Digitally Literate

Hi, I'm Ian O'Byrne.

I explore how people read, write, and learn in digital, connected spaces. I help design systems that support creativity, agency, and belonging.

I helped shape the Mozilla Web Literacy Framework and co-authored NCTE’s Definition of Digital Literacy. Frameworks that guide how educators and organizations navigate digital transformation.

My main website, wiobyrne.com, is where I publish polished essays, research, and projects. This digital garden is my living, free-flowing space for experimentation, rough ideas, and ongoing exploration. Think of it as the lab behind the published work.

I also direct the Initiative for Literacy in a Digital Age, where we build ethical, community-driven approaches to technology. This is grounded in privacy by design, open infrastructure and digital equity.

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Each week, I share reflections on digital literacy, AI, and the future of knowledge work — blending research, practice, and critical optimism.

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🌿 What You’ll Find Here

Digitally Literate is a digital garden. A living notebook of ideas that evolves over time. It’s part research lab, part public thinking space, and part newsletter archive.

Growth Stages

• 🌱 Seeds — early ideas and emerging questions
• 🌿 Plants — developing frameworks and connected reflections
• 🌲 Evergreens — refined concepts ready for application

If you’re new here, start with the Digital Garden Guide, or explore by topic below.

🧭 Current Focus

I’m currently exploring how we can:

• Rewild personal knowledge management — connecting PKM tools to the open web
• Build digital communities by design, with privacy, trust, and stewardship as first principles
• Use AI as a cognitive amplifier, supporting reflection and creativity without extraction
• Reimagine digital literacy as collective sensemaking in a federated, open ecosystem

These threads connect across my talks, writing, and collaborations across communities.

✳️ Connect

• 💬 Say hello: hello@digitallyliterate.net
• 🌍 Professional site: wiobyrne.com
• 📨 Join the newsletter: digitallyliterate.net/newsletter

Let’s build a more open, ethical, and human web. One connection at a time.