Chapter 2
Your Learning in a Digital World
Abstract
In this chapter you are challenged to step back and consider your own information seeking and learning strategies, to question the assumptions that lie at the bottom of your approaches to academic tasks and to explore whether there might be more effective ways of performing in the academic environment. Importantly, you will assess your own digital literacy level to provide a baseline on which you can build as you progress through this textbook and develop your digital skills. Remember that learning is a process. This chapter helps you to examine this process as your personal learning journey in which you set learning goals for your overall learning, appropriately incorporating digital tools and resources to support your learning needs.
Keywords
Digital competencies; Digital learning; Digital learning environment; Digital literacy; Learning management; Learning strategies; University educationOne of the first essential tasks for a digital detective is to understand the meaning of digital literacy. What is digital literacy? How does it fit with your learning needs for university? What are your learning needs for university? This chapter challenges you to step back and consider your own information seeking and learning strategies in the current digital environment, to question the assumptions that lie at the bottom of approaches to academic tasks, and to explore whether there might be more effective ways of performing in the academic environment.
In this chapter, you will:
• consider the meaning of digital literacy.
• reflect on your own learning strategies.
• explore ways of learning in a digital context.
• consider effective means of managing learning in the digital environment.
By the end of the chapter, you should have a better understanding of your own level of digital literacy, as well as some ideas on how you might leverage digital tools and resources for learning at university.
2.1. What Is Digital Literacy?
The term digital literacy is attributable to Paul Gilster (1997), who referred to digital literacy as a logical extension to literacy, defining the term as “the ability to understand and use information in multiple formats from a wide range of sources when it is presented via computers.” While digital literacy has been associated with positive social engagement, for example, as an attribute of engaged citizens and employees, defining this term has proven to be complex, because the digital environment is constantly changing (e.g., Pangrazio, 2014). In definitions, there is often an emphasis on mastery of skills and tools. The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (2013) echoes Gilster’s definition:
[Digital literacy is] the ability to use digital technology, communication tools or networks to locate, evaluate, use and create information. It also refers to the ability to understand and use information in multiple formats from a wide range of sources when presented via computers, or to a person’s ability to perform tasks effectively in a digital environment.
Digital technologies, as well as the digital information involved, are equally important to digital literacy. Digital devices, such as computing and communication instruments, and tools, such as databases, enable access, management, and creation of digital information. These means of interacting with digital information are viewed as networking devices, rather than simply computing devices. The digital information itself offers the digital material to be acted upon. Our capabilities, demonstrated through our interaction with this digital environment, determine our level of digital literacy.
According to the American Libraries Association’s Digital Literacy Task Force (2011), a digitally literate person is someone who:
• possesses the variety of skills – technical and cognitive – required to find, understand, evaluate, create, and communicate digital information in a wide variety of formats;
• is able to use diverse technologies appropriately and effectively to retrieve information, interpret results, and judge the quality of that information;
• understands the relationship between technology, life-long learning, personal privacy, and stewardship of information;
• uses these skills and the appropriate technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, colleagues, family, and on occasion, the general public; and
• uses these skills to actively participate in civic society and contribute to a vibrant, informed, and engaged community.
The European Union refers to digital literacy as digital competence and includes this in its standard of eight key competencies for lifelong learning:
Digital Competence can be broadly defined as the confident, critical and creative use of ICT [Information and Communications Technologies] to achieve goals related to work, employability, learning, leisure, inclusion and/or participation in society. Digital competence is a transversal key competence which, as such, enables us to acquire other key competences (e.g., language, mathematics, learning to learn, cultural awareness). It is related to many of the 21st Century skills which should be acquired by all citizens, to ensure their active participation in society and the economy.
This EU report offers a self-assessment tool for evaluating digital literacy or competencies in five areas (information retrieval, evaluation, and management; communication; content creation; safety in the digital environment; and problem solving) with three proficiency levels: A, foundation level; B, intermediate level; C, advanced level (Ferrari, 2013).
This self-assessment rubric (Figure 2.1) can help you to identify your own digital competencies by inviting you to consider your strengths and weaknesses in the digital environment. This self-evaluation will help you consider areas for improvement, so that you can start planning how to fill any gaps in your digital skills.
2.2. Learning at University: Where Do I Start?
University education, particularly in the first year, can be daunting. University education provides significant freedom, enabling students to design their education to satisfy their learning goals within the framework of a degree programme. To make the most of learning in this unique environment, it is essential to plan ahead. This requires you to consider carefully your learning goals and how you can achieve them.
Start by visualizing learning. What do you think learning means? Where does learning take place? For example, in the university environment, where and when would you feel that you were learning? There are no right or wrong answers to these questions; learning can be perceived differently by individuals, and different approaches to learning may be more effective for different people. University education provides a range of formal learning opportunities, including lectures, tutorials, seminars, computer-assisted labs, and so on. A range of digital opportunities may be present in these learning contexts. It is important to consider how learning may be associated with the presence of digital technologies and information. Consider how you learn and the essential supports for your learning.
