What digital literacy skills do adjuncts need? #adjunctchat

Tomorrow (Tuesday, 4 pm EDT) I will be hosting a twitter discussion at #adjunctchat.

#AdjunctChat is a weekly gathering of adjunct, contingent, part-time, visiting, and non-tenure track instructors, along with their supporters and allies, in higher education (see http://adjunctchat.wordpress.com/about/).

This week, we shall be discussing “What digital literacy skills do adjuncts need?”

The discussion will be built upon a framework of digital literacies published in:

Wheeler, S. (2012). Digital literacies for engagement in emerging online cultures. eLearn Center Research Paper Series, 5), 14-25. Retrieved from http://in3-working-paper-series.uoc.edu/ojs/index.php/elcrps/article/viewFile/1708/n5-wheeler

Throughout my career I have taught people how to use different technologies. When I made the move into higher education, I did not really appreciate that what I do is teach digital literacy. Since then, I have been investigating what digital literacy skills different professions need. To that end, while attending the Canadian Conference on Medical education (CCME) I began exploring what digital literacies physician teachers/educators need. This led to the blog post: What digital literacies do physicians need? In addition to what is written in that post, an additional digital literacy for physician educators are the skills necessary to create media presentations (e.g. PowerPoint).

I’d like to point out that digital literacy is not just about teaching “how” to do something with technology. It also involves knowing enough about the technology to be critical and make decisions about why and how the technology is used. For example, blogging is not just about creating a website using WordPress.com. You also need to understand what makes a blog different from a website, how a blog is structured, and more importantly what type of information is effectively communicated using a blog. Before someone starts blogging, they should appreciate the role a blog might play in maintaining a digital identity. In many ways, “how to use WordPress” is the easy part.

In Tuesday’s #adjunctchat session, we will discuss the following questions (I indicate Wheeler’s digital literacy category in the brackets):

1. (Self-broadcasting) Introduce yourself – please share a little about your teaching context (subject, level, etc)
2. (Managing Identity) What do you do to foster a professional digital identity? What do you want to do, and what is stopping you?
3. (Social Networking) Social networking is supported by social media, in what ways do adjuncts need to be familiar with social media?
4. (Content: organizing, repurposing, sharing) How do you use digital content in your teaching? Who owns it? Who controls it?
5. What other digital literacy skills do adjuncts need?

Please join us – everyone welcome!

Cheers,

Rebecca