Technology is playing a bigger role in education than ever before, both in traditional classrooms and online. With sweeping changes stemming from the internet, mobile devices, and other technological advances, there are a variety of opportunities to learn and thrive. If you’re looking into furthering your education by enrolling in an online degree program, there are many tools at your disposal.
This guide will help you learn more about digital literacy and provide information on useful apps to help online college students improve their academic efforts.
Digital literacy
The internet and modern technology have changed the way society communicates and operates, transforming education. By learning how to use the devices, apps, tools, and resources in this guide, you’ll be better prepared for success in your academic career.
What is digital literacy?
Digital literacy is the ability to use technology to find information, evaluate sources, create content, and communicate with others effectively. It’s a skill set used to navigate the new technological paradigm in which society operates. To be an effective learner in an online environment, it’s extremely beneficial to be digitally literate.
The digital literacy landscape comprises many skills and tools. The ability to use computers and mobile devices, access information online, and communicate with others online through social media are all essential building blocks to a strong technological skill set.
Why is digital literacy important?
With technology and online interaction affecting so much of our lives and our society’s operations, it’s crucial to be able to navigate the available tools and technology. Being competent with and fluent in the digital sphere helps ensure you can interact with the technology all around you for maximum benefit, and with minimal frustration.
Literacy in the Classroom When it comes to education, you can think of digital literacy in the same way as you would traditional literacy — the ability to read. You wouldn’t expect a learner to succeed in a literature course on Shakespeare if they lacked the basic skills to read and comprehend those texts.
Similarly, as learning environments come to integrate more sophisticated technology — especially in the case of online learning — students need to know how to access information. With digital skills, however, studentscan learn, keep up with peers, participate, and advance to more complex topics. They can also adapt to established social expectations of online behavior, which includes maintaining a professional demeanor and dealing with a variety of issues such as cyberbullying, phishing scams, and avoiding or detecting malware.
Likewise, the modern workplace has seen incredible shifts due to technology. New job duties, expectations, and forms of communication are making an impact in every sector. Becoming digitally literate prepares learners for these changes and, perhaps more importantly, teaches them to become adaptable as new innovations arise.