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Hobbs Defines Digital Literacy at ALA Annual in Anaheim

In her role as OITP Fellow for the American Library Association, Renee Hobbs participates in the ALA Annual conference in Anaheim, California.

She joins with YALSA members to share her most recent findings from the Powerful Voices for Kids project on Friday June 22. In addition, she explores the historical legacy and various meanings of the term 'digital literacy' and moderates a panel discussion to explore how the concept is valued by various stakeholders, including policy makers, librarians, educators, creatives, and members of the technology business community.

Read Renee's recent blog post about the four definitions of digital literacy and watch this video screencast of her presentation at the American Library Association on June 23, 2012. Then review the #digilit12 Twitter conversation with librarians.

Panel members included Judy Kleinberg, technology business leader and former major of Palo Alto, now a program offer at the Knight Foundation; Roseanne Cordell, academic librarian at Indiana University, South Bend, and chair of the ALA Digital Literacy Task Force; and Laurel Felt, doctoral candidate at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School of Communication. 

Questions included: 

1. How are you a stakeholder in the digital literacy community? Why does it matter to you?

2. What definition of digital literacy do you use and why? Do definitions matter? Why or why not?

3.  What are the gaps between what we want to see happen with digital literacy and the actual reality we experience in the world of practice? What are the challenges, silences and omissions that need to be addressed?

4. If you had a magic wand and could have one realistic wish to bring digital literacy to all Americans, what would you do?