What is digital literacy? This term has been heard recently, and its meaning can be assumed, but still most people do not understand what it is. In fact, digital literacy is the presence of skills in the digital space. And what these skills are and how we can apply them in real life, we will learn from this article.
Our world has long stepped into a new stage of development: new software and new types of production automation, technical equipment, gadgets and other complex devices appear every day. Homes have become smart and turned into one big ecosystem that serves our everyday life, and smartphones have become our guides in the world of digital media content.
Therefore, we, as digital citizens, must understand well how to safely handle information flows and how to use this information effectively.
According to the results of a study conducted by the analytical center “NAFI”, since 2020, the level of digital competencies of Russians has increased: the share of Russians with an initial level of digital literacy has decreased, and the share of people with a basic level has increased. However, the share of those with an advanced level of digital competencies has remained unchanged since 2019 — 27%.
It becomes clear that digital literacy is not only the ability to use your computer or smartphone to view videos on the Internet. The concept of digital literacy includes a wide range of competencies: from the use of digital technologies and programming to protection against hacking and theft of personal data. What is included in digital literacy and why is it so important? Let’s figure it out.
At the digital literacy courses at the Skysmart online school, we will tell (and show!) even more: we will teach you how to work with a computer and useful programs, help you consolidate new skills on exciting interactive tasks.
Let’s take a more specific look at what can be included in the concept of digital literacy.
Digital literacy is a set of knowledge and skills that are necessary for the safe and effective use of digital tools and technologies, as well as Internet resources. The foundations of digital literacy are digital consumption, digital competencies and digital security.
Digital consumption is the use of Internet services for work and life. Includes: fixed Internet, mobile Internet, digital devices, Internet media, news, social networks, “Public services”, telemedicine, cloud technologies. In other words, it is the digital information that we work with on a daily basis, or the information that we consume every day from digital sources.
Digital competencies — skills of effective use of technologies. They include: information search, use of digital devices, use of social network functionality, financial transactions, online purchases, critical perception of information, production of multimedia content, device synchronization.
Digital security — the basics of network security. It includes: protection of personal data, a strong password, legal content, culture of behavior, reputation, ethics, storage of information, creation of backups.
A high degree of digital literacy helps to learn: compared to traditional paper-based learning resources, it is easier to access information from digital sources.
A component of digital literacy is also personal data that students provide and use to join online communities and work with various networks. Source – Skysmart Online School: https://skysmart.ru/articles/programming/cifrovaya-gramotnost
