Bibliography
In today’s society, digital literacy is vital for social and learning success. However, I want to find whether or not age is a factor in digital proficiency. To find if children who become digitally literate at a younger age are more successful, I looked for scholarly sources that described digital literacy, its importance, and its changes across and in generations. I found that digital literacy is concluded among many sources to be one of the most important factors of overall success for upcoming generations in today’s society. I want to look further into sources like "Digital Literacy in the Google Generation” to discover the importance of digital literacy beyond search engines and into evaluation of sources. I feel this is just as important as basic understanding of technology. Mark Prensky’s article, as well as the article from Educause is also interesting because they focus on the generational aspect of my topic. I am still struggling to find solid information concerning disparities within generations, although it is apparent in my findings that digital literacy is, in fact, like learning a second language. This is definitely something I must research further in order to fully reach the analysis potential of my research question.
"Connecting the Digital Dots: Literacy of the 21st Century (EDUCAUSE Quarterly) | EDUCAUSE." What Is EDUCAUSE? | EDUCAUSE. Web. 23 Mar. 2010.
College professors, Barbara R. Jones-Kavalier and Suzanne L. Flannigan, explain in Educause Quarterly, “Prior to the 21st century, literate defined a person’s ability to read and write, separating the educated from the uneducated.” Their expertise in the filed of education allows them special insight to the digital literacy of younger generations in comparison to their own. A key quote I found important for my paper was, “Children learn these skills as part of their lives, like language, which they learn without realizing they are learning it.” This explains the digital literacy of new generations, and leaves room for research between children of the same generation, which is the focus of my research question.
"Digital Literacy Definition and Resources." University Library at University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Web. 23 Mar. 2010.
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign explains the definition of digital literacy as “the ability to use digital technology, communication tools or networks to locate, evaluate, use and create information, the ability to understand and use information in multiple formats from a wide range of sources when it is presented via computers, and a person’s ability to perform tasks effectively in a digital environment.” At the university, librarians even work to incorporate digital media into the library as a resource for students to gain digital literacy. I used this website because it contributes to my knowledge and opinion of the topic, and I think it is important to first understand the definition of digital literacy from outside sources before making conclusions of my own.
"Digital Literacy in the Google Generation." Information Literacy Meets Library 2.0. Web. 23 Mar. 2010.
This blog, which updates the book “Information Literacy Meets Library 2.0,” was published in March of 2008, and contains a video that shows how current generations have pretty much all information on the tips of their finger by having the ability to use the Google search engine. In past generations students or just people in general would have to go to the library and rent a book or find an expert on the subject. However, they outline the fact that students often have the skills to obtain sources, but lack the digital literacy to use their findings effectively. The video explains, “A study conducted by the British Library at JISC illustrates that young people in the so called “Google generation” rely on search engines as their sources of information, but lack the skills to evaluate information.” The video goes on to show the importance of digital literacy and gives a diagram of the six steps to being digitally literate: task definition, information seeking strategies, location and access, use of information, synthesis, and evaluation. I thought this information was good for showing the importance of digital literacy in younger generations, as well as helping prove my assumptions that some students have the capability to use technology more effectively than others.
"Is It Age or IT: First Steps Toward Understanding the Net Generation | EDUCAUSE." What Is EDUCAUSE? | EDUCAUSE. Web. 08 Apr. 2010.
This article on Educause, by Diana Oblinger of Educause and James Oblinger of North Carolina State University, is possibly one of the best sources for my paper. It thoroughly explains digital literacy across generations with diagrams and various resources. Some of the information I found most interesting was their explanation of younger generation’s digital literacy:
“Exposure to IT begins at very young ages. Children age six or younger spend an average of two hours each day using screen media (TV, videos, computers, video games), which nearly equals the amount of time they spend playing outside (1:58 hours versus 2:01 hours). Both significantly exceed the amount of reading time (39 minutes). Half of the children in this age group have used a computer; among 4-to-6-year-olds, 27 percent spend over an hour a day (1:04) at the keyboard. "It's not just teenagers who are wired up and tuned in, it's babies in diapers as well." While earlier generations were introduced to information through print, this generation takes a digital path.”
The Oblingers then discuss personality traits associated with digital literacy, as well as the fact that “age is less important than exposure to technology.” This contributes to my research greatly because it focuses on the fact that not everyone has the same digital literacy rates across or within a generation, and it matters more whether or not people are exposed to technology rather than simply how old they are.
Prensky, Mark. "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, Part II: Do They Really Think Differently?" On the Horizon 9.6 (2001). MCB University Press. Web.
Marc Prensky is an internationally acclaimed speaker, writer, consultant, and designer in the critical areas of education and learning. His findings for digital literacy compare “Digital Natives” and “Digital Immigrants” as people who grow up digitally literate as compared to those who try to learn later in life. He discusses how the differences between Digital Native students and Digital Immigrant teachers “lies at the root of a great many of today’s educational problems.” He suggested, “Digital Natives’ brains are likely physically different as a result of the digital input they received growing up.” And he submitted, “learning via digital games is one good way to reach Digital Natives in their ‘native language.’” This information is good support for my research findings because it further shows the importance of digital literacy, how it is engrained in our society, and the fact that children who grow up digitally literate learn it like a foreign language and are better with technology than those who learn later in life.
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