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Digital literacies

Article in ELT Journal · December 2011

DOI: 10.1093/elt/ccr077

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 technology for the language teacher

Digital literacies
Nicky Hockly

In this series, we explore current technology-related themes and topics. The series
aims to discuss and demystify what may be new areas for some readers and to
consider their relevance to English language teachers. In future articles, we will be

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covering topics such as mobile learning, learning technologies in low-resource
environments, and personal learning networks.

In this second article of the series, we explore the idea of the ‘digital
literacies’: what they are, why they are important, and how language
teachers can start to include them in their English language classes.

What are digital New technologies have transformed the way we live and communicate, and
literacies? most educators are in agreement that new technologies require new skills.
‘The Partnership for 21st Century Skills’ in the US A, for example, is an
organization that advocates the inclusion in education of skills which
prepare students for life in the twenty-first century; these skills include
‘information, media and technology skills’, also known as ‘digital literacies’.
National curricula are increasingly taking digital literacies into account,
although not everyone agrees on the terminology to use; thus, we find that
‘digital competency’ is part of the national curriculum in Norway, in
Australia educators talk of ‘digital media literacy’, and in the UK of ‘media
literacy’. A recent report by researchers at the University of Phoenix
Research Institute (Davies, Fidler, and Gorbis 2011: 6–7) identifies
a number of key skills for future workers, which include ‘new media literacy’
and ‘virtual collaboration’ skills, among others.
Of course literacy has always been a primary goal of education, but the
constantly evolving digital landscape means that new skills and literacies are
required. The umbrella term ‘digital literacies’ can be applied to these.

What do digital A number of ways of conceptualizing digital literacies have been put
literacies look like? forward. Pegrum (2011; Dudeney, Hockly, and Pegrum 2012) suggests a set
of four overlapping skill sets corresponding to four main areas:
1 language
2 information
3 connections
4 (re-)design.

Language-based For Pegrum, these include not only traditional print literacy but also the
literacies skills to decode online text genres, such as blogs, wikis, or forum
108 E LT Journal Volume 66/1 January 2012; doi:10.1093/elt/ccr077
ª The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press; all rights reserved.
 discussions. He also includes ‘texting literacy’: the ability to read and create
the abbreviated forms used in text messaging or in taking part in real-time
online text chat conversations. Another facet is ‘hypertext literacy’: the
ability to navigate and read online texts which contain hyperlinks. Others
are ‘visual and multimedia literacy’, ‘gaming literacy’ (a macro literacy
involving ‘linguistic, multimedia, spatial and kinaesthetic skills’ (Dudeney
et al. op.cit.), and ‘mobile literacy’: the skills needed to effectively use mobile
or handheld devices. Finally, we have ‘technological literacy’ and ‘code
literacy’, which include a basic understanding of coding so as to not be tied to
the exclusive use of commercial templates in online tools and gives one the
ability to route around restrictions where deemed appropriate.

Information-based These are fundamental skills that help us navigate the flood of digital
literacies information provided by the internet. These include ‘search literacy’ (the ability
to search effectively for information online), ‘tagging literacy’ (labelling or

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tagging online materials so they are findable), ‘information literacy’ (being able
to critically evaluate sources and information), ‘filtering literacy’ (knowing how
to manage information overload), and ‘attention literacy’ (knowing when to
switch off as well as on).

Connection-based These include knowing how to manage your digital identity or online
literacies persona (‘personal literacy’) and ‘network literacy’, which helps you filter
information received from your online networks while you yourself become
a node in these networks by passing on relevant information or news (see
also Pegrum 2010). ‘Participatory literacy’ involves being able to create and
produce digital content; this in turn includes ‘cultural/intercultural literacy’
when working with international virtual teams.

