The Path of Digital Literacy in Higher Education: a Pattern of Subjectivities and Practices

Abstract

This article analyses a university experience of inclusion and the teaching of digital literacy within the theoretical framework of social studies of technology and, in particular, with a focus on the social construction of technology that emphasizes heterogeneity and flexibility in the interpretations which those involved give to the use of the tools.

From this point of view the article rejects the linear and massive considerations in the discourse of digital inclusion and aims to point out a complex reality where subjectivities, routines, accounts, habits and practices of the subjects are significant components of a social fabric as changeable as it is uncertain in its achievements and its results.

The analysis of the proposal, in the context of a presential university, focuses on aspects of the problems that are dealt with: the current scope of the concept of literacy, reading as seen from reading text or hypertext, critical appropriation of technological tools within a study programme and the bringing together of points of view on collaborative learning through digital networks.

The evidence gathered from systematic observation of practices and interaction of four academic years suggest at least two facets: digital inclusion creates a certain tension between old and new educational practices for those who were brought up with the written word and are beginners in the digital world, and new literacy campaigns must be a priority in teacher training with a view to professional practice as well as the learning process of students in the society of knowledge.