. UK Council for Child Internet Safety (2009) Click Clever, Click Safe: The first UK child internet safety strategy. Available online:
www.dcsf.gov.uk/ukccis/download-link.cfm?catstr=research&downloadurl=UKCCIS%20Strategy%20Report-WEB1.pdf
16
2.4 CONCLUSION: WHY SHOULD TEACHERS CARE ABOUT DIGITAL LITERACY?
THE IMPORTANCE OF DIGITAL LITERACY
2
_ Young people are already engaging with The next section of the handbook will look
digital technologies and digital media more closely at the different components of
and using them to find information and digital literacy and discuss some of the ways
communicate meaning in different modes that teachers might go about fostering digital
and formats and this provides significant literacy in the classroom.
opportunities and challenges that it is
important to address.
17
3. DIGITAL LITERACY
IN PRACTICE
What does digital literacy look like in the Finally, the section considers issues of
classroom? And how can teachers go about progression and assessment in digital
developing it within school subjects? literacy, the need for continuing professional
development for teachers and discusses
This section discusses the various components whole-school approaches to digital literacy.
that make up digital literacy and, drawing on
practical examples, looks at ways in which
teachers can support the development of
students’ digital literacy in curriculum teaching.
It moves on to explore a framework for digital
literacy which can help teachers to plan
activities with the aim of extending students’
digital literacy.
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3.1 COMPONENTS
OF DIGITAL LITERACY
What do we mean by digital literacy? Being digitally literate is about knowing when
Digital literacy is the skills, knowledge and and why digital technologies are appropriate
understanding that enables critical, creative, and helpful to the task at hand and when
discerning and safe practices when engaging they are not.
with digital technologies in all areas of life.
It’s about thinking critically about all
Some people associate digital literacy simply the opportunities and challenges digital
with the functional skills of being able to use technologies present, whether these are,
a computer or particular software package for example, Web 2.0 tools such as social
19
This means that an understanding of digital
literacy should not begin with technology or
digital tools. Understanding cultural and social
issues, critical thinking and being creative all
make up part of a broad set of practices that
students need to wrap around their use of any
tool and need to develop in order to participate
effectively in any kind of culture.
34. The notion of literacy as a social practice has been emphasised by the work of the New Literacy Studies. See, for example, Street,
B (2003). What’s ‘new’ in new literacy studies? Critical approaches to literacy in theory and practice. Current Issues in Comparative
Education: 5,2; Barton, D and Hamilton, M (1998). Local Literacies: Reading and writing in one community. London: Routledge.
35. Gillen, J and Barton, D (2010). Digital Literacies: A research briefing by the technology enhanced learning phase of the teaching
and learning research programme. London Knowledge Lab, Institute of Education: 9
20
3.2 FOSTERING THE
COMPONENTS OF
DIGITAL LITERACY
In school settings, developing digital literacy
means giving students the opportunity to use
21
Teachers and functional skills
3.2.1 FUNCTIONAL Some teachers feel that their own functional
skills are not as developed as their students
SKILLS AND BEYOND and therefore question their ability to teach
digital literacy. Even if a teacher knows
Whilst it is not possible here to provide a less than a student about how to operate a
technical account of how to teach the functional particular piece of technology, they are still
skills required to operate each of the broad more equipped with the higher order critical
range of technologies that can be used in thinking skills and the subject knowledge to
schools, there are some important general apply to digital technologies.
issues to consider when seeking to ensure that
students have a broad range of digital literacies Some of teachers’ fears can be lessened
including the ability to operate various digital by removing the mystique that surrounds
technologies. technology use. The way that technology is
talked about, for example, can be off-putting.
3.2.1 FUNCTIONAL SKILLS AND BEYOND
skills be the realm of ICT lessons specifically or using technology. But in reality it is a fairly
should they be taught across the curriculum? straightforward process. It can involve using
a simple computer microphone and recording
There are good arguments that functional skills some audio. A relatively simple and free piece
need to be included in both ICT lessons and of software such as audacity.com can then be
in other subjects. Just as students practice used to edit the audio if it requires editing. The
writing both in specific English lessons as file can then be uploaded to the school learning
well as in all school subjects, so should they platform or website (the person who manages
be practicing the skills needed to use digital the website may be able to help with this). In
technologies in all subjects, including ICT. terms of functional skills, this is all that is
required to create a simple podcast.
3 Recent curriculum reforms place increased
significance on the skills associated with Throughout this handbook, we have tried to
digital literacy and clearly identify ICT as a give examples of how technology that sounds
core element of the curricula, the skills of complicated can actually be quite simple whilst
which should also be developed throughout also not ignoring the fact that some teachers
subject teaching. quite reasonably feel anxious about using
technology in the classroom. There is always
Beyond the presentational: Technology in the an ongoing need for training and time to help
hands of the learner teachers become confident with a wider array
When technology is used in some school of digital technologies.
classrooms this can sometimes be limited
to making basic use of a computer. This can
mean that technology stays in the hands
of the teacher where it is used solely for
presentational purposes. Or it can mean
that when students are provided with the
opportunity to use technology, they are tasked
solely with making a PowerPoint presentation
or completing a basic internet search.
Fostering digital literacy means going beyond
the functional and the presentational and
giving students the opportunity to use a wide
range of technologies collaboratively, creatively
and critically.
