Digital Texts and Learning: Overcoming Barriers to Effective Use
Description
This session critically examines digital texts from the perspective of their unique potential as learning resources, which support knowledge construction. The presenters’ underlying assumption is that digital texts have characteristics which might offer learners uniquely powerful tools for constructing knowledge; however, one must be able to access, move, and transform the digital text vis-à-vis activities and technologies for effective learning to take place. In practice today, digital texts are frequently encrypted, formatted, contained, or otherwise “locked down” in ways which present barriers to doing things with the text beyond simply viewing it. In essence, digital texts often end up as mere analogs of their hardcopy counterparts; consequently, digital texts’ potential value as learning resource is significantly diminished. The presenters will demonstrate examples of what it looks like when a digital text is not locked down and is available for learners to use flexibly with outside technologies and activities. The purpose of the demonstrations is to stimulate discussion among participants, and examine the implications of effective practices with digital texts and barriers to them in contexts of our own work, home, and community environments.
Start Date
15-3-2017 2:15 PM
End Date
15-3-2017 3:15 PM
Digital Texts and Learning: Overcoming Barriers to Effective Use
This session critically examines digital texts from the perspective of their unique potential as learning resources, which support knowledge construction. The presenters’ underlying assumption is that digital texts have characteristics which might offer learners uniquely powerful tools for constructing knowledge; however, one must be able to access, move, and transform the digital text vis-à-vis activities and technologies for effective learning to take place. In practice today, digital texts are frequently encrypted, formatted, contained, or otherwise “locked down” in ways which present barriers to doing things with the text beyond simply viewing it. In essence, digital texts often end up as mere analogs of their hardcopy counterparts; consequently, digital texts’ potential value as learning resource is significantly diminished. The presenters will demonstrate examples of what it looks like when a digital text is not locked down and is available for learners to use flexibly with outside technologies and activities. The purpose of the demonstrations is to stimulate discussion among participants, and examine the implications of effective practices with digital texts and barriers to them in contexts of our own work, home, and community environments.