1 Chapter 1: Introduction to Digital Literacy
Cheryl Brown
Overview
In this chapter, you will be introduced to the concept of digital literacy and what new skills are needed in order to engage with the digital world responsibly and effectively. Drawing on your own digital experiences you will think about your digital literacy and digital footprint, developing positive strategies to proactively take control of your own digital identity.
Chapter Topics
- Introduction
- Taking Stock of Your Digital self
- What is Digital Literacy?
- Why is Digital Literacy Important?
- Improving Your Digital Literacy: Becoming a Digital Citizen
Learning Objectives
After completing this chapter you should be able to:
- Describe the ways you use technology in your personal life and for learning
- Compare the different ways digital literacy has been referred to by scholars
- Examine how digital literacy differs between people based on the context in which they live and learn and the way they use technology
- Use a basic framework to assess your own digital literacy
- Reflect on your digital footprint
- Develop strategies to control your own digital identity
Introduction
As digital technology has become more common, affordable, and portable, more and more people from all parts of society are starting to increase their online and digital participation. Understanding the new opportunities, rules, and potential pitfalls of the digital world doesn’t necessarily come automatically with long-term use. Not everyone using digital technology knows how to handle the range of available tools to their best extent, and even experienced digital technology users can fall prey to hackers, lose control of how they are represented online, or otherwise fail to maintain their digital identity in an optimal manner.
Digital literacy is a relatively new concept that emerged in the 1990s during the era of the Internet revolution. Before that, people talked more about “computer literacy.” But in 1997, Paul Gilster, a historian and educator first coined the term “digital literacy,” arguing that digital literacy went beyond just skills in using technology. He said it is about “mastering ideas, not [computer] keystrokes” (Gilster, 1997, p. 1).
Gilster (1997) further defined digital literacy as “the ability to understand and use information in multiple formats from a wide range of sources when it is presented via computers” (p. 1). For him, digital literacy involves the ability to critically evaluate information (presented in different formats) and make decisions about how to use this information in different real-life contexts.
By the end of this chapter you will be able to define the concept of digital literacy and its many different components, reflect on your own digital literacy, engage with the digital world responsibly, and be empowered as a digital citizen capable of helping others learn and develop their role in the digital world.
Taking Stock of Your Digital Self
You probably already use