Lesson Outcomes

1.
Lesson 5: Digital Literacy Skills in the 21st Century

1. Identified and described the elements of digital literacies

2. Conducted a self-evaluation on level of digital literacy skill

Introduction

The 21st Century has redefined digital literacy. It has broadened its perspective to
include other aspects of the 21 st context. These literacies (1) Cyber Literacy or Digital
Literacy, (2) Media Literacy, (3) Arts and Creativity Literacy, (4) Financial Literacy, (6)
Multicultural Literacy or Global Understanding.
This lesson will focus on digital skills and digital literacy as a response to the 21 st
Century developments.
The millennial students are generally tech-savvy, digital natives. They practically
know how to go about a tablet, an ipad, smartphones or laptops better than anyone
else. This suggests their digital skills.

However, are all students digital literates?

Thinking on how to use the digital tools, accessing information, and exhibiting
ways of working in a globally competitive context, together with skills in living in the
21st Century refer to the digital literacies.

Let’s Get Started

Do you feel confident when you search for information in the internet? Do you
easily locate relevant resources? Do you think you are capable of optimizing the use of
the online tools such as Facebook or google when studying or doing school work? How
do you manage your digital identity?
The skills you need to be able to perform well in the situations are known as
`digital literacy.' In the 21" century, you need to be equipped with these skills to be
abreast with the demands in the workplace.
Take the Digital Literacy Skills Self-Inventory and find out how confident you
are when working online by putting a tick mark [ / ] in the corresponding column.

Digital Literacy Skills – Finding, Using,

Not Somewhat Very
Creating Information and Understanding
Confident Confident Confident
Digital Practices
Selecting the right tool when you need to
locate, use or present information
Presenting your digital identity online
Identifying and communicating with an expert
online
Using online tools and sites to search or share
information online
 Recognizing owner of ideas and information
found online through citations
Distinguishing the search engines to get
information
Knowing the information that can be searched
in the web
Using the right key words to search for related
online materials
Using social networking sites as a source of
information
Scanning or skimming a page of a site or a blog
among others to get the relevant information
quickly
Signing up in pertinent sites having experts and
authorities in the discipline to be updated with
information they can provide
Using materials in a variety of online media (i.e.
videos, podcast, sites, among others)
Assessing the credibility of an online resource
Citing correct reference to other person’s work
found online
Using bookmarking to organize and legally
share files
Posting comments to online forum, blogs or
Vblogs, or web pages while observing
netiquette
Writing and posting online views or ideas suited
to the target readership or audiences
Collaborating with others online in creating and
sharing documents or presentations
Using multimedia to capture the information or
message (i.e. recording and editing a digital
story, video or a podcast)
Communicating with others through online
modality (e.g. skype, forums, blogs, social
networking sites, etc.)

What have you realized after taking the Digital Literacy Skills Self-Inventory?
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 Let’s Read

What are digital literacies?

Digital literacies are the individual’s capabilities to be able to effectively and
responsibly function and perform in a digital society. The term “digital literacy” was
coined by Paul Gildster in 1997 and it came from the discussion of the concepts on (a)
visual literacy when images and non-verbal symbols try to capture the knowledge; (b)
technological literacy, requiring one to be able to use technology in addressing a need;
(c) computer literacy, which in the 1980s started to become a household item
manipulated to achieve one’s target; (d) information literacy which refers to the finding,
evaluating, using and sharing of information.
In the teaching and learning context, digital literacy is an important competence.
In school, it has become a buzzword which refers to the ability to access, process,
understand, utilize, create media content using information technologies and the
internet (Hsieh, 2012). Study the varied digital literacies discussed below

The Digital Literacies

Media Literacy – is one’s ability to critically read information or content and
utilize multimedia in creatively producing communications.
Information Literacy – is locating information from web and interpreting while
evaluating its validity in order that it can be shared.
ICT Literacy – is knowing how to select and use digital devices, applications or
services to accomplish tasks requiring the use of the internet.
Communications and Collaboration – are one’s capabilities in being able to
participate in the digital networks in the teaching and learning context.
Identity Management – is being able to understand how to ensure safety and
security in managing online identity and foster a positive digital reputation.
Learning Skills – are ways of knowing how to study and learn in a technology-
enriched environment; this is knowing how to utilize technology in addressing the need
to learn efficiently.
Digital Scholarship – is being able to link and participate in professional and
research practices.
One important component of digital literacy is having an in-depth understanding
of concepts requiring essential core skills. These core skills are known as the Cs of the
21st Century Skills.
The Four Cs of the 21st Century Skills
The four C’s of the 21st Century Skills refer to critical thinking, creativity,
communication, and collaboration. To perform well in this century, you need to
develop and enhance these skills namely creativity, critical thinking, communication and
collaboration. All of these 21 st century skills are essentials for students to do well in
school and succeed in the workplace.
1. Critical thinking is learning how to solve problems. It teaches students not to
accept immediately claims without seeking the truth. It is the ability to
differentiate facts from opinions and not only just learn a set of facts or figures
but also discover these for the sake of knowing what ought to be.
2. Creativity requires students to think out of the box and to take pride in what is
uniquely theirs. It means that they will be able to look at a problem from multiple
perspectives-including can propose multiple possibilities and alternatives to
 address a problem and they need to take calculated risks. Creativity encourages
student to think beyond
the expectations of conventions. However,
creativity may not ensure success all the time
but it may lead to another direction that can
actually be a better way of figuring out how to
solve the problem those that others may not see.
3. Communication makes students express
'their ideas in the clearest and .organized
manner. Through varied modes - face-to-face,
technologically mediated or a blended medium,
they need to know how to efficiently and clearly
convey ideas.
4. Collaboration happens when students know
how to work well with others to accomplish
a given task or solve a problem at hand. This
is a 21st essential. When students are made
to work with others in a pair or in a team, they
are given the chance to practice how to relate
with others. They may be working with class
mates they do not really prefer to work with but
with guidance, you can teach them to tap on
the capabilities of each member of the team
and collaboratively achieve the goal. Eventually
when they leave school, they will definitely see
the need to know how to collaborate with
others in order for them to accomplish a job,
and you have prepared them for it. In other
words, collaboration teaches students that
groups can create something bigger and
better than you can on your own.
In addition to the ' 4C's, there are
Citizenship and Character.
Citizenship is known as netizenship in
the virtual world. This is making the person
consider how one behaves accordingly by
observing the norms and rules that are in
accordance with what are sociably and virtually acceptable. As a result, one
is projecting a reputable digital identity which is his or her character.

