CRITICAL DIGITAL LITERACY - Weebly

CRITICAL DIGITAL

LITERACY

AmAndA’p Reflecqionp

February 18, 2011

Prof. Janette Hughes

Digital Literacy

ON GOING READING – CHAPTER SUMMARY/COMENTARY

Understanding Based on Chapter 1

Date: February 7th, 2011

Book(s): Chapter 1 in A New Literacies Sampler and Chapter 1 in Digital Literacies

Contents

Key Elements of New Learning ....................................................................................................... 1

Questions I thought about/considered .......................................................................................... 2

Ideas and New Thinking I can Use to Build Understanding ............................................................ 3

Impact on my Understanding of Digital Literacy (Classroom Applications) ................................... 3

Key Elements of New Learning

Literacy: knowing when and why you need information, where to find it, and how to

evaluate, use and communicate it in an ethical manner.

Digital Literacy: Is an ability to understand and to use information from a variety of digital

sources and regarded it simply as literacy in the digital age. Or the ability to read, write and otherwise deal with information using the technologies and formats of the time—and an essential life skill.

Information Literate: To be information literate, a person must be able to recognize when

information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.

Knowledge Assembly: Bringing together different sources of information to create a new

stream of understanding. This is usually made up of a pre and post search process.

Content Evaluation: Evaluate information and sources critically and incorporate selected

information into his or her knowledge base utilizing a personal value system to make decisions.

Internet Searching: involves the use of tools such as search engines to locate information,

while hypertextual navigation represents the process of exploring links in an unstructured, non-linear e-space

Digital Native : Children who have grown up with computers, search engines and electronic

games, using the internet for school, work and leisure and multitasking by interacting naturally with social technologies such as instant messaging, blogs, wikis and Web 2.0 functionality which facilitates collaboration and information sharing

Digital immigrants: prefer to handle knowledge systematically, logically and to inform

discrete activities. For Example: many academics display a reluctance to use technology in the classroom and tend to rely on email to communicate with students, rather than using chat, instant messaging, and discussion boards.

Plagiarism: the practice of claiming, or implying, original authorship of (or incorporating

material from) someone else’s written or creative work, in whole or in part, into one’s own without adequate acknowledgement

Instructional Technologies: Including Webct, Adobe Connect and Moodle allow access to

course materials, assignment grades and discussion fora and are making inroads into teaching practice.

information savvy: (1) the internet equivalent of • being “street-wise” (2) the inaccessibility

of those parts of the internet’s structure that search engines cannot reach.

New Literacies : Examples of the terminological change from basic literacy to new literacies

can be seen in such terms and neologisms as media literacy, information literacy, digital literacy, technoliteracy, computer literacy, electronic literacy, network literacy—or even agricultural, dance, legal or workplace literacy

Questions I thought about/considered

While reading and considering my new learning as a result of this chapter I considered how we

can encourage digital immigrants to become more familiar and comfortable with the tools of

new literacy. I just find that when those in a position of authority and reluctant to embrace

change we tend to perpetuate this cycle of complacency. So in my thinking I have generated

some questions about how we can encourage those in authority, which have the ability to

influence change to utilize their powers for good.

What factors are preventing digital immigrants from embracing New Literacy?

How can we help digital immigrants overcome these factors?

In our world there seems to be a growing divide between industry/workforce standards

and what is being taught in our modern classroom, how can we overcome this obstacle?

Do digital natives have enough “techno savvy” to be able to overcome their foreign

learning environment and properly embrace technologies on their own independent of

the classroom?

Ideas and New Thinking I can Use to Build Understanding

I have found that prior to taking this class and reading this chapter I had a very strong

understanding of technology, and a very strong understanding of literacy however I was missing

the middle ground that connected the two skill sets together. Based on this chapter and my

participation in the class I have been able to build my own understanding and start to think

about digital literacy in a whole new way.

For example in the past I had a very narrow and somewhat ignorant understanding of what

literacy was. I defined literacy as the ability to read and write. Now given my new knowledge

and experience I can see that literacy involves how we interact with our world, and how we

receive, perceive and transmit information. This broader understanding has opened up new

opportunities for application. I can now see all around me how we as teachers have the ability

to influence our students and create a literate mind by giving students opportunities to explore

and interact with their world in new ways.

An example of my new understanding of digital literacy and something I can do in the

classroom context is create more opportunities for experiential learning. I can generate

opportunities for my students to learn by doing and enhance all of their literate understandings

not just what is obvious “old literacy skills”. I can also teach old literacy reading and writing

using new literacy. I can use a computer program such as “Webkinz” or “Club Penguin” to teach

students how to be independent and to discover, access, and utilize their chosen information in

a way that is new and exciting.