(Re-)design-based These consist primarily of ‘remix literacy’, a macro literacy which includes
literacies the ability to recreate and re-purpose already-made digital content in
innovative ways. ‘YouTube’ parodies based on news or film clips are
examples of this and include knowledge about related issues of copyright
and plagiarism.
Belshaw (2011) outlines eight key elements that characterize digital
literacies:
1 Cultural: the need to understand different online contexts and how to
interact appropriately in them. For example, interaction in an online
gaming environment such as ‘World of Warcraft’ is very different to
interaction in a formal online course environment.
2 Cognitive: for Belshaw this ‘is about ways of conceptualizing ‘‘digitality’’
rather than the practice of using tools’. To develop this, we need to expose
learners to ‘various ways of conceptualising digital spaces (and
interactions within them)’ (Belshaw ibid.: chapter 9).
3 Constructive: this includes the ability to create remixes (Pegrum’s ‘remix
literacy’) and also to take part effectively in online networks (Pegrum’s
‘network literacy’).
4 Communicative: this is ‘understanding how communications media
work. It is, basically, the nuts and bolts of how to communicate in digital
environments’ (Belshaw op.cit.: chapter 9).

Digital literacies 109

 5 Confident: Belshaw suggests that we need to be confident users of
technology and have enough technical expertise to be able to use
technology for our own ends, rather than to be manipulated by it.
Experimentation and an open mindset is a plus in digital contexts and can
lead to improved problem-solving skills (OECD 2001: 9, quoted in
Belshaw op.cit.).
6 Creative: the ability to find new ways to do new things with new tools
(in short, to be creative with new technologies).
7 Critical: Belshaw suggests that we need to learn to ‘curate’ and critically
understand the resources that we find, not just superficially skim over
oceans of information.
8 Civic: knowing how to use technology to increase civic engagement and
social action.
Both Pegrum and Belshaw make clear that digital literacies are not
a checklist of discrete skills that are simply acquired and then ticked off.

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Although digital literacies do include procedural skills (such as how to insert
an image into a word-processed document), they also include less clearly
defined skills, such as communicating effectively in distributed virtual
communities. Bawden (2008) suggests that it is more useful to conceive of
digital literacies as a state or condition that changes over time. As technology
evolves and changes, so new skills and literacies emerge and become
increasingly important.

Implications for Although some national curricula make provision for the development of
language teachers digital literacies within mainstream primary and secondary schooling, it is
sometimes challenging for teachers to know how to operationalize these
literacies in the classroom. This is particularly true for teachers who may not
feel confident with technology themselves or have received little or no
training in how to use technology in a principled manner with learners.
As English language teachers, we can help our learners acquire not only the
language skills needed for communication in an increasingly globalized
world but also some of the digital skills that they will inevitably also need.
It is increasingly difficult for us to separate language from the digital
environment in which it is being used. As such, one could argue that by
integrating new technologies into our classroom, we can also help learners
develop key digital literacies and that it is indeed our duty as language
teachers to do so. But the question remains: how?

Digital literacies in Below are five activities that focus on a number of Pegrum’s digital
the English language literacies. These activities can be integrated into most, if not all, English
classroom language teaching syllabi, even when these are coursebook driven, by
tying the activity to the current topic being explored in class.

Txtng Learners decode sample text messages into standard English. They then
(texting literacy) decide in which contexts text messaging is acceptable, and in which contexts
it is not, from a series of prompts/situations. Discuss the linguistic norms
and the appropriate use of texting language, in both English and in the
learners’ L1. In what ways are they similar or different? Even if you do not
expect your learners to produce texting language, familiarity with norms in
the target language is useful as it becomes an increasingly common genre.

110 Nicky Hockly

Follow the link Find two online texts of a similar length on the same topic (for example
(hypertext literacy) a news item): one text with few or no hyperlinks and one text with many
hyperlinks. Ask learners to read each text online and to follow any
hyperlinks. Give a one- or two-minute time limit for learners to read each
text. Discuss which text was easier to read and why. Hypertext literacy
includes not just knowing when to ignore hyperlinks in the text so as not to
lose the thread, but also knowing how many hyperlinks to include in one’s
own text, in the interests of readability and credibility.