22
Fostering functional skills in learners
Similarly, developing functional skills in General tips for using digital
learners can often be a matter of allowing technologies for teaching and
learners the time to experiment with different learning:
technologies and pointing them in the direction
of where they can go to find help when they run _ Ensure that your kit is working in advance,
into difficulties. make sure you are familiar with it and
prepare some other activities students
There is a common but arguably misguided could do in case of any problems with the
assumption that ICT skills need to be taught technology. Think about the resources you
sequentially. Some teachers feel concerned will need and book them well in advance.
that younger children, for example, may not yet
be able to successfully manipulate a mouse. _ If certain kit is unavailable because, for
The claim is that these children are unable to example, your school cannot afford it, you
develop digital literacy until they have mastered may be able to hire it or borrow it from a
36. Lachs, V (2000). Making Multimedia in the Classroom: A teacher’s guide: Routledge Farmer: 118
23
3.2.2 CREATIVITY
Developing digital literacy in the classroom can
allow students to apply their existing knowledge
Creativity and digital literacy of creating with digital technology to learning in
Becoming digitally literate involves not just school and in the process be supported to think
being active in exploring digital media but more critically and creatively about what it is
also in creating it and understanding that it is they are doing.
created. Digital literacy therefore supports and
is supported by creativity.
Is taking video footage the same as
Being creative is usually understood to involve making a film?39
generating novel ideas; it means using one’s
imagination to make connections between Many young people own mobile phones with
ideas and to generate creative products.37 video cameras built in. Outside of school they
Creativity can be understood in terms of: may use the cameras to document experiences
they and their friends have together.
– creating a product or output
– thinking creatively and imaginatively In using video in school as part of curriculum
DIGITAL LITERACY IN PRACTICE
construct and share knowledge. Taking video footage requires the functional
skills of being able to activate the camera and
Many commentators suggest that digital literacy point it at the subject. Making a film requires a
involves practices of both critical consumption number of different practices including critical
and creative production. Just as young people thought about audience, advance planning
need to learn how to be critical in how they of different scenes, script writing, careful
consume digital media, they also need to learn consideration of content, creative thinking
3 how to create and produce meaning through
their use of digital technologies.38 When creating
about camera angles and some considerations
around e-safety and copyright if the film is to be
their own digital media content young people made publicly available on the internet.
can begin to question and understand how the
digital media world is created by others. Just as Discussions around these issues will foster
students have created a website for a particular digital literacy and will support young people
audience, so websites they visit have been to become discerning digital participants both
created for certain audiences. In the same way inside and outside of formal education settings.
that students have manipulated information and
images in order to project a particular viewpoint, Films for Learning is a website that allows
so have those who have created the online visitors to view, upload and rate films made by
content they are accessing. students and teachers to support both primary
and secondary curriculum learning. This
Digital technologies also provide an array of website could be used to provide examples of
exciting opportunities for young people to create other students’ filmmaking for class discussion
their own digital media and online content. before asking students to make their own ‘film
Many students will already be using digital for learning’. Some schools make students’
technologies to document their lives in some films available on their website or learning
way and to create digital outputs by, for example, platform so that other students can use
editing a social networking profile page, them for revision. This is also an incentive
manipulating digital photographs, making short for students and teachers to ensure subject
films or compiling playlists of songs for each content in films is accurate.40
other. Participating and communicating in an
increasingly digital world requires the creative
ability to effectively utilise these opportunities.
37. Craft, Anna (2005). Creativity in Schools: Tensions and dilemmas. London and New York: Routledge: 19
38. See, for example, Davies, J and Merchant, G (2009). Web 2.0 for Schools: Learning and social participation. Peter Lang Publishing:
12; Williamson, B (2008). Games and Learning. Bristol, Futurelab: 26
39. Reid, M (2009). Film: 21st century rhetoric, technology or task? Keynote 2 at Seen and Heard: Young people creating digital media.
Bristol. Transcript online: www.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/event_presentations/Mark_Reid_-_transcript.pdf
40. www.filmsforlearning.org
24
Creativity in the classroom
Fostering creativity in the classroom involves
applying elements of creativity to subject
knowledge. This can be done in all subjects
across the school curriculum.41 Students
need to combine resources such as pens,
paper, art materials and digital technologies
with their knowledge of a subject in order to
create an output. During this process they
will need to think imaginatively and critically
and use and develop their creative abilities to
re-contextualise knowledge, repurpose it and
make it their own. This may involve carefully
considering how to use visual images, audio
and text to represent meaning.
3.2.2 CREATIVITY
software online that can support the creation of
different sorts of outputs in the classroom and
most do not require a high level of functional
skill of either the teacher or of the learner.
Animating science
Key Stage 4 science students at Saltash The students used Doink (www.doink.com)
Community School in Cornwall were learning which quickly and simply allowed them to
about enzyme theory. Teacher Dan Roberts create an animation of the ‘lock and key’
found that “one of the things students always process which some chose to embed into a
seem to find difficult to grasp is visualising short story-like description of the process by
concepts like the ‘lock and key’ and how adding text and further effects.
the active site changes shape when the
enzyme denatures.”42 The animations were saved on the website. Dan
was able to comment on the content of each
He thought it might help students’ learning one and they are now available for the students
if they could create their own animations of to use for revision, or indeed for other students
the process. Having never done any animation to discover and learn from.
before, Dan set about asking other teachers,
via the social networking site Twitter, whether The students enjoyed using Doink and some
they knew of any simple, free animation tools. have said they will be using it at home to create
He had a quick go himself with one of the tools their own animations to help them create
recommended and decided to try it out with his visual stimuli to support their revision in many
Year 11 students. different subjects.
41. Anna Craft suggests that “it has been argued that all subject areas in the school curriculum (or beyond) are inherently conducive to the
development of a learner’s creativity” Craft, A (2005). Creativity in Schools: Tensions and Dilemmas London and New York: Routledge: 37
42. Saltash.net Community School: www.saltash.net. Details of the Doink project including links to the students’ animations and
more examples of how Dan Roberts has used technology in the classroom can be found on his blog, Why did the Chickenman cross
the road: chickensaltash.edublogs.org
25
Among other things using digital technologies Tips for developing creativity43
can facilitate the creation of:
Fostering creativity in the classroom
– pictures or illustrations can involve:
– websites
_ providing regular opportunities for using
– films creativity in the classroom and for
– animations creating outputs in a wide variety of
formats and modes
– podcasts
– graphs
43. These tips have been informed by Savage, J and Fautley, M (2007). Creativity in secondary education. Learning Matters Ltd.
