Digital Literacy in Education

Digital literacy can be described as having the knowledge, skills and behaviors which
are necessary to effectively and safely use a wide range of digital content and devices.
Such devices include:

• mobile phones,
• smart phones,
• tablets,
• laptops and
• desktops among others.

All these fall within the category of network enabled devices. Digital literacy focuses
mainly on network enabled devices and should not be confused with computer literacy
skills.

It is a student’s ability to use digital tools and technologies to work, learn and interact.
Digital literacy manifests as both cognitive and technical skills.

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Examples of Digital Literacy skills

• Sending and receiving email

• Using an online search engine to find the answer to a question.
• Using online search to complete a research project
• Creating an online profile on a social media platform
• Writing and publishing a blog
• Searching for information on a topic and evaluating the credibility of a source
• Watching videos online

Digital literacy as a competence therefore encompasses knowledge and skills

concerning the appropriate application of a variety of hardware platforms such as
computers, tablets and mobile devices, and their software including but not limited to
web search or internet application software.

Digital literacy is a dynamic competence due to the fast-changing world of information

communication technology and the ongoing development of technological devices as
well as their related software. This is an area in which there is constant innovation and
development as the industry attempts to keep up with a globally increasing demand
for efficient and effective communication technologies.

Importance of Digital Literacy

1. Access to Information: Digital literacy enables students to access a vast pool
of information, facilitating independent learning. Whether it’s for research, self-
study, or academic assignments, students with digital literacy skills can explore
a multitude of resources, enhancing their overall educational experience.
2. Critical Thinking: Digital literacy goes beyond mere information consumption.
It teaches students how to evaluate sources, discern between credible and
unreliable information, and think critically about the content they encounter.
This skill is not only essential for academic pursuits but also for making
informed decisions in everyday life.
3. Communication: Effective communication is a vital life skill. Digital literacy
equips students with the ability to communicate via various digital channels,
including email, social media, and video conferencing. These skills are not only
crucial for maintaining personal and professional relationships but also for
future career prospects.
4. Cybersecurity: As students become more active online, they must be aware
of the risks associated with the digital world. Digital literacy imparts an
understanding of online safety, the importance of strong passwords, and how
to protect personal information. These skills are essential to avoid falling victim
to cyber threats.
5. Career Readiness: In a world where technology is integral to almost every
profession, digital literacy is a non-negotiable skill for career readiness.
Proficiency in digital tools and platforms can open doors to various job
opportunities and provide a competitive edge in the job market.
6. Innovation and Creativity: Digital literacy fosters creativity and innovation.
Students who are digitally literate can harness technology to express their
ideas, whether through graphic design, coding, or content creation. These skills
encourage a spirit of innovation that can be applied across disciplines.

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 7. Global Citizenship: In our interconnected world, digital literacy connects
students to global issues, cultures, and perspectives. It enables them to engage
in discussions, collaborate with peers from different countries, and become
informed global citizens.
8. Adaptability: The digital landscape is continually changing. Students with
digital literacy skills are better equipped to adapt to new technologies and
platforms as they emerge, ensuring they remain relevant in an ever-evolving
job market.
9. Improved writing, reading, listening and speaking skills
10. Increased frequency and ability to use digital technology
11. Enhanced ability to collaborate with teachers and peers
12. Enhanced engagement
13. Improved academic performance

Five Pillars of Digital Literacy

To be digitally literate, one must demonstrate five key competencies (pillars of digital
literacy).

• Information and data literacy: To articulate information needs and to locate

and retrieve digital data, information and content. To judge the relevance of the
source and its content. To store, manage and organize digital data, information
and content.
• Communication and collaboration: To interact, communicate and collaborate
through digital technologies while being aware of cultural and generational
diversity. To participate in society through public and private digital services and
participatory citizenship. To manage one’s digital presence, identity and
reputation.
• Digital content creation: To create and edit digital content. To improve and
integrate information and content into an existing body of knowledge while
understanding how copyright and licenses are to be applied. To know how to
give understandable instructions for a computer system.
• Safety: To protect devices, content, personal data and privacy in digital
environments. To protect physical and psychological health, and to be aware
of digital technologies for social well-being and social inclusion. To be aware of
the environmental impact of digital technologies and their uses.
• Problem solving: To identify needs and problems, and to resolve conceptual
problems and problematic situations in digital environments. To use digital tools
to innovate processes and products. To keep up-to-date with digital evolution.

