The Importance of Digital Literacy in Education

Starting digital literacy programs in education is important. Using digital media teaches children and the young generation the skills they will need to use technology safely and responsibly. Furthermore, digital technology education empowers and educates children by equipping them with the resources they need to succeed in an ever-changing digital environment.

According to the American Library Association, digital literacy is “the ability to use information and communication technology to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information requiring both cognitive and technical skills”. From the definition, digital literacy refers to the abilities required to live, learn, and work in a society where communication and knowledge are provided by digital technology such as the Internet and mobile devices.

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Reading and writing ability come to mind when we think of traditional literacy. Learning phonics, sight words, and finally reading literature are all important skills to have. Of course, the ability to write and read effectively is the meaning of traditional literacy. However, because of the modern ways to use technology, digital literacy now has a broader range of skills, including reading novels on e-Book, checking the validation of information on websites, communicating through digital media to creating and sharing videos on online platforms.

As of April 17th, 2020, approximately 91.3 percent of enrolled students worldwide, or about 1.5 billion students are unable to attend school due to the Covid-19 pandemic (UNESCO, 2020). As a result, technology, such as the Internet, smartphones, and mobile devices, are becoming important.

We can see how crucial digital literacy has become in today's era and situation, since nowadays students rely on the Internet as a primary source of information, students and teachers are increasingly focused on the benefits of digital literacy skills in schools. Digital literacy is important for students to become a citizen who is able to use technology to interact with the modern era. However, some parents are concerned about the bad effects of digital literacy because it is based on the Internet. They worry about the safety of their children's private data like a phone number and address that might risk bullying or predators. Even with all these concerns, digital literacy brings more benefits as long as we use it for positive change and that is why we need to introduce how to apply digital literacy properly and safely.

One of the primary reasons that digital literacy is important for education is that digital literacy increases student interest in reading. One example of technology utilization as a literacy movement media is the digital book. Digital books can be a solution to increase interest in reading. Books used to be in the form of sheets of paper but now books are not only in the form of paper but also digital. Digital books or usually called E-book consist of text, images, videos, even sounds that are published in digital form which can be read in computer, cell phone and other technology devices. Nowadays more and more digital books can be downloaded for free. Digital books are usually an electronic version of printed books. Digital literacy-based learning accommodates centered learning to students. Students encouraged to seek information through various references, both printed and digital materials. Using digital books or other digital learning tools for solving problems, making creative projects, or doing other assignments can boost student interest in studying, especially reading. Because being digital means that we have to be active, students have to discover how to use new tools, collect resources and communicate digitally. Although there are several advantages, many people argue that digital books have a problem in convenience. It is true that reading digital books is not comfortable enough because we readers have to stare at the monitor screen for a long time. However, most electronic devices such as cell phones, laptop, computer, and tablet support reading mode technology. By turning on reading mode, it will help reduce blue light from the screen that causes eye fatigue.

Another reason is digital literacy helps students to study faster. Before technology developed as now, getting various kinds of information is still very limited. In the past, teachers used to encourage students to read books with a dictionary right next to them. So, if they find some difficult words, they will easily look up the definition in the dictionary. It is very different from now, where there are already a lot of information sources that can be access