26
In practice
3.2.2 CREATIVITY
allows them to upload their own. Once music,
photos and video clips have been uploaded
and selected, Animoto automatically combines
them to produce a video which can then be
sent to an email address, posted to a social
networking site or stored online. The free
version allows students to produce a video of
Publishing podcasts and videos
Radiowaves is a free, easy to use, online
only 30 seconds long. Teachers can use this as
an opportunity to encourage students to think
3
community which provides students with a carefully about key content and how to different
real audience for their creativity. It is a safe, forms of media to convey particular messages.
moderated space for school children of all ages animoto.com
to share their podcasts and videos with others.
It allows young people to post their own work, Editing film
explore video and audio uploaded by others and Windows Movie Maker (Microsoft Windows)
to give each other feedback on the media they and iMovie (Apple Mac) are applications that
have created. allow students to edit the video footage they
www.radiowaves.co.uk have taken on a digital video camera. Students
can make decisions about how they should edit
Making games their footage for a particular purpose, and how
There is a lot of software available which to creatively use the video format and effects
enables children to make, share and play their (eg different transitions, slowing or speeding up
own games. Some of this is free and web-based film, adding text) to communicate ideas.
whilst some of it requires a licence. In either www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/
case, children can be tasked with authoring a moviemaker/default.mspx
game that uses or reflects principles from a www.apple.com/ilife/imovie
particular scheme of work. See, for example:
www.fyrebug.com/2009/09/12/yogo
44. The Enquiring Minds website has more examples of free online tools that can be used to support creativity and digital literacy:
www.enquiringminds.org.uk/try_it/digital_tools
27
3.2.3 Why are volcanoes dangerous?
COLLABORATION A geography teacher at Brislington Enterprise
College gave a class of Year 7 students the
Collaboration and digital literacy task of explaining to others why volcanoes are
Learning involves dialogue, discussion and dangerous. The students worked in groups to
building on each other’s ideas to create shared choose an audience and find information in
understandings. Digital literacy is also a social order to come up with a persuasive argument
process of meaning-making that takes place and to select an appropriate format to present
with and in relation to others. that argument in.
If digital literacy prepares students to take an Some groups created blogs or filmed
active part in their education and in social, models of erupting volcanoes whilst
cultural, economic, political and intellectual others made online quizzes or PowerPoint
life, then the ability to work with others is presentations. Students were supported to
paramount. Each of these arenas are shared, think about what they needed to do in order to
social spaces or communities in which we
DIGITAL LITERACY IN PRACTICE
Many of these spaces are infused with digital “It was probably the best project we’ve
technologies. Students need to understand how done.”
to participate in these shared spaces and this
means that they need to learn collaborative “We all had different jobs to do and so we all
skills and they need to learn how to apply these had to get our job done to get it all sorted.”
skills to digital technologies.
“He knew how to do a blog and I didn’t. We
When students participate in collaborative helped each other.”
3 group work they need to be able to explain
their ideas and enter into negotiations when
those ideas do not align with others in the
group. Learning how to collaborate can Tools like drop.io provide a shared space
therefore also help students to develop skills for students in a class or group where they
of debate, flexibility, cooperation, compromise can upload documents, notes, links and can
and listening. comment on each other’s work in real time.
Digital technologies provide multiple Wallwisher allows the creation of a virtual notice
opportunities for team work and there are many board where students can post their thoughts on
free web-based tools that have been developed a particular subject: wallwisher.com
specifically to support collaboration.
These technologies can also be used to support
Wiki sites are built to encourage collaborative collaboration beyond the school walls. For
creation of text allowing people to edit and example, some teachers have made links
update each other’s writing to create a shared with schools in other parts of their country or
body of knowledge. in other nations and developed projects that
allow students to work together. This might
Google provides GoogleDocs, an online be a project in which students can email
web-based application that allows text based young people in a school that is culturally
documents, spreadsheets and presentations to very different to theirs in order to develop new
be uploaded, accessed from any computer with cultural understandings or it might involve the
a connection to the internet and collaboratively joint creation of a digital artefact.
edited. This would allow a group of students
to work on the same document even if they Students at three Bristol primary schools and
weren’t all in the same physical space at the their local secondary school for example, are
same time. working together on a collaborative project
about their local community, using a shared
online map, set up on GoogleMaps.
28
DIGITAL LITERACY IN PRACTICE
?
3
29
3.2.3 COLLABORATION
The students are exploring place, considering Although many new tools and technologies
what various local outdoor spaces mean to are aimed specifically at facilitating
them, what they enjoy about the space, what collaboration, this does not mean however that
they don’t like about it, where they feel included it is automatically easy to collaborate using
and where they feel excluded and why. Across digital technologies.
the four schools the students are working
together to document their thoughts and “Working as a team can be hard, we try to
feelings about particular spaces by annotating listen to each others’ ideas and, then like,
the shared online map and adding links to combine them.” Year 5 student
photo montages or video documentaries they
have created. Through the project, the students Students of any age can find group work hard,
are learning about each others’ experiences particularly if they have become used to and
of different places in their neighbourhoods. comfortable with working on individual tasks.
Once completed, the map will be made public Teachers can facilitate effective group work by
and students will invite the local community to supporting students to develop strategies for
explore the resource and their views. making collaboration easier.
DIGITAL LITERACY IN PRACTICE
45. These tips are informed by McGregor, D (2007). Developing thinking developing learning: A guide to thinking skills in education.
