What is digital literacy?

[Terry Freedman]

Here are my views about digital literacy. Challenge me.

Digital literacy should be one of the key parts of any curriculum.

What is digital literacy? Let's express this in behavioural terms.

I believe that it should not be possible for young people to leave school without being knowledgeable enough to be safe online (not just from sexual predators but from financial, racist, and other types of predator too).

It should not be possible for anyone to leave school and then leave laptops in the back of cars, usb sticks containing sensitive data in pub car parks, or sell hard disks containing data on eBay. All of these kinds of actions are undertaken by digitally illiterate people in my opinion.

Digital literacy should not be seen only in defensive terms:

A digitally-literate person will be able to express herself by creating a presentation, a podcast or a video. She will be able to validate data before putting it into a model, and then verify the results of the modelling process in terms of the accuracy and plausibility of the data.

A digitally-literate person will be able to use software applications in elegant and efficient ways, and even perhaps in ways that could not have been foreseen by the program's creators.

There are, or should be, lots of opportunities for pupils to apply and practise their digital literacy skills, right across the curriculum. However, in order to do so, they need a deep, not a superficial, understanding of the processes involved. These are not trivial. Take, for example, the concept of data validation. It's quite sophisticated, and quite necessary. It's summed up in the adage, "garbage in, garbage out", meaning that if you put rotten data into a computer you'll get rotten results. Someone has to be able to ensure that the data going into the computer is not full of errors, or of the wrong type.

It's been found recently , by the government inspection body in England, that teachers tend to teach technology up to the limit of their own knowledge, and that this effectively holds children back. In my experience, where technology is taught by non-specialists, this kind of "dumbing down" goes on as a matter of course. It's not deliberate: teachers don't know what they don't know. It's therefore not a criticism as such. If I taught English, it would almost certainly be superficial, because I'm not an English specialist, even though I've been speaking the language for over half a century. Why should we assume that if we send someone on an interactive whiteboard training course and give them a laptop for producing their worksheets, and they book their vacations online, that they're qualified to teach technology?

In fact, if we are really serious about embedding technology in the curriculum, the answer is not to get rid of it as a subject and farm it out across the curriculum, but to do the precise opposite and increase the amount of time spent teaching it. That would give pupils a much firmer skills base to employ in other subjects. It would also give non-tech teachers more confidence in using technology in their classrooms because of the knowledge that the youngsters pretty much know what they are doing.

Thoughts? Comments? Let me know!

[Stephen k]

I agree with you about sexual predators, finance, racist, and other types of predator because most people do not realize that they are not safe online. I feel most people think that are safe because they don't talk to strangers, but there not. they need to learn how to be more literate online

[Terry Freedman]

Exactly, Stephen. thx :-)

[Nessa K]

While I agree with your definition of digital literacy as being able to efficiantly use technology in a way that is safe and productive, I don't agree competely with the statement about teachng technology as a subject, instead of spreading it across different courses. While specific courses on technology are important and useful, I feel that we sould use technology in every class if possible. This not only enhances one's technological skills, but allows him/her to use it in various situations, depending on the course. While using technology is very useful, you did point out very prominent dangers like sexual, financial, and racial predators. As more ways to protect onseself online are found, more dangers will come up. In my opinion, technology is a double-edged sword that must be taken, and used, seriously.

[Terry Freedman]

I agree, Nessa. But it seems to me, especially looking at all the replies which indicate that some teachers are digitally illiterate, that schools need to provide a sort of bottom line in the form of discrete tech lessons, where the kids would learn stuff they could then apply in other lessons, even despite a teacher's lack of technical expertise in those lessons.

[Star 9B IT]

Digital literacy is very important to everyone in terms of their knowledge of using technology in the contemporary knowledge society. I believe that digital literacy is important and also essential for education, economic and even social factors in anyone's life. Some people need digital literacy because it is important for some workers who works in or rather who wants to work in a company that requires digitally skilled workers for their own productivity, innovation and even employment in order to have a successful company. In addition to digital literacy being important for jobs and for certain companies which acquire digital literacy knowledge to be able to work, some people may need to communicate with their colleagues through digital technology, and even foreign companies establish a business and try to be at a better competitive position. Digital literacy is basically to teach basic computer skills and concepts so that people can use computer technology in their everyday life to develop new social and economic opportunities also - whether it is for themselves, their families or even their community and the society. Digital literacy is also important because it allows us to access the information that we need on the Internet by surfing around the net and we are able to get something from these information.

[Terry Freedman]

That's a really great summary, Star. Well done.

[Anood 9B]

Digital literacy is being able to use different computer sources safely ad wisely, and understandings its rules.. Students who are digitally literate are able to use the computer wisely and can do many things. By being digitally literate a person can express themselves in many ways. They are able to edit pictures, watch movies, create movies, make power points..etc. Being digitally literate helps the person in both the online community and the real world. Thy are able to benefit themselves when they are aware of the many uses that can come from using the computer.

[Terry Freedman]

Yep! thx, Anood. :-)

[Nadim Rabbani]

I think it's important for people in this day and age to have digital literacy. Computers are becoming a major part in our daily lives. You must be able to know how to use a cell phone in order to communicate and most people use computers in their jobs.

[Terry Freedman]

couldn't agree more, Nadim.

[Nicole P.]

I agree with you about digital literacy. I agree that teachers are only teaching us what they know. Also about how you said "There are, or should be, lots of opportunities for pupils to apply and practise their digital literacy skills, right across the curriculum." We should be able to use technology in every suject to learn what we need to learn, and to have the opportunity for us to use our skills with the technology. I think being digitally literate is very important and a great thing to be.

[Terry Freedman]

Thx, Nicole :-)