Digital literacy matters
Digital Literacy is a priority for education across the world and a key component of the national curricula in all four UK nations.
Evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on Digital Skills from employers indicates that they are struggling to find these skills in their recruitment.
At the same time:
- around 11 million people in the UK lack the digital skills needed for everyday life
- 36% of the workforce lack Essential Digital Skills for Work
- only 74% of those who earn up to £13,500 per year have Essential Digital Skills for Life, compared to 95% of those who earn over £75,000.
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What we mean by digital literacy
BCS proposes the following working ‘definition’ of digital literacy which goes beyond the specific skills to use common applications set out in the UK Government’s essential digital skills framework
Digital literacy encompasses the knowledge, skills and attitudes that underpin the ability to make confident, creative, and effective use of technologies and systems, and make well-informed critical judgements about the implications and impact of how digital technology is used.
Our definition incorporates a wider understanding and skills that everyone will need to participate fully in the digital world.
Digital literacy: not just tech skills
Our view of digital literacy includes the skills needed to get digital technology to do what you want it to do ‘confidently and effectively’, both as a ‘creator’ and a ‘user’ of digital tools and content. However, it goes significantly beyond this, and also includes:
The underpinning knowledge and understanding of the essentials of computer science and how digital technology works;
Data, information and media literacy, and the impact of artificial intelligence on everyday life;
The critical thinking skills needed to analyse and evaluate one’s own and other’s uses of digital technology and their impact from a variety of perspectives
The knowledge skills and understanding needed to work individually and collaboratively with digital technology
The ability to manage one’s online life, relationships, identity, and reputation, and be respectful of others
Who needs to be digitally literate?
Workers
People involved in a wide range of roles and industries not limited to ‘technical occupations’ as all areas of employment will require core digital competencies.
Learners
Learners who use a wide variety of digital tools to access and process information critically and use these tools to communicate their ideas in a variety of media.
Leaders
Leaders who make and implement decisions based on a critical understanding of what digital technology can do and what needs to be put in place to make that happen.
Citizens
Citizens who are active and informed participants in social and political processes and are use digital tools to engage with others in a discursive democracy.
Individuals
Individuals who reflect on their own use of digital technologies and are capable of engaging safety and ethically in a range of digital environments.
Parents/carers
Parents/carers who need to understand their role in helping young people develop as safe, secure and critical users of technology.
What competencies will everyone need
Education in digital literacy should ensure that, all learners are taught the essential knowledge, skills and understanding needed as, digital:
With the functional digital skills required to be empowered users of everyday systems and devices, to solve basic technical problems, and to support social and cultural participation.
Able to use digital tools creatively to identify and solve problems to meet a specific purpose for specific audiences and produce digital artifacts for work, leisure and for learning.
Who communicate and collaborate through digital tools and on-line communities, considering the nature of media and its impact on the message, and how digital ‘sharing’ needs to be undertaken with thought and consideration of purpose and consequences.
Who think critically about digital systems and data, including the provenance of information sources, the assumptions that underlie the design of digital artefacts and systems, the reliability and validity of data/information, and how that data it was produced.
Who understand how institutions and social and societal relationships are being shaped by digital technology and the implications (both foreseen and unforeseen) for self and society, including safety, security and legal and ethical issues.
