Literacy and Competencies
Required to Participate in
Knowledge Societies
Alice Lee
Hong Kong Baptist University
Objectives of the Study
(1) Examine the new socio-technological
environment and analyze the need for
new literacy education;
(2) Study the literacy concepts developed in
recent years, map out future skills and put
forward a framework of 21st century
competencies;
(3) Analyze the challenges of implementing the
WSIS Action Lines C3 (Access to Knowledge) and C9
(Media), and related them to the cultivation of the 21st
century competencies in both developed and developing
countries;
(4) Develop recommendations regarding the
promotion of information for all and the cultivation of
competencies that facilitate all people to have fruitful
participation in the knowledge societies.
Methodology: Historical Sociology
A research approach that integrates
sociology and historical concepts and
methods
Preoccupied with epochal interpretation
Sensitive to social inequality
Humanistic
Data collection

Document analysis
 Journal articles, books, reports, achieve documents…

Interview

Content analysis
Answer “why” and “how” questions
The Changing World
Studying the Future
Alvin Toffler: The Third Wave
Manuel Castells: The Rise of Network
Society
Lars Tvede: Supertrends
Apollo Research Institute: Six drivers of
change in the coming decade
Three Major World Trends
Revolutionary Development of ICTs
Transition to knowledge societies
New learning mode of the Net Generation
Mass Media
Printing
Television Broadcasting
Photo reproduction
VCR
Radio broadcasting
Cable technology
Filming
Satellite
Telecommunication
Web 1.0
Websites
Online media
Video on demand
Digital broadcasting
IPTV
Web 2.0
We Media:
Citizen journalism sites
Blogs
Wikis
Social networks (e.g.
Facebook, MySpace,
Bebo, Google+)
Media sharing sites
(e.g. Podcasting,
photo-sharing sites
such as Flickr, video
sharing services such
asYouTube)
Social bookmarking
sites (e.g.Delicious)
Microblogging services
(e.g. Twitter, Weibo)
Web 3.0 and Beyond
Semantic Web
The Internet of things
Cloud computing
Artificial intelligence
applications
Mobile technologies:
Smartphones and apps
(location-based services
with GPS)
Social network sites as
platforms
HTML5
Big data
Robotics
Virtual avitars
New gadgets: Inexpensive
and small size tablets &
smart phones, wearable
computing devices, iTV,
smart vehicles, memory
machines, e-reading
devices
The Challenges of the New Technologies
Master the ICT skills
Handle the influences of the new
technologies
Deconstruct the huge amount of
information coming from different sources
Learn how to use the communication power
Online security (e.g. online shopping, cyber
bullying, invasion of privacy, copyright)
Respond to the social inequalities generated
by the development of ICTs
The Transition to Knowledge Society
The reception, production and transmission
of information/knowledge are essential in
social, economic, political and cultural
sectors

cultivate a media and information literate
population becomes essential for the
development of a society
Media and information are vital for engaging
people in the democratic process, building
communities and strengthening civil society
Manual Workers vs. Knowledge Workers
Manual Workers
Knowledge Workers
Need efficiency
Need effectiveness
The ability to do things right
The ability to get right things
done
Be judged in terms of the
quantity and quality of a
definable and discrete output
Knowledge work is defined by
its results
They were told to do things
They must direct themselves
toward performance and
contribution
Future knowledge workers should have the
ability to not only acquire information, but
also transform it into knowledge that
empowers them to improve their livelihoods
and contribute to the social and economic
development of their society
The Net Generation
Future Competencies in Knowledge
Societies
The Changing Concept of Literacy
Traditional
Literacy
Media Literacy/
Information
Literacy
Computer Literacy/
ICT
Literacy
Multi-media
Literacies/
Media and
Information
Literacy (MIL)
Technological Epoch
Printing age
Electronic age
Computer age
Internet age
Dominant
Medium
Print
(e.g. book, newspaper,
magazine)
Audio-visual media
(e.g. radio, film, TV)
Computer
(Internet Web 1.0)
Multi-media and
mobile device
(Internet Web 2.0)
Medium Format
Text
Sound and moving
image
Data and Digital
information
Digital information
(integrating word,
sound, image,
data and graphic)
Delivery
Pattern
Linear
(one-way)
Mosaic
(one-way)
Component
(two-way)
Network
(participatory, realtime and
interactive)
Literacy
Training
Native tongue
language course
(reading and writing)
Media literacy training ,
information literacy
training
Computer studies
Media and information
literacy
education
(multiliteracies
training)
Timeline
Before 1960s
Starting from 1960s
and 1970s
Starting from 1980s
21st Century
Flourishing Literacy Frameworks
Stand-alone literacy concepts

computer literacy, ICT literacy, Internet literacy, digital
literacy, electronic literacy, new media literacy,
information fluency, mobile literacy …
Compound literacy concepts

Multiliteracies, transliteracies, new literacies,
metaliteracies, digital media literacy, media and
information literacy (MIL)
Integrated framework of 21st century
competencies
Framework of 21st Century Competencies
21st Century Competencies
Conceptual
Competencies
-Connectivist Skill
-Innovative Thinking and Problem Solving Skill
-Critical Thinking Skill
-Reflective Thinking Skill
-Positive Thinking Skill
Practical Competencies -Media and Information Literacy
-Learning Skills (collaborative learning, selfdriven learning & lifelong learning)
Human Competencies
-Social Networking and Virtual Collaboration
-Self Management
-Humanistic Consciousness
-Digital Citizenship
-Cross-cultural Interaction Skill
Conceptual competencies: Ways of thinking
Practical competencies: Ways of handling
information in work and life
Human competencies: Ways of interacting
with people
Management theories

