The following is the abstract to my forthcoming paper to be presented at the SRHE (Society for Research into Higher Education) Annual Conference in Newport (Wales), in December 2015. The paper extends ideas from my PhD and connects with some other recent writings.

Paper title: ‘Curation’ as a new direction in digital literacy theory (paper 0024 at SRHE Annual Research Conference 2015).

Abstract:
This paper theorises the practices of curricular assignment writing. I approach the writing of assignments as an assemblage of digital literacies that emerge as learners use whatever tools – digital and otherwise – are to hand. Building on recent work in literacy studies, and using a sociomaterial approach, I theorise learners’ complex digital literacy practices through their academic assignment writing. Importantly, some practices are in contrast to the digital demands imposed by normative classroom culture and policies, and others are related to how learners manage multitudes of resources, online and offline. I subsequently advance new directions in digital literacy theory as drawn from the data. One such idea is ‘curation’ as a digital literacy practice. I argue that understanding curation as a digital literacy practice adds value to current debates in the fields of digital literacy and educational technology, especially as researchers apply a more critical and fine-grained lens towards technologised learning practices.

Keywords: Literacy, Composition and Rhetoric, Educational Technology, Digital Literacy, Actor Network Theory, Academic Writing, Digital Media & Learning, Technology Enhanced Learning, Digital Literacies, Sociomateriality

The full paper will be posted here eventually: https://www.academia.edu/15163804/Curation_as_a_new_direction_in_digital_literacy_theory_paper_0024_at_SRHE_Annual_Research_Conference_2015_

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