Librarian by Day » digital literacy

OITP and Digital Literacy Portfolio! Plus NTIA and a Digital Literacy Portal

Bobbi Newman — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 10:45:02 +0000

I can’t tell you how excited I was to see this announcement from OITP (Office of Information Technology Policy, ALA) yesterday! Libraries are key players when we talk about digital literacy and education. Though as I’ve noted before we are often overlooked in reports from other institutions and organizations, most recently, as in the Digital and Media Literacy Plan of Action white paper by Renee Hobbs.

I am pleased that OITP is working on a digital literacy portfolio and taking action that will help put libraries at the forefront of digital literacy training and education:

The ALA Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) is in the process of developing a digital literacy portfolio. During Midwinter, OITP staff began meeting with a range of ALA member groups to learn more about current efforts and to help inform the portfolio development. One outcome of the Midwinter meetings is that OITP’s Advisory Committee is supporting an OITP task force that would delve into digital literacy issues and include representatives from interested ALA units

The second part of the announcement concerns a National Digital Literacy Portal as mentioned in the National Broadband Plan from the FCC. As you know I’ve been concerned that The Plan fails to address digital literacy training and instruction and neglects the important role all libraries play in addressing the digital divide and participation gap. While I don’t think a portal will solve all the issues, it is a good first step and I am thrilled that NTIA is reaching out to other organizations including libraries:

The Digital Literacy Portal is one of the initiatives underway at NTIA. NTIA has issued a request for organizations – including libraries – that are engaged in digital literacy projects to submit content to be considered for inclusion in NTIA’s Digital Literacy Portal.

I strongly urge you to read the entire description of the Portal from NTIA

Digital literacy practitioners in the field have identified the need for a centralized location to connect to the most current resources available, collaborate, and share best practices to support opportunities for all Americans to build digital literacy skills. The Digital Literacy Working Group aims to produce a digital literacy web portal that is the “go-to” place for a variety of practitioners to connect to the most current resources on digital literacy.

And the comment and content policy:

As more and more jobs and information are available primarily online, the ability to use computers and navigate the Internet are critical to participation in the economy. The Digital Literacy portal will aggregate resources and facilitate collaboration among practitioners who are working mainly with vulnerable populations to enhance their digital literacy skills.

If you submit anything to NTIA be sure to copy OITP oitp@alawash.org.

Also note the mention of the “Digital Literacy Working Group” which, at this time, brings up 7 hits on a Google search. I know government tends to work slow but let’s hope in this case that all parties involve move quickly, as it is, we are already behind.

Additional Reading:

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The Digital Divide Does Not Discriminate

Bobbi Newman — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:36:22 +0000

This short video is from the March 9, 2010 FCC summit to discuss the need to include all Americans in the digital age. It gives clear examples of the need for access and the skills to use the internet across a diverse segment of the population.

People need universal access to broadband and the skills to use it, not as a privilege, but as a right.

These five stories come from Americans who have found digital literacy to be a major influence in their lives.

Learn more:

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Top Ten Links Week 10

Bobbi Newman — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 20:50:20 +0000

My personally selected top 10 from the links I shared on Twitter from 3/5/2010 thru 3/11/2010

1.How to Overcome Idea-to-idea Syndrome via @dmlcentral – Ideas are great, but its the follow through that matters. The idea is the easy part, the dream the vision the excitement, putting it into action requires rolling up your sleeves, late nights, long hours, convincing others and more. The follow through is where most ideas fall down.

2. How to Stay Positive…when the boss isn’t – via @buffyjhamilton for the record my boss is great and more positive than I am

Make Your Bus Great
Your Positive Energy Must be Greater than All of the Negativity
Live it, Breathe it, Share it – Walt Whitman said we convince by our presence.
Invite Your Boss on Your Bus – Give your boss The Energy Bus or another book on positive leadership.
If Your Boss Doesn’t Change, You Can – If all else fails then you have a choice.

3. Digital Literacy Skills Essential to Closing Broadband Gap – from the The Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy

The survey findings reinforce the growing body of research that finds digital literacy skills are critical to bridging the gap between those who are able to fully participate in the information age and those who live as second-class citizens in informed communities. While the cost of Internet connectivity was cited by 36% of non-adopters as the reason for not having Internet access at home, issues related to digital literacy came in second, with 22% citing this concern. Other reasons for non-adoption included relevance of Internet content (19%), other reasons outside of these categories (11%), combination of the above (4%) and lack of availability (5%).

4. Deliver a Better Presentation by Reminding Yourself It’s Not About You [Mind Hacks] RT @MLx

There are five main components to pulling together a good presentation:

Choose a goal;

Find a storyline that will help the group reach that goal;

Develop a series of activities or a method of presentation that allows you to develop your storyline. Don’t let your media determine your storyline!