Students often think about their learning in terms of what they must do to demonstrate learning, that is, assigned tasks for course credit. Remember that the process of learning is important here as well. Continuously improving how you learn will help you succeed with the learning you must achieve in a given situation. Breaking down the process can help you visualize the different aspects of learning; for example, learning in the context of an assigned task may be considered in terms of analyzing the task to be completed and the information required to complete the task, gathering evidence to complete the task, completing the task, and reviewing feedback about the finished product.
While working through an understanding of the process of how we learn, it can be useful to record your thoughts as you explore your learning. A common piece of advice—one meant to encourage you to reflect on your learning as it happens—is to keep a learning journal. Start now with ideas about the meaning of learning to you and the contexts in which it happens, as well as the learning outcomes you wish to achieve. Track your progress throughout your studies, so that you can identify your learning successes and points where you might try alternative learning approaches to achieve further.
Keeping a record of learning will enable you to document learning as a process and, critically, to understand how you learn. The journal will also help prepare you for continuing the learning process beyond university. Learning to learn and monitoring your progress are crucial early steps in becoming an effective, lifelong learner. As a lifelong learner, you will be better positioned to maintain essential digital competencies.
2.3. How People Learn in Digital and Blended Spaces
Just as individuals have learning preferences in the offline world, they may also have learning preferences in the digital world. However, digital learning is about more than tools and resources alone. Connectivity is essential; for example, if you identify a technology that you feel supports your learning, consider also how the technology increases your connectivity. How does the technology connect you to other people, devices, and networks?
Learners in a digital world can benefit from the flexibility that the digital space offers. However, while students may feel that they are digital natives who are very comfortable with technology, they may not understand the extent to which learning can be connected to the digital. Digital learning may occur in offline, online, and blended spaces. For example, some instructors use Twitter to poll students about a given topic in the traditional offline lecture setting. Students may complete assessments, such as tests, through a university’s learning management system (e.g., Blackboard).
A recent popular trend has been MOOCs—formally known as a massive open online courses—in which learning materials, ranging from traditional items, such as readings, to digital learning supports, such as videos, can be openly accessed via the Internet for a range of topics. In addition to self-study, a MOOC offers a community space where students can discuss topics with instructors or other students. Various mobile device apps, such as Coursera, offer easy access to MOOCs. MOOCs have been found to cost significant amounts of money to run and update periodically (e.g., Parr, 2015; Stein, 2013). In addition, MOOC completion rates have been observed to be a fraction of initial enrolment (e.g., Sandeen, 2013; Stein, 2013), suggesting a possible disconnect at some point between learner and the completely digital learning environment of the MOOC.
2.4. How Can a Digital Context Enhance My Learning?
Importantly, the digital learning environment can provide personalized learning. Instructors and students can use the digital environment to enhance learning, and this raises two important considerations for learning. First, reflect on why an instructor might incorporate one or more digital elements into your learning; digital tools and resources are added to your learning environment for a specific pedagogical reason. Second, think about how you can finesse your learning with digital tools and resources that are already familiar to you. Is there an app that you may have used previously that you might repurpose for greater learning now?
Think carefully about your learning goals and how digital tools and resources might support you. Using technology in your learning environment not only accustoms you to new digital opportunities and possibly advances your use of existing technologies, but also helps you to develop digital skills that you can take with you after you complete your university education.
2.5. Being a Reflective Detective: Managing Your Own Learning
Managing your own learning is a significant task that must be started as soon as possible to enable you to take charge and maintain control of your learning. University life offers an abundance of academic and extracurricular activities. While social life at university can provide entertainment as well as social learning, take care to organize your overall university experience so that you have sufficient time for both forms of activities. As you work through this textbook, you will learn about opportunities to use digital tools and resources effectively to help you organize your time and your approach to a variety of academic tasks, such as reading, note-taking, studying, and preparing for assessment.
2.6. Challenges
Before you delve into the digital dilemmas presented in the next chapters, consider your own learning needs and approaches by completing the following exercises.
1. Evaluate your own digital literacy using the self-assessment template offered by the European Union (Figure 2.1). Identify areas where you might improve your digital literacy. Because digital literacy is part of lifelong learning, make a plan now for continuous improvement. Identify specific chapters in this textbook that may be particularly helpful to you in achieving this goal.
2. Start and keep a learning journal, as described in this chapter.
a. Set your personal learning goals to build digital competencies for your first year of university.
b. Add tasks and deadlines for these tasks, which will help you to achieve your learning goals.
c. Update your learning journal regularly throughout the academic year. Choose a time each week when you can pause and reflect on your progress, review learning goals, and revise and add to your learning goals as necessary.
3. How might digital devices, such as mobile phones, facilitate your university learning? Complete the following list of your digital device use.
Remember to return to this exercise periodically and add devices and/or uses for learning.
4. How might digital tools, such as mobile phone apps, facilitate your university learning? Complete the following list of your digital tool use for learning.
5. How might digital information facilitate your university learning? Complete the following list of your digital information use for learning.
Remember to return to this exercise periodically and add digital information used for learning.
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