Digital Literacy 2.0 : Digital Literacy/Citizenship

In this article the authors introduce the practice of inquiry and discuss the case for it as a signature pedagogy for digital literacy. The Inquiry Cycle is presented as a summary of important aspects of inquiry. Further, the Practice Profile of Inquiry provides a practical tool, which can be incorporated into everyday classroom practice. Examples from the Digital Literacy in Irish Primary Schools project are presented to show how surface, deep, and implicit structures of curriculum are enacted within an inquiry perspective. The Inquiry Cycle and the Practice Profile of Inquiry offer a means for educators to foster inquiry-based learning while making the best use of new digital media and tools. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this commentary, the authors move beyond digital literacy and take up the question of what digital citizenship means and looks like in the context of the COVID‐19 pandemic. To engage with questions of ethical practice, the authors begin with the International Society for Technology in Education framework for digital citizenship. They expand on these standards to argue for an awareness of the ethical questions facing citizens online that are difficult to encompass as a set of skills or competencies. The authors then take these considerations into a set of practical steps for teachers to nurture participatory and social justice–oriented digital citizenship as part of the curriculum. The authors conclude by noting the digital divide and social inequities that have been highlighted by the current crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores how social media use in formal and informal learning spaces can support the development of digital citizenship for secondary school students. As students increasingly spend large amounts of time online (e.g., an average of six hours of screen time per day, excluding school and homework), it is critical that they are developing skills enabling them to find, evaluate, and share information responsibly, engage in constructive conversation with others from diverse backgrounds, and to ensure their online participation is safe, ethical, and legal. And, yet, in spite of the importance of students learning these skills, opportunities for digital citizenship in formal and informal learning spaces have lagged behind our ideals. The article provides a conceptual analysis of civic engagement as digital citizenship and considers how digital media applications can support citizenship education in middle- and high-school grades. Then, empirical research is provided that demonstrates how high school students develop digital citizenship practices through out-of-school practices. Finally, this article suggests that both dimensions of digital citizenship (i.e., in-school, traditional citizenship education and out-of-school activities aimed at civic engagement) can be integrated through a social media-facilitated curriculum. Finally, recommendations for teaching and learning through social media are offered to educators, community members, practitioners, parents, and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The growing prominence of the Internet, and other digital environments, as educational tools requires research regarding learners' digital literacy. We argue that two critical aspects of digital literacy are the ability to effectively plan and monitor the efficacy of strategies used to search and manage the wealth of information available online, and the knowledge to appropriately vet and integrate those information sources. Therefore, digital literacy requires effective self-regulated learning (SRL) skills, and availing epistemic cognition (EC). Although numerous researchers and scholars have examined the role of SRL in online learning (e.g., Efklides, 2011; Lee & Tsai, 2010; Williams & Hellman, 2004; Winters, Greene, & Costich, 2008), there is a need for additional empirical research on how SRL and EC interact, and relate to learning in digital environments. In this study, we used a powerful, but little-used data collection methodology, think-aloud protocol (TAP) analysis, to investigate the relations among SRL, EC, and learning gains with 20 college students who studied vitamins on the Internet. We also contributed to the literature by exploring alternative techniques for preparing, analyzing, and representing these data, accounting for the strengths and challenges of TAPs. We found that, on average, participants did increase their understanding as a result of learning with the Internet, and that a data-driven approach to understanding relations among SRL, EC, and learning yielded the most powerful representation of these phenomena. Our study has implications for future research on digital literacy using TAPs, as well as the relative contribution of SRL and EC, as aspects of digital literacy, to online learning. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Older ICT non-users are often considered vulnerable and potentially socially and digitally excluded group. More recently age-based digital divides have been questioned by scholars aiming to provide a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between old age and technology non-use. Following this path, this article takes the experiences of being an older non- and/or seldom-ICT user and their potential exclusion as point of departure to talk about ideas and understandings of digital technologies and social change. The goal is to empirically explore and understand how the ideas and experiences of ICT nonusage are shared, and negotiated, among older non- and seldom-ICT users. The lived experience of different waves of mediatisation is a specific position in the life course allowing older people to reflect back upon changes prompted by technological development. The empirical data consist of six focus group interviews conducted in Sweden in 2017 with 30 older (65+) non- and seldom-users of ICT between the ages of 68 and 88 years. The results of the analysis show that by describing the ideas and experiences of non- and/or seldom-ICT use, the informants offer a broader reflection on social change and an ambivalent picture of social acceleration. They agree namely that digitalisation is an inevitable process but argue simultaneously that several practices connected to it are not necessarily making our lives easier. Participants experience the socio-technological development in the past 30 years as a very fast one, while adjustment to it deems to occur in a rather slow and weary way. It could be suggested that the nexus of old age on the one hand and non/seldom-ICT usage on the other, as well as their position in life, offer a perspective that can challenge the idea that technological development, ICT access and use are synonymous with efficiency, convenience and inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there has been a great deal of research on younger people using Social Networking Sites (SNSs), there has been less work on older people and non-users. We present a mixed-methods design with a technology-acceptance survey and focus-group interviews to study older Norwegian non-users' perceptions of SNSs. Our study reveals that most non-users in our sample deliberately do not use SNSs. They perceive SNS communication as cold and narcissistic and view the usefulness of SNSs to be low. This finding indicates a generational culture gap in how young versus older people experience SNSs. Privacy and security concerns are also prevalent. Non-users, expressing an interest in SNSs, believe SNSs could increase contact with family and friends, but perceive lack of competence to be a barrier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the digital divide has decreased, those who are still unable to access and use information and communication technologies are left further behind. An effective digital literacy program helps underserved populations gain needed skills and alleviate the demand placed on public library staff. This case study presents findings on a digital literacy learning model that utilizes a self-paced online platform and in-person volunteer tutors. The researchers found that the learner/tutor relationship is an essential part of the learning process, and that tutors develop a variety of strategies for helping learners. The researchers also identify aspects of effective program implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR

Traditionally, science education has stressed the importance of teaching students to conduct 'scientific inquiry', with the main focus being the experimental model of inquiry used by real world scientists. Current educational approaches using constructivist pedagogy recognise the value of inquiry as a method for promoting the development of deep understanding of discipline content. A recent Information Learning Activity undertaken by a Grade Eight science class in an Australian school was observed to discover how inquiry- based learning is implemented in contemporary science education. By analysing student responses to questionnaires and assessment task outcomes, the author was able to determine the level of inquiry inherent in the activity and how well the model supported student learning and the development of students' information literacy skills. Although students achieved well overall, some recommendations are offered that may enable teachers to better exploit the learning opportunities provided by inquiry based learning. Planning interventions at key stages of the inquiry process can assist students to learn more effective strategies for dealing with cognitive and affective challenges. Allowing students greater input into the selection of topic or focus of the activity may encourage students to engage more deeply with the learning task. Students are likely to experience greater learning benefit from access to developmentally appropriate resources, increased time to explore topics and multiple opportunities to undertake information searches throughout the learning activity. Finally, increasing the cognitive challenge can enhance both the depth of students' learning and their information literacy skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite evidence of an upward trend in the adoption of information and communication technologies (ICTs), current media discourse suggests that older adults (those 60-plus) lag behind in terms of engagement with digital technology. Through a survey and interviews with older adults, we investigate how this population views its own digital skills, barriers to digital literacy, and the social and institutional support system it draws on for help with technology. A lack of skills and limited social and institutional systems make it difficult for older adults to gain experience and comfort with technology. However, support systems, such as family and peers, can help mediate older adults' reluctance with technology. We propose a model with the aim of understanding the needs of older adults in gaining greater digital literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]