1. DeFT Project
Exploring the opportunities
and challenges of creative
uses of digital literacy in
schools
Anna Gruszczynska, Sheffield Hallam University
Richard Pountney, Sheffield Hallam University
2. DeFT project
About the project
Partners:
Local teachers and pupils,
• Sheffield Hallam University
teacher educators and teacher
educations students involved in: • University of Sheffield
•sharing and developing good • 5 primary and 5 secondary
practice in teaching schools in South Yorkshire
•understanding more about • Creative Industries (Learning
digital literacy Connections and RealSmart)
•exploring and sharing the • Yorkshire and Humber Grid for
potential of digital technologies Learning
•Project outputs will be shared via • Sheffield Children’s Festival
an open textbook and the
"Digital Bloom" installation
3. Context: UKOER programme
Involvement of team members in
UKOER1 and UKOER2
drawing on the principles of
social sciences knowledge
production
exploring tacit aspects of
pedagogical practice
exploring the "why" (socio-
cultural/institutional context) rather
than solely the "how" (technical
aspects) of OERs
4. Context: School sector and OERs
• Existing research on OERs in the UK focuses primarily
on HEIs
• Studies of OERs in the school sector - mostly related to
the implementation of OERs in developing countries
(TESSA, BLOSSOMS)
• Little coordinated development of resources for the
school sector (regional networks formed around
broadband consortia, partnerships with HEIs)
• BECTA-funded (British Educational Communications
and Technology Agency) project "Repurpose, Create,
Share" (demise of BECTA in 2010)
5. Frameworks for digital literacy
• Current debates focusing on issues of ICT in the
curriculum ("Shut down or restart?" Royal Society report)
• Existing frameworks (FutureLab, JISC)
• Digital literacy as a continuum between the purely social
and the purely technological
• Move from the singular ‘literacy’ to the plural ‘literacies’ to
emphasise the sheer diversity of existing accounts
(Lankshear and Knobel, 2008).
• Digital literacies as "the constantly changing practices
through which people make traceable meanings using
digital technologies" (Gillen and Barton, 2011).
• Critique of the concept of digital natives (Bennet & Maton,
2011; Merchant, 2012)
6. DL as a communicative practice
‘I gained a terrific sense of new
opportunities DLs now offering to the
classroom incl[uding] authentic audience,
remix, producing where used to be only
consumers; endeavours to enhance
students' criticality e.g. re commercialism’
(comment from project evaluator)
7. DL as a "theory of barriers"
‘When it comes to e-safety, we seem to live
in a culture of fear where we [might be]
teaching road safety but never letting the
child out’ (project meeting, secondary teacher)
•Web2.0 filters
•Technological barriers
•Access to devices
8. DL as a curricular driver
‘In terms of teaching and digital
literacy the ultimate question we
constantly need to deal with is -
is this going to help the students
when they get to an exam?
Because what I would like to see
happening is the fostering of a
community, personal growth etc.
but most of the time it is about
having to teach "for an exam“’
(focus group with PGCE students).
9. DL Tensions: sharing resources
‘polished performance’ vs. accounts of ‘real life’’
‘you have to be sharing with the
kids anyway all the time’
(focus group with PGCE students)
‘You don’t know what reaction you would
get… can you imagine if you put it on you
tube and you got loads of thumbs down?’
10. DL meanings:
Stories of a digital divide
‘My pupils were shocked to discover that I
didn’t have a mobile phone as a teenager
and when you arranged to meet with your
mates you just agreed on a meeting time
and point and then waited. You would
actually talk to each other, you know,
rather than keep texting.’
(focus group with PGCE students)
11. DL investigations: new avenues
• Methodological approaches: exploring the
ways in which understandings around DL
are expressed and shared through
reflection in action
• Re-examining DL in the context of the
debate around ICT in the curriculum and
the removal of the programmes of study
• Exploring the place of DL and OERs in
professional development of teachers
12. For more information
• Read our blog:
www.deftoer3.wordpress.com
• Follow us on Twitter @deftoer3
• Have a look at our Slideshare presentations
www.slideshare.net/deftoer3
• Email us:
a.gruszczynska@shu.ac.uk;
r.p.pountney@shu.ac.uk
Hinweis der Redaktion
Part of a larger UK Open Educational Resources (OER) programme, led jointly by JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee) and the Higher Education Academy on behalf of HEFCE. Builds on previous involvement of the team with the OER programme
drawing on the principles of social sciences knowledge production exploring tacit aspects of pedagogical practice exploring the "why" (socio-cultural/institutional context) rather than solely the "how" (technical aspects) of OERs
Students attitudes towards technology in education were quite balanced, most felt that it was important, but that it is only one way of teaching and learning. felt that digital literacy is important, that children need to know how to search the web, and how to use technology to best advantage thought that children should be taught web safety, and how to avoid being manipulated thought the speed of information in the format of digital information is a bonus for both pupils and teachers felt that the hands on element is good as keeps children engaged. realised that digital literacy is important for pupils' job prospects However they all agreed that there is still a significant place for the old technologies. thought that children need to know when and why a digital approach is appropriate, and that this needs to be taught. were concerned about the lack/inaccessibility /unreliability of equipment in schools. All agreed that Ict curriculum in England is out of date, and do not follow it. a few worried that we had become over reliant on technology. noticed that in some classes blinds were closed all day- IWB was used as a matter of course. some students felt 'anti tech' and were not confident with the tools. A major consideration was time, and students wanted immediate access to resources ("I want to get this [planning] done so that I can relax and have a cup of tea") Whereas some student teachers were very comfortable with web 2, and did things like using twitter for their plenaries, others were less sure. They all felt they had a professional obligation to keep up to date with their technological knowledge.
Initially they were keen to share their resource, stating that as teachers , “we share everything with the children anyway, and we consider it a part of our professional identity to help each other and share ideas” However when they started to reflect on what it meant to share openly their material, they became more cautious, stating that it is different sharing between friends, or people you know and the public. “You don’t know what reaction you would get… can you imagine if you put it on you tube and you got loads of thumbs down?”
