ETEC 532 Literature Review: Is Digital Fluency the New Face of Technology?
Jesse Costello, Donna-Marie Hamilton, Caitlin Langford, Josh Stigall, and Cris Turple
ETEC 532: Technology in the Arts and Humanities
Prof. Alexander De Cosson
April 5, 2015
Introduction
In the last couple of decades we have seen the rise in the use of computer based technology in education. Technology in school has moved from using large desktop computers, to the push for bringing your own personal devices into the classroom. Students have been encouraged to become technological users and educators have marvelled at how skilled and technologically literate many students are. However, these technological skills are not enough, students need to develop digital fluency in order to create success in both their work and personal lives (Jeffrey, Hegarty, Kelly, Penman, Coburn, and McDonald, 2011; Marcus, 2006).
Literacy means that you know what tools to use and how to use them; students who are digitally literate seem to have the innate ability to use technology with little guidance or instruction (Togher, 2013). Proficiency in navigating these tools and interfaces has enlivened learning for many students and improved their engagement with their learning. It is important, however, that the users of technology move from being solely consumers of technology to becoming producers of technology. To become producers, students need to become digitally fluent. Digital fluency is the ability to reliably achieve desired outcomes through use of digital technology (Togher, 2013). Researchers have made the connection between fluencies and literacy, they posit that fluency is like learning a foreign language, to be literate in that language means that you have learned a few phrases and can say a couple words, but to be fluent means the ability to create your own story, and use proficiently use the language in varying situations (Togher, 2013; Wang, Myers, & Sundaram, 2013). Educators have noted that digital fluency is the new face of technology in this digital age and that it moves technology users on a continuum from digital consumers to digital creators.
Analysis, Synthesis and Critique
Educators and parents have noticed how deeply engaged students are with computer based technologies and online text genres. Likewise, students engagement with their learning has increased as more technology is introduced into the classroom. As well, their abilities to use the variety of interfaces from competing manufacturers, such as Apple or Samsung, has led to an increase in students’ digital literacy. However, it is now crucial that students become equally fluent at producing content as they are at using the varying interfaces that the digital world offers (Jeffrey et al., 2011). Many parents - and educators - are now concerned about the amount of time students spend looking at a screen for entertainment purposes. They would like to see tangible benefits produced from the abundance of screen time; that is students learning to translate skills from the online text world into their learning, potentially bringing great improvements in meta cognition (Dockterman, 2013).
A big component of digital fluency is the ability to produce or reinvent content, share it, and to collaborate. Richardson’s book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms (2006) and Tapscott’s “Rethinking Education The Net Generation As Learners” in grown up digital (2009) speaks directly to those meta cognition skills. They feel the need to get rid of the Industrial Age model of education, and stress the importance of teachers learning to use these tools so their students have the opportunity at the best jobs and lives.
Getting rid of the industrial age model and emphasizing digital age skills will help educators to prepare students for the many nouveau jobs that are unfolding in this digital age. Tapscott expresses that it is not what you know, but what you can learn that counts. Students have to master the basics and then become lifelong learners to keep up with the fast changing world. While Tapscott looks at the big picture, Richardson focuses specifically on the use of blogs, wikis, and podcasts to motivate students to learn deeply, to contribute what they know, and to allow for connections, collaborations and conversations.
One of the key elements that is missing in the discussion on digital fluency is how to help educators to become fluent in the language/transactions of the digital age. Most of the research on digital literacy provides definitions for fluency and discusses its importance, but few researchers addressed the important matter of a ‘fluency toolbox’ and how best to prepare educators to move along the continuum from literacy to fluency. This is an important gap within the field and is an area for future research. Although there is a lack of direct study in this field, some of the researchers have made suggestions on how to improve digital fluency.