Managers and executives should have three
types of skills: conceptual, technical and human
skills
Peter Drucker: Every knowledge worker is
an executive
Conceptual Competencies
Practical Competencies
Human Competencies
Future MIL Components
Knowledge, Skills and Attitude
Access/Retrieval of Media and Information
-‘Button knowledge’: the technical skills needed to use digital technologies
-Information search skills
-Curation intelligence
-Transmedia navigation skills
Access
Evaluation/Understanding of Media and Information
Understanding
-Understanding media and informational content, format, institutions and audience
-Computational thinking: ability to translate vast amounts of data into abstract concepts and understand
data-based reasoning
Assessment and Evaluation
-Cognitive load management: ability to discriminate and filter information for importance
-Sense-making: ability to determine the deeper meaning or significance of what is being expressed
-Critical digital literacy: ability to critically assess the quality and validity of content that uses new
media forms, and to leverage these media for persuasive communication
-Photo-visual skills: ability to read instructions from graphical displays
-Real-time processing skills: ability to process and evaluate large volume of information in real time
Organisation and Synthesis
-Knowledge management
-Skill of abandonment
Use/Create/Communicate Media and Information
Communication and Use
-Effective communication and information sharing
-Story-telling skills
-Specific medium use
-Interactive tool use
-Security practice
-Application and goal achievement
-Ethical use of media and information
Creation and Problem Solving
-Creativity
-Design mindset: ability to represent and develop tasks and work processes for desired outcomes
-Media and information production techniques
-Collective knowledge construction and collaborative problem solving
Monitoring
-Media and information criticism and monitoring
Challenges of Implementing Action
Lines C3 and C9
Implementation of Action Line C3
Access to Information and Knowledge

Access to ICTs

Digital divide

The right to information
1. Physical access to information has improved as
ICTs develop



The world was home to 7 billion people, one third of
which were using the Internet. Totally 2.3 billion people
were online. 45% of the world’s Internet users were
below the age of 25.
With 5.9 billion mobile-cellular subscriptions. Growth
was driven by developing countries.
Mobile use in developing countries has created a
“leapfrog” phenomenon
2. From digital divide to digital use divide
3. The right to information

IFAP

Upgrading ICT infrastructures

MIL Project

Digital library programs

Open data movement: OER, FOSS, multilingualism
 21st century competencies
Implementation of Action Lines C9
Media

Freedom of speech

Press freedom

Media pluralism
1. Freedom of speech and press freedom have been
under severe constraint in many countries
2. Increasing media concentration (affects media
pluralism)
3. The balance power of the “we media”
 21st century competencies
Barriers and challenges of implementing the
WSIS Action Lines

Lack of access (SES, age, gender, disability, race,
language and political instability)

Digitial use divide

Limitation to freedom of speech/press freedom

Increasing concentration of media ownership
Enablers and opportunities

Multiple stakeholders’ contribution

International and domestic donors’ funding support

Mobile technologies and leapfrog effect

Citizen journalism

Education reform

Adult education opportunities (lifelong learning)

Self-efficacy of Net Generation

Open educational resources (OER) movement

Groundswell movement (global volunteer network)
Recommendations
Recommendations
1. Maximizing mobile technologies and
promote m-learning
2. Cultivating 21st Century Competencies
Curriculum Framework of 21st Century Competencies
Goals
1.Equip citizens in all societies with necessary literacy and competencies to fully participate in future
knowledge societies
2.Narrow the digital use divide
3.Foster media pluralism and promote right to information
Curriculum Content
21st century competencies (conceptual, practical and human competencies)
Pedagogy
Collaborative and participatory learning
Venue
Inside and outside classrooms located both inside and outside schools
Target
School children, college students and adults
Curriculum Delivery
Approach
1.Knowledge pull, not information push
2.Individual modules on 12 competencies
Promotion Strategies:
Partnership Model
1.Establish partnerships amongst international institutions, governments, NGOs, business sectors,
schools and parental organisations
2.Provide affordable mobile tools for information access
3.Set up international clearinghouse for 21st century competencies
4.Form OER platform
5.Build up local implementation network
6.Develop local curriculum content
7.Design digital courses (online and mobile versions)
8.Explore innovative teaching practices
9.Provide training for school teachers, youth workers and community educators
3. Establishing collaborative networks and
strategic partnership
- Partnership Model of Promoting 21st Century
Competencies
4. Education reform and teacher training
5. Contextualizing initiatives in specific
cultural settings
Considering the power of individuals, particularly
the members of the Net Generation

Training for producing high quality user-generated
content

Groundswell movement and social network support

Self-efficacy of Net Generation

Research on Net Generation
The Long Revolution
Raymond Williams

Democratic revolution

Industrial revolution

Cultural revolution
 Education and literacy training
 “We must certainly see the aspiration to extend the active
process of learning, with the skills of literacy and other
advanced communication, to all people rather than to limited
people, as comparable in importance to the growth of
democracy and the rise of scientific industry.”
Full Participation in Knowledge Societies

WSIS: “To build a people-centered, inclusive
and development-oriented Information Society,
where everyone can create, access, utilize and
share information and knowledge”
Thank You!
alicelee@hkbu.edu.hk