There is a plethora of scholars, articles, journals, etc. out there that have different definitions on digital literacy and what it means in relation to our society. However, one definition that explains the concept of digital literacy in an easy-to-understand way is the American Library Association's digital literacy task force's definition. They define it as:
"... the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communication information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills."
Fig. 1. Carolyn Perdue, Digital Media Technology Quizizz, 2019
Principles of Digital Literacy
- Understanding: In the sense that the public has the ability to understand the information provided by the media, either implicitly or explicitly.
- Dependency: The media are interdependent and interrelated; the existing media are side by side and complement each other.
- Social Factor: The media share messages or information with the public, the long-term success of the media is determined by the disseminators and recipients of information.
- Curation: Curation is the ability to work together in finding, collecting and organizing information that is considered useful.
- Examples: Videos, email, websites, podcasts, social media, games, apps, virtual worlds, etc...
RESOURCES:
1. Loewus, L. (2016, November 8). What is Digital Literacy? Retrieved September 19, 2022, from https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/what-is-digital-literacy/2016/11
