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Digital Literacies in NC: Moving Forward

Digital Literacies in NC: Moving Forward. Hiller A. Spires Professor & Sr. Research Fellow College of Education Friday Institute. Presentation for Leading Innovation 2012, March 27, 2012. Research Funded by Strategic Research Initiative, NCSU, 2011.

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Digital Literacies in NC: Moving Forward

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  1. Digital Literacies in NC: Moving Forward Hiller A. Spires Professor & Sr. Research Fellow College of Education Friday Institute Presentation for Leading Innovation 2012, March 27, 2012.Research Funded by Strategic Research Initiative, NCSU, 2011. http://thedigitalsanctuary.org/2008/10/18/churches-operating-internet-campuses/

  2. What are digital literacies and why shouldwecare? http://thedigitalsanctuary.org/2008/10/18/churches-operating-internet-campuses/

  3. Digital Literacies: Moving Forward • We must all (that’s me and you!) grow our own digital literacy capacity in order to help facilitate digital literacy growth at the district, school, and classroom level. • Digital literacies are key for assessment in 2014. • Digital literacies are key in supporting and enhancing students in meeting Common Core and Essential Standards. 

  4. Proposed definition of digital literacy practices

  5. Reading is becoming more complex!

  6. Online Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies • Read to identify important questions • Read to locate information • Read to critically evaluate the usefulness of that information • Read to synthesize information to answer those questions • Read to communicate the answers to others • Don Leu & Julie Coiro, 2007

  7. Background Perspectives on Digital Literacy • Digital literacy is the “ability to understand and use information in multiple formats from a wide range of sources when it is presented via computers” (Gilster, 1997). • Contemporary literacy is a deictic term since the forms and functions of literacy rapidly change as technologies for information and communication change (Leu et al., 2009). • “Traditionally we wouldn’t consider someone literate if they could read but not write. Today we shouldn’t consider someone literate if they can consume but not produce media” (Jenkins, et al., 2006). • Terms like "literacy," "fluency," and "competency" can all be used to describe the ability to steer a path through digital environments to find, evaluate, and accommodate information (Fieldhouse & Nicholas, 2008).

  8. Research Questions • What are the digital literacy practices of NC teachers (4th, 7th and 10th grade)? • How do teachers view digital literacy?

  9. Study Design • Exploratory mixed methods design, which enabled the use of qualitative results from focus groups to explain and build upon initial quantitative survey results (Creswell& Plano-Clark, 2007). • Stratified random sample. • Two school districts from each of North Carolina’s 7 Economic Development Regions.

  10. North Carolina 7 Economic Regions

  11. Participants

  12. Survey Instrument: Levels of Teaching Innovation (LoTi) Survey • Provides the framework for personalized digital-age development profile identification of specific levels of technology implementation. • Valid and reliable survey (for content, construct, and criterion validity, see Moersch,1995; 2008). • Sample questions using a likert format: • I model and facilitate the effective use of current and emerging digital tools and resources (e.g., streaming media, wikis, podcasting) to support teaching and learning in my classroom. • I promote global awareness in my classroom by providing students with digital opportunities to collaborate with others of various cultures.

  13. LoTiLevels Nonuse (Level 0) – technology is not used in the classroom, viewed as unrelated to student achievement Awareness (Level 1)- technology is used mostly by the teacher, information in the form of lecture. Exploration (Level 2) - use technology to supplement the curriculum and underline lower level thinking Infusion (Level 3) - use technology to complement selected lessons, provide detailed exposure to content and to stress higher-level thinking Integration Mechanical (Level 4a) – use technology for applied learning, they have shifted to a learner- centered approach but have not yet fully integrated digital tools and resources in the classroom.

  14. LoTiLevels Integration Routine (Level 4b) – use technology for learner-centered approach but are not incorporating multiple technologies. Expansion (Level 5) – use technology for learner-centered approach; multiple technologies are used but are not entirely integrated. Refinement (Level 6) - an entirely learner-centered technology approach where a disconnect no longer exists between instruction and technology in the classroom.

  15. Procedures • Teachers were asked to complete the online (LoTi) survey in order to identify teachers’ knowledge levels pertaining to digital literacies, as well as their practices related to digital literacies. • Thirteen teachers, randomly selected from those who scored LoTilevels 4b – 6, participated in the follow up focus group. • A semi-structured focus group session was conducted to elicit elaborations and member check understandings of digital literacy knowledge and practices from the survey. • Teachers were randomly placed into two focus groups.

  16. Survey Results

  17. Survey Results

  18. Focus Group Session Results Through a constant comparative analysis procedure, four themes emerged from the focus group: (1) Today’s students need 21st century skills (e.g., problem solving, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity). “They don’t read it. They find a picture and read the caption. If it is not quick or flashing they can’t find it. They need to know how to read, how to find it on the internet and know if it is valuable or not.” (2) Teachers’ roles are changing. “Sometimes students learn better from their peers. Todays’ teachers need to be willing to work outside of their comfort zone and to be open to learning from their students.”

  19. Focus Group Session Results (3) We need technology and professional development in order to be technology savvy. “Once a school buys a program, we are required to learn the program on our own. It would be more helpful if the content was presented when the technology was introduced.” (4) We have challenges implementing digital technology in the classroom. “We have used students cell phones for Google searches, taking pictures and even as a stopwatch (we don’t even have stopwatches in school).”

  20. Preliminary Conclusions • Only 12% of NC teachers fully integrated digital tools and resources in a learner-centered approach (levels 4b – 6), placing an emphasis on student action and higher-level thinking. None of the teachers reached the level of Refinement (level 6). • Teachers reported that integration of 21st century skills/themes and student achievement were the two most important school priorities. • There appears to be a disconnect between what teachers believe to be the most important school priority and the level of support they are receiving. • Technology is evolving at a fast pace; school infrastructure and teacher capacity are lagging.

  21. Digital Literacies: Moving Forward • We must all (that’s me and you!) grow our own digital literacy capacity in order to help facilitate digital literacy growth at the district, school, and classroom level. • Digital literacies is key for assessment in 2014. • Digital literacies is key in supporting and enhancing students in meeting Common Core and Essential Standards. 

  22. newlit.org

  23. THANK YOU! Let me hear from you. hiller_spires@ncsu.edu http://thedigitalsanctuary.org/2008/10/18/churches-operating-internet-campuses/

  24. References Coiro, J., Knobel, M., Lankshear, C., & Leu, D. J. (Editors). (2008). Handbook of Research in New Literacies. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Creswell, J. & Plano-Clark, V. (2007). Designing and conducting mixed methods research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Fieldhouse, M. & Nicholas, N. (2008). Digital literacy as information Savvy: The road to information literacy. In M. Knobel & C. Lankshear (eds.) Digital literacies concepts, policies and practices (pp. 43-72). New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing. Gee, J. P. (2007). Good video games and good learning: Collected essays on video games, learning, and literacy. New York: Peter Lang. Gee, J. P. (2010). New digital media and learning as an emerging area and "worked examples" as one way forward. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. Gilster, P. (1997). Digital literacy. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Leu, D. J., O’Bryne, W. I., Zawilinski, L., McVerry, J. G., & Everett-Cacopardo, H. (2009). Comments on Greenhow, Robelia, and Hughes: Expanding the new literacies conversation. Educational Researcher,38(4), 264-269. Moersch, C. (1995, November). Levels of technology implementation (LoTi): A framework for measuring classroom technology use. Learning and Leading With Technology, 40-44. Eugene, OR: ISTE

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