"The distinctive contribution of the approach to literacy as social practice lies in the ways it involves sensitive attention to what people do with texts, how they make sense of them and use them to further their own purposes in their learning lives" (Gillen et al 2010, p.9)
The University library of the University of Illinois defines digital literacy as the ability to use digital information, tools and networks to locate, evaluate, and create information, as well as to understand the use of information in multiple formats and to perform tasks effectively in a digital environment. We most assuredly live in a digital environment. I grew up in an era where the term literacy referred to the ability to read and write, conversely, illiteracy meant a person lacked the ability to read. Today, contextually, literacy refers to digital literacy.
Approaches to digital literacy have developed alongside the application of technologies (Coiro et al 2008). Rapid development of new tools and technologies are shaping language and literacy practices. Even this course we are presently taking is evident of how digital literacy is a social practice. We interact digitally and the only time we may interact in person is at a residency or graduation. We have computers, laptops, smartphones which change the way we view the world and our place in it.
Resnick writes, "digital fluency will be a prerequisite for lifelong learning, sociability and employment opportunities" (Resnick 2002). I recently applied for a position and the application was filed online, the interview was a teleconference and the onboarding process was conducted online.
During President Obama's first campaign for the White House he utilized social media, such as Twitter, as a means to get support. He also put up a website as a means to solicit donations. At the time this was unheard of, however it speaks to how far we have come in this digital age. Today the White House has it's own website.
Yes, it is of the utmost importance to understand how literacy plays out in our lives. Although there is a digital connectedness, there is a physical disconnect. We text instead of conversing, we video chat instead of visiting each other and we also have a new set of digital dangers like internet predators, identity thieves and cyber bullies. Literacy is most assuredly a social practice because it evolves along with the new technologies.......
Said, I enjoyed reading your point about the use of social media in the political realm. I agree that 2008 was the first presidential election in which social media played an important role, and one that was capitalized on by the brilliant folks working on Obama's campaign. The architects of the campaign realized the critical importance of social media and recognized it as one of the new literacies of the future. I don't know if anyone has ever quantified the numbers, but I am sure the Obama campaign's use of Twitter and Facebook in 2008 earned them many votes. To speak to your point about the white house having it's own website: this offers another lens through which we can examine the importance of new media and literacies. For the first time ever, any American with internet access can easily go to the white house website and find out information that in the past could have taken weeks to obtain, greatly increasing the access that we as Americans have to our government.
ReplyDeleteI also identify with your closing sentiment about the physical disconnect that comes along in the digital age. Living in NYC I am usually surrounded by other people, and something that I have noticed in public spaces is the default reaction to lack of stimuli being taking out the phone. It is almost as if people have forgotten how to just "be." Whether you are online waiting for a coffee, or stopped at an intersection waiting to cross the street, people do not seem to be able to just wait without pulling out their phone. What's more fascinating is that there seems to be no intention to the usage of their phones, or technology other than it being an instinctual reaction to a lack of stimulation. As someone who grew up in the transitional time of smart phones, I find myself more aware of this and actively try to work against it.