Session Information
16 SES 04 A, Digital Literacy
Paper Session
Contribution
ICT plays a key role in the social, educational and economic changes of the present information society (Anderson, 2008; Mioduser, Nachmias & Forkosh Baruch, 2008). Consequently, pupils need to possess a set of ICT-related capabilities to cope with the challenges accompanying those current transformations (Kozma, 2008). A myriad of terms have been used to describe various sets of ICT-related capabilities, such as ICT-literacy, digital literacy, ICT-fluency and ICT-skills (Markauskaite, 2006). Not only are these various concepts interchangeably used in different contexts, these terms also possess different semantic meanings. The expression of digital literacy for example has many conflicting and diverging understandings (Rosado & Bélisle, 2007). While some authors describe digital literacy as the ability to use digital skills such as the ability to access data, to use digital applications and to use digital software, other studies conceive it as a special kind of mindset (Eshet, 2002). The latter means that digital literacy must be perceived as more than the technological ability to use digital sources effectively (Bawden, 2008). Similarly Gilster (1997) defines digital literacy as the traditional idea of literacy in the digital age, meaning “the ability to read, write and otherwise deal with information using the technologies and formats of the time” (Bawden, 2008) – and as an essential life skill (Bawden, 2008; Drenoyianni, Stergioulas & Dagiene, 2008). In this view, digitally literate pupils can thoughtfully deploy digital competences in authentic life situations, problems and tasks (Martin, 2006). So digital competences are broader than digital skills. When conceptualized as the integrated and functional use of digital knowledge, skills and attitudes (Ananiadou & Claro, 2009; Sinnaeve, van Braak, Tondeur, Evers, 2008), the former seems to include the latter.
Because of the different interpretations of digital literacy, there is little consensus about a minimal set of competences people must acquire to be digital literate (Markauskaite, 2006). Consequently, the purpose of this research is to delineate the concept of digital literacy and competences as well as to identify the digital competences children must acquire at the end of primary education to be digital literate. This leads us to the following research questions: 1) How can both digital literacy and digital competences be conceptualized and how are both concepts interrelated? 2) Which set of digital competences must students acquire to be digital literate at the end of primary education?
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Ananiadou, K., & Claro, M. (2009). 21st century skills and competences for New Millennium Learners in OECD countries. Paper presented at the New Millennium Learners Conference – 21st Century Skills and Competencies, Brussels Anderson, R.E. (2008). Implications of the information and knowledge society for education. In: Voogt, J., & Knezek, G. (Eds.). International Handbook of Information Technology in Primary and Secondary Education (pp. 5-22). New York: Springer Bawden, D. (2008). “Origins and concepts of digital literacy”. In: Lankshear, C., & Knobel, M. (Eds.). Digital Literacies: concepts, policies and practices (pp. 17-32). New York: Peter Lang Drenoyianni, H., Stergioulas, L.K., & Dagiene, V. (2008). The pedagogical challenge of digital literacy: reconsidering the concept – envisioning the ‘curriculum’ – reconstructing the school. International Journal Of Social and Humanistic Computing, 1 (1), 53-66 Kozma, R.B. (2008). Comparative Analysis of Policies for ICT in Education. In: Voogt, J., & Knezek, G. (eds.). International Handbook of Information Technology in Primary and Secondary Education (pp. 1083-1096). New York: Springer Markauskaite, L. (2006). "Toward an integrated analytical framework of information and communications technology literacy: from intended to implemented and achieved dimensions". Information Research – An International Electronic Journal, 11(3). Retrieved October 4, 2009, from http://informationr.net/ir/11-3/infres113.html Mioduser, D., Nachmias, R., & Forkosh-Baruch, A. (2008). New Literacies for the Knowledge Society. In: Voogt, J., & Knezek, G. (Eds.). International Handbook of Information Technology in Primary and Secondary Education (pp. 23-42). New York: Springer Petticrew, M., & Roberts, H. (2006). Systematic Reviews in the Social Sciences: A Practical Review. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Rosado, E., & Bélisle, C. (2006). Analysing Digital Literacy Frameworks. A European Framework for Digital Literacy. LIRE, Université Lyon 2, Lyon. Retrieved October 5, 2009, from http://lire.ish-lyon.cnrs.fr/IMG/pdf/Analysing-Edu-Frameworks.pdf Sinnaeve, I., van Braak, J., Tondeur, J., & Evers, M. (2008). ICT competence: what's in a name? Paper presented at the European Conference of Educational Research (ECER), Goteborg, Sweden, 10-12 September.
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