It is definitely a fast-moving subject to keep up on. Networking on Twitter is much different than networking on Facebook. LinkedIn networks are vastly different from blog networks. Google Wave may create a whole new form of networking all together.

I believe as long as you remain digitally literate, you will have little trouble becoming networked literate. The key is staying on top of it. If you can get certified by a company like Certiport (disclaimer: I work for a company that is affiliated with Certiport), even better. You’ll know that you’ll be ready for whatever unpredictable network opportunity comes your way, and employers will know that too.

Just my long two cents.

I agree with much of your “cud” in the comment. The shift that we are talking about is a shift that puts more focus on the process than on the outcome. The “How” over the “That”. To me this makes sense. In today’s fast pace information world the “that” is changing at an incredible pace. If we teach students the “how” then they can find the relevant “that” when they need it. Confusing?

The power lies in the network and understanding “how” to use the network to find, create, and inform. This is more important than the information that resides in the network itself. (From George Siemen’s Connectivism Theory)

I think network literacy is so important today yet no one seems to be teaching students (young and young at heart) skills needed to master it. New models of learning are taking place that include horizontal, collaborative, real-time thinking networks. We are seeing an emphasis on collective, egalitarian, collaborative, democratic learning, which requires network literacy, even though we struggle to define it. With Web 2.0, we have moved from presumed authority to collective credibility, from vertical command and control to horizontal collaborative models.

Could networked literacy be mastering and implementing the skills of collective checking, inquisitive skepticism and group assessment? Could it include moving from a focus on information as such to learning to judge reliable information, shifting from memorizing information to finding reliable sources? In short, network literacy shifts from learning “that” to learning “how.”

I don’t have all the answers yet. Just thinking out loud here. Thanks for the springboard and allowing me to ramble.