Digital Literacy Defined

What is Digital Literacy? When I hear the word, I think of someone able to understand how to use the internet, how to create a Gmail account, or someone capable of defining what 'Web 2.0' means. In another sense, it is also someone who knows of the current trends and fads in the digital world. I think of myself as an extremely digital literate person. I spend hours of each of my days online; checking my email, talking with friends on Gchat, or reading Michigan sporting blogs.

Many people of today's technological world cannot live without the internet; everyone must be up-to-date with their emails, their statuses on Facebook must always show where or what they are currently doing at that moment (as a result, platforms such as Twitter have spawned from this idea). The news on TV (particularly ESPN) constantly talk about celebrities 'tweeting', informing the news watchers of the current new digital trends.

Digital literacy at its simplest form, such as the literacy my 65 year-old grandma possess, is the ability to access the internet (double-click the Firefox icon) and type in a website (in my grandma's case, TimesOfIndia.com). The older generation must adapt to keep up with the changing times. My grandma, even though the idea of digital literacy is new to her, now spends hours of her day reading and surfing the internet.

Learning about the digital world from an early age is important. When I entered middle school, my school (private) forced us to buy laptops, and its use was integrated into our curriculum. We each received an email address and our worlds revolved around the use of this new technology. I owe my digital prowess to the fact I was trained to use digital technology at such an early age. Many schools now are following suit, properly preparing their students for the digital world which they will enter.