Youth and Digital Skills Symposium: Preparing young Canadians to make social, economic and cultural contributions

Transcription

1 Youth and Digital Skills Symposium: Preparing young Canadians to make social, economic and cultural contributions February 10, 2014 Ottawa, Ontario Canadian Museum of Nature Introduction Framing Document Supporting youth to develop a facility with technology figures prominently in the mandates of both MediaSmarts and the Information and Communications Technology Council. This includes the assurance that young people understand how technology works, how to interpret the messages that are disseminated, and how to interact and create with it. Much depends on young Canadians having sophisticated digital literacy and skills: their health and well-being, their understanding of the world around them, their adult economic outcomes, and their ability to contribute to society in significant and meaningful ways. In turn, the broader Canadian society has an obvious stake in this success. Digital literacy and skills are essential to our continued national prosperity. To maximize these benefits, however, a cohesive and informed approach to cultivating these skills is necessary. It is with this in mind that MediaSmarts and ICTC are hosting this youth and digital skills symposium. Although there will be youth in attendance, participants are primarily adults. We have endeavoured to bring together stakeholders who, by and large, have the resources, expertise and influence to guide beneficial policies and fund initiatives. Many of the participants at this symposium work very closely with youth, and we trust that we ll hear some valuable perspectives, even if those are second-hand. Symposium goals The organizers have a short but ambitious list of objectives for this symposium. We will be successful to the extent that all participants share generously their perspectives and expertise with respect to a few key questions: 1

2 Why are digital literacy and skills important? To what extent are the objectives of achieving high levels of both held in common by all stakeholders? Are definitions and conceptions of digital literacy and skills as used by government, educators and industry aligned and optimal? To what extent are there challenges to achieving world-leading youth digital literacy and skills in Canada? What are the respective roles that industry, educators, and policymakers should play in achieving world-leading digital literacy and skills? What approaches should each stakeholder undertake in the short term, and how can collaboration between all stakeholder groups be encouraged and sustained? The importance of digital literacy and skills To succeed in today s -- and tomorrow s -- economy, youth need skills to work with technology and a fundamental understanding of how technology works -- its networks, its value chains, its interfaces and devices. This is critical both to sparking creative thinking with respect to innovation, and to increasing its adoption by both enterprises and citizens. In order to be literate in today s media-rich environments, young people also need to develop knowledge and a whole range of critical thinking, communication and information management skills for the digital age. As increasing numbers of businesses, services and even democratic processes migrate online, citizens who lack digital literacy skills risk being disadvantaged when it comes to accessing healthcare and government services and opportunities for employment, education and civic participation. What are digital literacy and skills? In a fast-moving environment, definitions of digital skills, technology skills, digital literacy, and media literacy, and even problem-solving in a technology-rich environment, overlap, vary and are not standard. At the same time, the specific digital skills that workers need to cultivate are in a constant state of flux. Emerging technologies such as mobile platforms, robotics and automation, cloud architectures, or big data analytics, challenge educational institutions to keep pace and to develop curriculum that is relevant and timely. Digital skills encompass a wide spectrum of content creation, programming, engineering, design and more. Understanding how emerging digital technologies can be employed to create enterprise value or public benefit is a skill in and of itself -- one that educators struggle to cultivate. A comprehensive notion of digital literacy and the many skills it encompasses was highlighted in the model developed by MediaSmarts in its submission to the Government of Canada s 2010 Digital Economy Consultation process. 2

3 This model (which incorporates a wide range of interrelated skills that traditionally fall under computer or ICT literacy, technological literacy, information literacy, media literacy, visual literacy, communication literacy, and moral and social literacies 1 ) merges not only technological know-how and intellectual competencies, but also creativity, ethics and responsible citizenship. Taking international models into consideration, MediaSmarts defines digital literacy according to three principles: the skills and knowledge to use a variety of digital media software applications and hardware devices; the ability to critically understand digital media content and applications; and the knowledge and capacity to create and communicate with digital technology 2. MediaSmarts also notes that when developing policy for digital literacy, consideration should be given to the interconnected and ongoing competencies for different segments of the population. This includes the digital life skills that are needed by everybody; the employment-related digital competencies that are needed by most citizens; and, the more advanced creative and technical abilities that are needed to fuel innovation 3. 1 Martin, Allan and Bawden, David (2008) in Lankshear, C., & Knobel, M. (Eds.), Digital Literacies:Concepts, Policies and Practices. Peter Lang: New York. 2 National Broadband Plan Connecting America Section 9.3, Digital Britain Media Literacy Working Group Section 3.16, Australia s Digital Economy: Future Directions p Morris, E. (2009) Independent Review of ICT User Skills. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Government of the UK 3

