Category: #diglit

#AcDigID, #diglit, #EdDigID

Being a Networked Scholar in 2018: Join #AcDigID Twitter Chat this Friday, January 12th

Laura Pasquini

Being an open, networked academic might mean sharing research, teaching, and scholarly practice online. Social networks and online tools are increasingly offering higher ed faculty a digital place for collaboration, learning, and work. In the information age, being able to share instructional practices, disseminate research, and engage in scholarly conversations is becoming the norm in and it is even more critical academia contributes to accurate public knowledge. There are a number of benefits for being open and online; however, being a networked scholar does not come without questions or challenges in 2018 [See: My last post on the topic.] If you’re interested in joining a conversation about “Being a Networked Scholar in 2018” and sharing your perspective on the topic, I would love if you could save the day to join this LIVE Twitter Chat on Friday, January 12, 2018 from 11 am-12 pm CDT (time zone converter, I’m in Dallas, TX, USA). What does it mean to be a connected academic? How has being a faculty in a networked world impacted your teaching, learning and service scholarship? Come chat with us to share your thoughts, ideas, and questions you are pondering this year. All #highered colleagues and academic peers are welcome for some FREE Twitter PD!

HOW TO: Participate in the #AcDigID Chat

Here’s a quick overview of how to participate in #AcDigID Twitter Chat:

  1. Set up your Twitter Account (HOW TO: Set Up The Twitters).
  2. Follow the #AcDigID hashtag on Twitter for the latest tweets.
  3. Follow @LauraPasquini who will moderate the Q & A for the Twitter Chat, a.k.a. “MOD”
  4. Get ready and excited for Friday’s (1/12) chat by checking out what’s being shared and discussed on the #AcDigID hashtag NOW! BONUS: You might learn what’s happening and what we’re talking about in the workshop. 🙂
  5. JOIN US Friday, January 12th from 11 am- 12 noon CDT  for the following TOPIC: Being Online as a #HigherEd Professional in 2018

Contribute to the #AcDigID Twitter Chat by:

  • Logging into your Twitter account as the #AcDigID chat will happen ON TWITTER.
  • Follow along in real time during the #AcDigID Twitter chat by following along on the Twitter hashtag: #AcDigID  or this Tweet Chat Room: http://tweetchat.com/room/AcDigID
  • The MOD (moderator) @LauraPasquini will ask 3-4 questions during the 60-minute chat; please respond with the Q# in your update, e.g. “Q1: Your Answer” or “A1: Your response”
  • Invite your higher education faculty/staff peers to join the conversation – all are welcome to join!
  • Include the #AcDigID hashtag in your tweets and responses (“@”) to others.

Being a Networked Scholar in 2018: To help you prepare, here are a few of the #AcDigID chat questions we might chat about for you to think about IN ADVANCE of our conversation:

  1. What questions should we discuss, with regards to being a networked scholar or digital academic in 2018?
  2. What are your preferred digital spaces to learn or connect with academics online? Please share.
  3. Where can we find traces of your work in #highered or scholarly self online (besides Twitter)?
  4. What are some of the benefits of developing a digital identity or being part of an online community?
  5. What are the possible challenges/issues for being online, on social media or having a professional a digital presence in 2018?
  6. What advice do you have for #highered colleagues & academics about their digital identity or being in an online professional network?

UPDATED #acdigID POST CHAT (1.12.18):

TRANSCRIPTS: #acdigID Storify Archive  and a PDF for download and review: #acdigID Chat_ TOPIC_ Being a Networked Academic in 2018 (01.12.18)

#diglit, #NMChz, Digital Literacy, Higher Education, highered, Horizon Report, literacy, postgraduates, publication, report, Research, survey, technology, Training, work, Workplace

The Future of Work: Technology and Robots and Digital Literacy… OH MY!

Laura Pasquini

Q: When will robots be able to do my job?A: Not yet… (at least not all of it).

I’ve been thinking about how technology is and will impact the world of work. Thanks to NPR’s Planet Money calculator: Will Your Job Be Done By A Machine? and perhaps an empirical search on automation in teaching literature I’ve been reviewing for George … I might have robots on my mind. The calculator says my professional role is not likely to be fully replaced, but I have my doubts.

