a home for converging literacies: the center for digital fluency at george mason university craig...

A Home for Converging Literacies:A Home for Converging Literacies: The Center for Digital Fluency at George Mason The Center for Digital Fluency at George Mason UniversityUniversity

Craig GibsonCraig GibsonAssociate University LibrarianAssociate University Librarian

Research, Instruction and Outreach ServicesResearch, Instruction and Outreach Services

Sharon P. PittSharon P. PittExecutive DirectorExecutive Director

Division of Instructional TechnologyDivision of Instructional Technology

CNI 2008 - Washington, DC

• For permission guidelines and use restrictions, please contact Craig Gibson ([email protected]) or Sharon Pitt ([email protected])

Copyright © George Mason University

mailto:[email protected]


Session Goals

• Background on information literacy/fluency • Convergences at Mason• The space• Examples of projects

A Home for Converging LiteraciesA Home for Converging Literacies : :The Center for Digital Fluency at George Mason UniversityThe Center for Digital Fluency at George Mason University

About….

• George Mason University– Public, research/doctoral institution– Founded in 1972– Enrollment: 29,889– Five campuses (one in the United Arab Emirates)– 159 degree programs

A Home for Converging LiteraciesA Home for Converging Literacies : :The Center for Digital Fluency at George Mason UniversityThe Center for Digital Fluency at George Mason University

Two Traditions

Library

Library Instruction Bibliographic Instruction User Education

Academic Computing

Computer Literacy Technology Literacy

A Home for Converging Literacies :A Home for Converging Literacies :The Center for Digital Fluency at George Mason UniversityThe Center for Digital Fluency at George Mason University


Library

Library Instruction Bibliographic Instruction User Education

Focus:– skill development– specific libraries

& tools– individual student

Academic Computing

Computer Literacy Technology Literacy

Focus:– skills and training– computer software &

hardware– individual student

Two Traditions

Computer Literacy: Capsule HistoryComputer Literacy: Stages of Development (Allan Martin)

Mastery Phase (—mid-1980s) All powerful machines—knowledge/skill necessary for mastery computer programming languages computer basics training

Application Phase (mid-1980s—late 1990s) mass marketing, simple user interfaces computer is “everyday tool” practical skills rather than arcane knowledge

Reflective Phase (late 1990s—present) more than technical skills evolution into “IT Fluency” learning involves critical thinking, reflection merging with other learning agendas Educational Testing Service develops ICT literacy test

Martin, Allan. “Literacies for the Digital Age.” In Digital Literacies for Learning. London: Facet Publishing, 2006.


Skills (Mastery) Stage

Applications

Reflective/Meta-abilities


The Layering Effect:the movement toward general learning abilities


Information Literacy: Capsule HistoryPrecursors: Bibliographic/Library Instruction (1960s)

grassroots movement in library reference services focus on skills and the individual student linked with behaviorist learning theory place-bound perspective (one library’s print resources) manifested in “one-shot” classes on library skills

Transitional Stage: Library-centric Information Literacy (1980s) professional recognition of instruction as specialty in librarianship focus on cognitive learning, concepts, critical thinking concern with learning transfer manifested in range of pedagogies and delivery mechanisms course-integrated is the ideal

Collaboration Stage: Convergences with others (mid 1990s—) conversations with multiple stakeholders formulation of Information Literacy Competency Standards concern with learning outcomes, outcome-based assessment connections with writing across the curriculum, evidence-based and resource-

based learning, critical thinking, undergraduate research sponsorship of the IL agenda by groups outside librarianship (AAHE, CIC) impact of the networked, digital environment

Socio-cultural Stage: Links with the Knowledge-Building (2003—) Web 2.0 applications; user-generated content the “Participatory Culture” concern with distributed cognition, collective intelligence student-led learning, mentoring, gaming, immersive environments connections with authentic learning contexts, internships, service learning,

knowledge management in business and community organizations focus on the practice of IL; also issues of engagement, ethics research of Henry Jenkins, Bereiter and Scardamalia


Information Literacy: Capsule History

Information Literacy

Doyle

Library-centric, linear processes

Expert-determined

Individual attributes

Cognitive abilities only

KulthauProcess, seeking meaning

Recursive stages

Role of affect

Bruce

Multiple perspectives

Experiential dimensions

Both academic, non-academic

Socio-cultural

Learning enterprise-wide

Focus on authenticity, practice

Collective intelligence

Knowledge-building

Individual, skill-based

Collective intelligence


IT Fluency

Foundational understandings: networks, computers

Contemporary software skills

Critical thinking applications (e.g., ethical issues)

National Research Council. Fluency with Information Technology, 2000.


