Digital Literacy for e-Citizens

“21st CENTURY EUROPEAN CLASSROOMS”

6th MEETING – NAPLES – IIS VITTORIO EMANUELE II

Digital Literacy for e-Citizens

Digital Society and New Citizens

The massive penetration of ICT in social and economic acting has generated virtual

societies whose citizens are digital natives and immigrants.


Digital Natives were born in

digital world.

Technology is integral part of

their life.

Digital Immigrants were born in

pre-digital era and they have

adopted the use of technological

devices.


Digital Natives and Immigrants

massively use social networks and social

media, generating huge amounts of data and a

sort of collective storytelling.


We can imagine this storytelling like a digital “epos”, where characters are the

digital identities that everyone exports to Internet, living the virtual life.

In this scenario, the role of digital literacy becomes strategic because it

allows to express yourself in social environments and to access.

Digital Literacy and self-determination

Digital Literacy should also supports the

self-determination of the digital person,

fostering the right behavior of the e-citizen

in the virtual community of belonging.

Who is a Digital Citizen?

is a confident and capable user of ICT

uses ICT to participate in educational, cultural, and economic

activities

uses and develops critical thinking skills in cyberspace

is literate in the language, symbols, and texts of ICT

is aware of ICT challenges and can manage them effectively

uses ICT to relate to others in positive, meaningful ways

demonstrates ethical behaviour in use of ICT

respects the concepts of privacy and freedom of speech in a digital

world

contributes and actively promotes the values of digital citizenship.

What is Digital Citizenship?

“The quality of habits, actions and consumption patterns that

impact the ecology of digital content and communities.” (Terry Heick)

In Digital Society

democratic participation is comparable to access

hindered by technological ad cultural DIGITAL DIVIDE

EU Digital DivideDESI 2016 The Digital Economy & Society Index by European Commission

The Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) is an index that summarises relevant indicators

on Europe’s digital performance and tracks the evolution of EU member states in digital

competitiveness.

EU Digital Divide

The Digital Economy&Society Index is structured around five principal

dimensions :

1 Connectivity (broadband infrastructure)

2 Human Capital measures the skills needed to take advantage of the

opportunities offered by a digital society. Such skills go from basic user,

skills that enable individuals to interact online and consume digital goods

and services, to advanced skills that empower the workforce to take

advantage of technology for enhanced productivity and economic growth.

3 Use of Internet (activities performed by citizens already online)

4 Integration of Digital Technology (digitisation of business)

5 Digital Public Services (digitisation of public services)

EU Digital Divide

Improvement in the

DESI score was

mostly driven by the

Connectivity and

Integration of

Digital Technology

dimension.

Developments in

Digital Public

Services and

Human Capital is

stagnated this year.

EU Digital Divide

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-

384_en.htm

The DESI2016 has been presentated 25th February by EU Commission and

about the action needed to reach the most digitalised countries in the world

(Japan, the USA and South Korea) the EU as a whole needs to significantly

improve in order to lead on the global stage.

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-384_en.htm

EU Digital Divide

About Human Capital dimension Digital Skills to be improved.

While the number of science, technology and mathematics (STEM) graduates has

slightly increased in the EU, almost half of Europeans (45%) don’t have basic digital

skills (using a mailbox, editing tools or installing new devices).

Günther H. Oettinger, Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Society, declared

that: “The Commission will address digital skills and training as part of

the upcoming EU Skills Agenda later this year.”

EU Digital Divide

EU approach is focused on a social and economical point of view...

regards workers, consumers, citizens

WHAT ABOUT DIGITAL DIVIDE AMONG YOUG PEOPLE?

DIGITAL DIVIDE AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE

An italian research by the University

of Milano-Bicocca - Center for

Interdisciplinary Studies in

Economics, Psychology and

Social Sciences (September

2013) debunks the myth of

spontaneous ICT skills of digital

natives . Young people use devices that

connect through app and don't

perceive the Internet as a basic

infrastructure.

The research shows that without a

driven path (school, training etc.)

there aren't correlations between

digital skills and learning

processes. For young people, ICT

companies are evolving a

prosperous market of devices, but

their use is sterile.