The tree octopus Ask students to visit a spoof website, such as that dedicated to the Pacific
(information literacy) Northwest tree octopus (http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus). Set
a comprehension task on the website content without telling students it is
a spoof. Ask them to choose one of the ways they could show support for this
endangered species. Finally, ask the class if they think this is all true. Analyse
what makes this site look believable (layout, links to real sites such as the

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World Wildlife Fund, links to other research, informational style of
language, maps, etc.). Point out the clues (apart from the content!) that show
the site is a spoof (U R L, headers and footers, tagline . . .). Pairs can then
examine less obvious spoof sites (see http://www.philb.com/fakesites.htm)
and real sites, and then report back to the class on which is which and how
they know. A key element of information literacy is the ability to evaluate the
veracity, reliability, and source of information on websites.

Copycat (visual/ Choose a topic/theme that you are currently working on with the class (for
multimedia literacy) example animals). Ask students to search Google images of a given animal
and to choose the three images they like the most. In pairs, they compare
their images and explain their choices. Ask students to then prepare a short
blog entry about the animal/topic, which they will illustrate with one of the
images. Ask students to look again at their chosen images online and the
copyright license for each. With a Google image search, the percentage of
‘all rights reserved’ copyright images will usually be high. In Google
Advanced search, show learners how they can filter their image search
results to include only images that can be reused. Ensure that everyone is
familiar with Creative Commons licensing. Tell learners to also search
popular image banks such as Flickr (http://www.flickr.com), where there is
a higher percentage of creative commons images. Learners make a final
choice of (copyright free) image with which to illustrate their blog post.
Show students how to acknowledge the source of creative commons images
in their post. Knowledge and appropriate use of copyright is an essential
part of participatory literature; if students are creating their own online
content, they need to know what images they can legally reuse in their
digital contributions and how to acknowledge the source.

Teachers and digital The activities briefly outlined above assume that the teacher herself is
literacies digitally literate or at least willing to become so. Teachers may need to take
part in staff development or training for this. Futurelab has some excellent
resources in the field of digital literacies, which could be integrated into
a staff development plan or used by teachers as part of a self-study plan for
professional development (see http://www.futurelab.org.uk/resources/
digital-literacy-professional-development-resource). So, if you are a teacher
who feels less confident with technology, do not despair: rather, skill up.

Digital literacies 111

References
Belshaw, D. 2011. ‘What is digital literacy?
A pragmatic investigation’. Ed.D thesis, Durham
University. Available at http://
neverendingthesis.com (accessed on 18 July 2011).
Bawden, D. 2008. ‘Origins and concepts of digital
literacy’ in C. Lankshear and M. Knobel (eds.). Digital
Literacies: Concepts, Policies and Practices. New York,
NY: Peter Lang.
Davies, A., D. Fidler, and M. Gorbis. 2011. Future
Work Skills 2020. Palo Alto, CA: University of
Phoenix Research Institute. Available at http://
tinyurl.com/3m6cpc9 (accessed on 18 July 2011).
Dudeney, G., N. Hockly, and M. Pegrum. 2012
forthcoming. Digital Literacies. Harlow: Pearson.
OECD. 2001. ‘Learning to change: ICT in schools’.
Paris, France: Centre for Educational Research and
Innovation. Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Available
at http://www.p21.org (accessed on 18 July 2011).
Pegrum, M. 2010. ‘‘‘I link, therefore I am’’: network
literacy as a core digital literacy’. E-learning and
Digital Media 7/4: 346–54.
112 Nicky Hockly
View publication stats
Pegrum, M. 2011. ‘Modified, multiplied and
(re-)mixed: social media and digital literacies’
in M. Thomas (ed.). Digital Education: Opportunities
for Social Collaboration. New York, NY: Palgrave
Macmillan.
The author
Nicky Hockly is a Director of Pedagogy of The
Consultants-E (www.theconsultants-e.com), an
online training and development organization. She
has been involved in E F L teaching and teacher
training since 1987 and is co-author of How to Teach
English with Technology, Learning English as a Foreign
Language for Dummies, and most recently of Teaching
Online. She maintains a blog about e-learning at
Downloaded from http://eltj.oxfordjournals.org/ by Keith Morrow on January 25, 2012
www.emoderationskills.com and is a keen user of
new technologies.
Email: nicky.hockly@theconsultants-e.com