Digital Literacy for St. Cloud State University
Created by The Academy—Bank of America’s award-winning onboarding, training, and development organization—the program is part of the company’s commitment to providing the most cutting-edge professional development tools to their employees to ensure they are successful in their roles.
400 employees using the Oculus Go. According to the report, 97% of the participants left feeling more confident in their abilities.
In a 2019 article published by the Academy of International Extended Reality (AIXR), research showed that success in your job and your ability to grow in that role was based on 15% hard skills and 85% soft skills.
A 2016 Pew Research Center study indicates that the digital divide in the United States is not solely about access to technology; it also is about the ability to use technology to get what we need.1 What does digital readiness mean; applying cumulative knowledge to real-world situations. Having a tech or STEM-related degree does not ensure digital readiness.
How Can We Encourage Digital Agility in the Liberal Arts?
Digital pedagogy often creates opportunities for instructors to create non-disposable assignments—assignments that are not designed to be thrown away but rather have a purpose past being required.3
“We need to marry the best of our academic work with the best of edtech. In other words, what would it look like if education technology were embedded in the everyday practice of academic disciplines?”4
Project-based learning fits well within the curricular flexibility of the liberal arts. In project-based work, students apply what they are learning in the context of an engaging experience.
Building off frameworks that are already in place, like the Association for College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy,
External-facing work offers students real situations where, if we imagine what digital agility looks like, they have to adjust to possible new digital environments and approaches.
Reflection provides a way for meaning-making to happen across individual assignments, projects, and classes. Without the chance to assemble assignments into a larger narrative, each experience lives in its own void.
How Can Institutions Build Systems-Level Support?
Liberal arts colleges in particular are interested in the ways they prepare graduates to be agile and critical in a digital world—as seen in the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education (VALUE) Rubrics.
he Bryn Mawr Digital Competencies Framework5 was followed by more formal conversations and the formation of a working group (including Carleton College,
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more on digital fluency in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=digital+fluency
Young people may be expert social-media and smartphone users, but many lack the digital skills they need for today’s jobs. How can we set them up for success?
https://www.theatlantic.com/sponsored/grow-google-2019/smartphone-generation-computer-help/3127/
Kenneth Cole’s classroom at the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County, located on a quiet residential street in Madison, Wisconsin.
The classes Cole teaches use Grow with Google’s Applied Digital Skills online curriculum.
One day he may lead Club members in a lesson on building digital resumes that can be customized quickly and make job-seeking easier when applying online. Another day they may create a blog. On this particular day, they drew up a budget for an upcoming event using a spreadsheet. For kids who are often glued to their smartphones, these types of digital tasks, surprisingly, can be new experiences.
The vast majority of young Americans have access to a smartphone, and nearly half say they are online “almost constantly.”
But although smartphones can be powerful learning tools when applied productively, these reports of hyperconnectivity and technological proficiency mask a deeper paucity of digital skills. This often-overlooked phenomenon is limiting some young people’s ability—particularly those in rural and low-income communities—to succeed in school and the workplace, where digital skills are increasingly required to collaborate effectively and complete everyday tasks.
According to a survey by Pew Research Center, only 17 percent of Americans are “digitally ready”—that is, confident using digital tools for learning. Meanwhile, in a separate study, American millennials ranked last among a group of their international peers when it came to “problem-solving in technology-rich environments,” such as sending and saving digital information
teach his sophomore pupils the technology skills they need in the workplace, as well as soft skills like teamwork.
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more on digitally native in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=digitally+native
more on millennials in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=millennials
Communication in Person & Online (available in PDF format here: Communication in Person Online Rubric)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/16JVAivizIysXdmUVXzC2BP2NiclbJ21N9cOZQ6NdqxU/edit
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Limited, to no, participation in discussions.
Does not come to discussions prepared. As a result, fails to support statements with evidence from texts and other research.
Few attempts to ask questions or build on ideas shared.
Frequently violates the “dos and don’ts of online communication.” |
Limited participation in discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with various partners.
Does not consistently come to discussions prepared. Limited preparation and inability to support statements with evidence from texts and other research reflects lack of preparation.
Limited attempts to ask questions, build on ideas shared, or invite quieter voices into the conversation.
Hesitant to respond to other perspectives and fails to summarize points or make connections.
Occasionally violates the “dos and don’ts of online communication.” |
Participates in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners.
Comes to discussions prepared, having read and researched material. Draws on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic.
Attempts to drive conversations forward by asking questions, building on ideas shared, and inviting quieter voices into the conversation. Responds to diverse perspectives, summarizes points, and makes connections.
