It is becoming easier in the current society to do everyday tasks due to people’s constantly developing digital literacy. It is important for people to develop their digital literacy to keep up with the ever changing world. Digital technology is becoming more and more involved in everyone’s lives due to the broad range of digital devices being created. The previous generation before me would probably have never imagined that in this day and age digital technology would be relied on so heavily. To stay up to date with the next generation they will have had to develop their digital literacy knowledge and skills. This is important as many working environments use new digital technology and it would put people who are not digitally literate at a great disadvantage compared to someone who has the digital knowledge and skills needed. The current society is always changing and people need to be able to keep up with it. Knight (2011), states “90% of UK jobs require some level of IT competency”. For someone who is not digitally literate this hugely reduces their chances of finding a suitable job. The article also states, “more than half the UK population now own a smartphone with internet capability”. This makes it easier for people to do simple tasks, communicate with each other and stay informed about what is going on in the world.
(Geer, 2011)
It is crucial for people to develop digital literacy from a young age in education as it will become vital in future life. It is easier to learn something new at a younger age than learning later in life as you absorb new information easier. According to research carried out by Miller and Bartlett (2012), the majority of teachers feel digital technology is an important part of a child’s learning. In addition they think there are issues concerning digital literacy in the classroom. Many teachers agree their students only have a general understanding of how search engines operate, the quality of information found online and propaganda on the internet. Children when researching online will often click on the first result they come across and believe what they are reading without considering it may be untrue or bias. If a child was to continue doing this through education, and even when they begin working, it could cause them problems for example regarding University assignments and plagiarism. Therefore Miller and Bartlett (2012) state teachers agree digital literacy should be given a greater part in children’s curriculum. I personally feel I need to constantly develop my own digital literacy to make the most of technology. I use technology everyday and it makes up a big part of my daily routine. Instead of needing many different resources I use my phone as an alarm clock, diary, calendar, camera, translator and many other things as well as a way of communicating with friends. This saves me having to use several different devices or objects. Whenever I come across a new piece of technology I have to spend time developing my digital literacy to be able to use it. Being digitally literate, on the whole, I think makes peoples’ lives a huge amount easier. References
- Geer, R. (2011). Aspects of digital literacy. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikecogh/5968799566/in/photolist-a6rEam-bm984v-dWJ1Ds-dWCnGT-dWJ1Fb-dWJ1Qh-bSCKjv-hSe66a-7fNYdC-7fK36B-7fNYoN-7fNY3o-7fNYsb-7fK2Ra-7fK3eX-7fK2Ti-7fNXXE-6cwMHK-7J5a4w-7J1bg4-7J58by-7J1cQv-7J1bqD-7J58UY-7J581W-7J59nJ-7J561m-7J1dM2-7J56HC-7J1ddc-7J596b-7J1cc8-7J56m9-7J1dwZ-7J1axF-7J57ky-7J1d48-7J1ekF-7J1c1k-7J1dpM-7J1b72-7J1a9F-7J1ecF-7J569Y-6igCuX-732ED9-damPYg-damPWP-damPN8-damPD2/
- Knight, S. (2011). Digital literacy can boost employability and improve student experience. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2011/dec/15/digital-literacy-employability-student-experience
- Miller, C., & Bartlett, J. (2012). ‘Digital fluency’ : towards young people’s critical use of the internet. Journal of Information Literacy, 6(2), 35-55. Retrieved from http://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/ojs/index.php/JIL/article/view/PRA-V6-I2-2012-3/1699
louisegillen 
I think if you develop digital literacy from a young age you are definitely going to be more adaptable as new devices and software are introduced throughout your life. The teaching of digital literacy would ensure that children don’t make the mistake of some of the pitfalls of the Internet and can make an informed decision rather than believing the first thing they come across.
I agree that there is a need to be constantly developing your own digital literacy. I find myself being introduced to new technologies fairly often and must take the time to practice using it and get used to the software. It doesn’t surprise me that half the UK population now have a smartphone with internet capability because I think a lot of people share the fact of using their phones for many different uses; I know I do!
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i agree that people need to and now are expected to keep up with digital technology in a way. it is essential and to think that 90% of jobs require some sort of IT skill is crazy- we had never even considered technology a few decades ago and now people’s lives are becoming more and more dependent on it. I think that technology is overall a good thing but we do need to be careful when reading things online and make children aware of the propaganda out there- we need to come up with methods to distinguish facts from false information.
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you have provided a interesting account of digital literacies. I was wondering how you think this will apply to your experience and practice as a future teacher? Do you think it’s important to embed such skills in the curriculum, for instance?
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