Digital Literacies

There are many ways to describe the cornucopia of elements that equal digital literacies or fluencies. 

The periodical table  graphic above is a nice take and exemplifies the need to have a narrative around a concept to assist the  retention of ideas. knowledge, skills and understanding.  

In terms of describing key learning skills that translate into employability skills the 8 Digital Literacies image does it well enough. 

The image above and the following is an interpretation of the 8 digital literacies from http://www.edudemic.com/digital-literacy/...

Have a close look and reflect on these 8 elements and the realisation should emerge that this is a timeless combination of  concepts. Hence “Same Same But Different.”

    •    Cultural – Look at the context in which the literacy is situated
    •    Cognitive – How do we think when we are using a device
        (vs when we are not)?
    •    Constructive – We should aim to use technology in a constructive
          (vs a passive) way
    •    Communicative – We should be using technology to enhance our  
         communications
    •    Confident – You need to be confident to jump in feet first and
         explore/use/master/learn technology
    •    Creative – Using technology in the classroom requires some creativity
          and risk taking – don’t stick to the basics when you can test out a new
          idea or use for technology
    •   Critical – You need the ability to look at the technologies you’re using
        (and what you’re using them for) with a critical eye

• Civic- We should be using the technologies available to us for greater good (which can be widely defined)

Lee Crockett also loves alliterative mechanisms: For example the 6 Ds in his Solution Fluency or 5 Is in the Information Fluency.

His book Literacy is Not Enough: 21st Century Fluencies in the Digital Age provides another definition...

“The 21st Century Fluencies are not about technical prowess, they are critical thinking skills, and they are essential to living in this multimedia world. We call them fluencies for a reason. To be literate means to have knowledge or competence. To be fluent is something a little more, it is to demonstrate mastery and to do so unconsciously and smoothly.

Lee Crockett


Read more at: http://langwitches.org/blog/2010/07/10/21st-century-skills-literacies-fluencies/ | Langwitches Blog

What does all this lead to...?  An emphasis  on: 
 “self-determination and the ongoing development of transferable skills and capabilities for not just educational settings, but life beyond school. While some structured support will still exist from the teacher, students are invited to negotiate which resources are used, which assessable criteria are drawn up, methods of learning and destinations. 

They are deliberately placed in a situation which is challenging, not linear and capitalises on skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, entrepreneurship, collaboration and creativity with regularity. Learning then becomes personalised and engagement and investment in learning becomes emotional and cognitively enhancing.”
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http://thecentreonline.com.au/2014/01/15/engagement-motivation-conformity/