User:Melissaborrego/sandbox

Overall Citations need to be checked

The use in society subsection also needs work. There is a citation needed in that section. Also, under the "core elements and their educational effects" subsection, the term "networked society" leads to another broken link. We should double check sources and citations.

Digital and media literacy section notes:

The digital and media literacy subsection needs some work. There are a few broken links. The Renee Hobbs hyperlink doesn't lead to a Wikipedia page. The hyperlink to "Digital and Media Literacy: A Plan of Action" also doesn't work. Also, footnote #11 in this section also leads to a 404 not found page. This section should be rewritten with reliable sources.

Researcher and professor at New York University, Danah Boyd, wrote the book It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens (2014). This book can be a valuable resource in rewriting the digital and media literacy section. Chapter 7 includes information about media literacy and its impacts on evaluating messages. The digital and media literacy section should be rewritten entirely since the current sources lead to broken links. The digital citizen subsection should also be moved under the digital and media literacy section, because part of being a digital citizen is being media literate, and having a section of its own makes it look like its a filler for space.

Digital divide section notes:

The digital divide section can be expanded upon by including concepts such as digital inequality, participation gap, and digital native and immigrant, which can be found in Danah Boyd's book, It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens (2014). The current sections on digital natives and immigrants could be moved to the digital divide section. Also, footnotes #31 and #36 lead to broken links.

Introduction
Digital literacy is the marrying of the two terms digital and literacy; however, it is much more than a combination of the two terms. Digital information is a symbolic representation of data, and literacy refers to the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently, and think critically about the written word.

A digitally literate individual will possess a range of digital skills, knowledge of the basic principles of computing devices, and skills in using computer networks. The individual has the ability to engage in online communities and social networks while adhering to behavioral protocols. The individual is able to find, capture, and evaluate information. Digital literacy requires the individual to understand the societal issues raised by digital technologies and possess critical thinking skills. These skills can be possessed through digital experiences that pushes individuals to think in a variety of ways through a multitude of media platforms. The evolution of digital media has quickly integrated into literacy.

However, digital literacy does not replace traditional forms of literacy. Digital literacy builds upon the foundation of traditional forms of literacy. Digital literacy allows individuals to communicate and learn in through a plethora of ways. Different kinds of skills ranging from social to critical thinking enable individuals to interpret the meanings of digital devices.

In addition to critical thinking skills, digital literacy involves ethical norms and standards of behavior in online environments. Every online community has its individual sets of norms and rules in regard to creating and circulating information. Behavioral protocols are required in the digital age where there is no longer a clear distinction between online consumers and producers.

Digital literacy is one of the nine core elements of digital citizenship. A digital citizen has the ability to be active citizens in online environments and possesses the technical literacy skills necessary to effectively engage with the web. The internet is accessible in their homes and individuals use the internet daily.

Digital and media literacy:
Media literacy education began in the United Kingdom and the United States as a result of war propaganda in the 1930s and the rise of advertising in the 1960s, respectively. Manipulative messaging and the increase in various forms of media further concerned educators. Educators began to promote media literacy education in order to teach individuals how to judge and access the media messages they were receiving. The ability to critique digital and media content allows individuals to identify biases and evaluate messages independently.

Danah Boyd stresses the importance of critical media literacy, especially for teens. Danah Boyd advocates that critical media literacy skills are the first step in identifying biases in media content, such as online or print advertising. Technical skills and knowledge of navigating computer systems further helps individuals in evaluating information on their own. Barriers in acquiring technical skills and computer knowledge set forth a limit for individuals in fully participating in the digital world.

In order for individuals to evaluate digital and media messages independently, they must demonstrate digital and media literacy competence. Renee Hobbs, professor of Communication and Media at the University of Rhode Island, developed a list of skills that demonstrate digital and media literacy competence. Digital and media literacy involves knowing how to retrieve, distribute, and understand information found in digital environments, such as the internet. Digital and media literacy includes the ability to examine and comprehend the meaning of messages, judging credibility, and assessing the quality of the digital work. The individual is capable of analyzing digital and media messages by recognizing the author's perspective and overall purpose. A digital and media literate individual has the aptitude to create diverse forms of digital content and possesses technology skills to create digital content. The individual becomes a socially responsible member of their community by spreading awareness and helping others find digital solutions at home, work, or on a national platform.

Definition of the Digital Divide
The digital divide was first widely discussed by journalists, academics, and governmental agencies in the 1990s. The digital divide was used to distinguish between the digital accessibility of wealthy and lower-income groups. Jessamyn C. West, the author of Without a Net: Librarians Bridging the Digital Divide, defines the digital divide as the gap between individuals who can and cannot easily access technology, or the haves and have-nots. The digital divide highlights the privileges individuals have in accessing technology.