Respects the “dos and don’ts for online communication.” |
Initiates and participates effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners.
Comes to discussions prepared with a unique perspective, having read and researched material; explicitly draws on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic. Propels conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate to the current discussion. (Adds depth by providing a new, unique perspective to the discussion.) Responds thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarizes points of agreement and disagreement, and makes new connections. Leans in and actively listens. Makes eye contact, speaks loud enough to be heard, and body language is strong. Respects the “dos and don’ts for online communication.” |
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving, (available in PDF format here: Critical Thinking Problem Solving Rubric)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fjlODmLvrVZyrKnzz54LbVa7CqfbAJvLfb98805fjuY/edit
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Reflects surface level understanding of information.
Unable or unwilling to evaluate quality of information or draw conclusions about information found. Does not try to solve problems or help others solve problems. Lets others do the work.
Does not actively seek answers to questions or attempt to find information. Does not seek out peers or ask teacher for guidance or support. |
Attempts to dive below the surface when analyzing information but work lacks depth.
Struggles to evaluate the quality of information and does not draw insightful conclusions about information found. Does not suggest or refine solutions, but is willing to try out solutions suggested by others. Asks teachers or other students for answers but does not use online tools, like Google and YouTube, to attempt to answer questions or find information. |
Demonstrates a solid understanding of the information.
Evaluates the quality of information and makes inferences/draws conclusions.
Refines solutions suggested by others.
Attempts to use online tools, like Google and YouTube, to seek answers and find information. |
Demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of the information.
Effectively evaluates the quality of information and makes inferences/draws conclusion that are insightful.
Actively looks for and suggests solutions to problems.
Uses online tools, like Google and YouTube, to proactively seek answers and find information.
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Collaboration & Contributions in a Team Dynamic (available in PDF format here: Collaboration Contributions in a Team Dynamic Rubric)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ucjgylXWz8nOM5Vq8FpTByur8smsbov3mR8pX-7n1SE/edit
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Fails to listen to, share with, and support the efforts of team members making accomplishing a task more difficult for the team.
Frequently inattentive or distracting when team members talk. Requires frequent redirection by team members and/or teacher. Body language does not reflect engagement in the process. Focus on leaning in, asking questions, actively listening (e.g. make eye contact). Rarely offers feedback. Frequently becomes impatient, frustrated, and/or disrespectful.
Limited attempts to move between roles. Does not use resources to support the team’s work. |
Attempts to listen to, share with, and support the efforts of team members are limited or inconsistent.
Does not always listen when team members talk and requires redirection by team members and/or teacher. Body language does not reflect engagement in the process. Focus on leaning in, asking questions, actively listening (e.g. make eye contact). Occasionally offers feedback. At times, becomes impatient or frustrated with the process making teamwork more challenging. Limited attempts to move between roles. Does not consistently use resources to support the team’s work. |
Listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of team members.
Listens when team members talk. Attempts to engage in group tasks; however, body language does not consistently communicate interest or attention. Body language reflects engagement in the process, but there is room for improvement. Offers feedback and treats team members with respect. At times, becomes impatient or frustrated with the process making teamwork more challenging. Attempts to be flexible and move between roles; at times dominates a particular role. This is an area of potential growth. Uses resources to support the team’s work. |
Consistently listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of team members.
Leans in and actively listens when team members talk.
Body language communicates interest in team tasks and engagement in the process.
Offers constructive feedback, treats team members with respect, and is patient with the process.
Creates balance on the team moving between responsibilities without dominating any one role.
Uses resources effectively to support the team’s work. |
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more on soft skills in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=soft+skills
presented on Tuesday, March 3, 2015.
Steve Zimmerman (charter school director), New York
digital porfolio software: open source. Google Sites – free, but too laborious for teachers
must be student owned and intuitive interface (you cannot say this about MN eFolio)
assessment rubrics
easy sharing and feedback
accessible form mobile devices (you cannot say this about MN eFolio)
easy integration with other applications (you cannot say this about MN eFolio)
Tina Holland
she is not a test person. good for her.
writing, critical thinking, creative thinking, soft skills (communication, collaboration, negotiation). team players, problme solvers, prioritize,
education is moving from traditional teaching methods, to inquiry based. self-directed learning. from summative to formative assessment
21st century learning competencies
#DigitalPortfolio
the presentation is now available on-demand at: http://w.on24.com/r.htm?e=936737&s=1&k=93DDFD3EB35B18A080B8EB13DD8FA770.
More on digital portfolio in this blog: