What is Digital Literacy?
Digital literacy is more than functional Information Technology & computer skills. It describes a rich set of digital behaviours and practices. The definition of digital literacy changes over time as technology changes, but it broadly fits into six areas that allow people to participate in a digital society through living, learning and working.
- Formal and informal learning – participating in your own learning in technology-rich environments for career and personal development;
- Change management and problem solving – adopting, adapting and using digital devices, apps and services;
- Communication and collaboration – participating in digital networks for sharing of knowledge;
- Information and media literacy – finding, interpreting, evaluating, managing and sharing information and media in a critical manner;
- Safety – managing online identity and digital reputation;
- Digital content creation – developing and integrating content.
Digital literacy and digital citizenship are about being confident and engaging in a positive way with digital technology. A digital citizen is simply a person with the skills and knowledge to effectively use digital technologies to participate in society, communicate with others and create and consume digital content.