Skip to main content

My understanding of Digital Literacy 4.4.4

An understanding of Digital Literacy

It is now very clear to me that at the end of it all Digital Literacy should make an individual a true Digital Citizen. In my limited understanding, I had thought digital literacy should just focus on imparting digital skills on an individual making him/her in position to carryout basic manipulation of digital tools and, probably, effective communication to other individuals online. This was of course a limited perception of the whole concept of digital literacy. I now see that digital literacy goes a long way in making individuals successfully and productively integrated in different communities. They are equipped to generously contribute to knowledge pools and to have their say in a more organised and acceptable manner. The basic skills for using digital media tools are just the foundations for digital literacy. When a learner is given access to technology, content, a learning network and guidance; the individual will not only acquire the relevant skills but will also go a head and get in-depth insight in the use of digital technology. The learner will go even further to have the right values and 'digital etiquette' (if you please) impressed upon them.

The learner who goes through the above processing eventually becomes 'patriotic' digital citizen fully culturally empowered, having social rights and responsibility, aware of his/her identity and fully competent in the use of digital technology. Such an individual can go down to those climbing the ladder of digital literacy and help them reach and surpass where he/she (the digital citizen) currently is -- while learning a few new things themselves. They are able to effectively use appropriate digital technologies to creatively and positively impact their local and global communities. 

All this said, I still feel like my understanding of Digital Literacy can still be enhanced. And this is true.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Insight into my project work 6.2.4

In an attempt to state the curriculum objectives of the project with specific 21st Century skills and higher-order skills, I have written down the following: Objectives: Identify aquatic organisms in a water sample. (curriculum) Use sampling and counting techniques to estimate population size. (curriculum) Collaborate in groups to agree, with substantial reasoning, on the most appropriate sampling method to apply for each of the different water samples to be taken.(21st Century skill) Critically examine data on numbers of micro-organisms in the different samples and, considering other environmental factors observed, draw a conclusion about the patterns. (21st Century skill) Create a blog with content compiled by all learners, containing details of the story of the entire project, the observations made and the conclusions/hypothesis deduced.  (higher order thinking) Together influence the community to implement workable solutions which either guarantee the safe use of drink...
Post a Comment
Read more

PREPARING LEARNERS FOR A DIGITAL COMMUNITY 5.1.4

I teach in a school not very far from the urban municipal centre -- 6 km away actually. We therefore have very good internet and we make use of it. The school is integrated with Nursery, Primary and Secondary campuses not very far from each other and with seamless collaboration among the campuses possible. The learners hail from a variety of backgrounds - Ugandan and non-Ugandan and have been exposed to Digital Technology (prior to their coming to our school) in varying degrees. The teachers have basic knowledge about Digital Technology; mostly acquired as a result of the school emphasis (in its different policies), on need for knowledge in ICT as a prerequisite for employment in any of the campuses. There is a growing use, however, of application of Digital Technology in learning. The learners study ICT as a subject and are able to use the knowledge they acquire to use the different Digital Technologies in place. These technologies include, but is not limited to smart phones, lap...
Post a Comment
Read more