Expanding on the definition of the digital divide, Professor at UCLA's School of Education and Information Studies Howard Besser argues that the digital divide means more than technology access between the haves and have-nots. The digital divide encompasses aspects such as information literacy, appropriateness of content, and access to content. Beyond access, a digital divide exists between those who have the ability to apply critical thinking to technology. Language and English fluency creates a barrier in the digital divide as well, as most content online is written in English. The digital divide includes a gap between individuals who have the ability to create digital content or are merely consumers.

Socioeconomic Factors
In 1994 the United States Department of Commerce began investigating the causes of the digital divide. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) conducted the survey, Falling Through the Net. The NTIA discovered that many socioeconomic factors, such as income, geographical location, age, and education were the driving forces of the digital divide. Older, less educated, and lower-income individuals were less likely to own a telephone or computer in their homes.

The NTIA conducted a second survey in 1999 and found that statistics of the digital divide improved. Computer ownership and internet access increased across every demographic group and geographic area. However, the research found that certain groups were advancing faster in regards to internet access. Those who had easy access to technology were growing more information rich than the have-not group. The research revealed that the socioeconomic factors found in the first survey are still present in growing the digital divide, although access to computers and internet use increased.

Digital natives and digital immigrants
Marc Prensky invented and popularized the terms digital natives and digital immigrants. A digital native, according to Marc Prensky, is an individual born into the digital age. A digital immigrant refers to an individual who adopts technology later in life. These terms aid in understanding the issues of teaching digital literacy, however, simply being a digital native does not make one digitally literate.

Digital immigrants, although they adapt to the same technology as natives, possess a sort of accent which restricts them from communicating the way natives do. In fact, research shows that, due to the brain's malleable nature, technology has changed the way today's students read, perceive, and process information. This means that today's educators may struggle to find effective teaching methods for digital natives. Digital immigrants might resist teaching digital literacy because they themselves were not taught that way. Marc Prensky believes this is a problem because today's students speak a new language that educators do not understand.

Statistics and popular representations of the elderly portray them as digital immigrants. For example, Canada in 2010 found that 29% of its citizens 75 years of age and older, and 60% of its citizens between the ages of 65-74 had browsed the internet in the past month. Conversely, internet activity reached almost 100% among its 15 through 24-year-old citizens. Eugene Loos identifies the most common assumptions about digital technologies and the elderly, all of which contribute to portray them as digital immigrants and to perpetuate digital ageism. Senior citizens may be regarded as a homogenous group, however, this group does not want or is not able to make use of digital information sources. Eugene Loos claims this is not a problem because as time passes, these generations will be succeeded by new generations that have no problem at all with digital technologies.

Although Marc Prensky is credited as the originator of digital natives and digital immigrants because he popularized the concepts, Poet and cyberlibertarian John Perry Barlow and media theorist Douglas Rushkoff have also been cited to have coined the terms.

John Perry Barlow used the concepts in his statement entitled A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace, for the 1996 World Economic Forum in Davos. John Perry Barlow's poetry showcases the generational gap that grew with the rise of technology. John Perry Barlow metaphorically suggested that children are natives in the growing digital world and parents are fearful of the growing generational gap in regard to technology. Douglas Rushkoff employed the concepts of digital natives and digital immigrants in his book, Playing the Future. Douglas Rushkoff praises children's progress and growing competence with technology and labels youth as digital natives.

Participation gap
Media theorist Henry Jenkins coined the term participation gap and distinguished the participation gap from the digital divide. According to Henry Jenkins, the participation gap describes the gap in skills that emerge when individuals have different levels of access to technology. Henry Jenkins states that students learn different sets of technology skills if they only have access to the internet in a library or school. Students who have access to the internet at home have more opportunities to develop their skills and have fewer limitations, such as computer time limits and website filters commonly used in libraries.

The effects of the participation gap were studied by Danah Boyd, who observed and conducted fieldwork on teens in the United States. Danah Boyd observed privileged and disadvantaged teens' different experiences with technology. In New York, she observed a teen girl use her Android phone for texting and using mobile applications. The teen girl was able to use technology to participate in social media, but the internet was too slow on her phone to complete homework assignments. Although the teen girl had full access to the internet, the slow internet and mobile device itself limited her experience in further improving her competence with technology. The teen girl's limited access to technology highlights the participatory gap in skills that individuals experience when they have limited access to the internet and various modes of technology.

Digital citizenship
Digital citizenship means individuals have the ability to be active citizens in online environments. Digital citizens possess the technical literacy skills necessary to effectively engage with the web and are routine users of the internet. The internet is accessible in their homes and individuals use the internet daily.

Political participation and civic engagement are core components of digital citizenship. Political information and news accessed online furthers political knowledge and promotes civic engagement. Karen Mossberger, Ramona McNeal, and Caroline Tolbert, authors of Digital Citizenship: The Internet, Society, and Participation studied that online consumption of political information is associated with more political knowledge, discussions, and awareness.