Can we teach digital literacies?

There is a disconnect between teaching and learning. Not everything that is taught in school is learnt. And not everything that is learnt in school is actually taught. Many of the things we know as adults may have been propagated in school, but it is only through experience that we actually consolidate that knowledge, usually in later life, post-schooling. A lot is also forgotten (and therefore arguably, never learnt) from our school years. We are at the mercy of the curriculum of our time, and also the whims of the teaching staff who were in charge of our education. In my experience, some teachers were excellent, some were mediocre, and some frankly, should never have become teachers in the first place. Governments continually tinker with curricula, and tend to interfere in school systems, dictating what should be included and excluded from lessons. Public money funds the systems, so they feel it is their right (as democratically elected representatives of the public) to manage the education of the population. They don't always get it right, and in the final analysis, it is often left to the teacher in the classroom to interpret exactly what is contained in each lesson, and how it is to be delivered.

In a blog post entitled 'Digital literacies and the bottom line' Steve Philp questions whether digital literacies should be taught as a part of the school curriculum. The term 'digital literacies' is a relatively recent addition to our vocabulary. It is essentially the skill set that enables us to become digital citizens. (For a deeper explanation of the concept, please read What Digital Literacies?)  Let me respond to Steve's blog post by stating that I don't think that digital literacies can be taught - at least not in formal settings. I believe they can only be learnt informally, mainly due to the fact that many of them are personal, relating directly to a particular student's presence, identity and activities online. That however, does not preclude teachers from supporting the acquisition of digital literacies. Let me explain further:

Learning 'how to' (or procedural knowledge), is often implicit in the learning of a concept (the factual or declarative knowledge is the other part of the equation). But often it is not, and if it is not explicated, the students fails to apprehend the full nuances of the concept.  Digital literacies are largely procedural in nature, but have some declarative components: the learner is able to avoid copyright issues, can protect their digital identity and present their ideas across a number of diverse digital platforms, or create content that does not compromise their integrity or physical safety are just a few examples.

We cannot assume that all students will arrive in class with a fully developed set of digital literacies at their disposal. If we did, we would probably be adherents of the largely discredited Digital Natives theory. Nor can we assume that exposure to computer technology, mobile devices and social media enables them to acquire these literacies through some mysterious form of osmosis. Steve Philps claims that many of his contemporaries are highly digitally literate, holding key jobs in hi-tech industries. He says they did not learn these literacies formally at school. Perhaps not, but I bet they had ample opportunity to make mistakes later on, when they were out in the big bad world and exposed to the risks of online working. How many of them made mistakes they later regretted? How many of those mistakes could have been avoided, if the school providing them with opportunities to take those risks in a safe environment? I think schools definitely have a role to play, but it may not be direct teaching of certain things, because not everything that is learnt can be taught.

So what can schools do?

Asking students what if? questions and giving them time to find answers, within a psychologically safe environment is one method teachers can adopt. Students can construct their own personal meanings from a common question and then show and tell how they will manage their online presence. Showing examples of dangerous or risky practice and the potential consequences is another means teachers have at their disposal. This could be used as a starter activity to support the first method. Encouraging students to discuss the dangers and rewards of communicating and sharing in digital environments is also a powerful method - consolidating their learning. But look out. I don't think any of this can strictly be called 'teaching', but is more akin to facilitating and supporting.

What we can hopefully agree on is that in today's increasingly complex and connected world, everyone of us needs to maintain a sense of what is safe and what is dangerous practice. To get the best out of digital tools, each of us needs to know the boundaries and each of us needs to assimilate the culture of digital citizenship. That is why I argue that we cannot teach digital literacies, nor can we risk students learning them for themselves. There has to be a middle ground. What teachers can do I believe, is create conducive environments in which the acquisition and practice of digital literacies can be scaffolded. That way, we are preparing the next generation of digital citizens with opportunities to acquire literacies that enable them to interpret and successfully negotiate the complex, connected world they already inhabit.

Photo by Gennadiy Ratushenko


Can we teach digital literacies? by Steve Wheeler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.