Rosie Jones
Rosie Jones is Director of Student and Library Services at Teesside University leading a department made up of multidisciplinary teams. She has worked in academic Libraries since 2001 taking a particular interest in games and learning, information literacy and learning space development. She is the Deputy Chair for CILIP Information Literacy Group, a member of SCONUL Executive Board and currently co-chairs the Playful Learning Conference.
Abstract: Building digital capability: making the most of digital opportunities
It is clear that there is an increasing emphasis on digital capabilities in education. Workplaces are looking for employers with the capability of navigating a new digital society and there is a growing expectation that education will support this need. As this demand increases so too do the skills required by staff to not only support students but to work with maximum effectiveness in a changing digital environment. With this comes opportunities for libraries, already significantly experienced and seen as knowledgeable in digital literacy, libraries are ideal vehicles for pushing whole institutional approaches to both staff and student skills development.
This presentation will share approaches to building digital capabilities, including practical examples and emphasising the importance of the cultural change that goes alongside these developments.
Professor Julian McDougall
Julian McDougall is a Professor in Media and Education, Head of the Centre for Excellence in Media Practice, and Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He edits the journal Media Practice and Education, runs the Professional Doctorate (Ed D) in Creative and Media Education at Bournemouth University and convenes the annual International Media Education Summit. His current research is on critical media literacy for resilience to ‘information disorder’, funded by the US Embassy and published by Palgrave MacMillan.
Abstract: The Uses of Literacy Today
In The Uses of Literacy (1957), Richard Hoggart wrote about how people were using the new ‘mass literacy’ for self-improvement, education, social mobility and civic engagement but that outside forces were seizing the opportunity to use this same expansion in literacy, through the new mass media, for commercial and political exploitation.
In the era of ‘information disorder’ and ‘fake news’, is the same thing happening? What kinds of literacy are required to survive in the new information and data landscape?
Going further, and crucially, as literacy competencies are never neutral and are, let’s face it, used often for bad things, how do we turn our attention instead, now, to the ‘uses’ of these literacies, as Hoggart did over sixty years ago. How do we focus on these uses of literacy as capabilities rather than competencies?
How can we develop a capability framework for the uses of literacy today?
Wendy Mears
Wendy Mears is a Learning and Teaching Librarian at The Open University with significant experience of digital literacy curriculum development, working with academic authors to embed digital literacy into OU teaching materials. She has written openly available learning objects, including the award – winning Being digital collection of online learning activities, and the OpenLearn free course, Digital Literacy: succeeding in a digital world.
Abstract: Developing the Open University’s digital literacy framework
This interactive presentation will provide an insight into how the OU’s digital and information literacy framework was developed in partnership with academic colleagues, and its use in practice to inform curriculum design and development. Factors for success include: establishing a shared understanding of terminology; providing support to staff and students in developing digital awareness and confidence; getting buy-in at strategic and operational levels of the organisation; and embedding digital and information literacy learning outcomes and assessment into learning and teaching. Openness has also been significant in generating awareness and use of the framework at institutional, national and international level. You will have the opportunity to explore key aspects of the framework and consider how you might adapt this approach for your own context.
TeenTech: Research Skills in Action
Dr Jane Secker, Rosie Jones, Joyce Martin, Darryl Toerien and Harry Smith
TeenTech was set up in 2008 by Maggie Philbin (who some may remember from BBC’s Tomorrow’s World) to help young people understand the opportunities in the science, technology and engineering industries and to see how science and technology can be applied to real world problems. Through TeenTech small groups of students are enabled to come up with an idea which will make life easier, simpler, safer or more fun, and submit projects explaining their idea and their research behind it.
CILIP’s Information Literacy Group (ILG) sponsors the TeenTech Research and Literacy Award which recognises excellence in the ability to find, evaluate and use information to inform the creation of the TeenTech projects. For the 2020 awards, JCS is co-sponsoring this award and with the backing of our publishers, will be making extended access available to relevant digital resources to support the student’s research.
This session will showcase how TeenTech is helping students’ research skills through real-world experiences and how the FOSIL research model has supported Oakham School’s success in the Awards. We will also highlight the openly licensed Research Smarter guides, developed by ILG that are available to support students develop their research and information literacy awards. These are available at: https://infolit.org.uk/information-literacy-group/school-resource-sheets/