Digital Literacy Skills vs. Digital Literacy

Digital Literacy Skills are required in the wired world. These skills vary from texts
to images to multimedia. Future teachers who will be handling students considered as
tech savvy should equip themselves with competencies and fluencies needed to
handle the fast emerging tools and applications that should be able to handle even
artificial intelligences.
Lynch (2017), identified eight digital literacy skills needed to become digitally
literate. These are:
1. Coding. - Coding is a universal language. Basic understanding of HTML,
CSS and the like will create a shared understanding of what can be done
with the web pages.
2. Collaboration. - The use of Google Docs among others allows student to
begin experimenting with effective online collaboration.
3. Cloud software. - This is essential part of document management. The
 cloud is used to store everything from photos to research projects, to term
papers and even music.
4. Word Processing Software. - Google, Microsoft Online Drop Box are
available for storage and management solutions.
5. Screencasting. - A screencast is a video recording using the computer
screen, and usually includes an audio. On the other hand, when v a
picture on the screen of your computer, it is called a Printscreen. Both
can be used in explaining topics as well as providing a visual support to
clarify what you are thinking. While the printscreen is a picture, the
screencasting is a video screen capture which is a great way to share
ideas and is easy to use for novice creator.
6. Personal Archiving – Students should be taught the concepts of
metadata, tagging, keywords and categories to make them aware how
are they represented online.
7. Information evaluation – Critical thinking to weed out take news is a
crucial 21 st century skill. They use of tools and skills needed to process
information are very much needed.
8. Use of social media - Social media serves different purposes
depending on the user, the technology and the need. For example,
students should realize that Twitter can be used for staying current on
the latest news in the field.
Digital literacy has been defined in many ways that is understandable by
both digital natives and digital immigrants. Teachers and students should not only
be proficient in how to use (digital skills) but they need to see the information and
media technology to find, evaluate, create and communicate information requiring
both cognitive and technical skills.

Here are examples of how Digital Skills or Proficiency support Digital Literacy.

Digital Skills Digital Literacy

1. Sending an email or text  Evaluate the appropriate
digital channel for online
communication with peers,
teachers and parents.
2. Using Microsoft  Identify the benefits and
office/Google drawbacks of each digital
tool.
 Evaluate critically which tool
is most effective for the
project at hand.
3. Tweeting, Posting to  Navigate the social media
Facebook, Uploading a safely to protect oneself.
Video to YouTube, or  Identify hate propaganda and
posting a photo to fake news.
Instagram
4. Researching from the  Evaluate the information
worldwide web. online.
a. Is the site legitimate?
b. Is the author an expert?
 c. Is the information current
or dated?
d. Is the idea neutral or
biased?

Let’s Do This

A. Match column A with column B by drawing a line connecting the key points.
Column A Column B

1) Participating in the digital A. Media Literacy

Networks for learning and research

2) Adopting, adapting and using of digital B. Communication and

devices, application and services Collaboration

3) Critically reading and creatively C. Learning Skills

producing academic and professional
communications in a wide range of
media
4) Managing digital reputation and D. ICT Literacy
online activity

5) Participating in emerging academic, E. Career and identity

Professional and research practices Management
That depend on digital systems

6) Finding, interpreting, evaluating, F. Digital Scholarship

managing and sharing of information

7) Studying and learning effectively in G. Information Literacy

technology-rich environment

B. Multiple Choice
1. The following statements indicate that Maria understands digital
practices.
a. Maria is aware of the different types of users found online.
b. Maria understands that as she uses the internet, she leaves a digital
footprint.
c. Maria knows how to look for an expert online who can be a resource
person related to her specialization.
2. Which digital literacy skill refers to the ability to locate information related
to an assigned topic given by a teacher in class?
a. Turning on the computer in order to search
b. Using key words related to the topic
c. Adding comments to blogs found online
d. Producing a digital story on the assigned topic
 3. Which literacy is referred as a core skill in the 21 st century essential in
developing the ability to work well with others by tapping each other’s
talents and skills?
a. Creativity
b. Critical thinking
c. Collaboration
d. Citizenship
4. Which is the ability to see information and media technology to find,
evaluate, create, and communicate information that require cognitive and
technical skills?
a. Digital skills
b. Digital literacy
c. Digital intelligence
d. Digital aptitude
5. Dhana decides to produce a digital story one her student teaching
experiences. Which digital literacy skill does she exhibit?
a. Communication and collaboration literacy
b. Digital scholarship literacy
c. Identify management literacy
d. Media literacy

Reference:

Bilbao, Purita P. et. al. Technology for Teaching and Learning 1, Lorimar
Publishing Inc. 2019, Quezon City Manila