Remember that your role is to facilitate the group reaching its shared goal. This is your primary responsibility!

Remember that it’s not about you. All that matters is the experience of the other people in the room.

5. Print is dying. Digital is surging. Everyone is confused#ebooks via @cindi an ebooks must read

6. Are These 3 Odd but Common Obstacles Standing in the Way of Your Success?

drama
Small invisible barriers.
You fall back into old patterns, thoughts and behaviors.

7. U of Michigan debuts PictureIt Rare Book Reader via @GMLGeek @ericrumsey @jgreen31@archivesnext @lljohnston

PictureIt is a web-based animation program that gives users the sensation of turning the pages of digitized rare materials that would be otherwise difficult, if not impossible, to view or obtain.

8. Digital Natives? Naive! Are we embracing the ill-defined notion of “digital natives” via @Strng_Dichotomy – a good reminder that the digital divide is not just along generational or age lines

9. eBooks in Libraries a Thorny Problem, Says Macmillan CEO

Sargent is not afraid of changing the publisher’s relationship with libraries. In fact, change may well be required.

“That is a very thorny problem”, said Sargent. In the past, getting a book from libraries has had a tremendous amount of friction. You have to go to the library, maybe the book has been checked out and you have to come back another time. If it’s a popular book, maybe it gets lent ten times, there’s a lot of wear and tear, and the library will then put in a reorder. With ebooks, you sit on your couch in your living room and go to the library website, see if the library has it, maybe you check libraries in three other states. You get the book, read it, return it and get another, all without paying a thing. “It’s like Netflix, but you don’t pay for it. How is that a good model for us?”

“If there’s a model where the publisher gets a piece of the action every time the book is borrowed, that’s an interesting model”

10. RT @vonburkhardt: Good post from @blendedlib about finding the right market for libraries: Will What Worked For Groucho Work for Libraries

CC image used courtesy of holeymoon on flickrSimilar Posts:

Video from Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy

Bobbi Newman — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:38:06 +0000

Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy from Knight Foundation on Vimeo.

In October 2009 the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy released its report. The report itself is over 100 pages and worth reading. It is available to download as a pdf or to read online. If you just want the bottom line, you can see just the recommendations it makes or the ones that especially pertain to libraries.Similar Posts:

New Project – Libraries and Transliteracy Blog

Bobbi Newman — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:45:59 +0000

CC image used courtesy of Meredith Harris on flickr

I am excited to announce the kick-off of a new project, the Libraries and Transliteracies blog! The blog is a group effort from me, Buffy Hamilton and Tom Ipri. Due to the amount of interest in transliteracy and the role libraries play, we have created one place to share information and resources. The blog will contain information, resources and links to other new literacies related content from all three authors.

I will still be posting about transliteracy here, but you will find more transltiteracy related content more often on the Libraries and Transliteracies blog. So add the feed to your feedreader.

How this came about (if you’re interested in that sort of thing). Due to the amount of interest in transliteracy and the role libraries play in 21st century literacies, I wanted one place to share information and resources. I decided this blog was not the best venue as I wanted everything pertaining to transliteracy to be easy to find and adding to the current page doesn’t help others keep track of new information. I also I did not want all of the information to come from me, this is an important issue to ALL libraries. This led to the idea of a new blog, with additional authors, but even more importantly, authors from a variety of library types. Having worked with both Buffy, a high school librarian and Tom an academic librarian, before and knowing their interest in transliteracy, they were obvious choices and I am so grateful they said yes.

If you are not familiar with Butffy and Tom, here’s a little about them. The short version – They are both awesome!

The long version:

Buffy Hamilton–Buffy is the lead librarian at Creekview High School in Canton, Georgia. She is passionate about creating library experiences for her students that will encourage them to be lifelong learners and advocating for the power of the library in her community. She collaborates extensively with the teachers and students in her school to create learning experiences to foster students’ information fluency and digital citizenship, the cultural capital students need to fully participate in today’s society. Buffy shares and teaches through her work as a keynote speaker, workshop consultant, adjunct trainer, and guest speaker. Her professional interests include applications of Web 2.0 tools in library programs and instruction, participatory librarianship, an inquiry stance on traditional and new literacies, social scholarship, libraries as sponsors of multiple literacies, social media, and connectivism. She writes at http://theunquietlibrarian.wordpress.com .

