4 Reasons for Digital Literacy
- When we give students the opportunity to learn digital literacy skills and new media authoring practices, we quite literally expand their capacities for expression. This helps students not only to tell better stories but, more importantly, take on greater (or different) degrees of agency.
- When we invite students to create with digital technologies, we give them access to course content, ideas, and practices in new ways. This is not only a matter of what they might make (i.e., a podcast), but fundamentally how they might engage a given course’s content.
- When working in and across digital modalities, students can have meaningful success outside traditional modes of academic discourse. This is especially important for DEI efforts, including 1st gen, non-traditional, and international students, for many of whom traditional academic discourse can be a major hurdle if not insurmountable barrier.
- When creating digital "things," students actively want to share their work. There is a built-in public-facing condition when making digital things, and many of us, students and faculty alike, see and feel the reality of a persistent digital audience, that underlying ‘meant to be seen’ condition as when we are engaged in digital making.
3 Approaches for Digital Literacy
- Activities: In-class activities are designed learning experiences that get students involved with course content and/or critically/creatively engaged with key ideas and issues. (e.g., Think-Pair-Make-Share; Social Media as Model)
- Assets: Instructional assets are instructor-produced deliverables that help guide students through course content or practices, illuminate course ideas, or simply set-up (or extend) in-class engagements.
- Assessments: Course assignments are invited opportunities for students to create a particular kind of output and for instructors to assess student learning and development These assessment engagements can range from low-stakes activities to capstone projects, but what matters is the learning outcomes being assessed.
2 Challenges: Activity + Assets
CHALLENGE 1 - THINK-PAIR-MAKE-SHARE Activity
Think-Pair-Share is a popular Active Learning strategy used in classrooms. This modified version, Think-Pair-Make-Share, brings Digital Literacy and Active Learning together, adding "making" (and reflection/explanation) as a key component. This allows instructors to use what students make as a means to facilitate engagement.
30-second Overview
- Spend a minute or two thinking of responses to a few key prompts.
- Pair up and spend a few minutes discussing the prompts / responses.
- Generate key take-aways from that discussion (typically written in sentence form).
- Make an image creation (combining image and text) that represents or conveys one "take-away".
- Share the image creation with the larger group and explain what was created / how it relates to/responds to the prompt.
Step 1 | Think
In 1-2 minutes, jot down some ideas / responses to one (or more ) of the following questions:
- What is digital literacy? What does it meant to be digitally literate?
- Why does digital literacy matter today?
- What issues do you face in leveraging digital literacy, digital creativity, or even digital learning in the classroom?
Be sure to write down or type out your responses. While sentences are preferred, these can be in note form at this juncture.
Step 2 | Pair
Partner up (or get in groups of 3) and spend a few minutes discussing the prompts / responses.
- Write down at least one key take-away from your discussion (something yuou can fit easily on an image or present as a "sound bite").
Step 3 | Make an Image
Working individually or in pairs, use Adobe Express to create an image (social media style, meme creation, etc.) that represents/expresses one of the key takeaways.
Be sure to follow the specific image creation guides (i.e., the Obstructions)
- Image Creations cannot include more than 7 words of alphabetic text.
- Images must be "shared" (exported) as either a URL or as a .png
Step 4 | Share
Submit the URL or .png to a designated location.
- The goal here is to be able to share the work with the class, but also to allow the instructor to pull the work up in front of the class and use the image creations to facilitate the discussion.
If you want to share your creations (in-progress or otherwise), click the button above, choose a slide, add your name (and email, if you so choose), add your image, and tell us one thing you've learned from the process/experience.
CHALLENGE 2 | Faculty | GenAI & Course Poster
Your challenge is to create a promotional poster (11x17) for your course: i.e., something you can print and post on campus. We are going to use the preset elements in Adobe Express, take advantage of Firefly inside of Adobe Express, and add text and context.
30-second Overview
- Build a Canvas
- Create an image using Text-to-Image and set as background
- Add a course title and relevant information
- Add a catchy line (an attention getter)
- Add a brief description (if space/design appropriate)
- Download as .png
Step 1 | Select your Canvas
- Choose Class Projects and then select Poster
Step 2 | Create a background image
- Select Media from left menu and make sure Photos is selected in new submenu.
- Click Text to Image button and choose Portrait
- Type in your image description in the prompt box.
