Digital
literacy
This is the
ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate,
create, and communicate information, required both cognitive and technical
skills.
The skills a
digital literate person should poses:
- Skills
that are both technical in nature as well as intellectual skills.
Would
find it easy to use technology in an appropriate and effective manner to find
information, interpret it, and judge the quality of the information. Understand
the relationship between the technology used, long-life learning, privacy and
the responsible use of technology Make
use of their skill along with the appropriate technology to communicate and
collaborate with others. Use
their skill to engage and contribute to society, creating an informed and
engaged community.
How
computers work
Computers
work with what is called a bit. The bit can either be a 1 = on, or a 0 = off. A
set of 8 bits make up a byte. A byte represents a letter or a number. Think about
having a light bulbs. The combination of these two light bulbs can be as
follows:
- “off
and off’’
‘’off
and on’’
‘’on
and off’’
‘’on
and on’’
If we assigned
a value to these light bulbs, we could say the first one is = 2, and the second
= 1.
Given the
above examples, these would represent the following numbers:
- ‘’off
and off’’ would be 0+0=0
‘’off
and on’’ would be 0+1=1
‘’on
and off’’ would be 2+0=2
‘’on
and on’’ would be 2+1=3
How the
internet works
The internet
is a network of networks. Each computer that is connected to the internet has a
unique address, known as IP address (where IP stands for Internet Protocol)
Here is a
visual representation of how the internet works.
How search
engines work
When we key
in a search query, these search engines use special software that deploy
robots, known as spiders. These spiders search for key words and keep an index
of the words they find, as well as where they were found. The process these
spiders go through is called web crawling. The search engine will then use the
index of pages in response to the search query.
Website verification
With all
these websites and webpages containing so much information, how do we know
which is real or fake? It is not easy to point out the difference between a fake
website and sites that are authentic but the content is questionable. So how do we
go about verifying that the content is real or not? The following is a form a
checklist that van be used to check the viability of the site:
Authority
Here you
need to evaluate who created the information and for what purpose. Are you able
to identify the author, or their work? If not, are you able to verify the
origin of the information?
Objectivity
The information
needs to be checked for bias. You need to ask yourself if the author is giving
an opinion or is it based on fact. Another aspect you need to check is if there
is obvious bias towards any sponsorship either on the site or for the
organisation.
Authenticity
The key here
is to know the source. Find out where the information comes from, and who the
original person/organisation is that put it on the internet. Basically you need
to determine if the information is a primary or secondary source. Look for
references and verify those references.
Reliability
How trustworthy
are those sources? Other questions you need to ask are: what is the purpose, is
to inform, persuade, instruct or sell. Does sponsorships play a role, does it
come from an organisation and if so, what type of organisation.
Timeless
Information gets
outdated very quickly in today’s information age. You need to verify how old
that information is, and take into context how often its updated.
Relevance
Here you
need to determine the breadth and depth of the information provided. furthermore, how easy it is for you to interpret the data.
Efficiency
Think about the effort you put in to get the information. Think about the speed it took for you to access this information? Was it easy to follow, quick to access, and easy to use? Sometimes information that is harder to access is far more reliable.
Information Fluency
We have established that there are a lot of websites and pages available on the internet, with more and more being added everyday. The of readily available information is incredible to try to imagine. This is often referred to as the InfoWhelm; the bombardment of information, much of which is irrelevant and useless. As a result of this rapidly increasing volume of information, facts become obsolete far quicker, with the knowledge built on those facts becoming less durable.
The Process
Information fluency is the “ability to unconsciously and intuitively interpret information in all forms and formats in order to extract the essential knowledge, perceive its meaning and significance, and use it to complete real-world tasks”
Ask
Ask good questions so that you get good answers. This means that when you enter the key words in the search box, be clear and concise.
Acquire
This step involves determining where the information is; prioritising the search strategy; skimming, scanning and scouring the resources; filtering through the results and taking smart notes. Sometimes it means going back to the first step: Ask, in order to refine the results and information.
Analyze
The results of the search will yield raw information and data that in turn needs to be analysed, authenticated and arranged to make a cohesive picture. This involves organising, triangulating and summarising the various sources. Here it is important to separate fact from fiction and opinion.
Apply
The user will now be able to apply that knowledge to the real-world problem they are faced with.
Access
This when the user will look at the result of their application, and the process they followed. It involves asking questions about the process used, the steps followed and the information that was obtained; reflecting on what went well and what could have been done better.
‘’off and on’’
‘’on and off’’
‘’on and on’’
If we assigned a value to these light bulbs, we could say the first one is = 2, and the second = 1.
‘’off and on’’ would be 0+1=1
‘’on and off’’ would be 2+0=2
‘’on and on’’ would be 2+1=3
How the internet works