Ethesis Metadata

url http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/3446
creators BELSHAW, DOUGLAS,AJ
title What is 'digital literacy'? A Pragmatic investigation.
full_text_status public
keywords digital literacy;digital literacies;new literacies;information literacy;visual literacy;Pragmatism;learning;internet;new media;memes;framework
abstract Digital literacy has been an increasingly-debated and discussed topic since the publication of Paul Gilster’s seminal Digital Literacy in 1997. It is, however, a complex term predicated on previous work in new literacies such as information literacy and computer literacy. To make sense of this complexity and uncertainty I come up with a ‘continuum of ambiguity’ and employ a Pragmatic methodology. This thesis makes three main contributions to the research area. First, I argue that considering a plurality of digital literacies helps avoid some of the problems of endlessly-redefining ‘digital literacy’. Second, I abstract eight essential elements of digital literacies from the research literature which can lead to positive action. Finally, I argue that co-constructing a definition of digital literacies (using the eight essential elements as a guide) is at least as important as the outcome.
date 2012
thesis_type Doctoral
thesis_qualification_name EdD
department_dur DDD29
documents
http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/3446/1/Ed.D._thesis_(FINAL_TO_UPLOAD).pdf (7169799 bytes)