A12.1: Socio-Emotional Literacy

Deidra Darst

11/7/07

What [do you know/can you find out] about socio-emotional literacy skills?

 Socio-emotional literacy skills are concerned with the sociological and psychological aspects of digital communication (Alkali & Hamburger, 2004).  Individuals who possess socio-emotional literacy skills are able to share information with other users, and obtain information from other users.  Aphek (2007) states that this type of literacy entails users’ abilities to discern “good from bad and right from wrong.”  Digitally literate individuals must understand how to conduct themselves in the public places of the World Wide Web.  While digital interactions may not be face-to-face encounters users still must conduct themselves in an appropriate manner.  The socio-emotional literate individual can also judge others’ conduct and behaviors as right or wrong.   With Internet scams as prevalent as they are today, one must be able to identify them.  Socio-emotional literacy ultimately deals with two issues:  proper (and mature) conduct, and safety.  Users should conduct themselves in a professional manner and be able to protect themselves from the possible dangers of the digital world. 

What are your reactions to the idea that there are such skills?

Of Alkali and Hamburgers five types of digital literacy, I am probably the most familiar with socio-emotional literacy skills.  As with all aspects of life’s interactions, sociology and psychology play a role.  How do people interact with one another?  How does each individual handle the situation at hand?  The digital world is no different – the inner workings of individuals are important, as well as the interactions amongst groups of people.  Socio-emotional literacy skills are often the topic of newspaper articles, the news, and debates.  Children, who are yet to develop high levels of socio-emotional skills, often fall prey to the “bad” and “wrong” aspects of the Internet.  Online predators and scam artists often take advantage of the more immature Internet users; this has even led to shows such as Dateline’s To Catch a Predator. 

How do you think this “new” literacy will change education/schooling?

This “new” type of literacy will likely play a bigger role in today’s education curricula.  Students need to be educated about the good and bad, rights and wrongs, and does and don’ts of the digital world.  The youth of the 21st century seem to ”grow up” much faster than even my generation (and I’m a 90s kid!)  Everything is literally at their fingertips or just a mouse-click away.  They need to be educated about proper online conduct and should be aware of the possible dangers that the Internet holds.  The tools of the Internet can provide great opportunities for education, but students of today must know how to conduct themselves and how to judge the conduct of others. 
  

Aphek, E. (2007). Digital, highly connected children: Implications for education. Retrieved October 27, 2007, from http://www.creativityatwork.com/articlesContent/aphek/digital-literacy.html

Eshet-Alkai, Y. (2004).  Digital literacy: A conceptual framework for survival skills in the digital era.  Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 13(1), 93-106. 

Eshet-Alkali, Y., & Amichai-Hamburger, Y. (2004, August).  Experiments in digital literacy.  Cyberpsychology and Behavior, 7(4), 421-429.