Digital Literacy
From debates around regulating addictive smartphone use for young people, to the accelerating power of AI, to the ever-increasing digitization of daily life, it's clear we live in a fundamentally digital world. As such, it is more important than ever for young people to develop not only traditional literacy, but also digital literacy.
What does it mean to be digitally literate? This isn’t just about adroitness with digital formats, but also encompasses a sense of discernment and insight. Today’s young people need to know how to discriminate between real and fake news, avoid increasingly elaborate digital scams, navigate relationships in the digital sphere, and use digital tools as part of learning. This blog explores digital literacy and gives practical tips for how young people can build this skill and leverage it for US university applications.
Digital literacy basics
An article from University World News, linked
here
, defines digital literacy as ‘finding, creating, selecting, and distributing content using emerging digital technologies,’ as well as the ability to identify credible sources, effectively research online, and use online tools for collaboration. As more and more of life is becoming digitised—including commerce, banking, and professional and personal communication—people need to be able to engage with diverse forms of digital content using various technologies, in all spheres of life.
A great way that secondary school students can build their digital literacy is by learning to critically evaluate online information. Young people spend hours a day online, interacting with news and social media content. Although readers of print media still needed to look out for bias and the mixing of opinion and fact, the advent of digital media means that we are exposed to even more—and more readily and instantly available—media. Therefore, consumers need to be especially discerning.
To evaluate what they read, students can ask themselves the below:
· Is this content biased?
· Is this content fact or opinion?
To answer these questions, they should not only rely on their own judgement, but also cross-reference information from various sources (including online and offline news outlets, periodicals, books, and discussions and resources encountered at school) to get an overview of the landscape of views on a certain topic. This is particularly important when encountering ‘fake news’ and ‘filter bubbles’ (the tendency for online algorithms to provide new content similar to what individuals have previously browsed, which can isolate them from diverse perspectives). Not only will doing the above help young people build their digital literacy: research skills like these, involving consulting a range of sources and assessing their reliability, will be crucial at university level.
Another way to build digital literacy that will also be helpful at university is to cultivate responsible digital citizenship. US universities often review applicants’ social media presence, and international students may have their social media reviewed as a condition of obtaining their student visas. Therefore, it is important to curate a positive, professional online presence, and be mindful of privacy settings. Online content is permanent, and a video posted after a party as a joke amongst friends has the potential to negatively impact future opportunities. Young people also need to be aware of the seriousness of things like cyberbullying, and always use online tools in a respectful way, viewing the digital environment as just as important as offline environments like the classroom.
Avoiding negative digital behaviour is important, but responsible use of digital platforms is a helpful skill as well. LinkedIn is great for professional networking, and can be useful when looking for internships and work experience. Politely reaching out to people whose work they admire can be a great way for students to understand how to prepare for their own careers.
Digital skill-building
Building a strong, specific digital skill set is also a great idea for secondary school students. Below are some great ways to do this:
· Leverage school IT courses, library resources and opportunities to create digital projects. Understanding how to utilise cloud-based platforms, keep tidy files, and use common formats like PDFs and spreadsheets can help students with coursework and set them up with key workplace skills.
· Try free online courses and MOOCs (found on platforms like
Coursera
,
edX
,
FutureLearn
, and
Khan Academy
) to build digital skills.
· Take part in extracurriculars with a digital component, like school media teams, coding clubs, or robotics.
· Even part-time work or volunteering can foster digital literacy: using digital tills, managing online orders, or using digital communication like email or business WhatsApp all build digital skills.
As secondary school students prepare for their careers, it’s important for them to think about not only what course they want to study at university, but also about how to build the skills that employers will value several years down the line.
As secondary school students prepare for their careers, it’s important for them to think about not only what course they want to study at university, but also about how to build the skills that employers will value several years down the line.
As secondary school students prepare for their careers, it’s important for them to think about not only what course they want to study at university, but also about how to build the skills that employers will value several years down the line.
For more information on developing soft skills, choosing extracurriculars, and considering employability when making a college list, reach out to UES! You can book in a free call with an expert counsellor through this link:
www.ueseducation.com/free-call
.