Literacy literally means the ability to read and write. But a new concept of Digital Literacy has emerged in the 21st century. The term has wider scope than traditional term literacy. It is defined as the ability to use information technology to perform various tasks like creating documents, images, videos, slides and searching useful information online and reproducing it in a different way. Eshet (2004) defines digital literacy as “Digital literacy involves more than the mere ability to use software or operate a digital device; it includes a large variety of complex cognitive, motor, sociological, and emotional skills, which users need in order to function effectively in digital environments. The tasks required in this context include, for example, "reading" instructions from graphical displays in user interfaces; utilizing digital reproduction to create new, meaningful materials from existing ones; constructing knowledge from a nonlinear, hyper textual navigation; evaluating the quality and validity of information; and have a mature and realistic understanding of the "rules" that prevail in the cyberspace.” The variety of terms now used to describe e-literacy or digital literacy are a reflection of the importance of understanding the competencies needed in the digital environment and the need for digital flexibility. This newly emerging concept of "digital literacy" may be utilized as a measure of the quality of learners’ work in digital environments, and provide scholars and developers with a more effective means of communication in designing better user-oriented environments. The present paper proposes a holistic, refined conceptual framework for digital literacy, which includes photo-visual literacy; reproduction literacy; branching literacy; information literacy; and socio-emotional literacy.
A citizen knows his right and duties and always follows the law of the nation but digital citizenship is wider term in which a person is a responsible global citizen who follows the ethics, rules and laws of information technology framed by his nation as well as laws framed all over the world by the global I.T. organizations. Ribble (2013) states Digital Citizenship is a concept which helps teachers, technology leaders and parents to understand what users should know to use technology appropriately. Digital Citizenship is more than just a teaching tool; it is a way to prepare users for a society full of technology. Digital citizenship is the norms of appropriate, responsible technology use.
The modern learners are digital natives and well familiar with the modern means of technology. Their expectations are quite high from their facilitators. They know how to operate the digital tools and seek guidance from their facilitators to use them in a constructive way. As a facilitator although I am quite familiar with the digital tools yet I continue my learning through exploring information for the use of these tools so that I can help my learners to become responsible digital citizens.
References:
Eshet, Y. (2004). Digital Literacy: A Conceptual Framework for Survival Skills in the Digital era. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 13(1), 93-106. Norfolk, VA: AACE. Retrieved August 4, 2013 from http://www.editlib.org/p/4793
Ribble, M. (2013). Digital Citizenship: Using technology appropriately. Retrieved August 4, 2013from http://digitalcitizenship.net/
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