Lifelong Learning

Ola Erstad¹

Ola Erstad Email: ola.erstad@ped.uio.no

Published online: 5 October 2006

Abstract Digital literacy is now defined as a key area of competence in the new national curriculum for schools in Norway. For policy makers the terms ‘information society’ and ‘knowledge society’ has been used to argue for implementing new technologies in education, and for improving learning. These views have been highly problematic, partly because they do not take into consideration how new technologies are used by young people, or how schools work as social practices. This article will focus on how we conceptualize a student perspective in schools related to the use of digital technologies. Combining an increased focus on digital literacy in school curricula with an increased focus on student participation challenges our conception of the school-aged learner. In discussing these issues I will draw on results from a number of school-based ICT projects that I have been involved in since 1998.

Keywords Digital literacy - Student-centred - ICT-rich learning environments - Curriculum reform

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Stephanie L. Moore¹

Stephanie L. Moore Email: Stephanie.Moore@unco.edu

Published online: 17 August 2007

A brief history/some background

In the 1950s, the idea of “universal design” first emerged. At the time it was articulated as barrier-free design, an idea growing in concept in Europe, Japan and the US. It is best described in the early stages as a growing global awareness of the necessity for and benefits of building environments that were obstacle-free. The early emphasis was on removing obstacles for people with physical disabilities—when a building was designed for “universal” access, it would by design accommodate users with disabilities. By the 1970s, the idea had matured and gained political strength. During the ‘70s, US architect Michael Bednar described universal design as an awareness that everyone’s functional capacity is enhanced when environmental barriers are removed. The best example to date remains the curb cut—a city planning feature designed to benefit individuals in wheelchairs, but that turned out to benefit many others such as joggers, parents pushing strollers, etc. That awareness would soon become a cornerstone for design practices in fields such as architecture, civil engineering, and human factors engineering. The political strength especially came from the disability rights movement, focusing on the rights of individuals with disabilities.

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