Open University Press: 55
46. The Critical Skills Programme suggests having defined roles within groups to facilitate collaboration. The roles the programme
suggests are: facilitator, resource manager, time keeper, scribe, negotiator. It is important that the job descriptions of the above are
clearly defined and negotiated within the group. www.criticalskills.co.uk
47. Davies, J and Merchant, G (2009). Web 2.0 for Schools: Learning and social participation. Peter Lang Publishing.
30
Critical digital communication skills
3.2.4 Fostering digital literacy will also mean asking
critical questions about digital communication
COMMUNICATION tools and their use. When communicating
using digital technologies, young people can be
Effective communication and digital literacy supported to question whether they are using
Communication is central to our day digital technology for a purpose; digital tools
to day lives as humans: it is the ability should not be used in communication just for
and desire to share thoughts, ideas and the sake of using digital media, there needs to
understanding. Being digitally literate means be a clearly defined reason for doing so.
communicating effectively in a world in
which much communication is mediated by Young people also need to think critically about
digital technology. Over the past 20 years the how meaning is represented by different media
prevalence of the mobile phone has brought and how this relates to cultural, social and
opportunities for telephone conversations political values. They need to consider the type
on the move, text messaging and picture of media they are using and which is best for
messaging. The internet and Web 2.0 the task they have been given, eg they may be
technologies have provided new methods excited at the thought of making a podcast,
3.2.4 COMMUNICATION
blogs and wikis. may not be the most suitable tool for the task.
A digitally literate person is a critical and “With a podcast you could listen to it
discerning user of digital communication tools over and over again to help you revise.”
with the knowledge, skills and understanding Year 11 student
that enables them to choose the most
appropriate communication tool for the task in Teachers can support students to consider the
hand and how to use it effectively. implications of whether or not their output will
Communication in the classroom allows be made publically available online by having
students to share information, to re
contextualise and repurpose their developing
whole class discussions on issues such as:
3
subject knowledge in order to create and _ the relevance, suitability and security of the
internalise new understandings and present information they communicate publically
this to others.
_ who and what they are representing (identity)
“Schools have always tried to develop
communication skills, but today that’s not _ digital permanence - once information is
just about speaking confidently, having a online, it is not necessarily easy to remove.
good public speaking voice, now people
use digital media as visual aids. The first Students and teachers should also be aware
generation of that was a PowerPoint with that some online tools allow people to use a
bullet points, but now decent communication free version but this can mean their presentation
skills include using visual images and is stored online and made publically available.
multimedia effectively. Who’s going to teach Of course with some other tools such as a blog,
them to do that if we don’t?” Secondary the very purpose of the tool is to make the
science teacher communication a public one.
Good communication involves an awareness “It’s hard to put a picture into words in a
of creating something for someone else, the podcast. Looking at a picture is easier for
ability to consider the needs of particular some parts of this learning.” Year 11 student,
audiences and to communicate potentially thinking about communicating DNA structure
complex ideas with clarity and lucidity. It can
involve choosing appropriate formats, tools
and media and thinking about the specific
affordances of those formats, tools and
media and how they can be used to
represent meaning.
31
Audience One teacher set his Year 11 students a
Effective communication is not only concerned challenge. They could choose to use PowerPoint
with the skills of delivering an end product as a communication tool only if they avoided
(eg a presentation) to an audience. In order using bullet points, kept text to a minimum,
to communicate ideas well, it is important to chose images that clearly supported what they
reflect on the needs and prior understanding of were going to say in their presentation and
the intended audience throughout the process included one animation/moving image. As a
of developing the product. result the students, who agreed this was “not
the usual sort of PowerPoint,” begun to think
Supporting young people to focus on an more about their communication skills and
audience in this way encourages them to delivered interesting, thoughtful, informative
source information that they can understand and entertaining presentations.
and then re-contextualise so as to pass it on to
others. It involves making purposeful decisions
over what information to include and what to Tips for “not the usual sort of
discard. This not only improves communication PowerPoint”
skills, it supports young people to critically
engage with knowledge in a focused and It is helpful to give students tips to support
DIGITAL LITERACY IN PRACTICE
“We’re not just saying random things like _ Avoid using a large body of text on a slide.
blah blah blah, we’re thinking hard about
which places to film, what people should see, _ Always repurpose information and put it into
we’re planning it.” Year 6 girl involved in a your own words; don’t just copy and paste.
cross-curricular project in which students
created a digital prospectus for their school _ PowerPoint should be used to support your
presentation; it is not the main part of your
Not another PowerPoint! presentation. Don’t read from slides but
The Microsoft Office application PowerPoint has use them to show supporting information.
3 become the most commonly used digital tool
for presenting information, both in educational _ Think carefully about colour schemes –
and business settings. Many teachers and some colours can help to make information
students have begun to question the way in stand out, other colours will be hard to see.
which PowerPoint is used in schools.
_ Carefully consider the images you include
For example, in the past, students may have and the meanings they infer.
used PowerPoint in a very simple way, without
considering content and audience. Typically _ Don’t use too many slides.
this may have involved simply copying and
pasting some information from a website to
their presentation slides, possibly using bullet
points and adding some images. Giving their
presentation may have involved reading the text
from the slides.
32
Tips for developing Why is DNA the molecule of life?
communication skills
Year 11 science pupils at St. Mary Redcliffe &
_ Encourage students to distinguish between Temple School in Bristol answered the above
effective and non-effective communication question ‘Why is DNA the molecule of life?’ by
and to discuss what constitutes effective creating a presentation for their peers which
communication. would then be made available on the school’s
learning platform to be used for revision.
_ Give students adequate time to plan any
form of communication and including time The purpose was to further their subject
for students to regularly review their work. knowledge by researching information and
re-contextualising it in a digital format.
