User:Nowvera/Digital literacy in language learning

Digital literacy is the collaboration of two words- digital and literacy. It is about accessing the digital world and use it for learning purposes. According to Earl Mardle "our biggest challenge in digital literacy is taking organizations and moving them to a position from where they can interact with, communicate with and work with the community that is digitally enabled.Digital literacy builds upon the traditional forms of literacy.It explores different aspects of literacy like creativity, multitasking, reflecting, analyzing, problem solving etc. Using variety of its forms like blogs, wikis, podcasts etc. All the above aspects form the basis of language learning and therefore digital literacy when used efficiently goes a long way in shaping language classrooms and promoting language learning. World is no more isolated. It has become a 'global village' owing to the technology and digitization that has brought us together like never before. Therefore, for students to be educated not only means acquiring knowledge but also using it and building on it by socializing and collaborating.The word 'digital' no longer means computers. It also includes cellphones, mobile devices and software appliances which can be used in a virtual learning environment.

History

Digital literacy is not a new notion.Computers have been in use since 1940-1950s. They were initially used to perform basic arithmetic operations. In course of time, they evolved into modern computers that we know of today. This is an era of micro computers like laptops, notebooks, tablets, smartphones etc. It is not only the size and software that refined over years but also the applications revolutionized. This change is characterized by shift of user interface from web1.0 to web2.0. While in web 1.0 contributors were few and social users could only view the pages, web 2.0 allows interaction and collaboration between all its users. Web 2.0 brought in a range of internet services that identify a step change in the nature of world wide web. Throughout history,language learning has always been of important practical concern. Whether it be Latin, 500 years ago or English in the contemporary times the mode of teaching or learning languages has been a subject of constant evolution and modification. From the [[‘grammar school']] based on rote learning, translation, study of grammar and vocabulary and practicing exercises of early twentieth century to the language programs of late twentieth century based on developing oral proficiency in the languages, there has been a great reform.The latest trend in the language teaching revolves around the theory of ‘communicative language teaching’ where language is learnt through active participation of the learners rather than they being passive recipients. Web 1.0 allows static use of web pages whereas web2.0 browsers are versatile and allow wide range of user intervention. Similarly, traditional classrooms allow only ‘one way’ transmission of knowledge while modern pedagogy focuses on communication and offers an environment where learners can actively participate. Therefore, evolution in both the cases has been similar.

Milestones in theories of language learning

Multiple_intelligences

Multiple intelligences was proposed by Howard Gardner in 1993. The view of Gardner contrasts with unitary or general ability for problem solving and proposes that there exists a cluster of mental abilities that are separate but equal and that share the pinnacle at the top of the hierarchy called intelligence. According to him, there are eight intelligences.1. Visual, spatial 2. Bodily kinesthetic 3. visual 4. Interpersonal 5. Intrapersonal 6. Linguistic 7. logical-mathematical 8. Naturalist.Each individual possess one or more of these intelligences. Language learning is closely linked to linguistic intelligence. However, MI proponents believe that there is more to language learning than that is perceived. Body language, which plays an important role in effective delivery of message, relates to kinaesthetic intelligence; rhythm, tone, volume and pitch of the language link music to language. Reflection and analysis involve interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence while logical thinking and expression of emotions and feelings cater to mathematical and naturalist intelligence respectively. So a multisensory view of language is necessary. Web 2.o offers a variety of tools to cater to the needs of multisensory aspects of language learning.

Blooms taxonomy

Bloom’s taxonomy attempts to account for the new behavior and action emerging as technology advances and becomes more ubiquitous. It is not about tools or technologies rather it is about using these to facilitate learning. Blooms taxonomy follows the thinking process in increasing order from lower to higher.

         HOTS 
       Creating        
       Evaluation	web 2.0 (advanced and
       Analysis                 Boolean search)
       Application
      Comprehension    web 1.0 (basic search and   
       Knowledge                       googling)
         LOTS

Web 2.0 software and the new emergent technologies provide the development of all these skills.

Digital literacy in pedagogy – A challenge

There is something about creating digital content that draws students in like a game. It’s much more engaging than sitting at a computer and staring at the white and grey of a word processor.-Mary Minor, technology co-ordinator at the international academy.Web services are faster, less expressive and have widespread access. Web browsers offered by web2.0 loosens the barriers between production and distribution. But, enthusiastic uptake of web 2.0 in pedagogy depends on education disposition i.e., the acceptance of particular attitudes towards knowledge and its sharing. It can take flight only if it is located within system of educational delivery, management and assessment that have been fashioned in harmony with such attitudes. Web 2.0 allows user to make a difference to what internet does.

