DIGITAL LITERACY: Digital Literacy in Education

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David P. Dillard

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Dec 19, 2011, 4:16:06 PM12/19/11
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DIGITAL LITERACY:

Digital Literacy in Education

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Digital Literacy in Education

Policy Brief

May 2011

United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

UNESCO Institute for Technologies in Education

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002144/214485e.pdf

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CONTENTS:

Digital literacy: content, structure and development of a life skill

Components of digital literacy

Digital literacy as a component of life skills

Digital literacy and basic competences from the teachers and learners
perspectives

Digital literacy in education, from the policy makers perspective

Educational leadership and digital literacy

Evaluating the level of digital literacy

Towards a new digital literacy framework

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DIGITAL LITERACY: CONTENT, STRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT OF A LIFE SKILL

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Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have penetrated all
areas of contemporary life. In this context, digital literacy has become
much more than the ability to handle computers just like traditional
literacy and numeracy, it comprises a set of basic skills which include
the use and production of digital media, information processing and
retrieval, participation in social networks for creation and sharing of
knowledge, and a wide range of professional computing skills. Digital
literacy improves employability because it is a gate skill, demanded by
many employers when they first evaluate a job application. It also works
as a catalyst because it enables the acquisition of other important life
skills.

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The origin of the word literacy refers to the ability to read and write.
Early descriptions of computer-related literacies also focus on the
acquisition of sets of rules and technical capabilities. However, by the
end of the 20th century, this definition had expanded considerably.
According to the working definition, agreed at the UNESCO June 2003 Expert
Meeting in Paris, literacy is the ability to identify, understand,
interpret, create, communicate, compute and use printed and written
materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum
of learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop
their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their community
and wider society. (UNESCO, 2004)

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Components of Digital Literacy

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Digital literacy is an umbrella concept for important skill clusters whose
names are often used as synonyms; their content, however, is not exactly
the same. ICT literacy refers to a set of user skills that enable active
participation in a society where services and cultural offerings are
computer-supported and distributed on the internet. Technological literacy
(previously called computer literacy) entails a deeper understanding of
digital technology and comprises both user and technical computing skills.
Information literacy focuses on one of the key aspects of our Knowledge
Society: the ability to locate, identify, retrieve, process and use
digital information optimally.1 In this paper, we will employ the term
digital literacy because it retains a close connection with other basic
literacies (e.g. reading and writing, mathematical competence) that are
integral parts of education.2

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UNESCOs Information for All Programme3 (IFAP) recognizes the considerable
effort being invested by many international organizations in measuring the
information society, defining digital literacy as a life skill. UNESCO
identifies indicators for the development of knowledge societies and
integrates them with more established milestone systems for other
important skill areas. In May 2007, the Education Council adopted
conclusions on a coherent framework of 16 core indicators for monitoring
progress towards the Lisbon objectives in education and training. There
are many of them with direct relevance to digital literacy ICT skills,
civic skills, learning to learn skills, participation of adults in
lifelong learning. High values in these targeted areas certainly require
the development of digital competence. Other indicators also may involve
ICT skills. For example, cross-national mobility of students in higher
education is made possible through blended learning courses that involve
travelling students staying in touch with the learning process of their
peers at home. Professional development of teachers and trainers, another
key indicator, is mostly achieved through blended or e-learning courses in
which new methodological skills are acquired and then applied in the
workplace. These examples illustrate the importance of digital literacy
for the achievement of Information Society goals. Digital literacy is a
life skill because it targets all areas of contemporary existence.

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In seven out of the sixteen literacy indicators, digital literacy plays a
central role. In the last century, the shift from the manufacture of goods
to the provision of services has resulted in an economy based on
information and knowledge. Computers substitute for workers who perform
routine physical and cognitive tasks, but they complement workers who
perform non]routine problem solving tasks. Modern organizations and
companies have been facing a restructuring of work, which means flatter
organizational structures, decentralized decision making, widely shared
information, flexible work arrangements and collaboration in project
teams. Companies applying these changes in organizational structures and
business practices require new skills, as wells as an increased role of
ICT in the work place for communication, information sharing, and
simulation of business processes. Routine cognitive and manual tasks in
the economy decline, and non]routine analytic and interactive tasks rise.
Resulting new hiring practices demand workers with the ability to respond
flexibly to complex problems, communicate effectively, manage information,
work in teams, use technology, and produce new knowledge.

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The complete article may be read at the URL above.

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Sincerely,
David Dillard
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jw...@temple.edu
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