Do you feel Selber’s 2004 Multiliteracy analysis is still relevant today?

Selber’s framework continues to have validity today. Educators should assist students in using and understanding digital literacy tools. Witness the number of laptops carried through airports. Cell phones, Blackberrys, Sidekicks, and GPS units are standard communication tools accessible to people on a daily basis. Public schools collaborate in networked ventures such as the Global Virtual Classroom (http://www.virtualclassroom.org/), ThinkQuest (http://www.thinkquest.org/), and other collaborative opportunities (see http://www.globalschoolnet.org/index.html for more links). Long distance e-learning thrives throughout the world linking teachers and students. In 2003, the United States alone had 1.9 million students participating in e-learning environments (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_learning).

Perhaps the second of Selber’s literacies, critical literacy, is the core of digital literacy. Knowing how to ask questions about what technology serves us is essential. Some students may be tempted to accept cart blanche what they view on the network. I recall one of my deaf middle school student's wish to get his hands on a Sidekick. One afternoon, as he browsed the internet, he came across the statement, “Free Sidekick 2”. He waved to get everyone’s attention and signed, “Look! A free Sidekick 2. I want it.” Of course, the young man did not read the fine print indicating a service contract with monthly payments was required. I spent the next 20 minutes trying to show him that the Sidekick 2 was not really “free”. How many times do people simply accept digital information as accurate, without thinking about the source, its intent, and what it wants you to do or believe? Selber’s notion of critical literacy applies even more today as the global network expands. He “makes the case that students should be asking why and how technology institutions such as websites, campus computer labs, software packages, etc. have been set up to persuade, control, direct and use them.” (see Shawn Miller’s review of Selber’s book at http://currents.cwrl.utexas.edu/fall05/miller.html. Refer to point 5 in the review.) Surly in educational settings where critical analysis is important, educators must address students’ critical literacy skills.

The social, political, and economic ramifications of technological multiliteracies are profound. Digital technologies can be accessed with little or no cost, instantaneously, and from a multitude of locations. This access to information where people can freely communicate and publish seems to be democratic. Yet, some would argue that digital technologies lead to a more totalitarian society. In the real world, not all individuals have equal access to the digital, global world. Others passively absorb digital content rather than interacting with the media. (http://data.commonground.com.au/program/TS06-program-post-conf.pdf) Therefore, Selber’s views on the social, political, and economic impact of digital media apply today, more than ever.