Belshaw (2012) encourages educators to find the intersection between personal interests and important ideas in order to foster student engagement and the valuing of student’s cultures. He emphasizes that digital fluency is all about being able to ‘remix’ content and easily share ideas and memes as this is an important way to an influence others in the this digital age. Jeffrey et al. (2011) have noted that simply providing exposure to technology is not sufficient enough to move students from being digital literate to becoming digitally fluent. They offer that a systematic approach is crucial in this process.
Juke’s (2015) website provides an assessment checklist for the different fluencies as well as a few sample ‘scenarios’ for primary, middle, and secondary school situations. His book also adds four sample lesson plans and assessment tools for different grades and subjects. Tapscott (2009) adds seven tips at the end of his chapter on education. All of his tips are geared towards the big picture, for example - focusing on the pedagogy rather, than the technology, and a focus on teaching for lifelong learning, rather than to the test - he unfortunately has no specific suggestions on how to help create digitally fluent students. Richardson, (2006) on the other hand includes a lot of information on how to get started using technology in your classroom. He has whole chapters on how to use blogs, wikis, Flickr, and podcasts, as well as links to online examples teachers can use for inspiration. Amicicci (2014) provides classroom teachers with four recommendations to help educators access their students’ digital literacy skills in order to improve writing.
Conclusion
The studies have shown that digital fluencies have arisen naturally out of the other fluencies of the 21st century (Togher, 2013). In the discussion around digital fluencies it is important then to examine the existing frameworks that exist around digital literacies in order to see how they have led to the development of digital fluency. While the traditional models of digital literacies have highlighted some of the literacies necessary for learning in the digital age, skills such as information, media and ICT literacy, they have sometimes not being able to scaffold these skills to the level where technology users can move from mere consumers of technology, to actually using these skills to become lifelong learners. Solution, Information, Media, Collaboration and Creativity fluencies are the key components to helping technology users to move along the continuum of being mere spectators in the technology arena to being ethically engaged global citizens (Jukes, 2015). At the heart of the digital fluency is becoming ethically responsible global citizens, not only in the way we view technology, but in how we create with it and the legacy we leave for the generations to come.
References
Amicucci, A. N. (2014). "How they really talk": Two students' perspectives on digital literacies in the writing classroom. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 57(6), 483.
Belshaw, D. (2012, March 22). The essential elements of digital literacies [video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/A8yQPoTcZ78.
Dockterman, E. (2013). The Digital Parent Trap: Should your kids avoid tech--or embrace it? Retrieved from http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,2149134-3,00.html.
Hockly, N. (2012). Digital literacies. ELT Journal, 66(1), 108-112. Retrieved from: http://eltj.oxfordjournals.org/content/66/1/1.full.
Jeffrey, L., Hegarty, B., Kelly, O., Penman, M., Coburn, D., and McDonald, J. (2011). “Developing Digital Information Literacy in Higher Education: Obstacles and Supports. Journal of Information Technology Education, 10, 383-413.
Jukes, I. (2015). Global Digital Citizen Foundation. 21st Century Fluencies. Retrieved from: https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/21st-century-fluencies.
Marcus, S. (2006). ICT fluency in the 21st century. In ICT, information and communications technology fluency and high schools: a workshop summary (pp. 12-22). Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. Retrieved from: http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ubc/reader.action?docID=10141200&ppg=24.
Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. California: Corwin Press.
Tapscott, D. (2009). Chapter five: Rethinking Education The Net Generation As Learners In, grown up digital (pp. 120 - 148). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
Togher, M. (2013). Digital Fluency Introduction [Prezi Presentation]. Retrieved from https://prezi.com/ahhv6iwm1sdp/digital-fluency-introduction.
Wang, Q., Myers, M. D., & Sundaram, D. (2013). Digital natives and digital immigrants: towards a model of digital fluency. Business and Information Systems Engineering, 5(6), 409-419. Retrieved from: http://download.springer.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/static/pdf/183/art%253A10.1007%252Fs12599-013-0296-y.pdf?auth66=1427498402_8fa494d2a4be7227447e6ee36e6865ff&ext=.pdf.
