eli07netsavvysession and Net Generation Learner

The ELI 2007 Fall Focus Session, Being Net Savvy: Developing Skills for a Rapidly Changing World, explored what it means for students, faculty, and staff to be net savvy, and why it is a critical skill in a Web 2.0 world. ELI developed a video summary of the event for use as a persistent learning resource. It provides an overview of the major concepts presented and discussed at the session, such as what it means for students, faculty, and staff to be net savvy and the potential pitfalls of not being net savvy in an online world. It also highlights the need to address issues of information literacy / fluency, media literacy, and good digital citizenship across the curriculum, as well as across professional development and student life programs.

The student affairs division can be a valuable partner in developing a campus response to Net Generation issues. In addition to improving the “Net IQ” of staff on campus, student affairs can and should play a significant role in assessing the impact of technology on student development and behavior, crafting policies and procedures, and educating students about technology rights and responsibilities.

The introduction of new media tools and texts inevitably creates social tension as the roles of information receivers, producers, and gatekeepers shift with the changing literacy landscape. In particular, the traditional relationship between alphabetic literacy and schooling gives way to a complex and expansive view of multiple, critical literacies and their uses. How can educational institutions rethink the literacy and learning connection within the context of pervasive communication devices and shared knowledge networks? Instead of focusing on the challenges of integrating net savvy students into existing institutional practices, an assets model for new media education leverages everyday literacy skills and enlists students as partners in the design of relevant, customized, and dynamic learning environments in a digital world.