Webmaker/WebLiteracyMap/Align

This is still a draft at the moment so please don't cite it yet!

Aligning with the Web Literacy Map: a guide

Introduction

Mozilla is a global community of technologists, teachers and makers working together to keep the Internet open, accessible and editable. We collaborate on a global basis to ensure everyone can be informed contributors and creators of the web. This act of human collaboration across an open platform we believe to be essential to individual growth and our collective future.

Mozilla helps people build, not just consume, the technology, media and information that makes up the web. Whether through the thousands of volunteers who write code for Firefox or the growing community that is designing courses for teaching the web, Mozilla strives for an Internet that is:

• Knowable: it’s transparent–we can see it and understand it
• Interoperable: it presents opportunity to play and innovate
• Ours: it’s open to everyone and we define it

The development of Mozilla products such as the Firefox web browser and Firefox OS for mobile phones rely upon community involvement and contribution. The Web Literacy Map is no different: it has been created by Mozilla in consultation with a community of stakeholders from a range of backgrounds, including formal education, informal education, and industry.

The aim of this resource is to help you take the first steps on the journey to using the Web Literacy Map in practice. It will help you contextualise the 'raw material' of the Web Literacy Map to be something that you can use to help teach the web to your target audience.

We will begin with an overview of the Web Literacy Map, before asking some questions about you and your context. These are structured using the approach taken in David Perkins' Harvard class Inquiry. It will be useful if you take your time to answer the questions with (a) someone else from your organization, and (b) any relevant documentation (e.g. curricula, policies, mission statements) to hand.

The Web Literacy Map

The Web Literacy Map is a map of the territory of web literacy. It constitutes the raw material from which people like you can make resources, curricula and activities to help teach the web. Our working definition of 'web literacy' is purposely inclusive and wide: the skills and competencies required to read, write and participate effectively on the web.

It's also important to note what the Web Literacy Map is not. It is not prescriptive. We're not saying that there is one way to learn these skills and competencies. There is also (intentionally) no mention of the level at which one should align with the Web Literacy Map. We see this as something that can be aligned with by n00b and ninja alike!

Finally, it's important to say that the Web Literacy Map is in perpetual beta. By that we mean that it will change as the web itself changes: if there's something you think needs changing, get involved and tell us!

Contextualizing for your target audience

Just like the web, the Web Literacy Map aims to be a universal resource that can work across contexts. However, it's important for you to ensure that your resources, activities and curricula are highly contextualized and relevant to learners. The following questions will help guide you pick some areas to focus on. It might be worth doing this with other people - including the learners themselves.

1. What's worth learning?

Which competencies on the Web Literacy Map is it very important / useful / not important for your target audience to learn in your context?

2. How is it best learned?

Is there anything else that your target audience need to learn alongside these competencies to help make them relevant / make sense? What kinds of activities do you currently have on offer that could help scaffold learning for your target audience?

3. How can we get it taught that way?

Could you get additional help in facilitating learning for your target audience in these areas? Where from?

4. How do you know it's been learned?

How will you acknowledge / credential things like attendance, attitude and achievement? What would be appropriate for your target audience in this particular context?

Appendix 1: Case Study

Perhaps BCGA if Dave Crusoe has time to write 500 words or so?

Appendix 2: Further Mozilla resources

As you would expect, Mozilla has the tools, resources and community to help teach the web. Here are some to help you get started.

Webmaker

• Webmaker tools - the landing page for the three Webmaker tools
• X-Ray Goggles - remix any web page using a bookmarklet.
• Thimble - learn HTML, CSS and JavaScript through fun activities.
• PopcornMaker - remix web video.
• Webmaker.org/teach - lots of teaching kits and resources.
• Webmaker Events - attend or host a Maker Party / event.

Open Badges

• Open Badges - an open infrastructure for credential learning.
• BadgeKit - a platform for issuing badges (currently in private beta)
• DigitalMe's Badge Canvas - a simple way to design badges for your organization.

Other

• Mozilla Developer Network (MDN) - a knowledge base relating to the Open Web.