14 Digital Literacy Articles You Should Read Immediately

Where to start: introductory articles

“Digital Literacy Fundamentals” – MediaSmarts
If you need to learn the basics, and everything that encompasses, be sure to check out this article. It looks at the entire umbrella of digital literacy, including all the skills, principles, and digital competencies related to it. It’s a great starting point for learning all about how to become a fully-functional digital citizen.

“Guide to the Digital Divide: Causes, Impact, and Solutions” – TechBoomers
In this ultimate guide to the “digital divide,” you’ll learn all about the worldwide phenomenon where different demographics have different levels of access to – and proficiency with – digital technology. The guide explains why the digital divide occurs, how it impacts societies, and how we might be able to bridge the gap and make digital technology access and competency more equitable.

How digital literacy will impact your life

“Digital Literacy is the Bedrock for Lifelong Learning” – Edutopia
This piece by Edutopia discusses how access to digital technology, teaching tailored to a digital society, and the ability of people to learn digital literacy connect to form a “digital inclusion” framework. This framework is helpful for closing the digital divide and producing competent, informed digital citizens who are well-equipped for engaging with other skills, ideas, and concepts.

“From Written to Digital: The New Literacy” – Educause
This piece argues that digital literacy has replaced traditional literacy as the key to success in the modern world. Educause explains that there are skills you can gain from learning digital literacy that you simply can’t get from traditional literacy, which is why it’s so important to master.

For managers: integrating technology into the workplace

“Communication Tools Used in Modern Day Business” – Elcom
This is an incredibly well-organized post that outlines great ideas about how to integrate digital technologies into the workplace. For example, try out systems such as chat rooms, discussion forums, or internal web logs (or even video logs, if you’re ambitious) to help employees improve their communication with each other.

“Keep Your Business Safe Online” – Get Safe Online
This brochure has well-laid-out tips and tricks on how to keep your business safe when you’re online. It includes suggestions such as only giving employees access to programs that they need to use, and setting up employee guidelines for proper use of company property and online services.

For teachers: teaching digital literacy to others

“20 Things Educators Need to Know about Teaching Digital Literacy Skills” – informEd
Breaking the content up into “5 teaching practices that destroy digital literacy” and “15 habits to cultivate in your studies,” informED can really help you gain a better understanding of the way you’re approaching the material, and how to better help your students.

“Technology in the Classroom: What is Digital Literacy?” – TeachHub
This article contains great suggestions for how to integrate basic forms of technology into your classroom. It covers how to navigate through the classroom using social media networks, cloud computing, virtual collaboration services, and more.

For non-native English speakers: how to overcome the language barrier

“The Growing Need for Technical and Digital Literacy” – U.S. News
Learn how those who speak English as a second language can be at even greater risk of falling victim to online scams and fraud. For example, it notes that modern digital criminals often design scams and identity theft schemes to intentionally confuse non-English speakers, even going as far as imitating government websites! Give this a read, and think about how to better protect yourself online.

“Bridging the Online Language Barrier: Translating the Internet” – NPR
This article considers the language barrier created by the Internet, and has some great statistics about worldwide Internet usage by language. It also considers where the Internet will go in the future in terms of language, and how we can better help non-English speakers break the Internet language barrier.

For everyone: online safety

“Five Reasons to Use Security Software” – BBC Webwise
Tony Neate, CEO of Get Safe Online, explains his top five reasons for why everyone should start using security software for their computer. He also describes how taking digital security precautions can save you a lot of money and stress.

“A Parent’s Guide to Online Safety – Webroot
This is a concise guide with ten easy tips to help you start a conversation about online safety with your children. Its recommendations include teaching your children about the impact of what they say and do online, and cautioning them about the dangers of interacting with others online. If you have young children who are starting to use technologies, consider reading this one.

For learners who need accessibility: don’t be left out!

“Accessibility” – W3C (The World Wide Web Consortium)
Coming to you from the premier organization regarding international Internet standards, this introductory piece covers a variety of topics about accessibility on the Internet. It also makes a case for the importance of integrating accessible technologies into websites, thereby allowing everyone around the world equal access to – and opportunity on – the Internet.

“e-Accessibility Policy Toolkit for Persons with Disabilities” – International Telecommunications Union
This comprehensive article contains over 40 questions you need to ask yourself when trying to find an accessible device, and offers six great resources to help you if you’re new to implementing an accessible device in your home or the workplace.

That’s our quick list of fourteen key articles that you should read as soon as you can! If you want to learn more about how important this topic is, check out our post on the importance of digital literacy and 13 ways it can improve lives. Make sure you’re always learning new digital skills and working to improve them over time!