Digital Literacies

“Digital literacies are those capabilities which fit an individual for living, learning and working in a digital society.

Digital literacy looks beyond functional IT skills to describe a richer set of digital behaviors, practices and identities”

www.jisc.ac.uk

Digital Literacies

• The term is plural; there is more than one• Not just a set of technical skills; new behaviors,

attitudes and sensibilities – You can be tech savvy and not digitally literate

• Digital literacies are contextually relevant– They are not universal; not one size fits all– The digital literacies needed by one person/occupation

are not the same needed by another

Digital Literacies: The Components

Digital Access

ICT Literacy

WebLiteracy

MediaLiteracy

DataLiteracy

InformationLiteracy

Digital Intelligence

Digi

tal

Read

ines

sIncreasing Hum

an Agency

The High Cost of Digital Illiteracy: Loss of Agency

Human agency: the ability to act and assert ourselves in our environment

• Digital literacy skills are required for everyday tasks such as banking, shopping, communicating with government agencies, etc.

• Technological unemployment• Loss of opportunity

– Searching for and applying for work requires online and computer skills– 70% of all U.S. jobs will require some ICT by 2016 (McCain, 2009).

• Lack of access– Lack of basic computer/digital literacy skills are a barrier to employment, re-employment,

and higher education.• Lack of digital literacy skills leads to lower wages, contributes to poverty and

expanding the digital divide• Unprepared for the future of work