Digital literacy

S3920119, Ozer Gurpinar.

As we have entered an era of a digital age, a time where majority of first world
country individuals will carry a smart phone in their pocket, to bringing their laptops
to school or work. Digital technology is around us everywhere we go, it has become
part of our lives, being digital literate has definitely been something that will help
benefit students and everyone else in society. There are numerous definitions you
can label what digital literacy is; you can say its literacy for the digital age, Paul
glister suggest that Digital literacy is able to understand information and more
important ---to evaluate and integrate information in multiple forms that the
computer can deliver (Carolyn,P 2002). The real statement to consider is what does
this mean for teachers and students in terms of education and the pathways in
which our curriculum is taking to help students become literate in digital means
because if students are not equipped with the skills in terms of digital use, are they
actually literate in the 21st century. Vygotsky suggests that Literacy develops in
interaction with the environment (Eyal, L 2012), as our environment is part of digital
use, it can be argued that students must be equipped and be sufficient enough to
be called digitally literate. It has also been suggest that digital literacy is defined
as the ability to function in the modern world of interconnected computer networks
by accessing information, understanding it and synthesizing it, and then
communicating that information to others across the network (Zimmer, S 2015).
The role of education is to create an environment that will help enhance the skills
for students to become mature with digital literacy and to progress and grow
throughout their lifespan.
Throughout the last decade we had computers, to now having portal devices such
as mobile phones, tablets and laptops. At a young age, children are being exposed
to these devices it has been suggested that Together with these new and powerful
cultural tools we all create and shape the learning environments in which our
children grow up (Kucirkova, 2013). Children are now being able to learn by the
use of digital means, whether its doing maths equations on their tablet to
educational games. The objectives in which children are trying to achieve in terms
of being literate have changed due to the environment and cultural understanding
of society. In previous decades people are learnt to be able to read and write, which
is still here today but also knowing the skills to use technology, Kathleen Tyner has
given it the term tool literacies and also literacies of representations, which
relate to the knowledge of how to take advantage of the possibilities that different
forms of representation give the users in ICT (Rosie F, David M, Natalia K, 2014). It
has also been stated that While demand for routine production workers has
decreased, the need for service and knowledge workers has grown (J. Voogt, O.
Erstad, C. Ded, P. Mishra,2013) indicating the importance in which what was
mentioned, the way were doing things now is different now than thirty to forty
years ago and in the next 20 years it will change again as technology and the

literacy behind our culture and environment will change the way in which people are
learning, will help develop us to be ready in that current time so there is a great
importance for students to be digital literate. What does it mean for students when
referring to be digitally literate for a teacher?
Teachers play an important role in helping students developing the skills that is
required for them to familiarise themselves with using technology to change the
way theyre processing ideas and theories. It is important to know how to use a
computer or how to send emails to peers, that is something all students will
naturally learn throughout their lifespan due to the environment were in. The
important factor to realise is the critical thinking in which students make as part of
this digital literacy. Students need to develop skills such as learning some HTML to
finding information that is sourced such as peer reviewed articles. Giving students
knowledge that not everything written on the internet will be true and those
statements need to be backed up by references and sources. Digital citizenship is
an important factor all students should be learning, being safe online and to use the
online world appropriately, knowing the dangers of putting in personal information
to buying and selling online. These are just some aspects in which teachers can be
focusing on to get students to develop their ICT skills and knowledge for the outside
world in the classroom by doing local situations and ideas to help develop the
thinking process in which students need to be safe and have no worries when using
the internet. As students tend to use technology for gaming whether it was on the
tablet or on the PC, it is important for them to understand the factors and dangers
of playing games and what they do, as adds tend to pop up or promoting to
download other things and games, it is important that not only the students know
this but what strategies that can use to help develop the skills to avoid any mishaps
while playing these games and to be mindful to who theyre talking to online, cyber
safety.
Digital literacy is not just knowing how to use a computer and knowing its features
back to front, which is still important to know. It is for students and for people in
society to know what the online world has to offer and what dangers and
implications are out there and what strategies you can develop in order to be safe,
especially for young children. Teachers play a vital role in giving the knowledge and
understand for them to be safe. Digital literacy is also being able to function
accordingly to the world, being able to understand why something is as it is and
beginning to develop ideas and theories in which later on is able to process
information and apply them either online or in real world situations. Being digital
literate is something more than being able to search something on Google and it is
something we need to work on in the future to get all students to be ready for the
digital world.

