Digital literacy 1: What digital literacies?

In 2010 I presented a keynote speech at Middlesex University entitled Digital Tribes and the Social Web. One of the themes I developed during my speech was around the concept of new digital literacies. My argument is that new media and new opportunities for learning through digital technologies require new literacies. This is not just my view - it reflects the views of many other commentators including Lea & Jones (2011 in press), Beetham et al (2009) and Lankshear & Knobel (2006). Essentially, the literacies that have dominated higher education in the past are thought to be inadequate in the face of social network services, mobile technologies and pervasive computing.

Below are the digital literacies I have identified. They may not be exhaustive, and they may not be fully defined yet. But for me they constitute a kind of road map which enables me to develop themes and topics within the modules I teach to help students to maximise their learning potential using new and emerging technologies. I will try to develop my commentary around each of these in future blog posts.

Social networking skills

Transliteracy skills

Maintaining Privacy

Managing Identity

Creating content

Organising and sharing content

Reusing/repurposing content

Self broadcasting

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