Supporting lifelong learners:resilience and care in a digital age

Helen Beetham | @helenbeetham

Learning literacies for a digital age (2009-10)‣ working definition ‣ development pyramid‣ 7-element framework

those capabilities that allow an individual to thrive (live, learn and work) in a digital society

“”

Learning literacies for a digital age (2009-10)‣ working definition ‣ development pyramid‣ 7-element framework

access

situatedpractices

functionalskills

I am...

I do...

I can...

I have...

identities

access

situatedpractices

functionalskills

identities I am...

I do...

I can...

I have...

What kind of experiences...‣ ... enable learners need to develop capable (digital) identities?

complexvaried

open-endedextendedauthentic

Such as...

‣design to a brief‣ scenario/problem based learning‣collaborative authoring e.g. in a

wiki environment‣analysing real data‣making digital video/animation‣communicating ideas in digital

media‣making/coding/app building‣online peer review

Image credit Jisc 2015

Experiences of today’s digital students (Jisc 2014-16)

jiscinvolve.digitalstudent.org

Image credit Jisc 2015

‘Digital’ students talk about:

Transactional Transformational

Accessing networksAccessing hardware & softwareAccessing general & course-related informationSigning on to systemsBooking appointmentsUsing own devices/servicesSubmitting work, receiving grades...

Sharing ideas, engaging in dialogueCreating (public) digital artefacts e.g. wiki, blog, e-portfolio, app, web Mastering difficult ideas & practicesCollating and repurposing materialsDeveloping independent study habitsCollaborating on projectsReflecting, reviewing, revisingSpecialist practices: design, analysis, data/project management, client systems, specialist tools....

Digital learners are different:and not all of them thrive in digital spaces

‣ Digital divide narrower but deeper: amplifies other inequalities

‣ Learners’ digital skills often shallow‣ ‘Digital natives' story hides many

contradictions‣ Learners experience difficulties

transposing practices‣ Active knowledge-building, creating,

sharing are minority activities typically introduced by educators (Selwyn).

‣ Consumer practices & populist values dominate online - many feel excluded

Digital learners are different:and not all of them thrive in digital spaces

Digital learners are different:and not all of them thrive in digital spaces

10

Learnerswho are:

Experience the digital setting as:

unconnected and vulnerable

mainstream pragmatist

specialist enthusiast

access-ledskills-based

tutor-ledcourse-based

learner-ledidentity-based

Learn best when:

access conceived of

broadly

staff offer range of activities

personal/social practices are

valued

Digital learners are different:and not all of them thrive in digital spaces

10

Learnerswho are:

Experience the digital setting as:

Sharpe et. al 2015

unconnected and vulnerable

mainstream pragmatist

specialist enthusiast

access-ledskills-based

tutor-ledcourse-based

learner-ledidentity-based

Learn best when:

access conceived of

broadly

staff offer range of activities

personal/social practices are

valued

Digital learners are different

digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.org

‣ Quality relationships with teachers and peers

‣ New ways of belonging (to their course, cohort, institution)

‣ Security: closed, private → open, public spaces(‘walled gardens with pathways out’)

‣ Credibility (‘how do I pass?’) but also distinctiveness (‘I want to stand out’)

‘Digital’ students also want:

Image credit Jisc 2014

The future of work (2015)bit.ly/digitalknowhow

Digital technologies are driving some significant changes in the world of work, and are deeply implicated in others.

C21st work is increasingly...precariousentrepreneurialfragmented, multiple and hybriduncertainly locatedrequiring constant upgrade of skills blurring boundaries of personal/professional...

CC Latrell G: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMWPLYKFLAVGSuTFCbj2kGQ

What capabilities do learners need?

Identity and well-being

‣ resilience in the face of constant change

‣ building relationships of trust, care and belonging in digital spaces

‣ managing distraction and compulsion

‣ negotiating boundaries e.g. public/private, personal/professional

‣ participating in different online cultures

‣ using digital devices and resources to support healthy behaviours

‣ being creative, innovative and expressive with digital tools

‣ thinking critically about digital cultures, practices and transactions

‣ developing authentic ways of being online

‣ participating in social and political actions (digital citizenship)

What capabilities do learners need?

Identity and well-being

‣ resilience in the face of constant change

‣ building relationships of trust, care and belonging in digital spaces

‣ managing distraction and compulsion

‣ negotiating boundaries e.g. public/private, personal/professional

‣ participating in different online cultures

‣ using digital devices and resources to support healthy behaviours

‣ being creative, innovative and expressive with digital tools

‣ thinking critically about digital cultures, practices and transactions

‣ developing authentic ways of being online

‣ participating in social and political actions (digital citizenship)

cc. J

isc 2

012

access

situatedpractices

functionalskills

identities

Online identity work‣Developing identities in authentic (public) spaces is motivating, but also risky

pride/shamewho I am vs

who I’d like to be‘make me stand out’

‘let me fit in’‘I just need to pass...’

motivate

enable

What attributes will graduates need to thrive in precarious times?

CC MKHmarketing www.flickr.com/photos/mkhmarketing/

Learning literacies for a digital age (2009-10)‣ working definition ‣ development pyramid‣ 7-element framework

Framing digital capability (Jisc 2015)jiscinvolve.digitalcapability.org

ICT proficiency (core skills)Information, media and data literacy (critical use)Creation, scholarship and innovation (creative production)Communication, collaboration and participation (engagement)Learning and self-developmentIdentity and well-being

‘Identity and wellbeing’ http://bit.ly/digiwellbeingrefs

health and bodily wellbeingsafe and respectful behaviourowning my own data/identityusing tech for my own purposesmanaging distraction/compulsionhaving fair accesscitizenship and social/political engagementauthentic, caring relationshipsresilience to change...??

What do I mean by digital wellbeing and

why does it matter?

Jisc 2015

Not all students feel safe & empowered

(inappropriate) exposure, shamingcyberbullying, trollingcompulsion, distractionwho’s doing what with my data?changed qualities of relationshipsdoes my institution really care about me?do I belong?

Jisc 2015

www.pewinternet.org/2014/10/22/online-harassment/

www.insidehighered.com

www.theguardian.com/technology/series/the-web-we-want.

Not all students feel safe & empowered

What kind of selves are capable in these possible futures?

(c) Douglas Coupland 2011-2014

What does ‘digital wellbeing’ mean to you?

Walled gardens with pathways out

VLE-based eportfolio mix of social mediainteroperable

eportfolio product

An eportfolio (or equivalent) may be more useful than a degree grade...

‘The cost of a degree goes up as its value - relative to, say, a professional reputation carefully managed, or an online portfolio, or evidence of self-study - declines.’

ConclusionsWe don't know what identities students might need in the future but we can support lifelong habits of self-curation, reflection, sharing and selective disclosure.

‘where id was, ego shall be’‘program or be programmed’

access

functionalskills

‘Career and identity management’projecting a positive identity onlinemanaging personal profiles, personal data and log-in detailsnetworkingapplying for jobs onlinehaving an e-portfolio, online CV or blog...

Jisc 2015

Less focused, self-disciplined, persevering, able to cope with boredom...?

iflscience.com