Tool literate
Is able to
physically
use devices
and the pc to
their desire.
Is able
identify
hardware
and software
they use.
Interconnect
ed

Not evident

is working
towards
identifying
hardwares.
Is working
towards
naming
software
programs.

Is able to
identify some
hardware
associated. Is
able to
identify 2
software
programs.

Is able to
identify most
hardware
associated. Is
able to
identify 3
software
programs.

Is able to
identify all
hardware
associated. Is
able to identify
4 software
programs.

Not evident

Is able to
connect with
students via
email and
instant
messenger
however
lacks clarity
in using
other
programs
and devices.
Is working
towards
knowing real
to fake
emails and
setting up a
video call
with peers.
Is working
towards
trying to

Is able to
connect with
other
students by
using emails
and other
communicati
on devices. Is
learning to
know the
difference
from real and
fake emails
and is
working
towards to
set up a
video call
with peers.

Is able to
connect with
other
students by
using emails
and other
communicati
on devices. Is
able to know
the
difference
from real and
fake emails
and can set
up a video
call with
peers.

Is able to
connect with
other students
by using
emails and
other
communicatio
n
devices/progra
ms. Is able to
know the
difference
from real and
fake emails
and can set up
a video call
with peers.

Is able to
gather
information

The student
is able to
access

The student is
able to access
information

Is able to use
programs
and functions
and know the
risks of
emails
especially in
the
classroom
and the
networking
around it.

Researching
and
identifying.

Not evident

gather
information
and trying to
understand
it. Is not able
to share it
with the
classroom.

however is
working
towards
being able to
synthesize it
and sharing
it with the
classroom.

Not evident

The student
is disruptive
and does not
follow rules
and
expectations.
Is always
bothering
other
students and
does not
complete
their work or
send it via an
email link.

Not evident

Working
towards
using the
computers in
an
appropriate
manner and
is not aware
of any
dangers
while being
online. Is
working
towards
being right
and
responsible

The student
is sometimes
causing
problems to
other
students
online and
offline. They
do most
tasks set out
from the
teacher are
able to
complete
their work
with and
submit it via
an email link.
Uses the
computers in
an
appropriate
manner and
is not aware
of the
dangers
while being
online. Is
working
towards
being right
and
responsible
while being
online.

Is able to find
specific
things online
and are able
to
understand it
and being
able to share
it with peers.

Class
Etiquette
Students are
respectful to
the teacher
and other
peers. Do
what is set
out and is
not
misbehaving.

Digital
Citizen
Is respectful
when using
the devices
and pcs in
class. They
know the
risks
associated
when online
and know
strategies to
keep safe.

information
and
understands
what they
found.
Theyre able
to synthesize
it and are
working
towards
sharing it
with the
classroom.
The student
is never
causing
problems to
other
students
online and
offline. They
do all tasks
set out from
the teacher
are able to
complete
their work
and submit it
via an email
link.

and begins to
collate and
understand it
and synthesize
it and is able
to share what
they found it
with other
students in the
classroom.

Uses the
computers in
an
appropriate
manner and
is aware of
most
dangers
while being
online.
Knows the
rights and
responsibiliti
es while
being online.

Uses the
computers in
class in an
appropriate
manner and is
aware of all
dangers
associated
while being
online. Knows
the rights and
responsibilities
while being
online.

The student is
never causing
problems to
other students
online and
offline. They
do all tasks set
out from the
teacher are
able to
complete their
work with
clarity and
submit it via
an email link.

while being
online.

References

Carolyn P, 2002, A new digital, a convocation with paul glister Educational

leadership, vol 1, no.1 pp 6-10.
Eyal, L. ,2012, Digital Assessment Literacythe Core Role of the Teacher in a Digital
Environment. Educational Technology & Society, vo.15 no.2, 3749.
Zimmer S, 2015, assessing digital literacy, research starters education, viewed 28th of May, 2016 http://0eds.a.ebscohost.com.library.vu.edu.au/eds/detail/detail?sid=f6c67e59-69bf-4587-a994-c4a20d4b9f7e
%40sessionmgr4005&vid=1&hid=4211&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=108690525&db=ers

Rosie F, David M, Natalia K, 2014, New directions for early literacy in a digital age:
The iPad, Journal of Early Childhood Literacy 2015, Vol. 15, no.3, pp. 289310.
J. Voogt O. Erstad, C. Ded, P. Mishra,2013, Challenges to learning and schooling in
the digital networked world of the 21st century, Journal of Computer Assisted
Learning , vol.29, no.1, pp. 403413