Information and digital literacy in education via the digital path

Applied Digital Skills is a great resource from Google for Education that offers a wide variety of digitally-focused lessons to integrate in both in-class and distance instruction. Its library includes over 100 video-based lessons spanning various topics and skill sets. You can browse the lessons by audience (late elementary, middle school, high school, or adult learners), digital tool (e.g., Docs, Drawings, Slides, Sheets, Meet, Sites, etc), and by topic (e.g., Art, Digital Citizenship, Science, Math, Social Studies, Computer Science, etc.). 

One of the paradoxes of higher education is the gap between students’ fluency in technology and their ability to use digital tools to further their own learning. College students may spend most of their waking hours “connected,” but they spend most of their online hours socializing and consuming entertainment. They don’t necessarily know the best way to use mobile devices for educational purposes.

They lack, in the parlance of our day, “digital literacy.”

“Moodle Man!” came the cry from behind me. I cringed. I’d made the fatal mistake of walking through the campus helpdesk area during lunchtime on assignment hand-in day. I turned, clutching my meal deal, to see a student, and one of my regular customers, come barrelling towards me, laptop in hand. “How do I submit my assignment again?” she asked. “I really need a Jill Watson,” I said, abandoning my sandwich behind the desk. “Who’s Jill Watson?” came the reply. “Never mind, let’s have a look at your assignment”.

Will you be involved in delivering the roll out of new courses to support the upcoming Essential Digital Skills (EDS) entitlement for adults aged 19 and over?
Our new professional development programme commissioned by the Department for Education and designed by staff from the sector will help you to prepare, as well as build your digital skills and confidence.

In the future 9 out of 10 jobs will require digital skills – but today 44% of Europeans (aged 16 to 74) do not have basic digital skills. Helping people develop their digital skills is both a key goal for public libraries across the EU and a Google priority.

Public Libraries 2020 (PL2020) and Google are excited to partner with and equip libraries with resources to support and train their local communities.

“Libraries Lead with Digital” is a toolkit created by librarians, for librarians, that will include online resources and lesson plans to help people stay safe online, grow their digital skills, and explore coding.

Today’s student typically arrives at university equipped with a smartphone, a tablet, and an intimate knowledge of digital devices. University staff can be forgiven for feeling naïve alongside these tech-savvy “digital natives” - but is this perception of students’ skills based on reality?