Running Head: What is Digital Literacy?

: Its Real Meaning and Implications

What is Digital Literacy?: Its Real Meaning and Implications

Developing an Effective Online Teaching Strategy
By Prof. Jonathan Acua Solano
Saturday, July 10, 2015
Twitter: @jonacuso
Post 184

What is digital literacy? Unanimously, this kind of literacy is defined as the ability
to use digital technology, communication tools or networks to locate, evaluate, use and
create information (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008). In the very same
line of thought, the University of New South Wales (n.d.) delineates digital literacy as
the technical and critical analysis abilities required to find, evaluate, create and
disseminate information using different digital technologies. And Visser (2012) encircles
digital literacy as the ability to use information and communication technologies to find,
evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical
skills. In conclusion, digital literacy, -based on what the experts believe-, implies digital

technology, communication tools, the finding, evaluation, creation, usage, and

dissemination of information, along with cognitive and technical skills.
At first glance, this looks like a good definition of what digital literacy is, but what
about this, The ability to understand and use information in multiple formats from a wide
range of sources when it is presented via computers? (University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, 2008). Isnt this a very important angle to consider when talking about digital
literacy? And what if we included the individuals ability to work on a digital environment?
Written by Prof. Jonathan Acua

What is Digital Literacy?: Its Real Meaning and Implications

Digital literacy also implies a persons ability to perform tasks effectively in a digital
environment... Literacy includes the ability to read and interpret media, to reproduce data
and images through digital manipulation, and to evaluate and apply new knowledge
gained from digital environments (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008).
Now this sound like a more round-up definition for digital literacy that is inclusive of the
individual who is ready to learn from digital ambiences.
But what is being lost from perspective in any of the definitions cited above is what
all this means for a digitally literate individual. Is this the same for an instructor as well
for a learner? Visser (2012) goes beyond this now elaborated definition and outlines what
a digitally literate person is by stating that this very individual:
1. Possesses the variety of skills technical and cognitive required to find,
understand, evaluate, create, and communicate digital information in a wide
variety of formats;
2. Is able to use diverse technologies appropriately and effectively to retrieve
information, interpret results, and judge the quality of that information;
3. Understands the relationship between technology, life-long learning, personal
privacy, and stewardship of information;
4. Uses these skills and the appropriate technology to communicate and
collaborate with peers, colleagues, family, and on occasion, the general public;
and
5. Uses these skills to actively participate in civic society and contribute to a
vibrant, informed, and engaged community.
(Visser, 2012)
How does all this relate to teachers and students as digitally literate individuals?
Well, digitally literate instructors and learners need to somehow embody what Visser
(2012) states, but how? Here you have my proposal:

Written by Prof. Jonathan Acua

What is Digital Literacy?: Its Real Meaning and Implications

The digitally literate instructor

1. Possesses the variety of skills technical

The digitally literate learner

1. Possesses the variety of skills technical

and cognitive required to find,

and cognitive required to find,

understand, evaluate, create, and

understand, evaluate, create, and

communicate digital information in a wide

communicate digital information in a wide

variety of formats to facilitate student

variety of formats to peers, community of

learning;

learning, and instructors;

2. Is able to use diverse technologies

2. Is able to use diverse technologies

appropriately and effectively to retrieve

appropriately and effectively to retrieve

information, interpret results, and judge

information, interpret results, and judge

the quality of that information to foster

the quality of that information to

deep learning among learners;

accomplish learning objectives and

3. Understands the relationship between

technology, life-long learning, personal

goals;
3. Understands the relationship between

privacy, and stewardship of information

technology, life-long learning, personal

to provide flex time for learners to study,

privacy, and stewardship of information

research, and process information at their

to make good use of their flex time to

own pace;

study, do research, and process data at

4. Uses these skills and the appropriate

technology to communicate and

their own pace;

4. Uses these skills and the appropriate

collaborate with pupils, colleagues,

technology to communicate and

members of their community of practice,

collaborate with classmates, other

and the general public by means of blogs,

students, member of their community of

forum posts, etc.; and

learning, and on occasion general public;

5. Uses these skills to actively participate in

civic society and contribute to a vibrant,

and
5. Uses these skills to actively participate in

informed, and engaged community of

civic society and contribute to a vibrant,

practice and learning.

informed, and engaged community of

learning.

Adapted from (Visser, 2012) by Prof. Jonathan Acua

Written by Prof. Jonathan Acua

What is Digital Literacy?: Its Real Meaning and Implications

To sum up, digital literacy is not just digital technology, communication tools, the

finding, evaluation, creation, usage, and dissemination of information, along with

cognitive and technical skills. It is much more when learners and instructors are involved.
Each of one of them has very specific roles and abilities to develop to make good use of
virtual learning environments to teach or to acquire skills and work-related competencies.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (2008, October 15). What is Digital Literacy?

Retrieved from University Library:
http://www.library.illinois.edu/diglit/definition.html
University of New South Wales. (n.d.). Learning to Teach Online MOOC. Retrieved from
Coursera.Org: https://class.coursera.org/ltto-002
Visser, M. (2012, September 14). What is Digital Literacy? Retrieved from ALA Connect:
http://connect.ala.org/files/94226/what%20is%20digilit%20%282%29.pdf

Written by Prof. Jonathan Acua