_ Make sure students are aware of what
audience they are communicating with and “We’re only putting the important stuff into
encourage them to think about the needs of the video, so we’ve got to learn it more so we
that audience. know what to put in.” Year 11 student
3.2.4 COMMUNICATION
with the local community or with other makes a good presentation and which digital
teachers. media tools would be most appropriate for the
task from a choice of PowerPoint, video and
_ Make sure that when students podcast.
communicate to an audience, they are
given feedback - this can help students Prior to the task their teacher taught a number
to improve their communication and also of lessons using the three different media and
means that the audience has an active encouraged students to think critically about
role to play. If the audience is the rest of which were most effective.
the class as a whole, it can also help to
encourage students to listen to others and “I reckon you can get more things across by
3
provide opportunities for peer teaching and doing a video because you’re actually seeing
peer assessment. someone doing something. When you’re
seeing stuff you can take it in, it’s easier to
understand.” Year 11 student
33
David Buckingham, for example, suggests that
3.2.5 THE ABILITY TO young people can be supported to examine a
number of issues in relation to the internet and
FIND AND SELECT he groups these under the following headings:48
information and whether the internet, a book graphic design and visual images have
search, or another method might give the afforded those.
best results.
_ Production: how web articles are actually
This is an aspect of digital literacy that authored and who uses the web (corporate,
students often struggle with. When tasked with political parties, individuals etc) in order
undertaking independent internet research to persuade and influence, the role of
DIGITAL LITERACY IN PRACTICE
many students are not equipped to find relevant advertising and other commercial influences
information that they can understand. Often
they simply find a website that seems to be _ Audience: who the website is aimed at,
related to their given task and copy and paste targeted advertising, user interactivity and
straight from the website into their work. This how websites are used by commercial
raises concerns over whether students have companies to gather data about individuals.
engaged with the content they have found and
over issues of plagiarism. Not only do students need to think about
how the information they are finding on the
Students need to be encouraged to think internet relates to their research purpose and
carefully about how to find information and questions, they also need to think critically
3 use sources selectively to help them make an
argument or carry out an activity. Developing
about issues of representation, language,
production and audience.
digital literacy supports good research and
study skills and vice versa. Being digitally Fostering the ability to find and select
literate means critically engaging with internet information in the classroom
content and being able to judge the value of Thinking critically about internet research
that information for a given task. can be challenging for students and teachers
may find that they need to scaffold students’
This supports students to develop subject engagement with the internet. Where internet
knowledge by furnishing them with the research is set as homework, there may need
resources they need to become independent to be some in-class discussion about the
and critical learners who can make full and skills of using the internet to find and select
discerning use of the vast amount of constantly information and the teacher may need to
updating information the internet gives them actively design tasks and projects so that they
access to, in order to further their learning. require students to critically engage with the
material they are finding.
Critical thinking and internet research
The ability to find and select information At the most simple level, teachers can give
involves students critically engaging with the students information about how to construct
content of material they find on the internet and their web search so that they are more likely to
relating it to the subject knowledge they already find relevant information. Students should be
have and are seeking to develop. This means encouraged to be as specific as they can and
going beyond simply checking the reliability of to include several words rather than just one
information by searching on multiple sites. when creating search terms.
48. Buckingham, D (2007). Beyond Technology: Children’s learning in the age of digital culture. Cambridge: Polity Press.
34
3.2.5 THE ABILITY TO FIND AND SELECT INFORMATION
DIGITAL LITERACY IN PRACTICE
3
Putting their search term in brackets will Students should also consider whether the
ensure that results contain the complete and information they find is reliable. Many teachers
exact phrase they are looking for. Using the suggest that students check the information
word define, followed by a colon and a search they are citing on at least three independent
term (eg define: critical thinking) will return sites. This is one way to support students to
definitions of a particular word. Students can think about the reliability of internet sources
also be taught to use Boolean terms such as but as we saw above there may also be room
AND, OR or AND NOT. For example, using AND for class discussion around more complex
in a search term (eg “critical thinking” AND issues about the cultural, social and historical
“digital literacy”) will ensure that search forces that determine who gets to make
results include both phrases included in the ‘valuable’ and ‘reliable’ knowledge claims.
search term.
Finally students will need to think carefully
Beyond this, teachers can also help students about how they are going to use the information
negotiate the large amount of information they find on the internet. How can it be
available on the internet and start to think repurposed and re-contextualised so that it fits
about the purpose of their research in order to their particular purpose? How does it relate
select the information they need. This involves to their pre-existing knowledge? How can it
engaging with the content of the material they support their argument? How will they cite this
are finding and being aware of what information new material? What format will they present
is relevant, suitable and helpful for their task. the information in? (visually, textually, in bullet
points, and so on).
35
Copyright, intellectual property
and plagiarism
and images.
49. From Plagiarism, the web and schools PowerPoint presentation. Netskills:
www.netskills.ac.uk/content/projects/eduserv-info-lit/plagiarism-materials.html
50. These tips are informed by Netskills’ materials on plagiarism:
www.netskills.ac.uk/content/projects/eduserv-info-lit/plagiarism-materials.html
36
Supporting research skills on
the internet
37
Some teachers report that young people are
3.2.6 CRITICAL often eager to complete tasks and then to move
on to the next one without stopping to evaluate
THINKING AND and consider. This reflects the traditional
emphasis placed on the importance of outputs
EVALUATION in the classroom and the imperative of needing
to complete a task within the designated time
frame of the lesson.