I can see ways we are already automating instruction, grading, peer review, etc. So career planning for many occupational roles will shift over time as technology is infused into the labor market. As I instruct a career planning course, Personal/Professional Development (#LTEC3010), I am quite concerned with how we are preparing (or not preparing) learners to thrive in an evolving career economy.  To support occupational preparation of the unknown, I have been picking up a few books on the future of work to add to the course– here’s what  on my book #shelfie that I read/reviewed (again) this past summer:

Although robots and technology will not take over ALL jobs in the future, the working economy will need new skill sets and agile employees. We know an increasing number of curricular and co-curricular programs in higher education are striving to include “Nonacademic Skills” and some programs are attempting to prepare learners for jobs that may not even exist yet. We hope the value of a postsecondary degree goes beyond a transcript; however, we have rarely looked ahead to align occupational preparation with the six driving factors and the needs for future work skills 2010 (Davis, Fidler, Gorbis, 2011):

  1. Life longevity: By 2025, the number of Americans older than 60 will increase by 70%.
  2. The rise of smart machines & systems: Technology can augment & extend own capabilities & workplace automation is killing the repetitive job.
  3. Computational world: Increases in sensors & processing makes the world a programmable system; data gives us the ability to see things on a scale.
  4. New media ecology: New communication tools require media literacies beyond text; visual communication media is becoming a new vernacular.
  5. Superstructure organizations: Social technologies drive new forms of production & value creation; social tools allow organizations to work at scale.
  6. Globally connected world: Diversity and adaptability are at the center of operations–US and Europe no longer hold a monopoly on job creation, innovation, and political power.

Based on these changes to the world of work, a degree and employment experience will NOT set anyone apart from the competition in the new job economy. You will have to continue to improve upon your skills, adapt to the changing environment, and plan for ongoing professional development throughout your career. Here are the top 10 skills needed for the workforce of 2020 identified by Davis et al., 2011:

  1. Sensemaking: The ability to determine the deeper meaning or significance of what is being expressed. 
  2. Social intelligence: The ability to connect to others in a deep and direct way, to sense and stimulate reactions and desired interactions. 
  3. Novel and adaptive thinking: Proficiency at thinking and coming up with solutions and responses beyond that which is rote or rule-based.
  4. Cross-cultural competency: The ability to operate in different cultural settings.
  5. Computational thinking: The ability to translate vast amounts of data into abstract concepts and to understand data-based. 
  6. Digital literacy and information fluency: The ability to critically assess and develop content that uses new media forms, and to leverage these media for persuasive communication. 
  7. Interdisciplinary mindset: Literacy in and ability to understand concepts across multiple disciplines. 
  8. Design thinking: The ability to represent and develop tasks and work processes for desired outcomes. 
  9. Cognitive load management: The ability to discriminate and filter information for importance, and to understand how to maximize cognitive functions. 
  10. Virtual Collaboration: The ability to work productively, drive engagement, and demonstrate presence as a member of a virtual team. 

As I review/edit materials in my courses, I am thinking more about digital literacy that encourage my learners to PRODUCE, CREATE, and SHARE before they graduate.  Much of HOW we prepare our learners TODAY, will impact how they function in the future job economy.  Are we thinking beyond the requirement of a course? Can we apply learning to occupational environments or non-academic settings? What ways have we been encouraging digital literacy and information fluency at our campuses? What have you required your students to create, produce, and share using different mediums or platforms? These are just a few questions I have been thinking about for course design, and I am pondering even more after drafting the latest New Media Consortium (@NMCorg) survey/report over the summer. Read more here:

2017 Digital Literacy Impact Study An NMC Horizon Project Strategic Brief  [Download: nmc.org/digilit-impact]

The 2017 Digital Literacy Impact Study: An NMC Horizon Project Strategic Brief uncovers the learner’s perspective of how digital literacy training influences work life after graduation. As a complement to the definitions and frameworks outlined in the 2017 strategic brief on digital literacy in higher education, this study examines digital literacy in action as learners enter the workforce. More than 700 recent graduates from 36 institutions responded to an NMC survey that addressed the experiences they gained at colleges and universities, and how their proficiencies or lack thereof have affected their careers. Funding for this independent research endeavor and publication was provided by Adobe.

Reference:

Adams Becker, S., Pasquini, L. A., and Zentner, A. (2017). 2017 Digital Literacy Impact Study: An NMC Horizon Project Strategic Brief. Volume 3.5, September 2017. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.