The Continuing and Renewed Urgency of Critical Digital Literacies: Ethical and Political Considerations on Research and Practice

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

Given the intertwined nature of sociopolitical forces moving among physical and virtual spaces, there simply cannot be digital literacies without critical digital literacies. However, digital literacy is always in danger of being defanged, commodified, commoditized, and corporatized – relegated to superficial instrumental lessons. The papers in this symposium prioritize critical inquiries around digitality – the simultaneity and recursivity of platform architectures; the unique demands on audience; mediated self-making; etc. With work representing a range of formal and informal educational settings, presentations focus on critical digital literacies vis-á-vis global citizenship, abolitionist digital literacies, discourses of collegiality, youth identity-making, and teacher education. They offer avenues in research and practice attuned to the ethical and political questions the emerging media environment makes urgent.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Writing and Literacies

Chair

• Jessica Zacher Pandya, California State University, Dominguez Hills

Papers

• Interrogating the Global in Critical Digital Literacies: Imagining the "Other" in Online Writing Spaces - Amy Stornaiuolo, University of Pennsylvania; Rabani Garg, University of Pennsylvania

• Teaching Critical Digital Literacy in Preservice Education Courses - Olivia Grace Stewart, St. John's University

• Abolitionist Digital Literacies: Toward a Theory of the Digital Undercommons - Roberto de Roock, University of California - Santa Cruz

• Agent E, Mr. Happy, and Me: Using Abduction to Author(ize) Adolescents' Stories and Selves - Sarah Rapp, University of California - Santa Cruz; David Eric Low, California State University - Fresno

• Humanizing Online Discourses of Collegiality in Teacher Education - Cherise McBride, University of California - Berkeley; Anna Smith, Illinois State University; Christopher Rogers, University of Pennsylvania

Discussant

• Earl Aguilera, California State University - Fresno