In students, digital literacy presents as several skills, and broad understanding of the
digital world and the tools required to navigate it. Students who possess digital literacy
will be able to:

• Fact check information

• Identify reputable sources and conduct research
• Participate in online communication
• Cite sources and copyrighted material
• Discern biases from word choice and sentence structure
• Find and identify images and videos

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Digital literacy in CBC

Currently, digital literacy is considered as one of the main core competencies for
learning and life in the 21st century. It challenges existing thinking and practice while
leading to a more innovative, creative and often trans-formational learning.

One of the learning outcomes of early years education, the first level of CBC , is to
apply digital literacy skills for learning and enjoyment.

Digital literacy will be integrated across all subjects at the pre-primary education level.

At the Middle School level , one of the learning outcomes is application of digital
literacy skills for communication and learning. ICT will be cross cutting in all subjects
at Upper Primary.

The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) pathway shall be

offered in 60% of senior schools. It will therefore take 60% of the students entering
senior school from lower secondary and it shall comprise of Technical and Engineering
as one of the 4 career tracks. ICT is one of the core subjects.

Types of digital skills that are taught in class include: internet literacy, cyber security,
media, basic office applications, computer hardware, and information literacy among
others.

1. Basic digital literacy

This improves the basic understanding of computer hardware and software use. The
components of a computer and its functions, how to navigate the operating system.
Another area covered under basic skills is how to use basic office applications such
as word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and desktop publishing.

2. Information literacy

The internet has vast information in a field of study, both correct and altered. A learner
should be able to assess the information they get from the internet and evaluate their
correctness and validity before use.

They should be able to search for information online and differentiate credible and
reliable from unreliable data.

3. Media literacy skills

Information is disseminated online using various forms such as video, audio, text, and
images. A learner should be skilled to be able to analyse these media for credibility
and correctness of the information.

A learner should be able to differentiate the original media from edited to avoid
misinformation from different sources.

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4. Cybersecurity awareness

The learners should be able to protect themselves when they are online and generally
in cyberspace. They should learn different cyber threats and how to protect
themselves from them. Implement best practices to prevent and protect their data from
threats by using strong passwords, knowing what to share online, and how to avoid
phishing and other cyber attacks.

5. Internet literacy

This involves learning how to navigate the internet and search for relevant information,
and how the internet works. Learners should also understand internet protocols,
domains, URLs, WWW, and other internet-related concepts.

This also should involve learning the best online etiquette when doing live online
conferences, writing an email, and other online communication modes.

6. Social media literacy

This type involves teaching the student the dynamics that are involved when using
different social media platforms. How to protect personal information on social media,
issues of cyberbullying, social media addiction, online harassment among other
issues.

The learner should also be trained on how to effectively use social media platforms for
gainful activities such as joining groups that discuss their interest.

7. Communication and collaboration

Proficiency in digital communication tools is essential. This includes effective use of

email, messaging apps, and collaborative platforms. Individuals with these skills can
communicate clearly and collaborate with others using digital tools.

8. Coding and computational thinking

Advanced digital literacy includes coding skills and computational thinking. This type
involves understanding the basics of programming languages, logical problem-
solving, and the ability to create and understand digital algorithms.

Importance of digital literacy in CBC

Digital literacy was incorporated into the CBC curriculum to ensure the learner gets
the knowledge and the skill to navigate and benefit from all the digital technologies
and other emerging technologies. Other benefits of digital skills in CBC include:

1. Increases the level of information access.

2. It enhances effective online communication and etiquette.
3. It helps in problem-solving and critical thinking

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 4. Digital skills help in online safety awareness
5. The skill opens new job opportunities
6. Learners are equipped to be able to adapt to the new changing
technologies for continued learning.
7. It improves digital equity and reduces the digital gap.

