The New Web Literacy

Web 2.0 is sometimes described as the read/write web, giving everyday users the chance to create and share information as well as to consume information created by others. Social media systems are built on this foundation of participation and sharing, but what is the mindset of these users, and are they quite so everyday as we might suppose? The skills and attitudes held by users can be described as their literacy, and there has been a lot of debate over the last few years about how to describe these literacies, and design for them. One field that has been changed radically by this notion is Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) where a fierce debate has raged about the potential of a new generation of highly literate digital natives, and Edupunks have argued for open and personal systems that challenge traditional models of institutional control. In this session we look at the arguments surrounding digital literacy and examine TEL as an example of how social media can change an application domain.