Talk:Digital literacy

Digital Literacy vs Information Literacy
The subject of this article is "Information Literacy" not "Digital Literacy". Being digitally literate is not just about being able to use Information Technology (IT) or a particular programme really well. It is about feeling comfortable communicating in many different ways using digital technologies, i.e. it is more about communication than out finding information.

Being digitally literate is not just about being able to use Information Technology (IT) or a particular programme really well. It is about feeling comfortable communicating in many different ways using digital technologies.

Digital Literacy definitions:

Davies and Merchant (2009), “see digital literacy as a set of social practices that are interwoven with contemporary “ways of being” (p83).

In research reports and other publications it is obvious there is a general acceptance of what Digital Literacy is, however, few actually state the definition they use. The term as it is currently used was first coined by Paul Gilster (1997) but thirteen years is a long time in modern technology. There is also still some debate about the term Digital Literacy but most have come to accept the use as explained by Hague and Williamson (2009). Definitions are troublesome things; they can be confusing in their brevity or in their loquacity. Definitions help people feel they have a grasp of the subject but it is easy to misdirect people with them. It would indeed be wrong not to try to offer some sort of definition for Digital Literacy, luckily there are a number of definitions from research and organisations such as the European Union. For example the following definition from the Digital Literacies Research Briefing by the Technology Enhanced Learning phase of the Teaching and Learning Research Programme states that Digital Literacy is:

“... the constantly changing practices through which people make traceable meanings using digital technologies.”

Gillen and Barton (2010 p9)

the E-Inclusion Initiative definition is;

“Digital literacy involves the confident and critical use of Information Society Technology (IST) for work, leisure and communication. It is underpinned by basic skills in ICT: the use of computers to retrieve, assess, store, produce, present and exchange information, and to communicate and participate in collaborative networks via the Internet.”

Danish Technology Institute, European Commission E-Inclusion Initiatives 2008

and this definition is from The eLearning Programme of the European Commission.

Digital Literacy is the awareness, attitude and ability of individuals to appropriately use digital tools and facilities to identify, access, manage, integrate, evaluate, analyse and synthesize digital resources, construct new knowledge, create media expressions, and communicate with others, in the context of specific life situations, in order to enable constructive social action; and to reflect upon this process.

DigEuLit Project 2006

Different definitions tend to address different populations with different understandings of the issues and terms involved. However, wising a combination of current understandings of Digital Literacy it could be considered as: the confident and comfortable use of technology whether for work, leisure or communication for the usual daily activities of living. It is using technology to solve problems to improve our own and other people’s lives and goes beyond the acquisition of operational skills to the critical and discriminating use of technology.

Proposal to remove paragraph about Danah Boyd in intro section.
Removing the part about Danah Boyd in history section. Does not flow well with the rest of the paragraph.

Definition is limited in Theoretical Frame
The main definition of this page draws from the ALA, this places an over emphasis on cognitive definitions of digital literacy and does not encompass the multimodal composition involved.

The definition should be expanded to also include more global perspectives beyond American Library Association Jgmac1106 (talk) 12:47, 17 April 2023 (UTC)


 * Sensitivesushi666 let me know what you think about expanding the definition in the lede.
 * Further as written it is a direct quote from the ALA standards and is not cited as such in the definition.
 * Don't want to make the change myself without discussing. Jgmac1106 (talk) 13:10, 17 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Oops I meant bennygecko as student editor. Rather get your opinions on what you think we need to do to improve article. Jgmac1106 (talk) 18:40, 17 April 2023 (UTC)

Second paragraph in Lede
"While digital literacy initially focused on digital skills and stand-alone computers, the advent of the internet and the use of social media has resulted in a shift in some of its focus to mobile devices. Similar to other evolving definitions of literacy that recognize the cultural and historical ways of making meaning, digital literacy does not replace traditional methods of interpreting information, but rather extends the foundational skills of these traditional literacies. Digital literacy should be considered a part of the path towards acquiring knowledge."

these ideas seem unrelated, further given the construct of digital literacy was prevelant starting in 1997 I don't think we need to make a desktop to mobile distinction.

It is unclear if people are trying to draw from the use of the computer in metaphors for information processing theory and mobile devices for multicultural theory.

If no objection I want to reformat the paragraph so the topic sentence is relevant to the details Jgmac1106 (talk) 18:17, 17 April 2023 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: English 102 - Freshmen Composition Semester Two
— Assignment last updated by Teacher2023 (talk) 00:23, 15 October 2023 (UTC)