                                     Sharing

                       Collaborative knowledge building

               Expressions in the form of images, sounds and videos

          Democratic pattern of info exchanges allows research and inquiry

How teachers might capitalize on this learner engagement by drawing it into their classroom is a challenge. Widener suggests that practitioners are still unclear about how to use technology appropriately and its application is often based on common sense rather than being theoretically informed by pedagogical theory.

Affordances

Affordance is a term borrowed from ecology. An affordance is an action than an individual can potentially perform in their environment. They are a means of describing how an organism perceives its environment, with the emphasis on interaction. In technology affordances are not predefined by their particular functionality.They offer a means of bridging the gap between e-learning technologies and practitioners. In other words, the specific design and functionality does not define its pedagogical usefulness. Rather there are other important ingredients required including the imagination and creativity of the individual user as they conceptualize problems or issues in their own environment that the particular tool might facilitate or help solve. To illustrate this point McLoughlin & Lee note how blogging entails typing and editing, which are not affordances in themselves, but rather enablers of affordances which include idea sharing and interaction. According to Anderson, “The greatest affordance of the web for educational use is the profound and multifaceted increase in communication and interaction capability.”DIAL-e framework is a tool that has been designed to support educators in identifying suitable learning designs based on learner engagement rather than subject content. By using the DIAL-e framework we have begun to add value to this issue of identifying pedagogical affordances in web 2.0 technologies.

Social Software

Social software is the term that came into use in 2002 and has gained currency in recent years. It can be broadly defined as ‘software that supports interaction’. Today’s students seek greater autonomy, connectivity and socio-experiential learning. They are able to manage their own learning by selecting, integrating and using software tools and services. Current views of learning regard the notion of a teacher dominated classroom and curriculum obsolete and embrace learning environments and approaches where students take control of their own learning, make connection with peer and produce new insights and ideas through inquiry. Social software tools such as blogs, wikis social networking sites, media sharing application and social bookmarking abilities are also pedagogical tools that stem from these affordances of sharing, communication and information discovery. Careful planning and thorough understanding of the dynamics of these affordances is mandatory. Therefore, by exploiting more fully the affordances and potential for connectivity enabled by social software tools, it is possible to depict how an individual might operate and learn in a networked society, have access to ideas, resources and communities and engage primarily on knowledge creation rather than consumption.

Wikis

A wiki is a website that can be created and edited by a group collaboratively. Students can work together to collect, analyze, synthesize, review and revise information for an authentic audience. Wiki is not just an assembly of tools, software and digital strategies but a lot of concepts, practices and attitudes that define its scope. Wikipedia is an example of community publishing . Users can participate and create content becoming prosumers (both producers and consumers).Wikis entail typing and editing of pages, which are not affordances but which enable the affordances of idea sharing and interaction. In Wikipedia, users create and evaluate content for other users, resulting in a dynamic, ever expanding repository of sharable communal information. It thrives on the concept of collective intelligence "wisdom of the crowds" which acknowledge that when working cooperatively and sharing ideas, communities can be more productive than individuals working in isolation.

Digital literacy- a boon or bane

Integrated learning environments are still predominantly used for displaying web pages and rarely go beyond information dissemination and administration. In a world full of conflicts and changes, it is a challenge for the educationists to introduce new technologies. Evidence suggests that practitioners are still unclear about how to use technology appropriately and its application is based on commonsense rather than being theoretically formed by pedagogical theory (canole et al 2004). It makes pupil vulnerable as the speed with which information is accessed raises issues about quality, lack of authority of sources and lack of reflection although challenge here is not assessing material but rather knowing how to use what is available. Plagiarism is commonly found owing to the 'cut and paste' option available. It poses a serious threat to the authenticity of the materials posted by the learners. Recent studies point out the fact that more and more learners are getting addicted to the internet especially the social networking sites which are sources to variety of information thus risking what students actually acquire. --Nowvera (talk) 01:41, 17 September 2013 (UTC)

References

• Web 2.0 technologies for learning:The current landscape – opportunities, challenges and tensions. http://www.becta.org.uk.
• Evaluating pedagogical affordances of media sharing Web 2.0 technologies: a case study by Kevin Burden and Simon Atkinson.
• Social software and participatory learning: pedagogical choices with technology affordances in the web 2.0 era by Catherine McLoughlin and Mark.J.W.lee.
• What are affordances of information and communication technologies? by Grainne Conole and Martin Dyke
• Affordances and patterns by Martin Weller(2007) and Rontledge.

External links

http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Gardners+Multiple+Intelligences+and+ICT. http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Bloom%27s+Digital+Taxonomy