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Digital Fluency
Digital fluency can be defined as understanding how to use digital technologies wisely and having the knowledge in applying technical and social skills safely and proficiently in the digital world (Core Education, 2015).
(Core Education, 2015)
The responsibility of teaching technology and helping young learners become digitally fluent lies on all educators and not only the technological experts (Howell, 2012, p.223). Modern day information and communication technology is rapidly growing; therefore, it can easily be presumed that most students will already have some exposure to the digital world in their personal and recreational environments before starting school (Howell, 2012, p. 6). The current generation requires developing competencies related to 21st century learning, thus making it vital that educators keep up with the increasingly digitized society and incorporate the use of technologies to engage young learners within the classroom (Core Education, 2015).
Educators need to be mindful and working towards helping young learners develop the skills and abilities necessary in becoming digitally fluent within their primary years of schooling (Howell, 2012, p. 139). This is particularly important, as educators would be aiding in building the foundation to prepare students to cope with secondary and post-formal schooling (Howell, 2012, pp. 139-140). By the end of primary and/or secondary school, students should be digitally fluent in a variety of technologies such as;
- Be able to use proficiently Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Publisher
- Be familiar with some higher-level technology programs, such as FrontPage, Dreamweaver, Flash, some programming languages (html)
- Be able to create digital artefacts, for example, videos and podcasts
- Be experienced in blogging, wikis, podcasts, RSS feeds
- Understand the associated language—terminology and meaning (Howell, 2012, p. 139).
Howell suggests that although young learners may be referred to as ‘digital natives’ as they are constantly up to date with technology, they still need to be guided in the right direction to develop their digital fluency within the educational context (p. 6).
As educators we should keep in mind the following questions;
Are students digitally fluent in all areas of life? Are they confident and have enough knowledge to use digital technologies safely and proficiently? Will they continue to develop through their school years and beyond and be able to fully participate and contribute in our advancing digital world? And finally, will their social and technological skills aid them to successfully navigate their way through life’s challenges and secure them within the workforce, granting them a bright future? Information and communication technology are rapid and evolving, consequently digital fluency will inevitably become more of a prerequisite in obtaining and securing jobs in the future (Resnick, 2002, p. 33).
Howell, J. (2012). Teaching with ICT: Digital Pedagogies for Collaboration and Creativity, South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press.
Resnick, M. (2002). Rethinking Learning in the Digital Age. In G. Kirkman (Ed.), The Global Information Technology Report: Readiness for the networked word. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un/report.pdf
Core Education. (2015). What is Digital Fluency. Retrieved from http://blog.core-ed.org/blog/2015/10/what-is-digital-fluency.html
Core Education. (2015). What is Digital Fluency [Image]. Retrieved from http://blog.core-ed.org/blog/2015/10/what-is-digital-fluency.html
Teaching and Learning in the Digital World 