Digital Literacy and Social Media

Bex Ferriday, Cardiff University

What is Digital Literacy?

• Literacy allows us to develop a self awareness of not only the symbolic nature of our world but also the processes of personal learning.

• Digital literacy is the ability to locate, organise, understand, evaluate, and analyse information using digital technology.

• Digitally literate people can communicate and work more efficiently.

Steve Wheeler, 2015

“If I cannot read signs or engage with text, I am not able to participate within my culture.

If I miss the meaning of something because of my illiteracy, I won't know what I don't know.”

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We live in a fully connected world where we have 24/7 access to friends and colleagues.

Selecting the right tools to allow us to connect to relevant communities of practice is one of the new digital literacies students will need to learn.

Digital Literacy & Social Networking Skills

Social Networking Skills

Social networking skills require each user to be adept at connecting with new friends and fellow community members.

Social networking and the ability to use it effectively is a key skill. If used properly, social media can provide rich social and intellectual rewards.

Those who fail to network effectively may struggle to succeed in the pressurised world of education.

Social Networking Skills

People portray themselves differently depending on the social media platform they use.

Managing Digital Identity

Filtering and Selecting• With huge amounts of information

added to the internet each day, knowing how to locate information becomes a challenge.

• Other than search engines, there are filtering and selection tools often referred to as ‘digital curation’ tools.

• These include Pinterest, Storify, Scoop.it! and StumbleUpon.

Guidance

• Dip your toes in but don’t take over!

• Social networking is more than just liking photos of your friends’ dinner.

• There are more ways than ever to make content available.

Content adapted with permission:Steve Wheeler, S, (2015), What Digital Literacies?, located at: http://www.steve-wheeler.co.uk/2010/11/what-digital-literacies.html,

Any Questions