I spent a lot of time this week on learning the difference between digital skill and digital literacies. This is the first time I heard the term “digital literacy”, and I thought it meant learning something related to the Internet at first. Inspired by the articles, I know that the understanding we have on digital literacy can be a representation of what we want to show in real life. I know when we should go to bed and how to greet, and we also know how and why we need to apply those skills in a digital world.
When I was learning this week’s topic, a scene in which an elderly person was frustrated with using electronic devices kept popping out in my mind. I know the importance of having digital knowledge and being a digital literate person, but can all people achieve this goal? For many elderly who are still struggling on knowing how to use technology, what should society do to still “INCLUDE” them in the world?
Another issue is about uneven digital literacy development in different countries. As students, we should always know the consequences of plagiarism and know what to do to avoid this problem; however, citation is not so important in some places, especially when students are still in middle and high schools. Facing the uneven digital literacy development in a specific topic, I am wondering what negative outcome this issue will bring and how we can solve it.
In general, not only myself, but also every Internet user should keep developing their digital literacy knowledge and skills. For instance, the people who bring cyberbullying should know what is appropriate, and I, as a college student, should also keep exploring the resources that the school provides and know when and how to use them.