1. Digital literacies in adult literacy education ABEABC Annual Conference Harrison Hot Springs, BC May 11-12, 2011

2. A “wiki-mediated” workshop Log in to the wiki for this workshop http:adultdigitalliteraciesinbc.wikispaces.com Username: digital_guest Password: guest_password

3. Session overview What are digital literacies and who has access? Why digital literacies in ABE? A webquest: Explore and contribute tools and technologies in your practice Building a digital literacy community of practice

4. What is digital literacy? Digital Literacy includes the ability to read and interpret media (text, sound, images), to reproduce and create data and images through digital manipulation, and to evaluate and apply new knowledge gained from digital environments. According to Gilster,5 the most critical of these is the ability to make educated judgments about what we find online. -Jones-Kavallier & Flannigan, 2008. para 5.

5. Digital tools Computer Laptop Mobile phone Camera DVR iPad

6. Digital technologies Blog Wiki Video Podcast Moodle and conferencing platforms Facebook Twitter Flickr, RSS, voicethread (combinations of these: e.g. digital storytelling)

7. In small groups: What digital tools and technologies do you currently use in your teaching practice? What are the benefits and challenges to incorporating digital literacies into your teaching practice? What do you most hope to learn in this workshop?

8. Digital literacies Anchored in a Web 2.0 world Include: privacy literacies, attention literacies, critical information literacies, multimodal literacies… Capacity to craft texts for different audiences Recognizes that some literacies are more powerful, and/or are “deeper” than others. What digital literacies do adult learners have access to?

9. Web 2.0 “Read-Write web” Social sharing options Social networking options Non-linear (hyperlinked and networked) Opportunities for scaffolded practice: learn through play! Authentic audience (different literacies for different domains/purposes)

10. Implications for ABE People are able to be producers and ACTIVE consumers of content People construct knowledge collaboratively: Crowd Wisdom The meanings of literacy are expanded to include multi-modal meaning making Social interaction leads to knowledge creation This is a “social constructivist” pedagogy

11. Why digital literacies in ABE? Access to powerful literacies: social capital Reflect changes brought by a digital culture: how we communicate, learn and work Inclusion: Universal Design

12. Web Quest: Guiding Questions 1. How would you describe this digital technology to another educator? In other words, What is it? 2. What kinds of literacies/essential skills can students learn/develop? Make a list. 3. Can this tool support student learning in your setting? If not, why? If yes, in what ways? 4. What is the level of technological knowledge required to use the tools effectively? 5. Any other thoughts?

13. Web Quest findings Take notes and upload them to the “Digi-literacies” WebQuestwiki page Choose one or two key points/ideas to share with the workshop group

14. Examples: Incorporating digital technologies in ABE/adult literacy

15. ACCESS!! Do adult literacy learners have access to “powerful” digital literacies? Share your views and experiences What needs to happen or change?

16. Still and always (even more) important Engagement Affirmation, Discipline (practice) Inspiration A purpose Love (Morell, 2010) http://ucla.academia.edu/ErnestMorrell/Blog

17. What next? Fill in the web survey (print-based or electronically) Contribute to the “digi-literacies” wiki Keep in touch! Suzanne Smythe: sksmythe@sfu.ca