UBLIN, Ohio, USA, 12 June 2012-JISC, the UK's expert on information and digital technologies for education and research, has agreed to continue funding a third phase of "Visitors and Residents: What Motivates Engagement with the Digital Information Environment?" a UK-US partnership between the University of Oxford and OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc., in collaboration with the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. The project is led by David S. White (U. Oxford-TALL), and Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Ph.D. (OCLC Research).

 A new wave of apps allow students to anonymously report bullying by submitting messages, photos or videos to school administrators in real time.

From understanding what digital literacy is, to developing skills and establishing ethical principles for students, our live chat panel share ideas and resources for universities

"Do we really need measures of online reputation? Can our worth be measured by the amount of Twitter followers we have or by how many +1s we receive on Google+?   Klout, Peerindex and other social reputation measuring sites are constantly bombarding web users with statistics about their 'true reach', 'amplification' and 'influence'. It all sounds very grand. And yet what is the actual value of these metrics? What does it mean that I currently have a Klout score of 60? This number is calculated among other things, on an analysis of my recent web activity on Twitter, Facebook and Google+ over the last 90 days."   Steve Wheeler

 A (brief!) history of digital literacy inthe UK and the EU Tabetha Newman Sarah Payton April 2012 PowerPoints from the recent webinar with detailed notes

The insertion of social media in education has the potential to advance core aims of our society: to teach students how to engage with their families, neighbors, and communities in a new way. The combination of social media and education requires that we teach students how to become literate in a digital world. The skills of literacy are no longer just about reading and writing, but about abilities that surround our responsibilities as authors. In Digital and Media Literacy: A Plan of Action, researcher Renee Hobbs offers that digital and media literacy is constructed of five crucial abilities:

In the sixth episode of our online radio programmes - JISC On Air - we are exploring how universities and colleges can help teaching staff, researchers, support and administrative staff to develop their digital literacies - those capabilities which prepare an individual for living, learning and working in a digital society. In part two of the show, we will be looking at how digital literacy underpins the academic success and employability of students.

At Cardiff University, the Digidol team are investigating how what they call "digital literacy" can be embedded in all staff and students across all levels and areas of the university. The project is one of 12 being funded at different institutions by JISC, an expert on information and digital technologies for education and research, and I interviewed members of the team for one of a series of podcasts for the organisation recently.

The Guardian is taking stock of the new battlegrounds for the internet. From states stifling dissent to the new cyberwar front line, we look at the challenges facing the dream of an open internet Day four: IP wars Intellectual property, from copyrights to patents, have been an internet battlefield from the start. We look at what Sopa, Pipa and Acta really mean, and explain how this battle is not over. Plus, Clay Shirky will be discussing the issues in a live Q&A

In order to survive and develop, make decisions, and solve problems in every facet of life - personal, social, educational, and professional, individuals, communities, and nations need information about themselves as well as their physical and their social environments. This information is available via three processes: observation and experimentation, conversation (with other persons), and consultation (with memory institutions). The competence to do this effectively and efficiently is called Media and Information Literacy.

"The Minister for Education and Skills, Leighton Andrews AM, commissioned a review of digital classroom teaching in September 2011. He set up an external task and finish group to lead the review. The aim was to identify 'which digital classroom delivery aspects should be adopted to transform learning and teaching' for those aged 3 to 19."   Includes a link to the report: "Find it, make it, use it, share it: learning in digital Wales" which has many references to the importance of Information Literacy in education.

The JISC Developing Digital Literacies programme (2011-2013) is running a series of open webinars to share the work of the programme and wider relevant initiatives.     Future webinars The Google calendar lists all upcoming events with details of how to register.  This also includes webinars around the JISC Assessment and Feedback programme.

Try guessing how many apps have permissions to access your private information... Now click the icons and get ready for a surprise!

"The Faculty Learning Communities discussed this idea in their creative think tank sessions with the aim of articulating a digital literacy definition for each Faculty or School. These digital literacy definitions have been shared with the wider community on this blog as one of the project outputs.   These statements are also joined by a list of Faculty digital literacy attributes for learners. The stakeholders in the Faculty Learning Communities devised and then refined a set of digital literacy competencies for learners based on the JISC Learning Literacies Development Framework. The digital literacy attributes for each Faculty and School are made available below." Each of the competencies is avaialable as a PDF poster.

Student's reflections on a digital literacy assignment at Full Sail University shared on YouTube. See also http://youtu.be/7OcbFtT1xuU

 "Etextbooks and online learning communities are just a few of the ways colleges and universities are dabbling in digital. This graphic breaks it down."   Excellent Infographic looking at the electronic landscape in education including comparision of iPad and Kindle Fire, VLEs and reinventing the textbook. 

Literacy has always been a collection of cultural and communicative practices shared among members of particular groups. As society and technology change, so does literacy. Because technology has increased the intensity and complexity of literate environments, the twenty-first century demands that a literate person possess a wide range of abilities and competencies, many literacies. These literacies-from reading online newspapers to participating in virtual classrooms-are multiple, dynamic, and malleable. As in the past, they are inextricably linked with particular histories, life possibilities and social trajectories of individuals and groups

The Digitally Ready team recently invited staff and students to a workshop to explore and reflect on their own digital literacies. We asked people to feedback from their groups and their own personal reflections about access to facilities, their digital skills or lack of them, what they do and don't do in practice. Emerging trends suggest that although basic needs are robustly fulfilled - hardware, software and a good network - the overriding message is that most people feel they do not have adequate time to develop and discover how new technologies can be useful and relevant to them. Some people seem unaware of what is currently available and where they can go for help. It was suggested that colleagues who share best practice provide a powerful trigger for others to invest time in personal development. We finally asked people to complete 'To become more digitally ready, I will…….'