Impact on my Understanding of Digital Literacy (Classroom Applications)

For me the first step to bringing New Literacy into my teaching practice is being able to

understanding what is available. I am a technology native and for that reason I was born into

this current technological society and am enthusiastic to embrace different tools for learning.

As I was saying earlier I am really excited and motivated to use these new skills that I have

learned about in this chapter; however I want to learn how to use them properly and with

purpose prior to introducing them to my students. Anytime we do something “fun” or new in

the classroom there is a tendency for students to misuse the technology and miss the purpose.

So for myself I would need to set specific goals and educate myself on proper usages prior to

introducing these things to my students.

Another classroom application for the knowledge acquired from this chapter is this idea of

knowledge assembly and content evaluation. Part of being a keen digital learner is the ability to

filter information and draw from multiple sources to aid our own understanding. I can see many

teaching applications for these skills in the classroom. Student’s especially younger students

have a tendency to believe that just because something is in print it is considered to be

accurate. As a teacher I can create a “skeptical” learning environment and encourage my digital

learners to evaluate their knowledge, and draw from multiple sources to build their own

understanding.




Topic: Digital Literacy and the Law

Book(s): Chapter 12 (Digital Literacies)

Contents






I learned about the prevalence and importance of creative commons, its role in

furthering society and the ability of this form of licensing to generate new knowledge

and ideas.

I had some prior knowledge before however; I learned a lot more about types of copy

right/fair usage. I was really surprised to learn about how restrictive digital copies were

compared to physical copies. I also started to form a more clear understanding about

how we can utilize these resources in a way that is fair and moral while still maximize

the useful potential.

I learned a lot more about how all the ideas that we have in society are recreations and

new manifestations of prior understanding. I got to think about how much new

knowledge is required to create a new product, and the type/amount of new

intellectual property that is required to call that product our own.

I was confused and read many times about how “every single use of digital media

creates a copy and thus presumptively requires permission” (pg 296). I processed and

tried to reconcile my own knowledge and personal digital media collection to this new

information. I am still wrapping my head around the fact that I cannot reread something

I previously read without seeking further permission. I thought also about books and

how much more freedom I have to just go to the library and borrow a book and not face

the same level of moral scrutiny ethical gray zone that I would if the same resource was

digital.


One thing that I learned in the chapter that I thought a lot about was the independent film

“Tarnation” I was shocked by the fact that it cost him $218 to produce; however, if he had

gotten permission and used all the media properly it would have cost over $400,000. This

brings me to questions regarding the way in which knowledge transfer and dissemination is

built in our society, and perhaps even that this idea of copyright may in some ways be holding

society back.

Why is it that it is easier to ask forgiveness then it is to get permission? Is our society

rewarding people who live in the black and gray, and punishing us who live in the moral

“white” zone?

How do we reconcile the greater good of society with our own personal need for

advancement and recognition? (Copyrights do a good job at protecting the rights of the

individual however they can stand in the way of overall progress.)

Something else that I considered while reading was the idea of fair usage or “white zone”;

the fair usage of a book is much better established (and generous) compared to the moral

usage of a digital tool. I thought about the many books and games that I have either bought

or sold at garage sales over the years, and how it was within my rights of ownership to

make those transactions. I then considered articles that I have acquired throughout my

academic career; many of my articles came from the UOIT library’s virtual holdings and

others I had to purchase on CDs for my classes. It was surprising (and a bit upsetting) that I

was able to spend real money to collect my library yet had not right under the “White Zone”

of moral usage to email that article to a friend or to sell it when I was done.

If my rights are so restricted in terms of ownership of a digital resource why do the

prices remain so high? Along the same lines why do we as society continue to embrace

digital copies when obviously our writes to physical copies are more inclusive?

Under this “gray zone” of usage I may consider emailing a good resource to a friend. I

am not distributing the resource on a wide level or making a profit. Why have we not

regulated digital resources to perhaps generate only 3 copies or be “read-only” and

made this normal usage morally acceptable?


One thing that really struck me while reading this chapter was the idea of the “Gray Zone” or

fair use. This whole idea of fair use is a bit overwhelming because as a classroom teacher we

want to do everything possible to benefit our students and to make learning real. This

sometimes involves pulling elements from popular culture (characters, themes, settings etc)

that are of relevance and incorporating them into our normal practices. Prior to reading this

chapter I would without much thought pull from a wide variety of settings; I did this believing

that since I was not profiting I had a right within the educational setting utilize copy righted

materials. Now my new thinking and ideas I learned from this chapter have really changed my

thinking around this topic. Even just this past week when creating a lesson, I made a conscious

decision to pull from creative commons rather than just take from the internet at large.

Asides from fair/gray usage I also started to think about what I will call the “smoothie effect”.

