Thinking between the lines: literacy and learning in a connected world

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to highlight trends affecting student writing and studying in the twenty‐first century and, as a consequence, the changing nature of literacy in this digital era.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses Thomas Friedman's concept of “flattener” technologies that are creating new levels of access and participation around the globe to emphasize changes that learners and schools need to use to become literate. Making use of a vignette followed by discussion of the research relevant to these developments, the features and distinguishing characteristics of these literacies are explored.FindingsSix overarching recommendations for capitalizing on present and future innovations in technology and communication that provide new potential for twenty‐first century learning and future consciousness are made: competence; convergence; curriculum; customization; collaboration; and connectivism.Originality/valueThe paper provides an overview and insight into some of the many changes and challenges impacting on the world of education due to the large‐scale availability and use of digital text and digital media. The exploration of strategies to capitalize on the media rich environments in which our students live is compelling and evidence‐based.

Alfabetización digital en la educación. Revisión sistemática de la producción científica en Scopus

“…Los primeros estudios que surgen en torno al tema de la alfabetización digital dan cuenta de la necesidad de cultivar habilidades para leer y escribir en entornos mediados por las tecnologías. Los trabajos de Inoue et al, (1997), Ferreiro (1997), Ware y Warschauer (2005), Lacey et al, (2007), resaltaron la prioridad educativa de fortalecer la lectura y la escritura en los nacientes contextos de comunicación mediados por las tecnologías, y examinaron las acciones de los gobiernos para que los estudiantes accedieran al conocimiento digital, también se analizó el surgimiento de nuevos tipos de texto y su impacto en el aprendizaje de los estudiantes (Burnett et al, 2006;Anderson, 2009). Otros estudios, realizados en el nivel de Educación Superior resaltaron la importancia de hacer homogéneas las habilidades y actitudes informáticas con las que los estudiantes ingresan a las universidades, y que los condicionan de diversas formas para acceder a los recursos que se encuentran en las bibliotecas y repositorios digitales institucionales (Neuman, 1997;LaFond, 2004;Yi, 2005;Tompson, 2006: Adeyemon, 2009.…”

Collaborative Innovation: Exploring the Intersections among Theater, Art and Business in the Classroom

“…In addition to designing creative new futures, leveraging liberal arts content positions students for the flexible, increasingly global, and diverse workplaces of the future [4], and to be part of redesigning the future workplace and thus their own work experiences [5]. Literacy in the arts can prepare students to work collaboratively within a collected intelligence, participate in social networks, negotiate cultural differences, critique existing paradigms, and navigate contradictory data [6,7].…”

Supported eText: Literacy Scaffolding for Students with Disabilities

“…Indeed, what once was labeled the "literacy medium of the future" (Anderson-Inman, 1998), digital text is now ubiquitous. It deeply influences how we read, write, and learn in both formal and informal situations (Anderson-Inman, 2009). Advocates of supported eText recommend capitalizing on the availability and modifiability of digital text by embedding specific eText supports into documents in ways that enable students to read and understand text that might otherwise be inaccessible or incomprehensible (Elkind & Elkind, 2007;Ketterlin-Geller & Tindal, 2007;Strangman & Dalton, 2005).…”