Critical thinking and digital literacy
A digitally literate student is not just passively Fostering critical thinking requires teachers
receiving information or meaning but also and students to slow the pace of the classroom
contributing to it, analysing it and shaping it. down a little to allow the space for thought and
This requires critical thinking. questioning. It involves developing a culture of
debate and discussion in the classroom and
3.2.6 CRITICAL THINKING AND EVALUATION
51. McGregor, D (2007). Developing Thinking Developing Learning: A guide to thinking skills in education: Open University Press: 25
52. McGregor, D (2007). Developing Thinking Developing Learning: A guide to thinking skills in education: Open University Press: 74
38
Critical questioning of digital technologies
Developing critical frameworks allow young Tips for fostering critical thinking
people to begin to understand the powerful in the classroom
political, cultural and commercial forces that
influence their lives. As a subject for critical _ Encourage students to ask questions, to
thought, digital technologies themselves need seek elaboration, to rationalise ideas and to
to be questioned. judge accuracy, value and authenticity.
Just as an English teacher or media studies _ Model the process by engaging in self-
teacher may encourage students to question analytical, reflective teaching practices.
the motives behind a piece of text by looking,
for example, at the political perspectives _ Ask thought provoking and challenging
behind a particular newspaper article, so questions of students, presenting
teachers who aim to foster digital literacy interesting ideas and encouraging
In practice
that claim.
3
_ Reward critical thinking and analysis and
www.blogger.com can be used to set up a build them into assessment criteria.53
simple blog. Each fortnight, for example,
students could write a short blog post on what
they have learned about a particular topic or a
group of students could be tasked with keeping
an ongoing blog documenting their experiences
of working together on a project. Students can
be encouraged to comment on each others
blogs although the teacher will need to remind
them about the need for appropriate and
constructive comments.
53. McGregor, D (2007). Developing Thinking Developing Learning: A guide to thinking skills in education: Open University Press.
Wegerif, R (2003). Literature Review in Thinking Skills, Technology and Learning. Nesta Futurelab. Claxton, G (2002). Building Learning
Power. TLO Ltd.
39
3.2.7 CULTURAL AND SOCIAL UNDERSTANDING
DIGITAL LITERACY IN PRACTICE
Cultural and social understanding and Cary Bazalgette draws an analogy with
digital literacy moving to a new country. If you want to fully
The practices of literacy that facilitate the participate in the life of this new country, you
processes of making, understanding and need to understand much more than the simple
sharing meaning with digital technologies are mechanics of the language which is spoken
always situated in broader contexts. Young there. You need to know how what you say and
people exist in cultures and networks and what you do might be interpreted and why this
experience multiple interactions with others. might be. You need to understand that the same
Each act of digital literacy they engage in has actions may have different meanings in different
sociohistorical antecedents; it is an act of cultures and you need to understand the sorts
literacy because it is related to and supports of practices that take place in different cultures.
these broader understandings, activities and You need to recognise that there are certain
interactions around the creation of meaning.54 social, cultural and historical influences that
shape your understanding and learning.55
54. Gillen, J and Barton, D (2010). Digital Literacies: A research briefing by the technology enhanced learning phase of the Teaching
and Learning Research Programme. London Knowledge Lab, Institute of Education: 8
55. Bazalgette, C (2004). Being Literate: Functional skill or cultural participation? Keynote, Osaka Kyoiku University.
www.carybazalgette.net/writing.html
40
This involves understanding how both your own Using digital technologies in the classroom can
and others’ perspectives have been informed provide teachers with the opportunity to make
by cultural heritage. This is part of becoming links between school learning and popular
aware that many things that may appear at culture. When students are supported to
first glance to be natural and neutral are in reflect on and critically examine digital media
fact created by particular cultural and social such as websites, photos or films, they can
understandings. For example texts are always begin to understand that the way we create
produced from a particular viewpoint and as and communicate meaning is affected by our
such, they position readers in particular ways. cultural understandings and experiences.
56. Carrington V and Marsh, J (2008). Forms of literacy. For Beyond Current Horizons. Bristol: Futurelab
www.beyondcurrenthorizons.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/ch3_final_carringtonmarsh_formsofliteracy_20081218.pdf
57. Burn, A and Durran, J (2007). Media Literacy in Schools. Practice, production and progression. London: Sage
58. For an example of this sort of activity, see nflrc.hawaii.edu/networks/nw44/furstenberg.htm
41
In practice
59. All of these, and further ideas for using Flickr in the classroom can be found in an account of how people use and learn with
Flickr: Davies, J (2009). A space for play: crossing boundaries and learning online. In Carrington, V and Robinson, M (eds) (2009).
Digital Literacies: Social learning and classroom practices. London: Sage.
42
DIGITAL LITERACY IN PRACTICE
3
43
60. Ofsted (2010). The Safe Use of New Technologies. London: HMSO. www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Publications-and-research/
Browse-all-by/Documents-by-type/Thematic-reports/The-safe-use-of-new-technologies
44
Zip it, Block it, Flag it
Zip it, Block it, Flag it, the ‘green cross code for
the internet’ is the public awareness campaign
launched alongside Click Clever, Click Safe,
the first UK internet safety strategy61 . It urges
young people to:
3.2.8 E-SAFETY
There is a vast array of information already
existing out there to support teachers and
learners to think about safety in relation to
digital technologies. These include:
How, though, can teachers bring all of the literacy in everyday lessons. The planning tool
elements of digital literacy together in their is supported by guidance and a range of
subject teaching? resources for learners. These can be found on
Becta’s website at: schools.becta.org.uk/index.
All of the aspects of digital literacy are already php?section=tl&catcode=ss_tl_dl_02
closely interlinked and developing one will often
involve students making use of others. When
students are successfully collaborating, for
example, they are likely to be developing their
communication skills simultaneously.
