• Digital literacy

Digital literacy

"To be digitally literate is to have access to a broad range of skills, practices and cultural resources that you are able to apply to digital tools. It is the ability to make, represent and share meaning in different modes and formats; to create, collaborate and communicate effectively; and to understand how and when digital technologies can best be used to support these processes. Digital literacy involves critically engaging with technology and developing a social awareness of how a number of factors, including commercial agendas and cultural understandings, can shape the ways in which technology is used to convey information and meaning."

Digital Literacy Professional Development Resource, Futurelab

Developing digital literacy skills are key to empowering students and staff with the skills and confidence they need to use technology both autonomously and collaboratively, not only to support their learning but also in the workplace and their daily lives. The proliferation of social software, mobile technologies, virtual worlds and other innovative technologies has transformed employer needs and poses fresh challenges on education providers to deliver new and engaging ways of learning that keep apace with learner trends and expectations. If learners are to participate socially, culturally and economically as digital citizens they need to learn how to make an informed use of technology, safely and responsibly, in order to contribute to wider society. However, despite being immersed in a technology-rich environment, many learners and staff lack a clear sense of how technology can be contextualised to effectively support learning.

This is where the Regional Support Centres can help. We work nationally alongside a number of partners and learning providers to offer support for embedding digital literacy into the heart of an organisation's culture and practices.