- Choose the image you want (or revise prompt to get desired image)
- Resize / Reposition image (manually or use "set at page background" button)
Step 3 | Add Text
- Select Text from left menu and click Add your Text
- Repeat process to add additional text elements as needed (course information)
NOTE: You can search for specific text styles or browse designed text assets to help in your creative production.
Step 4 | Add Attention Getter
- Add another line of text to grab attention
You may need to create relief by using shapes (and placing them behind the text) or text effects to help the text stand out from the image.
Step 5 | (Optional) Description
If you have enough space and/or it makes sense of the design, you can add an additional textual element providing a bit more context for the course. (See example below)
Step 6 | Download Image
- Click Download option at top right of window
- Select format (i.e., .png)
- Click Download button.
CHALLENGE 2 | Student | "About Me" Slide
Your challenge is to create a introduction presentation slide introducing yourself to your classmates. We are going to use the preset elements in Adobe Express, take advantage of Firefly inside of Adobe Express, and add text and context.
Step 1 | Select your Canvas
- Choose Class Projects and then select Presentation
Step 2 | Select Grid
- Select the Grids option from the left menu and choose a preferred layout.
- Move/Resize Gird so it fills half to two-thirds of the slide space.
Step 3 | Populate the Grid
The goal here is to add/create images that present who you are or represent elements that might help convey a sense of who you are to your fellow classmates.
- Double-click any of the images in the Grid to modify/change the Image
- Using the left menu, select Media and then either upload an image from device, search available photos in Adobe Express, or use the Text to Image button to use Firefly to create an image.
Be sure to repeat the process to replace all the grid image.
BONUS: I usually require students to add one image of themselves, locate one image from Express, and create one image using Text-to-Image.
Step 4 | Add Name, Title/Identifiers, and Intro Text
- Select Text from left menu and click Add your Text
- Add additional text elements as needed (course information)
NOTE: You can search for specific text styles or browse designed text assets to help in your creative production.
A Couple of Alternate Possibilities
FACULTY
- Create an About me introduction slide (for you or course) for students
- Use "Animate from Audio" to create an introduction to yourself or the course
- Use Express webpage to create course assignment handouts: enacting the paradigm (i.e., if asking student to create an Express webpage as an assignment, the assignment guide perhaps be created itself as an Express webpage)
STUDENTS
- Use "Animate from Audio" to create the About Me introductions
- Modify Presentation Slide "About me" to be a Title Image/Slide creation for their first course project: i.e., what they create becomes the title image/element for an Express Webpage.
1 - Just Try One Thing
My challenge to you all:
Play with Adobe Express and imagine one low-stakes way you might integrate digital literacy, digital creativity, or digital learning into your course.
Create an image. Build a webpage. Introduce a course concept using animate from audio. Make a video. Design an assignment that invites digital engagement. There are lots of options available to you.
A Couple Example Projects
Express Webpage | Multimedia Essays
- Mental Health on College Campuses | Carolyn Ciolfi (IUB)
- The Crossroads of Indiana University | Ryan Canfield (IUB)
Animate from Audio | Explainer Video
- Stats class for Nursing Program - IU Kokomo
- Instructor: Mary Bourke
- Student Creators: Cassie, Cheryl, Kristy, and Mackenzie
Express Video | Concept Video
Keshawna’s project, from an Occupational Therapy course, is a reflection on her experience as a step-parent. Trough a video presentation, she explores the emotional vulnerability, advocacy, and self-actualization that come with fulfilling this role. Keshawna incorporates a “call to action” strategy, empowering viewers by sharing the key takeaways. The video concludes with a heartfelt dedication to her stepdaughter.
Presenter Bio
Justin Hodgson is a professional speaker, faculty development leader, and digital innovation consultant. He is an Associate Professor of Digital Rhetoric at IU Bloomington, but also leads the Digital Gardener Initiative for Indiana University--a system-wide series of programs focused on faculty development and student success designed to integrate digital literacy, digital creativity, and digital learning into the curriculum and culture at IU. The Digital Gardener Initiative, which just concluded its fifth semester of operation, directly impacts more than 16,000 students per semester across all seven IU campuses.
With more than 20 years experience in higher education, working at institutions ranging from community colleges to research intensive universities, Justin has built a career around innovation and impact in the classroom. His efforts have resulted in his being awarded the 2023 Social Learning Innovator Award from Hypothesis, the 2021 IU President's Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Technology, and the 2015 IU Trustees Teaching Award. He is active on LinkedIn, blogs with varying (in)frequency at justinhodgson.com, and tweets with even less consistency at @postdigitalJH.