The importance of digital literacy for students is becoming apparent as we see technology evolving and improving right in front of our eyes. Everything in our lives is now becoming technology-dependent, from social interactions to entertainment, from earning money to making transactions, from education to professional life, everything around us is now technology dependent which makes it utterly important to learn how to use technology effectively.
Digital literacy means teaching students the skills that are required to use technology effectively, responsibly, and safely. As we are seeing technology evolving and advancing, the need for teaching young students about technology and how to use it effectively is becoming more important than ever. Today, we will be having a look at some of the reasons why digital literacy is important for students:
Supports Educational Progress
The first reason or advantage of digital literacy is that it can support the educational progress of students. The use of technology in education is increasing and it will continue to increase as technology is making education easier for both the students and the teachers. In the past decade or two, we saw how the use of technology as a learning tool increased and how different technologies like the internet, computers, and tablets started being used as educational tools.
Students who have learned about these digital devices and are familiar with how these work won’t have any problem using these devices. They will feel confident and comfortable while using these devices for learning purposes, whereas, students who are without digital literacy, won’t be able to use these pieces of technology as efficiently as they will lack confidence and won’t know how to use these devices for different purposes.
In addition, we are seeing a majority of the tests and assessments being carried out on the internet and this is another reason to teach students these literacy skills so that they won’t have a hard time using the technology.
Increased Safety Against Online Risks
Students who are familiar with how the internet works will be able to protect themselves against online risks, which are becoming complex and changing. Cyber attackers are coming up with new ways of scamming people and taking advantage of others. Students that possess digital literacy skills are well aware of how the internet and its applications work. Although digital literacy cannot protect anyone directly from online risks, it provides knowledge, tools, and resources to protect your safety and privacy digitally.
Wherever on the internet, they go whether it is a social media platform like Facebook or a platform like Omegle, students with digital literacy skills keep themselves safe against online challenges.
Using Technology Responsibly
Digital literacy also teaches the importance of using technology responsibly. Along with keeping yourself safe digitally, it also teaches how to use the technology as a responsible member of society and what information to communicate digitally and what not. Digital literacy also teaches how to act responsibly whichever device or platform such as Coomeet you are using on the internet.
While using digital technology, students also have to face challenges like copyright and plagiarism, cyberbullying, vetting informational resources, etc. Digital literacy skills help students to navigate and deal with these challenges effectively so that they can use the technology as responsible citizens of society.
Bridges The Digital Gap
Another advantage of digital literacy is that it helps to bridge the digital gap. Even with technology all around us and the proliferation of technology in different educational institutions, there are still some students and some workers that only have limited digital literacy skills.
By educating students about digital technology, digital literacy and digital skills can increase among students and can help these students throughout their life and they may get increased career opportunities in the future just because of their digital literacy skills.
Lifelong Skills
If students are able to learn digital technology skills then they won’t be dependent on anyone throughout their lives. Although technology is ever-changing, the basis and foundation of technology remain the same and if students are able to learn digital technology skills then they will be able to apply those skills to various kinds of technologies that they may come across during their life.
Even by learning the basic knowledge and concept of technology, they will be able to apply that knowledge to new and emerging technologies. These digital skills are lifelong skills that students will need throughout their lives and by teaching students about these skills, we are actually helping them for the upcoming future.