Digital Literacy and Information Skills
Now that basic literacy is no longer a concern, we are again starting to hear distinctions between ‘literate’ and ‘illiterate’ people in today’s society, in the Information Society. This refers to the digital culture, the world being brokered by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). School and family became the key agents of traditional literacy. From a formal standpoint, today, they still play a leading role, but their position is being increasingly challenged by other agents. Parents and teachers are concerned and surprised about a process in which roles and the flow of knowledge are changing frequently.
This situation has given rise to a series of questions: What is digital literacy? What is its content, who are its agents, and what are its desired objectives? What should the role of the teacher be? How are the teachers of this new literacy to be trained? How do parents and families handle the increasing importance of ICT in the different areas of their children’s development? What demands does ICT place on schools?
This report, the result of the collaboration between Fundación Telefónica and Fundación Encuentro, attempts to provide answers to these questions and concerns.