9. Springing the Floor for a Different Kind of Dance

Abstract

First and foremost, the editor of this volume would like to thank the European Science Foundation for making possible both the original working group along with its meetings, and this open access publication. The NeDiMAH network continues to be a point of reference for scholars who are exploring not just how to use digital methods in the humanities and what it means to do this, but also what is at stake in the digital turn for our diverse and yet interconnected disciplines. It would be remiss not to also thank the participants in the NeDiMAH events: their contributions to that early discussion are woven into the fabric of this volume and the issues it pursues. In particular, I would like to thank the Zadar meeting group:

The future scribe: Learning to write the world

“…Apparently, the Swedish school seems yet to lack a readiness to orchestrate the digital literacy skills that Vee (2017) and Edmond (2020) formulate as textual skills in reading and writing code, and that can be applied to a multitude of purposes in society. Programming in mathematics and technology is rather focused on mathematical problem-solving and technological constructions, hence, on subject-specific knowledge, while coding literacy stretches to all areas of society, including social sciences and the humanities.…”

“…The main difference with Swedish policy document emerges through the mention of "ICTcreativity, " which allows for using programming as a tool in a range of subjects, not only in technology and mathematics. The explicit formulation regarding general ICT knowledges and skills also caters for a reflection on digital literacy as non-specialized competences, that should, according to Vee (2017) and Edmond (2020), include reading and writing code. Within the Danish school perspective, framing programming solely through mathematics and technology thus seems counterproductive for implementing digital literacy pertaining to programming.…”

“…Analogies and interdependencies between reading and writing text and code are further echoing in two recent books on the topic, one from the field of digital humanities, and one from the field of computer science (Vee, 2017;Edmond, 2020). Vee (2017) uses reading and writing to promote a democratization of coding, with the aim to make scripting a basic literacy skill for all.…”

“…The latter is more reflective regarding how core skills in the humanities, such as reading and writing, can adopt and integrate technological development. Vee (2017) and Edmond (2020) observe an obvious relationship and convergence of practices between reading and writing code vis-à-vis text. Nevertheless, neither of the perspectives manage to forge a pathway for a balanced discussion across technology and the humanities, regarding reading and writing of the future.…”