Wesch, M. (2007, October 12). Visions of students today [Video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o.
Jesse Costello, Donna-Marie Hamilton, Caitlin Langford, Josh Stigall, and Cris Turple
ETEC 532: Technology in the Arts and Humanities
Prof. Alexander De Cosson
April 5, 2015
Introduction
In the last couple of decades we have seen the rise in the use of computer based technology in education. Technology in school has moved from using large desktop computers, to the push for bringing your own personal devices into the classroom. Students have been encouraged to become technological users and educators have marvelled at how skilled and technologically literate many students are. However, these technological skills are not enough, students need to develop digital fluency in order to create success in both their work and personal lives (Jeffrey, Hegarty, Kelly, Penman, Coburn, and McDonald, 2011; Marcus, 2006).
Literacy means that you know what tools to use and how to use them; students who are digitally literate seem to have the innate ability to use technology with little guidance or instruction (Togher, 2013). Proficiency in navigating these tools and interfaces has enlivened learning for many students and improved their engagement with their learning. It is important, however, that the users of technology move from being solely consumers of technology to becoming producers of technology. To become producers, students need to become digitally fluent. Digital fluency is the ability to reliably achieve desired outcomes through use of digital technology (Togher, 2013). Researchers have made the connection between fluencies and literacy, they posit that fluency is like learning a foreign language, to be literate in that language means that you have learned a few phrases and can say a couple words, but to be fluent means the ability to create your own story, and use proficiently use the language in varying situations (Togher, 2013; Wang, Myers, & Sundaram, 2013). Educators have noted that digital fluency is the new face of technology in this digital age and that it moves technology users on a continuum from digital consumers to digital creators.
Analysis, Synthesis and Critique
Educators and parents have noticed how deeply engaged students are with computer based technologies and online text genres. Likewise, students engagement with their learning has increased as more technology is introduced into the classroom. As well, their abilities to use the variety of interfaces from competing manufacturers, such as Apple or Samsung, has led to an increase in students’ digital literacy. However, it is now crucial that students become equally fluent at producing content as they are at using the varying interfaces that the digital world offers (Jeffrey et al., 2011). Many parents - and educators - are now concerned about the amount of time students spend looking at a screen for entertainment purposes. They would like to see tangible benefits produced from the abundance of screen time; that is students learning to translate skills from the online text world into their learning, potentially bringing great improvements in meta cognition (Dockterman, 2013).
A big component of digital fluency is the ability to produce or reinvent content, share it, and to collaborate. Richardson’s book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms (2006) and Tapscott’s “Rethinking Education The Net Generation As Learners” in grown up digital (2009) speaks directly to those meta cognition skills. They feel the need to get rid of the Industrial Age model of education, and stress the importance of teachers learning to use these tools so their students have the opportunity at the best jobs and lives.
Getting rid of the industrial age model and emphasizing digital age skills will help educators to prepare students for the many nouveau jobs that are unfolding in this digital age. Tapscott expresses that it is not what you know, but what you can learn that counts. Students have to master the basics and then become lifelong learners to keep up with the fast changing world. While Tapscott looks at the big picture, Richardson focuses specifically on the use of blogs, wikis, and podcasts to motivate students to learn deeply, to contribute what they know, and to allow for connections, collaborations and conversations.
One of the key elements that is missing in the discussion on digital fluency is how to help educators to become fluent in the language/transactions of the digital age. Most of the research on digital literacy provides definitions for fluency and discusses its importance, but few researchers addressed the important matter of a ‘fluency toolbox’ and how best to prepare educators to move along the continuum from literacy to fluency. This is an important gap within the field and is an area for future research. Although there is a lack of direct study in this field, some of the researchers have made suggestions on how to improve digital fluency.
Belshaw (2012) encourages educators to find the intersection between personal interests and important ideas in order to foster student engagement and the valuing of student’s cultures. He emphasizes that digital fluency is all about being able to ‘remix’ content and easily share ideas and memes as this is an important way to an influence others in the this digital age. Jeffrey et al. (2011) have noted that simply providing exposure to technology is not sufficient enough to move students from being digital literate to becoming digitally fluent. They offer that a systematic approach is crucial in this process.
