

Understanding Digital Literacy





Digital literacy refers to the totality of an individual's ability to find, evaluate, produce and communicate clear information through writing and other forms of communication on various digital platforms.



The *keywords* here are:



✔Find : The ability to search out the needed information the easiest and most convenient way using digital tools.





✔ Evaluate : The ability to evaluate web contents for security and safety purposes





✔ Produce : The ability to personally create digital contents for personal and global support.





✔ Communicate : The ability to send the right and appropriate information across the web using digital tools.





The 21st century schools and teachers have no other option than to integrate digital literacy as part of their curriculum design. Failing to do this is a clear way of making oneself irrelevant in this century with its technology-driven processes. Besides, it will amount to providing a bleak future for our Digital native learners.



Components of Digital Literacy in the 21st century





The meaning of digital literacy has shifted over the years.

Years back, job candidates with "Proficient at Microsoft Word" tag on their resume, were considered digital literates...



But this is 21st century and things have changed dramatically- Microsoft Word proficiency is now of a lower standard digital set skill.





The question is: *what does digital literary connote for 21st century professionals?*



To be a Digital Literate, the following components must be understood, mastered and properly used:





Digital Information Search





Digital Community & Networking





Digital Communication





Digital Production





Digital Citizenship







DIGITAL INFORMATION SEARCH





Digital Literacy involves knowing how to properly search for information digitally considering cost, convenience, safety and time consumption.





The _safety_ here is that of you ad well as others.



DIGITAL COMMUNITY & NETWORKING





Digital Literacy involves knowing how the Digital community such as Social media works.





Here, we are talking of social media usage for communication and branding purposes, be it individual or corporate; for academic, business or professional benefit.





Another thing to know here is about Social media schedules as well as Rules of engagement.





Think of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Pinterest etc.



DIGITAL COMMUNICATION





Digital Literacy involves the mastering and use of digital tools to communicate approximately.





One can only do this when one is proficient in the use of basic digital tools such as Google Tools(Google mail, Google Drive, YouTube, Google forms, Virtual classroom etc); Microsoft Packages(Word processing, Spreadsheet, Presentation tool, Database, Virtual classroom etc) and very many others.



DIGITAL PRODUCTION





Digital Literacy involves the ability to produce digital contents for both individual and global support.





A lot of people are always happy searching for and getting every kind of information online, without even bothering on how those contents are created or who created them.





Think of digital productions such as web pages, blog articles, apps development, videos, online learning platforms etc.





How many of these can you do?



DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP





Digital Literacy enrolls one to a global community of Digital Citizens.



With such multilingual and multicultural system comes the need for an acceptable code of conduct.





Hence, every Digital citizen must understand acceptable and non-acceptable behavior in this global community.





You may have you heard of terms like *plagiarism*; *spamming*; *identity theft*; *cyber bullying* etc.





The knowledge of all these is what makes one a truly Digital Citizen, which is a key component of *Digital Literacy*



Make yourself relevant by becoming a Digital Literate.



