What
is Digital Literacy?
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According to Webser's New World Dictionary
- Digital is defined as
- designating or of a recording technique
in which sounds or images are converted into groups of electronic bits and
stored on a magnetic medium: the groups of bits are read electronically, as
by a laser beam, for reproduction
and
- Literacy is defined as
the state or quality of being literate,
a) the ability to read and write, b) knowledgeability or capability
therefore,
- Digital Literacy can be defined
as
the knowledgeability or capability
of using or performing techniques in which sounds or images are converted
into groups of electronic bits and stored on a magnetic medium
So, is it possible for a
person to be digitally literate? When speaking about digital literacy
it is important to remember that becoming digitally literate is not
an all or nothing proposition. There are different levels of literacy
and some are more easily accomplished than others are.
Ronda Rowe of the University of Texas refers
to five levels of digital literacy. This breakdown makes it easier to understand
the process of becoming digitally literate. The 5 levels are as follows:
Levels of Digital
Literacy
Basic
operational mastery of a personal
computer
- -- on-going maintenance of computer
hardware and software
- ability to install new software locally
- ability to keep local computer current
with technology
- -- understand the concept of an operating
system and what it does
- -- awareness of file management system
on the local drives
- -- use of different applications for
different tasks
- -- reasonable comfort level with electronic
data management
Beginning
use of remote access
- --basic understanding of communication
protocols
- distinguishing different services and
applications
- understanding the use of these different
services
- -- regular access and use of the Internet
- use of email to communicate with colleagues
Intermediate
personal computer skills
- -- ability to manipulate and use graphical
user interface
- transfer files between applications
using OS
- organize and maintain effective file
management system locally
- -- ability to use information on a variety
of formats
- --understands concept of file types
and extensions
- -- responds to and evolves with technology
- -- focus is on content rather than on
format
Information
creation and analysis
- -- ability to share information remotely
- basic HTML skills
- basic UNIX
- -- critical evaluation skills
- distinguish between levels and kinds
of information
- ability to evaluate
Advanced
information creation and analysis
- -- facility with advanced means of information
distribution programming skills (CGI scripting, JavaScripting)
- -- sophisticated information structuring
database construction