In details, the research analyses a survey about the use of New Media between

5327 students of high schools in north of Italy.

The largest deficits, highlighted by the Research, are:

critical recognition of web addresses

awareness of the web trade mechanisms

the evaluation of the level of reliability of the content.

The digital divide among young people isn't functional but cultural.


We said before that in the digital society

democratic participation is comparable to access

so if in scholastic curriculum

you teach to students to be active and aware citizens

you also have to foster critical thinking teaching elements of

Some stakeholders have been active in bringing forward resources, standards and/or guidelines

for the inclusion of digital literacy curriculum, intended to prepare children to be responsible

citizens in the digital world. Let's have a look at some of these.

Digital citizenship as an educational concept

(http://www.core-ed.org)

CORE Education provides resources and professional development aimed at supporting teachers as they

implement digital citizenship curriculum in the classroom.

CORE identifies a distinction between global, digital, and cyber citizenship as distinct aspects of digital

citizenship:

Global ICTs can help us to understand and to explore our place in the global marketplace, and what it means

to be a global citizen

Digital the ability to work with and be confident with digital technologies defines a digital citizen

Cyber a cybercitizen is one who accepts and understands the rights and responsibilities of inhabiting

cyberspace, including issues of online safety etc.

This distinction between global, digital and cyber citizenship highlights the variety of issues present when

attempting to address digital citizenship.

http://www.core-ed.org/


International Society for Technology in Education (http://www.iste.org)

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is an organization whose goal is to promote

"excellence in learning and teaching through innovative and effective uses of technology."

ISTE produces a set of educational standards, called NETS, that address the use of technology in the K-12

classroom. ISTE's NETS have been adopted by a number of school boards around the world.

NETS addresses digital citizenship, as well as five other components including creativity & innovation;

communication & collaboration; research & information fluency; critical thinking, problem solving & decision

making; and technology operations & concepts.

http://www.iste.org/

Mike Ribble, who is considered one of the leading expert on digital citizenship, argues that

most of times, digital literacy in schools address “do's and don'ts” of technology, without further

explanation about “why and how" .

He asserts that these approaches "fail to teach students how to become productive members of the

new digital society," and "can easily be outdated in a time of such rapid technological change."

He advocates that the best approach for teaching the responsibility and safety of technology is to

provide an "adaptable digital citizenship program integrated in the curriculum and taught in context

while using technology with students," and is "more conducive to lifelong learning". (Ribble, Digital

Citizenship in Schools) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0qKYItuees

Digital citizenship as an educational

concept

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0qKYItuees


http://www.nfer.ac.uk/publications/FUTL06/FUTL06.pdf

“Developing digital literacy in the classroom

sees students becoming more independent

in their learning. As they are supported to

find and select information for themselves,

to communicate their learning, to express

their creativity and to think critically about the

affordances of digital technology, students are

recast from passive recipients of information

to active meaning-makers, working with

their teachers to codesign and personalise

their learning. “

“Digital literacy is also a social process of

meaning-making that takes place with and

in relation to others.

If digital literacy prepares students to take

an active part in their education and in

social, cultural, economic, political and

intellectual life, then the ability to work with

others is paramount”

http://www.nfer.ac.uk/publications/FUTL06/FUTL06.pdf


Common Sense K-12 Digital Citizenship in Connected Society

Curriculum a free program that empowers students to think critically and make

informed choices about how they live and treat others in digital world.

The Curriculum is based on the research of Howard Gardner and the GoodPlay

Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/scope-and-sequence

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/scope-and-sequence


Learning to DO + Learning to BE =

DIGITAL CITIZEN OF 21st CENTURY

This is the context of thoughts and

suggestions that we propose as ideal horizon

of the theme of this mobility and for the

related section of the notebook

“Any technological innovation can be

dangerous, too: the fire has been

dangerous from the beginning, and

even more language;

it can be said that both are still

dangerous today, but no man could

be complete without fire and without

the word.”

Isaac Asimov

Thanks for your attention -Lisa Somma

Documents

Digital Literacy for e-Citizens