What is digital literacy? And why is it important? Digital literacy is just as important as ‘regular’ literacy. The ability to not just read and write, but also understand. Many students are taught those skill sets from a very early age, and having those skills build on each other to make them literate. Learning the alphabet, phonics, reading, and reading comprehension are all to build literate individuals.
Digital literacy takes it to a different level. It builds upon what many individuals already know while introducing new information. Different images, symbols, situations, and many other things we don’t even realize that are digital are added. It isn’t just the ability to use different types of technology, but rather the ability to understand another type of language. Take emojis, for example. Emojis aren’t words that could have been taught in a book. Nor can you find their meanings in a dictionary like we typically would. Rather, they were a part of a language that grew with technology. And those who are well-versed in its language can identify the meaning they can convey in a text message or email.
Doug Eyman‘s perspective on the topic is interesting. While he agrees with what I have written above, he covers all his bases by explaining why he is correct and others aren’t. Something I noticed was that many before him didn’t want to use the term ‘digital’ but rather computer, internet, technological, or electronic. The problem with these terms is that they wouldn’t cover as much ground as the word digital. Some were too broad, and others were ultra-specific.
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