IL

• Digital literacy


  Having the skills to effectively use technology, and the knowledge and skills to do so safely and responsibly
• What digital refers to

  • Computers and the internet
  • Technological objects and programs such as cellphones, smart home systems, check-in kiosks at airports and more
• Literacy refers to the ability to use technology—and to use it well
• Examples of using digital literacy in everyday life

  • Communication (cell phones, email, texting, online chat, video/conference calls, social media)
  • Home management (alarm clocks, smart home devices, home security systems)
  • Shopping (online ordering, mobile shopping/delivery apps, real-time shopping updates and tracking)
  • News/education (online news, digital learning programs, online searches, webinars, video streaming, digital portfolios, data analysis, educational games/apps)
  • Healthcare (health/exercise tracking apps, virtual doctor visits, digital medical records, online/by-phone bill pay, online prescription refills)
  • Entertainment (video streaming, digital books/audiobooks, podcasts, photo management, photo/video editing, smart TVs)
  • Finance (banking, portfolio management, virtual payment methods)
  • Professional (job searching, work functions, communication, CRM/CMS, storing and retrieving records, time tracking/management software, task management software, accounting/tax preparation)
• Why digital literacy is important

  • It provides career readiness
  • It is crucial to education and socialization
  • It is becoming more ingrained in day-to-day actions from smart home systems and security, banking, shopping, driving and utilizing vehicle features and more
• Why digital literacy skills are important for students

  • Support educational progress
  • Increase online safety
  • Understand digital responsibility
  • Improve social opportunities
  • Improve digital equity
  • Support lifelong skills
• Digital literacy is essential to almost any person in the digital era
• Digital literacy can lead to an improved quality of life
• Digital literacy can help you find jobs, research options, and communicate with friends and family
• Digital literacy can help you stay healthy, as you can use the web to better understand health and well-being issues
• Digital literacy can help you make informed decisions by figuring out which online sources are accurate and reliable
• Digital literacy skills can protect you from potentially dangerous websites by understanding digital security
• Tips for getting started with digital literacy

  1. Become aware of the skills you need and figure out how to improve them

  2. Break down digital literacy into smaller, more manageable chunks

  3. Find other people who are already good at these skills and willing to help you learn

  4. Make time for learning online (classes, discussion boards, articles)
• Ever-changing advancements in digital technologies are resulting in new and flexible ways of working, studying and engaging with the world
• To become digitally literate, learners need to develop a range of skills including using technology to search for and create content, solve problems and innovate, connect and communicate effectively online, learn, collaborate with peers, and discover and share new information
• Developing Digital Literacy skills is empowering and motivating in the English language classroom, and also relevant as much of the digital content our learners will need to navigate is in English
• Using a computer every day doesn't automatically develop our Digital Literacy skills, learners need explicit instruction and support to develop these skills
• Example of integrating technology into a topic-based English lesson on travel

  1. Use online resources like Google Earth, Google Street View, museum podcasts or Youtube audio tours for listening and writing tasks

  2. Have students write blog posts about their experiences and share/interact with peers online