Digital literacy has become essential for learning and life. Besides cutting across various disciplines it must now be considered as being a discipline of its own such as music, art, science and literature. Digital literacy education seeks to equip learners with the competencies (knowledge, skills and attitudes) in the use of digital technology needed to access learning opportunities, to pursue their chosen careers and leisure interests and to contribute to society as active citizens. It also aims to provide them with knowledge of the principles underpinning these technologies and a critical understanding of the implications of digital technology for individuals and societies.
Digitally literate learners learn to become independent, confident and discerning users of technology. Subsequently they acquire and develop critical and analytical attitudes to appropriately choose the right digital tools according to specific needs.
Digital literacy includes five categories of digital competencies, namely: Information Management, Communication and Collaboration, Digital Media, Using Digital Tools for Learning, Management of the Internet.
The competence in information management enables learners with the means to access, evaluate and analyse and hence make an informed choice from a range of available data and information sources. Competencies relating to Communication and Collaboration empower learners to learn to communicate, collaborate and network with others. Competencies in Digital Media enable learners to analyse messages mediated by digital media and to express themselves creatively across a range of digital media.
Digital literacy also involves competence in using digital tools in various media and in different modes of learning (autonomous, collaborative, exploratory, designing). Digitally literate learners will learn to be responsible and competent in managing the internet, keeping themselves safe and secure online, making informed choices over privacy, taking responsibility for their actions, respecting intellectual property, abiding by the terms and conditions of systems they use and respecting the rights and feelings of others. In teaching digital literacy, teachers should look for authentic, meaningful and socially inclusive learning opportunities which allow learners to apply and develop their skills, knowledge and understanding across the curriculum. Digitally literate learners should be able to undertake challenging creative projects, both individually and collaboratively comprising aspects from different competence categories.
Theme Learning Outcomes:
Information Management :
- I am able to identify and articulate my information needs.
- I can find, select, use and combine information from a range of sources.
- I can safely and critically navigate between online sources and select information effectively
- I can navigate between online sources and select information effectively.
- I can create personal information strategies.
Communication:
- I can communicate through a variety of digital devices and applications.
- I can adapt my communication modes and strategies according to the people I am communicating with.
- I can use different digital tools to share knowledge, content and resources.
- I can help others to share knowledge, content and resources.
- I know how to quote other people’s work and to integrate new information into an existing body of knowledge.
- I can engage with on-line learning communities effectively.
- I can use digital technologies to participate in online citizenship.
Collaboration:
- I can use technologies and media to work in teams and collaborate in learning.
- I can collaborate with others and co-construct and co-create resources, knowledge and learning.
- I can function well in digitally mediated Communities of Practice
Use of Digital Media:
- I can review, revise and evaluate information presented in a range of digital media.
- I understand both how and why messages in digital media are constructed and for what purposes.
- I can examine how individuals interpret messages in digital media differently.
- I understand how values and points of view are included or excluded and how digital media can influence beliefs and behaviours.
- I understand the ethical / legal issues surrounding the access and use of digital media, including copyright, ownership, licensing and use of proprietary content or software.
- I can work creatively across a range of digital media and multiple systems to present information effectively to a given audience.
- I can edit and improve content that I had already created or that others have created, respecting and acknowledging the rights of the original author.
- I can express myself through digital media and technologies.
Managing Learning:
- I can use various tools to manage my own learning.
- I can use various tools and approaches to collaborate with others in learning.
- I can use various tools to explore ideas, theories, relationships and procedures.
- I can use various tools to learn by designing digital objects.
- I can use various tools and approaches to reflect on learning.
- I can use various tools and approaches to evaluate what I have learnt.
- I can build and assess e-portfolios.
- I can work on multiple eLearning management systems and platforms.
Managing Internet use:
- I understand how the internet and the world wide web work and can use them for communication and collaboration.
- I am aware of and abide by the principles of netiquette.
- I know what constitutes plagiarism.
- I can protect my devices from online risks and threats.
- I can protect myself and others from possible online dangers (e.g. cyber bullying) by following appropriate privacy and confidentiality procedures.
- I am able to consider the social, cultural, religious and ethical implications of digital technology and can confidently communicate, share information, access and distribute content without infringing upon other peoples’ intellectual property.
- I am aware of cultural diversity online.
- I can develop active strategies to discover inappropriate behaviour.
- I can create, adapt and manage one or multiple digital identities.
- I can protect my e-reputation.
- I can manage the data that I produce through several online accounts and applications to avoid health risks related with the use of technology in terms of threats to physical and psychological well-being.
- I recognise Cloud Computing as a converging technology on which I can work and save my material.
Computational Thinking:
- I am able to predict and explain the outcomes of a sequence of instructions.
- I am able to create and modify a sequence of instructions which give a solution to a given task.
- I am able to break down a complex task into small, meaningful parts.
- I am able to combine a sequence of instructions to follow a pattern.
- I am able to find similarity between different things.
- I can recognise and find patterns or trends.
- I am able to generalize and transfer a problem solving process to a wide variety of tasks.
- I am able to ignore detail that is not of interest, simplifying a complex task.
- I am able to represent data through abstractions such as models and simulations.
- I am able to analyse a solution to a task and formulate a more efficient solution.
- I am able to identify and correct errors in a sequence of instructions.o analyse a solution to a task and formulate a more efficient solution.
- I am able to analyse and evaluate a solution to a given task.