It’s Time for a National Commitment to Digital Literacy

Having a computer in the home is widely considered a starting point for improving kids’ educational opportunities and learning environment today.  Renee Hobbs points out in this recent op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer that, without good instruction in how to use the digital tools available, a computer in the home can actually have the opposite effect.

Hobbs cites a new study conducted at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy which found that students in grades five through eight, particularly kids from disadvantaged backgrounds, tended to post lower scores on standardized tests once computers and high speed Internet access reached their homes.

Hobbs, a national leader in the fields of digital and media literacy who founded and runs Temple University’s Media Education Lab, explains why home computer access could lead to a widening of the achievement gap:

In many homes, the computer is now primarily an entertainment device, for downloading music, watching videos, playing games and social networking.

While some people may assume that the computer is a research tool, used for exploring the world, keeping up with current events and learning new things, in many families, people lack the knowledge and skills to use it for these purposes.

Parents’ behavior and attitudes toward technology are a critical factor in predicting a child’s experience with various media. Research shows that students who have at least one parent with a graduate degree are significantly more likely to create content, online or off-line, than others.

So what can we do?  How about a nationwide commitment to integrating digital and media literacy as critical elements of education at all levels, as the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy has recommended? And funding and supporting public libraries and other community institutions as centers of digital and media training for adults, another Knight Commission recommendation?

The Knight Commission has urged the federal government to launch a national initiative to assess the quality of digital and media literacy programs in the nation’s schools. If the Duke study’s findings hold true across the country, then such an initiative borders on necessity as federal officials at the FCC and elsewhere work to expand broadband and computer access and adoption (goals that the Knight Commission has also endorsed).

As the Knight Commission indicated, it will take collaboration among federal, state and local education officials to produce the reforms that are needed.  Other community stakeholders have a role to play as well.

To promote a broader public discussion and explore what collaborations might work to achieve widespread digital literacy, the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program has commissioned Professor Hobbs to prepare an action agenda that addresses these needs. Hobbs’ recommendations will be released as a white paper in the fall. Her ideas will be previewed at this week’s FOCAS 2010 meeting.