The need for digital literacy

If one is to keep ut with the digital development this day you have to to acquire digital literacy. This post inted to be an insperation to acquire competance, and to be a topic for discussion.


I will first clarify the consept of digital literacy.
Digital literacy difined as the knowledge that bridges the gap between skills such as reading, writing and arithmetic and the skills that are required to be able use new digital tools and media in a creative and critical way. 


Digital literacy is about mutch more than to turn on a computer and knowing how to use the internet. It`s about how to master basic ITC skills like how to use an compunter, save documents and be able to use standard applications. It`s also about how to use educational ITC and how to use learning stategies. 

Teacher using digital tools

So why is digital literacy important to aquire in today`s modern society?
There are many reasons why tis is important, in my last blog I talk about ITC in kindergarten and why it is important to allready as small children to start developing didital skills. It`s expected that we can and should master the various digital tools this days. If you are a student on higher education all communication usally transported online, assignments and examinations is given and must be submitted online. 
You can read newspapers, send mail and pay youre bills online. If you`re looking for a new job the search for this often aquire that you know how to use internet. It`s posible to buy and sell clothes, cars, vacations, propertys and mor by using internet. 

See how you can by clotes online

Digital literacy is not something that comes by it self, you haft to want to aquire this knowledge and know that is does not happens over night. For many this is something new and frightening, I think that it becomes important that we are able to see the benefits og aquire this knowledge and to be patient :)

ICT in kindergarten

ICT in kindergarten is a subject who is relevante in the community. It is in the resent years it has been discussed and seen as important. Because ITC is a fundemental skill who place equal with skills like reading, writing and arthmetic in school, it`s important that children already in kindergaten gets experiences with it.

Every kindergarten in Norway is imposed to plan their work based on a national curriculum, in this curriculum we can fin a chapter how tells us how to work with ITC.

"The children should experience that digital tools can be a source to play, communicate and acqustition of knowledge"

a yong child who explores a computer

Through work and practice I have had a chance to see how differnet kindergartens work with ICT. My experience says that many kindergartens dont even know that they are required to use digital tools, and follow guidelines in the national curriculum.
This tells me that ITC has not been seen as important in kindergarten, and i can hear that the staff has negative attitudes.

I belive that it`s the adults in kindergarten who has to change their views and have the ability to see the positive aspects of ITC.  Through working with ITC the children will learn new and challengig ways to work with whilde developing compentent children. When children starts school and later in job it is usally arranged so that they could master the digital tools http://www.teachingexpertise.com/articles/the-benefits-of-introducing-young-children-to-ict-3072

Studies show that today there are more than 75% of all househols have access to a computer, and if you look at famelies with small children 95% have computers at home.http://medienorge.uib.no/?cat=statistikk&medium=it&queryID=251 Digital tools are becoming more prominent in our societystudies shows that mor that 77% of children aged 6-13 years old use the computer to play games. Playing videogames is something most children like to do, if you aquire knowledge about different games one can se that there are also games that are educational for children.¨
This is a video where cildren can learn the alfabeth.

The key for working with ITC in kindergarten is knowledge. Through knowledge you will see the importace og ITC