46
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47
3.3 BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER: A PLANNING TOOL FOR DIGITAL LITERACY
The framework suggests that teachers ask Evaluate – Students need to engage their
students to go through a process which involves critical thinking skills to understand, analyse
students defining a task, question or activity and evaluate the arguments they encounter
and finding information to help them answer and to create their own arguments related to a
the question or complete the task. They need particular topic or subject. They need to think
to evaluate and analyse the information they carefully about the reliability and relevance
3.3 BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER: A FRAMEWORK FOR DIGITAL LITERACY
have found, synthesize it with their already of information they find online and they need
existing knowledge and re-contextualise it in to evaluate the way in which information is
order to create an argument or come to a new presented as well as using their evaluative
understanding about the subject. Students are skills to inform how they re-contextualise that
asked to create an output which will help them information in a way that supports the claims
communicate what they have learnt. they plan to make with it.
As students progress through the process, they Create – This involves students thinking
will need to reflect on what they have been creatively and creating an output or artefact
doing and what they have been learning. It may which reflects and conveys what they have
not always be a linear process and may involve learned. They will need to consider the purpose
students returning to each stage to refine their of their piece and the needs of their audience
DIGITAL LITERACY IN PRACTICE
task or activity or to re-evaluate information. and make careful and informed decisions about
They may be communicating or creating at what format and medium to use and how to
any stage of the process and will need to present the information they are using.
critically engage with their task throughout.
The hexagons in Figure 1.1 contain questions to Communicate – During this process students
be addressed at each stage of the process and will need to communicate with each other, with
more information about some of the issues that their teacher and potentially with a number of
need to be considered can be found below: other audiences. They will need to think about
what constitutes effective communication for
Define – Depending on the teacher’s aims and different audiences.
aspirations for a particular topic, they may
3 need to give students more or less input when
defining a task, activity or question. Where
Each of the components of digital literacy
referred to in this handbook can be fostered
students are fully involved in this process, this through the use of this framework; the
means that students will need to draw on their framework can be used to plan for activities
pre-existing knowledge of a topic in such a way that develop collaboration, communication,
as to phrase a question or identify a problem creativity, critical thought, social and cultural
related to that topic. This may involve the understanding, research skills, e-safety and
teacher encouraging students to shape, clarify, functional skills.
define or focus their initial ideas and plans
in order to end up with a realistic plan for a
piece of work. Students may also need to think
about what they will need to find out, who their
audience will be and what resources they need.
48
Using the framework This is not necessarily a strict progression;
teachers will find that, depending on the task
“I used Becta’s Digital Literacy Planning Tool and their student’s digital literacy development
to provide prompt questions... questions they may need to move between teaching
like: Is your chosen technology helping styles. For example, in a piece of work that
or hindering you in meeting your project sees students researching information and
49
Most practitioners have extensive experience
of evaluating how effectively students engage
in critical thought or use particular tools,
how they collaborate together or how they
communicate with others, and so on. In many
circumstances the same assessment criteria
and attainment levels will be applicable
whether or not a piece of work makes use
of digital technology; digital literacy can be
viewed as an added dimension of subject
knowledge and assessed accordingly. In other
3.4 THINKING ABOUT PROGRESSION AND ASSESSMENT
Progression
We have seen how learners progress
in their digital literacy as they become
increasingly independent and when they
move from requiring a high level of support
and guidance from the teacher to being
able to take responsibility for their own
learning experiences.
62. Burn, A and Durran, J (2007). Media Literacy in Schools: Practice, production and progression: Paul Chapman Publishing: 152
63. Willett, R, Robinson, M and Marsh, J (eds) (2008). Play, Creativity and Digital Cultures. London: Routledge; Eagle, S et al (2008).
From Research to Design: Perspectives on early years and digital technologies. Futurelab.
50
Assessment and evaluation Where student assessment is used, teacher
Peer assessment and self evaluation can be assessment should involve the same criteria.
helpful in assessing digital literacy. Student This means teachers need to consider, for
assessment gives learners a voice and allows example, whether students have been able to
them to participate in their own assessment. research from relevant and reliable sources
This can be an effective way in which to and whether they have been able to adapt
encourage reflection. information to the audience and communicate
the subject matter from their own point of view.65
One teacher who has written widely on
multimedia projects in the classroom has
suggested that variations on some of the In practice
64. Lachs, V (2000). Making Multimedia in the Classroom: A teacher’s guide: Routledge Farmer: 130-142
65. Lachs, V (2000). Making Multimedia in the Classroom: A teacher’s guide: Routledge Farmer: 142
51
DIGITAL LITERACY IN PRACTICE
52
66. Daly, C, Pachler, N and Pelletier, C (2009). Continuing Professional Development in ICT for Teachers: A literature review. WLE
Centre, Institute of Education, University of London. Becta.
53
In considering any professional development Most importantly, this approach requires
in digital literacy, acknowledging teachers’ reflective practice; practitioners will need to
professionalism and existing pedagogical skills constantly evaluate the impact of their own
is vital to redress these myths. pedagogical approaches and choices on
their learners.68
Teachers need to be supported to understand
how to apply their expertise to the digital This is a type of pedagogy that also challenges
technologies in their classroom and to the some of the traditional means of classroom
3.5 PEDAGOGY AND CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
process of fostering digital literacy. A history control. For some teachers control of behaviour
teacher, for example, may be expert in is closely related to control of classroom
encouraging his students to think critically space. The mobile nature of some technologies
about the veracity and contexts of texts from together with the collaborative and creative
the past, but may not have considered using activities students might undertake with them,
those pedagogical techniques to foster critical necessarily require students to be moving
thinking in relation to information found on around rather than sitting at desks. Students
the internet. and teachers will be making different uses of
classroom space, for teachers who have come
In considering how to apply their skills to the to equate students being seated with their
DIGITAL LITERACY IN PRACTICE
digital world, teachers should be encouraged control of the classroom, this can potentially
to reflect on their own digital literacy. They be unsettling at first.
can also explore for themselves and with their
students the opportunities and new ways of “It’s a different relationship, you need to build
teaching and learning that can support and be trust with them and give them more freedom.
