GSHU 199.11 Vocation and Calling (Peterson)

The American Library Association (2011) defines Digital Literacy as " the ability to use information and  communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills."  

A digitally literate person should:

• Possesses the variety of skills – technical and cognitive – required to find, understand, evaluate, create, and communicate digital information in a wide variety of formats
• Is able to use diverse technologies appropriately and effectively to retrieve information, interpret results, and judge the quality of that information
• Understands the relationship between technology, life-long learning, personal privacy, and stewardship of information
• Uses these skills and the appropriate technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, colleagues, family, and on occasion, the general public
• Uses these skills to actively participate in civic society and contribute to a vibrant, informed, and engaged community

Source: Digital Literacy Taskforce. (2011). What is digital literacy? American Library Association. Retrieved August 8, 2022 from https://alair.ala.org/handle/11213/16260 

Being digitally literate in your daily life means, simply, having the ability to locate & consume digital content, create digital content and communicate digital content (Spires & Bartlett, 2012). 

Evaluating information is an important part of locating, creating and communicating digital content.  Critical evaluation helps determine what digital content to use for any given need without being overwhelmed by a sea of information.

Graphic:  Spires, H. A. & Bartlett, M. E. (2012). Digital literacies and learning: Designing a path forward. https://www.fi.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/media/media/2013/05/digital-literacies-and-learning.pdf