4 Why do we need a digitally literate youth population? The benefits of digital technology are well-noted and touch every aspect of society and the economy. Widely recognized benefits of having digitally literate citizens include increased innovation and creativity; increased ICT infrastructure development and use; smart ICT adoption and increased productivity; secure, efficient and confident technology use; increased opportunities for public participation; economic and social inclusion; and increased empowerment and engagement. However, although 99 percent of Canadian youth are connected to the Internet, 4 ubiquitous access does not necessarily translate into digital literacy and skills. Today s youth are often called digital natives by adults because of the seemingly effortless way they engage with all things digital. It s easy to see why: Canadian youth live in an interactive, on demand digital culture and are used to accessing media whenever and wherever they want. Instant-messaging, photo sharing, texting, social networking, video-streaming, and mobile Internet use are all examples where youth have led the charge in new ways of engaging online. But this enthusiasm masks a potential problem: although young people don t need coaxing to take up Internet technologies and their skills quickly improve relative to their elders, without guidance they remain amateur users of information and communications technology (ICT), which raises concerns about a generation of youth who are not fully digitally literate, yet are deeply immersed in cyberspace. 5 Ironically, a new generation of technology tools that just work may be responsible for a growing lack of interest in working with technology at the network, hardware and applications layers of the stack. Interest in this question is just beginning as it becomes evident to some that technology that poses few to no challenges to use may generate little curiosity among youth to tinker. Global platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and others combined with highly integrated smartphones and tablets have effectively rendered the use of extremely advanced technology seamless and transparent. There are few intuitive points in the process of using technology that suggest questions such as how does this work? Who is providing this service, and why? or How can I improve this? Youth unemployment in Canada is far too high. Compared to their elders, unemployment hovers around 14% of the population years old. In 2012, it was 14.3% for this cohort, versus 6% for older workers. 6 There are multiple reasons for this gap, which has persisted for many years. At the same time, the unemployment rate in information and communications technologies jobs is persistently low. It stands currently around 3% - close to full employment. The opportunity for youth, particularly youth from demographics that are traditionally under-represented in ICT careers (Aboriginal youth and young women, for example), is to pursue educational streams that lead to these jobs. ICTC s research into new economic sectors of the economy indicates that a 1% increase in labour productivity with the 4 MediaSmarts (2013).Young Canadians in a Wired World: Phase III Bernard, A. (2013) Unemployment Dynamics Among Canada s Youth. Economic INsights, no Statistics CAnada, Catalogue no X. 4

5 help of a better match between skills and job market demands would help Canada s ICT sector grow by over $620 million -- and the overall Canadian economy grow by $13 billion annually. Where do we stand? One of the most comprehensive overviews of digital proficiency is the OECD Skills Survey, part of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) 7. This rigorous survey was most recently conducted in 2012, and indicates that, relative to Canadians in other age groups, youth age demonstrate a relatively high degree of what PIAAC terms problem-solving in a technology-rich environment 8. While many younger Canadians achieve a level 2 proficiency on PIAAC s three-level scale, there are nonetheless a substantial number who achieve level 1 or not even. There are challenges to achieving higher levels of proficiency in our technology-rich society. Negative perceptions and stereotypes are a hurdle. Youth consider technology jobs to be dull, anti-social, and predominantly masculine. Parents and teachers are wary of recommending a career path in a field that they consider unstable. Overcoming these perceptions may require some government support, but educators and industry have a particularly important role to play in helping youth understand how technology works, why it matters, and the opportunities that are emerging. Without a greater effort to encourage youth -- particularly girls and young women and those from under-represented populations -- to consider careers in technology and to support them in that choice, it is very possible that Canada will not be able to take advantage of emerging opportunities to the same degree as competing jurisdictions. At the post-secondary level, at a symposium organized by the Embassy of France in Canada and ICTC in June 2013, industry and post-secondary education stakeholders agreed that it has become challenging to find talented workers with the skills necessary to add to growth ICT industries. With Table B.2.2 5