This is the idea that we as a culture are so intertwined that it is impossible to build an idea that

is 100% unique and does not contain any ideas or intellectual property belonging to anyone

else. Similar to a smoothie, our new ideas are made up of the fruits and ingredients of other

peoples hard work. It is very possible to combine the ingredients differently (Remix) and create

a new/innovative recipe however the strawberries and yogurt you used are not necessarily

your own. Again this brings me back to the Gray area, how much credit do we need to

contribute to the farmer who grew the original fruit and person who manufactured the

blender? I can use this idea to build my understanding by being more aware of how I am using

the contributing elements and ensure that when I am combining the ingredients to create my

own masterpiece I am taking from enough different sources and adding enough of my critical

special ingredient (intellectual property/original thinking) to not just be rehashing and taking

credit for what already exists.


One element that I can take from this chapter and bring back into everyday classroom practice

is the idea that every idea that is created is subject to copy right. By sharing our ideas and

creating a creative commons copyright we not only maintain our rights to digital materials we

are also sharing and participating in the advancement of knowledge.

Talking to my students, I am very clear on what is “Black and White” in terms of not selling or

profiting off someone else’s work. I just hesitate because my own knowledge of the gray zone is

somewhat fragmented (and I don’t necessarily agree with everything), I do not feel fully

equipped to teach on this topic. I am able to however show them the law and teach them

without adding personal commentary or ideas.

In addition I can take opportunities in the classroom whenever the chances arise to generate

understanding and conversation regarding digital copyright. As suggested in the youtube clip I

posted in the Ning, we do not need to force opportunities to discuss copyright they are all

around us and can be a very meaningful and powerful tool.




Topic: Digital Literacy and Online Social Networking

Book(s): Chapter 8, A New Literacies Sampler and Chapter 11, Digital Literacies

Contents






Social Media as a Literacy Tool – This whole process of reading and participating in

discussion has really been insightful. In the past I have been aware of the application of social

media in the classroom however, I never considered these tools to be a form of literacy.

However, now I can clearly see the application. We are asking students to communicate, set a

goal and accomplish tasks. By knowing how to navigate the various tasks and perform functions

students are gaining two skill sets (1) the literacy/knowledge of the task (2) the media skill set

involved in accomplishing the task.

Technology Natives vs. Immigrants – Given my experience with social networking I found

that so far this chapter has been the easiest to digest. I am familiar with the various functions of

facebook/twitter/youtube etc. Drawing on my experience from the last chapter I can see how

not all teachers who feel as comfortable utilizing these tools. I empathize with educators who

feel like foreigners to technology and wonder how their own lack of experience influences the

overall learning of the class.


What is the ultimate goal/purpose of social media?

How can we bring it into the classroom in such a way that it enhances the learning

(instead of acting as a distraction?)

How has our learning changed over the last decade or so?

If we have access to all these amazing learning tools that we can bring into the

classroom to benefit the learning of our students why is it that our school system still

struggles to keep up with workforce standards?

Most of the students we have in a current elementary school class, we as teachers are

preparing for jobs that do not yet exist. How can we provide our students with the best

foundation, encourage critical thinking skills and motivate success when the future is

such a significant unknown factor?


Creating an Identity : The kids we teach, regardless of age are all on a journey of self

discovery. One aspect that I had not considered prior, was the role that social media plays in

the formation of self. In addition to being able to connect with friends students are connecting

to their own thought and ideas. They are positing status updates and utilizing various features

of social media as a way of exploring and furthering their own interests. They connected online

with different “clusters” of friends and learned to feel safe and secure as part of a social

network. A hypothesis that I have been able to build on is based upon Maslow’s Hierarchy of

needs. We know from experience that if our most basic human needs are not met learning will

not occur. My thinking has now expanded to think that learning will occur at its apex when

students are in a state of self actualization, that means that their needs (social/belonging)

included must be met for learning to be most meaning.

Building Learning Communities : Another new learning/thinking I have been able to build

upon is this idea that social media has an academic purpose. The choice of the groups we join

and the people we choose to “friend” enhance our own learning. Twitter, facebook and all

forms of social media can have academic purposes if utilized correctly. This means encouraging

students to connect with those who know more about a topic and collect first hand data from

knowledgeable sources. An easy example of a digital literacy social media construct would be

following a relevant professor on twitter. Researchers will from time to time broadcast relevant

breakthroughs/findings that we can learn from and share if we align our learning goals

correctly.


In my reflective practitioner class we have been asked to think about how technology enhances

our ability to reflect. Therefore currently my view of social networking is clouded by thoughts of

sharing ideas and reflecting. I really do feel there are some important applications of social

networking that can be used in the classroom.

A friend of mine had his students use online blogging as a way of communicating with

pen pals in England. The students each week would log on and write a short letter and

ask questions. The following Monday they would pick up the letter their pen pal had

written in return.

In my grade 6 class this past year we did a really neat character study. We as a class read

the book “The Giver” and then went onto Facebook and created an online community.