Research agenda: Media education

The Participation Gap

The Transparency Problem

The Ethics Challenge

Jenkins, Henry, et. al. Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century. Comparative Media Studies Program, Massachusetts Institute of

Technology, 2006.


Forms of Participatory Culture

expressions

collaborative problem-solving

circulations

Jenkins, Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture, 2006.

Memberships: Facebook, MySpace

New creative forms: digital sampling, filmmaking, zines

Teams that develop new knowledge or skills: wikis, gaming

Shaping media: blogging, podcasting


affiliations


Play

Performance

Simulation

Appropriation

Multitasking

Distributed Cognition

Collective Intelligence

Judgment

Transmedia navigation

Networking

NegotiationJenkins, Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture, 2006.

The core skills for media education


Play

Performance

Simulation

Appropriation

Multitasking

Distributed Cognition

Collective Intelligence

Judgment

Transmedia navigation

Networking

Negotiation

Formulating questions

Searching

Evaluating

Managing information

Presenting results

Applying ethical standards

Information Technology Fluency

Core Skills of Media Education

Core Abilities of Information Literacy

CNI 2008 - Washington, DC

Skills (Mastery) Stage

Applications

Reflective/Meta-abilities


The Layering Effect:the movement toward general learning abilities

Experience, multiple perspectives, social learning

Process, meaning, affect

Attributes, Individual Skills


Convergences: A series of prisms

Information Literacy prism


Research Process

“Approved Content”

Information Mgt

Critical Thinking

Format-independence

Focus on ethics

IT Fluency prism


Flexible reasoning applied to technology use (“fluency”)

Developmental stages

Focus on ethics

Media Education prism


User-generated content, creativity

New learning environments

Social learning

Authentic practice

Focus on ethics

Convergences: A series of prisms

“Search”

Information Management

Internalized criteria for searching

Internalized criteria for evaluation of information

Knowledge-building, user-

generated content

Reflection and Self-assessment

Knowledge management

“Practice” in academic and non-academic

settingsFluency with technology

Ethical standards



User-generated content forces questions of authority

Challenge of creating authentic, assessable learning tasks connected to the “participatory

culture”

Need for integrative skill sets among collaborators (e.g. educational technologists, librarians, faculty, assessment specialists)

Collaborative curriculum design process

Implications for teaching and learning


Implications for teaching and learning

Designing curricula and assignments to encourage student leadership in ethical

behavior

Students as teachers, mentors, co-creators of curricula and projects

Leveraging the co-curriculum and Student Life

Designing physical and virtual spaces for blended literacies to be practiced

Convergences at Mason• President’s Library Task Force Report (2005)

– Information literacy is an educational priority for the GMU Libraries

• State Council of Higher Education of Virginia (2006)– SCHEV designates critical thinking as one of six competencies that

all students who graduate from Virginia institutions should acquire

• Technology across the Curriculum (2007)– TAC needs to ensure sustainability, including the need to broaden

impact, expand awareness, acquire production support, and strengthen collaboration among program stakeholders

• Division of Instructional Technology (2007)– The reorganization of DoIT recognizes the evolving importance of

digital technologies in the learning mission of the University and the convergence of national and local trends in information fluency


Stakeholders

• Beyond faculty and students– Center for Teaching Excellence– Critical Thinking across the Curriculum– Technology across the Curriculum

– Division of Instructional Technology– Educational Services– New Century College


What’s in the CDF?

Facilities for:– Student collaboration and study– Communication and collaboration– Training and certification testing– Creation of technology-enhanced learning materials


• Reconfigurable Furniture• Accessible, Acoustic Dry Erase Boards• Wireless Network Access• Collaborative software/tools

– Videoconferencing– Personal response systems– Present from anywhere systems


Design Considerations

• Flexible spaces with movable furniture– active involvement and a sense of ownership

• Easy demonstration and modeling• Easy work sharing, archiving and reflection

– group assessment, sense of achievement and continuation of projects


Considerations for Collaboration

Examples of IL Projects• Creation of tutorials for discipline-specific information

fluency within a learning management system

• Members of the Multimedia Users Group meet with a media literacy expert, via videoconference

• The TAC coordinator, cohort faculty, and assessment staff evaluate projects created by TAC students

• University Life collaborates with instructional designers to develop cybersafety training for students

• Faculty teaching CTAC courses work with librarians to create online materials that support critical thinking learning objectives.


Questions – Answers – Contact Info• Craig Gibson

[email protected]

• Sharon P. [email protected]




a home for converging literacies: the center for digital fluency at george mason university craig...

Documents

digital literacies

digital fluency

converging literacies

george mason university

fluency learning

digital age

cognitive learning

learning transfer