6 respect to universities and also, to a degree, colleges, there is often a long lead time to create new academic programs that teach relevant ICT skills. Despite their general popularity with students, there are still too few programs such as co-ops or placements to help top up skills learned in the classroom. And, there is a transition occurring in pedagogy at all levels of education that is still not adequately understood. Current estimates suggest that the Canadian ICT labour market demand will grow at a rate faster than domestic supply can accommodate. Since 2003, the ICT sector has experienced a growth of approximately 4% per annum. If Canada wishes to maintain or exceed its current level of competitiveness in the global ICT market, it will need to improve access to all available labour sources in the most efficient way possible. One dimension of this challenge is the discrepancy between the skills ICT employers seek and the skills their workers have. ICTC s Expert Panel, comprised of senior ICT human resource professionals, recognized labour market economists and academics, has addressed the critical issue of skills mismatch in the report entitled Canada s IT Labour Market 2005: Issues and Options (June 2005): Too many Canadian IT workers lack sufficient leadership, interpersonal and/or business management skills. And a surprising number need more training in core IT skills. In ICTC s national survey of IT occupations, 85% of employees said that personal/interpersonal communications are important or very important in their jobs. And high numbers said they need to learn more core IT skills and need more training in areas such as project management and planning to do their jobs. What to do? Training in technology need not be provided solely through STEM courses. There are multiple subjects in which understanding how technology works, and how to work with it, can be disseminated. Nonclassroom approaches such as coding days, or parent resource kits and partnerships between industry and youth-serving organizations should be explored. Programs such as ICTC s Focus on Information Technology (FIT), DiscoverIT and Uni-Search-ITy initiatives that help bridge youth from study to employment can help provide counsellors, teachers and parents comfort and confidence in employment prospects. At the K-12 level, in education systems around the world considerable emphasis is being placed on digital literacy and ICT skills development for children and youth. Canada is no exception: Canadian schools are a primary location for giving students the critical thinking and technological skills they need to thrive in a digital world. Bridging employers' needs and the educational path that students take is a complex undertaking. In ICT, entities such as ICTC work to research the capabilities and competencies that are required in the digital workplace, and translate those into learning outcomes that can be incorporated into educational curricula. Employers are seeking a broad range of competencies. These are in part "hard" requirements, such as database and information design and management, graphic design, 6

7 telecommunications networking, application design or similar areas of subject matter expertise. Other competencies are "soft": adaptability, interpersonal communication, problem-solving, and relationship-building are all examples. Working with ICTC, curriculum developers at the secondary school level can evaluate whether particular courses have learning outcomes that demonstrate these competencies. In Canada, some jurisdictions have developed curriculum that, through one or several courses, have virtually all of the competencies included. Other provinces/territories are at different stages of completing that work. The same can be said for those broader 21 st century skills that go beyond workplace competencies in ICT to include skills needed for learning, innovation, literacy, and life. As with ICT, there is considerable disparity between provinces and territories in how these broader digital literacy skills are defined and taught in the K-12 education system. Much of the work of MediaSmarts has been informing curriculum development in this area to develop outcomes that support attainment of this broader range of skills in students. Employees and employers are both finding that the package of skills is becoming critical for ICT workers. Teaching these skills must begin well before youth begin post-secondary education. Leadership and communications and interpersonal skills are a critical component of succeeding in the workplace - whether as technical staff or other. There are multiple opportunities to integrate these skills into core curriculum across various school subjects, including STEM subjects, the social sciences and arts. One particularly compelling opportunity, ICTC suggests, is to foster these soft skills through arts education. Critical challenges To meet the needs of Canadian youth, innovative responses must address a number of critical challenges and barriers that are specific to specific to different demographics. These include: Age: The assumption that, as active users of ICT, youth are innately digitally literate or will pick it up as they go along and the particular marginalization and vulnerability of youth who are outside of Canada s education system. Attitude: the need to understand the different attitudinal types relating to adoption of digital media (i.e. engaged, hesitant, resistor) in order to craft appropriate resources and programmes. Socio-economic status: According to Statistics Canada, Internet use by low-income Canadians lags at 62% compared to 95% of those in the highest income quartile. 9 In addition to increasing bandwidth to close the technology gap for disadvantaged groups, complementary resources to support literacy are also needed. Language: Although French-speaking Canadians have traditionally lagged behind English-speaking Canadians in Internet use, this gap has closed considerably in recent 9 Statistics Canada Individual Internet use and e-commerce, (October 2012). 7

