What is Digital Literacy?
The term “digital literacy” has changed drastically over the years as the digital world evolved. However, the core meaning of the term can be agreed upon, which is the overall ability to effectively and creatively use technology in all its forms to successfully find, evaluate, and communicate data. It’s the use of technology to meet today’s challenges posed by the constantly changing digital society.
Digital literacy once meant that employees should be able to type and use Microsoft word, today digital literacy means much more than that. It has become an integral part of society starting from the way children learn all the way to how employees perform their jobs.
Reading and writing online is not enough to count for digital literacy in this day and age. One must be able to quickly and effectively find information and use it in the right time and place. Use of things like social platforms and smart phones also falls within what digital literacy means today.
Why is Digital Literacy Important?
To establish a presence in the modern world, digital literacy is a must. Not having the necessary information and skills to technology will not allow you access to most of what the world has to offer. For children, specifically, it has become essential for their education, especially after the effects of the COVID-19. Here are some of the reasons why digital literacy is important:
More Learning Opportunities
Online learning or e-learning has become more popular than ever and it’s not just for children or teens. There are now learning opportunities for all age groups in all kinds of fields and specialties. Not only that but you can also teach others and share your knowledge and experience online. All this cannot happen without proper digital literacy and the use of websites, apps, and devices.
Other than e-learning, the internet is the biggest source of information out there, anything you want to know is a click away. It would be a waste for someone not to be able to have access to this because they did not receive the needed digital skills.
Saves Time
Technology has helped move the most mundane tasks and responsibilities that are also time-consuming to the digital world. Banking, shopping, and even healthcare has all been digitized and you don’t have to spend hours running errands to get things done, it’s all on your phone!
Stay Connected
The whole world is like a small village now thanks to technology, and if you do not possess the necessary digital literacy, you won’t be able to take advantage of that fact. You don’t have to travel the world to see it and you don’t have to wait for the newspaper each morning to know what is happening in other countries. All you have to do is be able to go online and use social media platforms. This also helps you stay connected to your loved ones and other acquaintances.
More Job Opportunities
The job market today requires digital literacy as an essential qualification for any position. It can even be considered as important as a university degree! The more proficient you are in the digital world, the more doors you’ll find opening for you in the market. With complete industries emerging simply from technology like digital marketing and software development, there are entire job positions that rely on technology.
You can now see why digital literacy is significant in the modern world and how it affects most aspects of life. That’s why it has become an integral part of children’s education from an early age. We never know where the technology is taking us, so we need to be fully aware and well-informed to prepare for the quick changes that it experiences.…