Four key concepts that have dominated the literature on literacies related to digital technology include: information literacy, media literacy, computer literacy, and digital literacy (Brown, Czerniewicz, Huang & Mayisela, 2016). These four literacies are not competing, but in fact are necessary components of what it means to be literate in the twenty-first century. The table below presents an outline of the different terms and how they intersect:

 

Information Literacy

Media Literacy

Computer Literacy

Digital Literacy

Definition

the ability to locate, identify, retrieve, process and use digital information optimally (UNESCO, 2011)

the ability to access the media, to understand and to critically evaluate different aspects of the media and media content, and to create communications in a variety of contexts (European Commission, 2007)

a set of user skills that enable active participation in a society where services and cultural offerings are computer supported and distributed on the Internet (UNESCO, 2011)

those capabilities which fit an individual for living, learning and working in a digital society (JISC, 2015)

Primary Focus

information retrieval and assessment of quality

evaluation and production of media texts

skills in the use of computer-related technology

innovation, collaboration, lifelong learning

Table 1.1: Summary of Key Concepts (adapted from Brown et al., 2016, CC-BY-SA)

Brown, C., Czerniewicz., L., Huang, C-W., & Mayisela., T. (2016). Curriculum for digital education leadership: A concept paper. Burnaby, BC: Commonwealth of Learning. Retrieved from http://oasis.col.org/handle/11599/2442 

This text is from the following pressbook: https://pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca/digcit/chapter/chapter-1/
Digital Citizenship Toolkit Copyright © by Cheryl Brown is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.




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