supported by digital literacy. But it is through that new relationship that you
begin to realise what they’re really capable
Pedagogy and classroom relationships of.” Primary school teacher
Developing digital literacy in the classroom
sees students becoming more independent As well as presenting more opportunities for
in their learning. As they are supported to independent learning, fostering digital literacy
3 find and select information for themselves,
to communicate their learning, to express
can make connections between school and
students’ out of school experiences. This may
their creativity and to think critically about the require teachers to move beyond a focus on
affordances of digital technology, students are curriculum content to locating different kinds
recast from passive recipients of information of resources and engaging with students’ lives
to active meaning-makers, working with and cultures outside of school.
their teachers to codesign and personalise
their learning.67 “Students are able to draw on a much wider
range of learning experiences, they can bring
Supporting learners to become active in their home learning, they can bring in their
constructors of subject knowledge in the own interests, they appreciate an open brief
classroom suggests a different role for and supported in that, they appreciate the
teachers than that associated with more learning experience, they are engaged with
didactic pedagogies in which information is content” Key Stage 3 geography teacher
required to be transmitted to the students. It
requires new classroom relationships and In order to support teachers in developing
new understandings. these practices any professional development
activities and indeed schools’ senior
Teachers have variously described this role as management teams need to provide time for
guide, mentor and facilitator. Far from being a teachers to develop their techniques in an
passive role, though, it requires teachers to be atmosphere that encourages them to try out
active and reactive, to support, to prompt, to new pedagogical approaches. Providing time
question and to continue to scaffold learning for teachers to engage with changing practices
through a range of critical teaching practices that and to connect with other practitioners to share
foster an atmosphere of questioning and debate. ideas and experiences has been shown to be
essential in ensuring lasting change.69
67. Hargreaves, D (2005). Personalising Learning 3: Learning to learn the new technologies. London: Specialist Schools Trust.
www.sst-inet.com.au/files/David_Hargreaves_-_Personalising_Learning_3_-_Learning_to_Learn.pdf
68. Beetham, H and Sharpe, R (2007). Rethinking Pedagogy for a Digital Age: Designing and delivering e-learning. London and New
York: Routledge: 3
69. Thomson, P (2007). Whole School Change – A review of the literature. London: Creative Partnerships.
www.creative-partnerships.com/data/files/whole-school-change-14.pdf
54
Vital CPD Teachers supporting teachers: Using
digital technologies to share ideas
In January 2010 the Open University launched
its innovative new professional development The internet and Web 2.0 technologies not only
programme for teachers, Vital. provide great opportunities for the classroom,
they are also great sources of tips and support
Vital aims to inspire and support teachers to for teachers and can just give teachers a feel
55
3.6 DIGITAL LITERACY Student participation:
Creating a digital prospectus
AT A WHOLE
Year 5 and 6 students at Knowle Park Primary
SCHOOL LEVEL School in Bristol and their teachers
Andy Dewey and Joe Tett, were given the
A school’s approach to digital literacy may responsibility for producing the school’s new
develop from small beginnings – it may begin prospectus, which for the first time was to be in
with one teacher’s focus on digital literacy in digital format and made available as a DVD.
their own teaching. Ideally, the aim should
be to move towards a coherent whole-school This cross-curricular, collaborative piece of
3.6 DIGITAL LITERACY AT A WHOLE-SCHOOL LEVEL
programme for digital literacy across the work saw the children working to draw on their
curriculum. own experiences and opinions of their school to
create short film clips to promote and explain
What, then, are the factors underpinning a the different aspects of school life that they
successful whole-school approach to thought would be useful to potential future
digital participation? parents and children of the school.
DIGITAL LITERACY IN PRACTICE
70. Lachs, V (2000). Making Multimedia in the Classroom: A teacher’s guide: Routledge Farmer: 7
56
Other teachers found that synergies existed
with the secondary National Curriculum’s
personal learning and thinking skills framework.
57
4. SUMMARY
Page 01
© Credit Here
This handbook discusses the meaning of
digital literacy and suggests it should be
understood as a wide-ranging set of practices
that enable students to create, share and
understand meaning and knowledge in an
increasingly digital age.
SUMMARY
digital literacy within curriculum teaching, the
handbook argues that digital literacy can be
developed alongside subject knowledge in all
classrooms at both primary and secondary level.
59
About Futurelab About Becta
Futurelab is an independent not-for-profit Becta is the government agency leading the
organisation that is dedicated to transforming national drive to ensure the effective and
teaching and learning, making it more relevant innovative use of technology throughout
and engaging to 21st century learners through learning. It is our ambition to utilise the
the use of innovative practice and technology. benefits of technology to create a more
We have a long track record of researching and exciting, rewarding and successful experience
demonstrating innovative uses of technology for learners of all ages and abilities, enabling
and aim to support systemic change in them to achieve their potential. We do this in
education – and we are uniquely placed many ways. We make sure the right technology
to bring together those with an interest in is available, we influence the development of
improving education from the policy, industry, policy, and we set standards and provide tools
research and practice communities to do this. that help establish and promote best practice.
Futurelab cannot do this work on its own. We We know that technology has the potential
rely on funding and partners from across the to transform learning. We are committed to
education community – policy, practice, local inspiring education providers to realise that
government, research and industry - to realise potential, and equip learners for Britain’s
the full potential of our ideas, and so continue future success.
to create systemic change in education to
benefit all learners.
Handbooks
Drawing on Futurelab’s in-house R&D
programme as well as projects from around
the world, these handbooks offer practical
advice and guidance to support the design and
development of new approaches to education.
Futurelab
1 Canons Road
Harbourside
Bristol BS1 5UH
United Kingdom
email: [email protected]
blog: flux.futurelab.org.uk
www.futurelab.org.uk