This was in fact the inspiration for my own digital literacy project. We used Facebook to

create our own Utopia community and chose activities and friends based on character in

the novel.

The grade 8 class at the school I am currently volunteering at uses Twitter as a way of

communicating and doing meta-cognition. After activities a few times a week students

would log on and share their thoughts about the week and their own progress.

Final again last year in my grade 6 class we had a class website. We as a group work

through all sorts of social justice issues using cartoon animation and communicating in

the group forum.




Topic: Trajectories of “Remixing

Book(s): Chapter 8 Digital Literacies

Contents






Mash-up: A derivative work consisting of two pieces of (generally digital) media conjoined

together, such as a video clip with a different soundtrack applied for humorous effect, or a map overlaid with user-supplied data; A remix that combines two or more songs from different artists into one track

Machinima: the use of real-time graphics-rendering (usually, game) engines, mostly three-

dimensional (3-D), to generate computer animation. The term also refers to works that incorporate this animation technique. Some machinima-based artists, sometimes called machinimists or machinimators, are fan laborers.


I think in this chapter what I struggled with the most is the idea that there are truly no original

ideas. Everything we do, think and create is based on our life experiences and relevant

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendering_(computer_graphics)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_computer_graphics

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_computer_graphics

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_labor

information processed to create new ideas and products. Some digital remixing is much more

evident than others. For example when we draw from two well publicized sources such as

music or television and combine these concepts together digitally we are merely creating a

mash-up. However when we take two existing physical products and combine them together

we can create a whole new product and take ownership and possession of the rights (e.g.

Blueberries and lemons = blueberry lemonade).

After reading the case studies presented in the chapter I was able to start to think more

critically about the use of mash-ups and their purpose and place in the classroom. I do feel that

having the ability to see connections and to find harmony in abstract is an important skill to

have. Some people truly do have a keen ability to bring together different elements and by

adding their own thoughts create something new.

How can we find more opportunities to bring remixing into the classroom?

What are the benefits and drawbacks of giving students the freedom to utilize and

create based on the designs of existing media?

What limitations or barriers should we place on remixing, in order to ensure that the

academic or key goals/objectives of an assignment are met?

What ways do we utilize on a daily basis mixed/remix culture without even knowing that

we are participating in such unions?

If we were to limit or remove the right to remix from our current society what would the

consequences be, or is remixing so infused into our culture that it is now impossible to

limit/control?


Some of the key ideas that I thought about when considering this chapter were

1. How do I interact/utilize/model remixing

2. How can use remixing in correlation with digital literacy skills to enhance

understanding?

Based on these two ideas I was able to shape my thinking process. I first recognized that I mix

and remix both using physical and digital skills on a daily basis. Depending on how we define

mixing/remixing there is virtually nothing that we interact with on a daily basis that does not

combine our own intellectual skills and ask us to utilize our abilities to create something new.

Something cannot comes from nothing and therefore if we are in the process of creating we are

using either thoughts/ideas/product that is pre-existing. I thought about the process of mixing

milk onto my cereal as a remix of two products combining together to create the new product

of “breakfast”. I thought about taking a picture of my brother’s head and remixing it with a

baby cupid body to send a Valentine’s Day card to by mom. These examples plus many more

demonstrate how we experience remixing without even knowing it.

I took my thinking even further and thought about the concepts of digital literacy and learning. I

was able to see how my new understanding is able to expand my thinking and teaching

practices. We can teach literacy by remixing books with the computer (on a primitive level) or

we can remix literacy by understanding that computer skills and the ability to create a remix

and in and of themselves a digital literacy. There are countless opportunities to really motivate

students and get them excited about their own learning potential. By allowing a mashup we are

creating a compromise; educators can choose one constant and students can fill around it to

bring life and understanding to the desired knowledge.


As I shared in my wall post even prior to learning about this topic in the text I was already a

huge fan of mash-ups. I have seen mash-ups have the ability to draw the best from multiple

sources and unleash limitless creativity in the minds of our students.

Mash-ups have the ability to inspire the mind. Students who may not be academically

inclined however know a lot about characters and media can utilize that skill set and

bring their expertise into the classroom.

This type of activity can act as a catalyst for deeper understanding. We can connect to

student’s current understanding on a deeper level and help them to gain greater insight

and theoretical knowledge based on their practical application.

By encouraging the use of media in particular digital technology we are enhancing

multiple skill sets. We as teachers are meeting our academic goals while at the same

time encouraging students to expand their knowledge of digital literacy.

Using Mash-ups allows us to pull the strongest and most relevant knowledge from

various sources and bring it together adding in our own original thought to create a

brand new product. We are encouraging our students to be proud of their work and

take ownership over their own accomplishments.

CRITICAL DIGITAL LITERACY - Weebly

Documents

Transcript of CRITICAL DIGITAL LITERACY - Weebly