Digital Literacy

by

Troy Hicks, Katherine Baleja, Mingyuan Zhang

• LAST REVIEWED: 30 October 2019
• LAST MODIFIED: 30 October 2019
• DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780199756841-0239

Introduction

For centuries, both the technologies of literacy—from cuneiform tablets to the printing press to, most recently, the smartphone—as well as the practices of reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing, and visually representing have evolved. In the late 1990s, with the emergence of the hyperlinked and increasingly visual form of the Internet known as the World Wide Web, researchers, journalists, and educators began to use the term “digital literacy” to describe and differentiate emerging practices that were considered new, or at least different, from linear, text-centric literacy practices. To be digitally literate, competent learners would need to perform equally as well in face-to-face and print communication, as well as with emerging online tools such as discussions boards, instant messaging, and email. Along with the introduction of the term “digital literacy,” a number of related—and often considered synonymous—terms have emerged from various perspectives including “computer literacy,” “information communication technologies (ICT) literacy,” “information literacy,” “media literacy,” “new literacy(ies),” and “multiliteracies.” In an effort to clarify definitions and to distinguish between other entries in the Oxford Bibliographies, “digital literacy” is defined here as the complementary and interwoven skills, both technical and social, that people must employ when using Internet-based communication—including hypertext, images, audio, and video—to consume and create messages across a variety of academic, civic, and cultural contexts. Digital literacy, then, has particular significance within the realm of education. Often positioned as a set of skills and dispositions on par with—or in some cases, even more important than—traditional literacy skills of reading and writing, digital literacy has taken a prominent role in academic conversations from early childhood education through adolescent and young adult learning. Additionally, references to digital literacy are now common in conversations outside of school as well. This bibliography focuses attention on digital literacy in K-12 contexts, with reference to out-of-school and global contexts, drawing attention to the wide range of educational scholarship that embraces the study of digital literacy including research in linguistics and sociology as well as education.

Journals Addressing Digital Literacy and Related Topics

There are numerous academic journals, both open-access and subscription-based, that focus broadly on themes of literacy and technology. The British Journal of Educational Technology (BJET) focuses largely on technology application across a variety of cultural contexts. Computers & Education provides an interdisciplinary forum for technology application. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE) offers open-access, peer-reviewed publications. Another open-access journal, EDUCAUSE Review, publishes mainly on current information technology trends for higher education. Hosted by the University of Illinois at Chicago, First Monday is one of the first open-access journals dedicated to the Internet. Hybrid Pedagogy centers on the blend of theory and practice combining experiences, current conversations, and theoretical foundations. The Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication (JCMC) provides social science research concerning communicating with computer-based technologies. The Journal of Literacy and Technology (JLT) aims to provide academic conversation focusing on the association between literacy and technology. The Journal of Technology and Teacher Education (JTATE) includes content for multiple perspectives including preservice and inservice teacher education, graduate programs, and educational computing. Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy publishes about computers and writing, composition studies, and digital rhetoric. Since the topic itself is of interest to educators, educational researchers, sociologists, linguists, media literacy advocates, librarians, and any number of other related fields, journals of interest for scholars studying digital literacy include those listed here.

• British Journal of Educational Technology (BJET). 1970–.

  The British Journal of Educational Technology (BJET) was established in 1969. It is a subscription-based journal that “is a primary source for academics and professionals in the fields of digital educational and training technology throughout the world.”

• Computers & Education. 1976–.

  Computers & Education was established in 1976. It is a subscription-based journal that “aims to increase knowledge and understanding of ways in which digital technology can enhance education, through the publication of high-quality research, which extends theory and practice.”

• Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE Journal). 2000.

  Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE Journal) was established in 2000. It is an open-access journal that “is an online, open-access, peer-reviewed journal, established and jointly sponsored by five professional associations (AMTE, ASTE, NCSS-CUFA, CEE, and SITE).”

• EDUCAUSE Review. 1998–.

  The EDUCAUSE Review/Quarterly was established in 1998. It is an open-access journal that “takes a broad look at current developments and trends in information technology, how they may affect the college/university as an institution, and what these mean for higher education and society.”

• First Monday. 1996–.

  First Monday was established in 1996. It is an open-access journal that “is one of the first openly accessible, peer–reviewed journals solely devoted to research about the Internet,” and was one of the first journals to adhere to an open-access policy before that terminology was popularized. It remains openly available, free of advertisements, and without article processing fees for authors.

• Hybrid Pedagogy. 2011–.

  Hybrid Pedagogy was established in 2011. It is an open-access journal that “is a community, a conversation, a collaboration, a school, and a journal. It is a place to discuss Critical Digital Pedagogy by advocating for students and fostering awareness of academic hierarchies.”

• Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication (JCMC). 1995–.

  The Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication (JCMC) was established in 1995. It is an open-access journal that “is broadly interdisciplinary, publishing work by scholars in communication, business, education, political science, sociology, psychology, media studies, information science, and other disciplines.”

• Journal of Literacy and Technology (JLT). 2000–.

  The Journal of Literacy and Technology (JLT) was established in 1999. It is an open-access journal that “is an online peer-reviewed international academic journal exploring the complex relationship between literacy and technology in educational, workplace, public, and individual spheres.”

• Journal of Technology and Teacher Education (JTATE). 1992–.

  The Journal of Technology and Teacher Education (JTATE) was established in 1992. It is a subscription-based journal that “is a forum for the exchange of knowledge about the use of information technology in teacher education. Journal content covers preservice and inservice teacher education, graduate programs in areas such as curriculum and instruction, educational administration, staff development instructional technology, and educational computing.”

• Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy. 1996–.

  Kairos was established in January 1996. It is an open-access journal with a mission to “to publish scholarship that examines digital and multimodal composing practices, promoting work that enacts its scholarly argument through rhetorical and innovative uses of new media.”