DIGITAL LITERACY of the 21st CENTURY

Post date: Mar 17, 2014 3:41:08 AM

By: Jose D. Dasig Jr.

Literacy today depends on understanding the multiple media that make up our high-tech reality and developing the skills to use them effectively. Prior to the 21st century, literate defined a person’s ability to read and write, separating the educated from the uneducated. With the advent of a new millennium and the rapidity with which technology has changed, literacy goes far beyond being able to read and write.

The nature of knowledge is changing and in this digital age, our definition of basic literacy urgently needs expanding. Schools and Universities even Philippine Jobs requiring some level of IT competency, the notion of digital literacy, and the capabilities that equip an individual for living, learning and working in a digital society is one that needs to be taken seriously by different school levels.

Schools have a responsibility to develop students into individuals who can thrive in an era of digital information and communication. Those who are digitally literate are more likely to be economically secured and these skills are especially important in higher education given that graduate white collar jobs are almost entirely performed on computers and portable devices. Increasingly digital literacy is vital for learning itself. Digital tool’s such as virtual learning environments, social networking software for peer mentoring are now common, thus, students without the skills to navigate them risk suffering an inferior student experience at best, and being left completely behind at worst. A complete culture change is required to live fully within the modern digital society from understanding how to communicate ideas effectively.

For me, the best solution for digital literacy is exposure. We must take into consideration the advantages of knowing how to use it and how to do it without hesitation. Non-teaching and teaching staff must be aware of the challenges they are facing knowing the credibility of their work is always at stake. The idea of learning and understanding is very important for the new generation to come. And for the students, they must learn to embrace a new framework of learning that layers core content into a world rich in digital and media literacies that will help them become future ready graduates in a globally collaborative world.