Tom Ipri – Tom is currently the Head of Media and Computer Services at Lied Library at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In this position, he directs the future of the libraries’ media collections and services and leads the development of the media design studio, the learning commons, and the strategic evolution of media services within the University Libraries. Tom has published in Computers in Libraries, Lore: An E-Journal for Teachers of Writing, and Information Technology and Libraries. He has presented at Computers in Libraries and Internet Librarian, as well as presented at a variety of workshops. He also reviews films for Educational Media Reviews Online. He writes at http://tombrarian.netSimilar Posts:

Librarians Play a Vital Role in 21st Century Literacies

Bobbi Newman — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:37:34 +0000

We know it, but no one else seems to.

Many organizations are looking at the definition of literacy and expanding it to include the knowledge and skills it takes to be an active participant in today’s society. What baffles me as I read through reports and recommendations from so many organizations is the lack of mention of libraries and librarians. There are a few such as this one from the Report from the Knight Commission:

Recommendation 7: Fund and support public libraries and other community institutions as centers of digital and media training, especially for adults.

or this one in a white paper from the MacAuthor Foundation

If anything, these traditional skills assume even greater importance as students venture beyond collections that have been screened by librarians and into the more open space of the web. Some of these skills have traditionally been taught by librarians who, in the modern era, are reconceptualizing their role less as curators of bounded collection and more as information facilitators who can help users find what they need, online or off, and can cultivate good strategies for searching material.

These are the only two I have found. Why are libraries missing?

The only place most people can receive instruction on these new literacies is at a library. There is no one else. While some students may be fortunate enough to be exposed in at school, either through teachers or the library, most are not. Adults have nowhere to turn but the public library. While I applaud all of these organizations for their efforts and reports and recommendations, I am dismayed at the lack of recommendations for funding and support for libraries. It is all well and good to write a report and a recommendation but what about real world application?

We (library people) know we are the ones providing this training. We know there is no one else. I have to ask – What are we doing wrong that no one else seems to know this? How do we communicate our role?

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Transliteracy is 3D

Bobbi Newman — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:10:23 +0000

Since posting the Libraries and Transliteracy slideshow I’ve been asked many times to define transliteracy. Its a slippery term, people often confuse it with digital literacy or technology literacy. Sometimes I’m not sure I even have a good grasp on the concept. So a colleague and I sat out to hash out the details, here is what we came up with.

Transliteracy is 3D

View more presentations from Bobbi Newman.

In collaboration with Brian Hulsey

Special thanks to Sue Thomas and Tom Ipri for their input & approval.

If you’d like to learn about libraries and transilteracy please visit my Transliteracy page

If you’d like to know more about transliteracy in general please visit transliteracy.com and follow the conference on February 9th.Similar Posts:

Commentary On the Digital Divide from the Chief Executives of Netflix & CommonSenseMedia

Bobbi Newman — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:05:09 +0000

CC image courtesy of ap. on Flickr

If you’re thinking about transliteracy you almost have to be thinking about the digital divide. What does it mean? Is it real? How will we close the gap?

This New York Times piece Will the Digital Divide Close by Itself? From the Google’s Breakthrough Learning in a Digital Age provides a look at and arguments about the digital divide from two different perspectives.

From Jim Steyer, chief executive of CommonSense Media and co-sponsor of the event

“every kid needs to be digitally literate by the 8th grade” and called for a major public education campaign to make that happen. He argued that technology and learning are synonymous and that schools, parents, and kids must get up to speed in the next five years.

On the other hand:

Reed Hastings, the founder and chief executive of Netflix, contradicted him directly, saying it would take well more than five years to bridge the divide.

Mr. Hastings, an avid education philanthropist and proponent of school reforms, argued that at the advent of any new technology — television, cars, even rockets — people get riled up and wring their hands over a growing gap between the haves and have-nots.

He said that gaps narrow naturally as the market evolves and prices drop, enabling more people to bring new technology into the home and schools.

Most interestingly:

“We need to shift our expectations,” Mr. Hastings said. “This is a natural part of the evolution of technology.”

If I understand this correctly he is saying that the digital divide is part of an evolutionary process where technology and access to technology will be ubiquitous. I’m not sure I make the connection.

Most importantly:

Failed school reform might point to the need for more efforts outside of the classroom.

This is where libraries need to step in. We need to help students close the digital divide because what that means, what were talking about is the same thing as transliteracy. Becoming transliterate closes the digital divide. If schools can’t or wont, libraries need to step forward. We’ve done it for years with literacy, we need to do it now with transliteracy.

Librarian by Day » digital literacy

OITP and Digital Literacy Portfolio! Plus NTIA and a Digital Literacy Portal

The Digital Divide Does Not Discriminate

Top Ten Links Week 17

Top Ten Links Week 10

Video from Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy

New Project – Libraries and Transliteracy Blog

Librarians Play a Vital Role in 21st Century Literacies

Transliteracy is 3D

Commentary On the Digital Divide from the Chief Executives of Netflix & CommonSenseMedia