8 years. 10 However, immigrants and those whose mother tongue is other than Canada's either of two official languages, may face considerable challenges in developing digital literacy skills, dependent in part on their level of education. Regional availability of resources. There is still a digital divide when it comes to broadband access between urban and rural/remote areas of Canada. Strategies to increase literacy levels must account for these different barriers and, where necessary, implement targeted programs for specific situations. A more fundamental challenge to achieving a holistic approach to digital literacy and skills may be the degree to which educators, policy-makers and industry lack mechanisms for communication and dialog. Educational goals, policy supports and industry efforts to address digital literacy and skills are fractured. Is the goal of technological proficiency to develop online safety as citizens and consumers? Develop workers able to contribute to economic productivity? Ensure Canadians can use public services online? Facilitate contribution online to civic discourse? The organizers of this Symposium consider that, ideally, all stakeholders would view these multiple objectives as part of a single goal. Best practices/solutions Over the past years, numerous countries have embraced digital literacy as a core component of public policy, most notably in Britain, New Zealand, Australia and the United States. As these national strategies have progressed -- and subsequently have been evaluated and revised -- there is much to be learned from an analysis of the successes and continued challenges in nurturing a digitally literate population. There are also pockets of excellence emerging from collaborative partnerships and networks such as the MacArthur Foundation s Digital Media and Learning initiative, which, through the Connected Learning Research Network, supports evidence-driven school- and communitybased approaches to developing digital literacy skills amongst diverse, and often marginalized, groups. Programs that introduce youth to technology careers and provide a clear career path through the education system have been demonstrated to be effective in helping youth achieve technology skills, such as ICTC provides through its Focus on Information Technology program. Initiatives that bridge the gap between education and employment such as coops, wage subsidy programs and others help new graduates hone their skills to exactly those needed by industry. 10 CRTC (2012). Communications Monitoring Report

9 Symposium questions ICTC and MediaSmarts are asking participants to answer several high-level questions with as much specificity as possible. The breakout sessions will provide ample time for discussion, and facilitators will capture the dialogue. Restating the questions at the outset of this document, we are asking participants to grapple with the following: Why are digital skills and literacy important? To what extent are the objectives of achieving high levels of both held in common by all stakeholders? Are definitions and conceptions of digital literacy and skills as used by government, educators and industry aligned and optimal? To what extent are there challenges to achieving world-leading youth digital literacy and skills? What are the respective roles that industry, educators, and policymakers should play in achieving world-leading digital literacy and skills? What approaches should each stakeholder undertake in the short term, and how can collaboration between all stakeholder groups be encouraged? About MediaSmarts and ICTC MediaSmarts and the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) are honoured to partner to host the Youth and Digital Skills Symposium: Preparing young Canadians to make social, economic and cultural contributions. This symposium is the first collaboration for these two NGOs, and is long overdue. MediaSmarts has, since 1996, provided educational resources, engaged in public awarenessbuilding, and conducted research and policy work in the field of digital and media literacy. Through its work, it supports adults with information and tools so that they can help children and teens develop the critical thinking skills they need for interacting with media. ICTC has, since 1993, developed Canadian labour market information and economic analysis, and delivered programs that address the innovation economy. Its programs assist youth, internationally educated professionals, women, and Canadians at large participate as workers in the digital economy. ICTC is active in researching the impact of technology in the economy, and understanding the policy implications of that. 9

10 Sponsors MediaSmarts and ICTC are grateful for the financial assistance provided to this event by the following partners: Event Gold Sponsors Event Bronze sponsors Event supporter 10