Juke’s (2015) website provides an assessment checklist for the different fluencies as well as a few sample ‘scenarios’ for primary, middle, and secondary school situations. His book also adds four sample lesson plans and assessment tools for different grades and subjects. Tapscott (2009) adds seven tips at the end of his chapter on education. All of his tips are geared towards the big picture, for example - focusing on the pedagogy rather, than the technology, and a focus on teaching for lifelong learning, rather than to the test - he unfortunately has no specific suggestions on how to help create digitally fluent students. Richardson, (2006) on the other hand includes a lot of information on how to get started using technology in your classroom. He has whole chapters on how to use blogs, wikis, Flickr, and podcasts, as well as links to online examples teachers can use for inspiration. Amicicci (2014) provides classroom teachers with four recommendations to help educators access their students’ digital literacy skills in order to improve writing.
Conclusion
The studies have shown that digital fluencies have arisen naturally out of the other fluencies of the 21st century (Togher, 2013). In the discussion around digital fluencies it is important then to examine the existing frameworks that exist around digital literacies in order to see how they have led to the development of digital fluency. While the traditional models of digital literacies have highlighted some of the literacies necessary for learning in the digital age, skills such as information, media and ICT literacy, they have sometimes not being able to scaffold these skills to the level where technology users can move from mere consumers of technology, to actually using these skills to become lifelong learners. Solution, Information, Media, Collaboration and Creativity fluencies are the key components to helping technology users to move along the continuum of being mere spectators in the technology arena to being ethically engaged global citizens (Jukes, 2015). At the heart of the digital fluency is becoming ethically responsible global citizens, not only in the way we view technology, but in how we create with it and the legacy we leave for the generations to come.
References
Amicucci, A. N. (2014). "How they really talk": Two students' perspectives on digital literacies in the writing classroom. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 57(6), 483.
Belshaw, D. (2012, March 22). The essential elements of digital literacies [video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/A8yQPoTcZ78.
Dockterman, E. (2013). The Digital Parent Trap: Should your kids avoid tech--or embrace it? Retrieved from http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,2149134-3,00.html.
Hockly, N. (2012). Digital literacies. ELT Journal, 66(1), 108-112. Retrieved from: http://eltj.oxfordjournals.org/content/66/1/1.full.
Jeffrey, L., Hegarty, B., Kelly, O., Penman, M., Coburn, D., and McDonald, J. (2011). “Developing Digital Information Literacy in Higher Education: Obstacles and Supports. Journal of Information Technology Education, 10, 383-413.
Jukes, I. (2015). Global Digital Citizen Foundation. 21st Century Fluencies. Retrieved from: https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/21st-century-fluencies.
Marcus, S. (2006). ICT fluency in the 21st century. In ICT, information and communications technology fluency and high schools: a workshop summary (pp. 12-22). Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. Retrieved from: http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ubc/reader.action?docID=10141200&ppg=24.
Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. California: Corwin Press.
Tapscott, D. (2009). Chapter five: Rethinking Education The Net Generation As Learners In, grown up digital (pp. 120 - 148). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
Togher, M. (2013). Digital Fluency Introduction [Prezi Presentation]. Retrieved from https://prezi.com/ahhv6iwm1sdp/digital-fluency-introduction.
Wang, Q., Myers, M. D., & Sundaram, D. (2013). Digital natives and digital immigrants: towards a model of digital fluency. Business and Information Systems Engineering, 5(6), 409-419. Retrieved from: http://download.springer.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/static/pdf/183/art%253A10.1007%252Fs12599-013-0296-y.pdf?auth66=1427498402_8fa494d2a4be7227447e6ee36e6865ff&ext=.pdf.
Wesch, M. (2007, October 12). Visions of students today [Video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o.