Principles of Digital Literacy

Digital literacy is a popular subject among global citizens, as it keeps us connected, informed and happier in comparison to others. Digital literacy is the term given to describe the ability of a person to understand and use technologies in daily life. It is the skill that allows us to explore the worldwide web productively and conveniently. If we learn the aspects of digital literacy, we can avoid the danger or threats that come our way. A digitally literate person can grasp various technical skills, such as authorship, plagiarism, copyright, social media, etc. Today, the world is shifting its workspace from schools or offices to online platforms such as Skype, Google meet and others. Therefore, we have an increased responsibility to learn to interact on different networking platforms. With responsibilities come the ability to understand the basic principles before diving into the sea of digital literacy.

  1. Understand the basics from the chapters of Digital Literacy. It is the first step, which can help us answer what…? why…? and how…? of different technical terms and concepts. We might know to access digital technologies, but it is crucial to learn the basic principles to explore the vast world of the internet more efficiently.
  2. Know about interconnectivity among different devices. Knowledge of interconnectivity is a vital topic in technical literacy. However, it gets often ignored by us. We need to understand the answers to the following questions- How does our device function? How to navigate any website? How to access the stored data? How to remove unwanted data from the device? One of the best ways to learn about them is to access our devices thoroughly.
  3. Learn about creating an online presence. One of the reasons why we learn to use technologies is to communicate with different people. There are many ways we can utilise social factors- messaging applications, email, video conferencing apps, etc. Understanding social connections via the internet can create an organic environment for sourcing, sharing, storing and accessing media. Although learning how to communicate via the internet is just the tip of an iceberg, we need to explore deep into the ocean to avoid falling into traps.
  4. Utilise the knowledge to present creative ideas. Once we learn the basic skills of technical learnings, we can utilise them to create online content. We can create an online presence via blog posting, talent showcasing, podcasts, creating a functional website and others.
We need to keep these four principles in mind to excel in digital learning.