Teaching digital literacy in educational institutions

• Encourage critical thinking: Educational institutions should prioritize teaching
students to critically evaluate digital content, understand data privacy, and be
aware of cybersecurity, ensuring they can navigate the digital world safely and
effectively. Providing resources like e-textbooks and online databases while
encouraging students to search, critique, absorb, and reference multiple
sources in their work will help build critical thinking skills.
• Incorporating technology into the curriculum: It's essential for educational
institutions to seamlessly integrate digital tools and platforms into their curricula,
enhancing learning experiences and familiarizing students with the latest
technologies. Institutions can ask students to create videos, animations,
podcasts, or digital magazines as a part of their coursework.
• Ethical use of technology: With the rapid advancements in AI and big data,
there are several tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney for students to leverage.
Educational institutions must educate students about the ethical
considerations, potential biases, and societal impacts of these digital
innovations and how best to use them.
• Provide opportunities for collaboration and problem-solving: Offer digital
collaboration experiences. Virtual group work helps students develop digital
literacy skills, benefiting from diverse peer experiences and a better
understanding of digital communication tools. Students can improve their skills
through virtual meetings, shared cloud documents, and other digital
collaborative tools like Figma to understand how to communicate and work
together in virtual environments.
• Teach students how to evaluate the information they find online
Explain how to judge whether the source is reliable and whether the infomation
on a given website is true or false. I bet you'll agree with me if I say that the
ability to find reliable sources is critical in the 21st century. To start, a teacher
can provide a list of educational resources for students to see as examples of
trustworthy websites. Research those resources before recommending them to
ensure they are safe and reliable.
• Discuss online privacy with students: Take time to explain how to choose
and save secure passwords, when it's not okay to share personal information,
and how to use social media responsibly. Tell how their favorite apps or
websites store information and what they do with it.
• Help students understand online etiquette: Discuss which images or texts
are inappropriate to post and how to communicate online to prevent bullying,
abuse, or other offensive behaviors. Encourage respectful communication:
Students should understand they are responsible for what they say or do online.

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 • Teach digital writing: Tell students how traditional writing differs from online
content so they won't confuse one for another. They should know how to include
links and references in writing, revise texts depending on the target audience,
choose and include images, etc. Just like you teach the difference between a
personal essay and a research paper, it's worth explaining how a post on
Instagram differs from a blog post or a press release for online magazines.
• Discuss AI tools and academic integrity: Plagiarism and other aspects of
academic integrity are the pain points for many educators. And these pain
points have been activated even more after ChatGPT burst into the online
space. While some bother about the threat such AI writing tools can be to the
world of education, others discuss the opportunities they bring for teachers.

Challenges faced in implementing digital literacy programs in education

• Resource limitations: Many educational institutions, especially in underserved

areas, lack the necessary infrastructure, tools, and resources to support digital
literacy programs. Inadequate computer labs, outdated software, and limited
access to high-speed internet are primary sources of the problem.
• Training and professional development: Even with the right tools, educators
might not be adequately trained to teach digital literacy. Continuous
professional development is required to ensure educators are updated with the
latest digital tools and practices.
• Resistance to change: Both educators and students might be resistant to the
integration of technology in the classroom. This resistance can stem from
misconceptions about digital literacy, fear of technology, or a preference for
traditional teaching methods.
• Evolving digital landscape: The digital world constantly changes, with new
tools, platforms, and technologies emerging regularly. Keeping up with these
changes and ensuring the curriculum remains relevant can be challenging.

Task (Group Task)

Task Title: Creating a Digital Learning Resource

Objective
• To develop digital literacy skills by creating an engaging digital learning
resource that can be used in a classroom setting.

Instructions

1. Select a Topic:
• Choose one learning area from your two teaching subjects i.e. Mathematics,
English, History etc.

2. Identify Learning Outcomes:

• Define specific learning outcomes you want to achieve with your digital
resource. Consider what knowledge or skills you want your students to gain.

3. Choose an ICT Tool:

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 • Select one or more ICT tools to create your digital resource. Options include
but not limited to:
- Google Slides for presentations
- Canva for designing infographics or posters
- Kahoot for creating quizzes
- Flipgrid for video discussions
- Padlet for collaborative boards

4. Create the Resource:

• Develop your digital learning resource. Ensure it is interactive and engaging.
Include:
- Clear instructions for students
- Visual aids (images, videos, infographics)
- Opportunities for student interaction (quizzes, discussions)

5. Reflection:
Write a brief reflection (300-500 words) on the process of creating your digital
resource. Discuss:
- How you will use the resource in teaching
- Challenges you faced and how you overcame them
- What you learned about digital literacy and its importance in education
- How you envision using technology in your future teaching practice

Your task will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

- Relevance and clarity of the chosen topic and learning outcomes

- Creativity and effectiveness of the digital resource
- Depth of reflection on the learning experience

Resubmit the completed assignment in the topic 3 assignment submission portal.

Depending on the resource you have created, upload it to the topic 3 assignment, or
share the link to the resource in your write up (reflection). If uploading a resource,
e.g. PPT file, you will upload two files i.e. the resource and the reflection. If sharing a
link to the resource, copy and paste this link to your reflection and upload only one
file, i.e. the reflection.

Further reading
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/367420834_Developing_Digital_Literacy_fo
r_Teaching_and_Learning

https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000214485

Digital literacy skills to succeed in learning and beyond

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgEGbMPJcAo