Digital Literacy was one of the topics discussed at the Broadband Conference last week. We heard from folks in the field about what is happening on the front lines of technology training and adoption efforts. In a recent article on the United Way blog, Jenifer Baker Vanek helped to frame the issue and some solutions on digital literacy…

Why is this a problem?

• 70% of all jobs in the U.S. will require some computer literacy by 2016

• Nearly 75% Minnesota State College and University System faculty report having an online component to their classes

• Starting in 2014, GED exams will only be offered via computers

• New technologies have redefined literacy to include digital and information literacies

• Reading done via the Internet is “Web-literacy”, a non-linear approach to literacy combining both reading and Internet navigation skills, requiring higher-order thinking than reading paper-based, linear texts.

 

What can we do?

• Follow the recommendations of the Obama administration’s 2010 National Education Technology Plan, which calls on educators to embrace innovation and empower students to take control of their own learning by leveraging technology to connect learners to resources beyond the classroom and a wider set of “educators,” including teachers, parents, experts, and mentors.

• Train teachers to integrate technology into daily classroom instruction. Research shows that any learner, no matter how low their literacy level, can benefit from technology integration provided that adequate support is available to scaffold technology and literacy demands of learning.

• Continue to support innovation in the use of educational technology in adult literacy programs. Examples: The Gates Foundation’s English Innovations project; The Learner Web; The Northstar Digital Literacy Assessment project

Hopefully that info will help make the case and provide a jumping board for other local digital literacy efforts.