Yet more on Digital Literacy in German

09-February-2005

comments (1)
[ Media literacy ]

More interesting replies to yesterdays post (hope they sort out the reply button soon!).

Willi Petersen says "in my opinion the meaning of 'Digital Literacy' is more or less the same like 'Basic ICT skills' or 'ICT literacy' or 'e-literacy': In addition to literacy the ability to use information and communication technology (ICT) for basic tasks in the information society or e.g. as a tool for learning proficiently.

And in german: 'digitale Kompetenz' oder 'Informationskompetenz' oder auch 'Multimediakompetenz'. In Ergänzung zur Lese- und Schreibfertigkeit die Fähigkeit, IKT-Technologien für einfache Aufgaben des Lebens in der Informationsgesellschaft oder z.B. zum Lernen erfolgreich zu nutzen und einzusetzen.

Therefore there is a difference between 'Digital Literacy' and "ICT user skills" in the context of occupation.

In our discussions we defined:

The term e-skills covers mainly three categories (*):

  • ICT practitioner skills: The capabilities required for researching, developing and designing, managing, the producing, consulting, marketing and selling, the integrating, installing and administrating, the maintaining, supporting and service of ICT systems;
  • ICT user skills: the capabilities required for effective application of ICT systems and devices by the individual. ICT users do apply systems as tools in support of their own work, which is, in most cases, not ICT. User skills cover the utilisation of common generic software tools and the use of specialised tools supporting business functions within industries other than the ICT industry;
  • e-Business skills: the capabilities needed to exploit opportunities provided by ICT, notably the Internet, to ensure more efficient and effective performance of different types of organisations, to explore possibilities for new ways of conducting business and organisational processes, and to establish new businesses.

(*) There are certain overlaps between these categories, but each has sufficient independent core significance to justify its separate consideration. Within each of them there are a number of levels of capability. These levels are occupational skill levels required by employers and not merely levels of initial academic or vocational education or qualifications. The word “user” is sometimes mentioned in relation both to individuals and industries/organisations, and these need to be distinguished.

(cf. The European e-skills forum: E-skills for Europe: towards 2010 and beyond (synthesis report). Brussels: European Commission - Enterprise and Industry Directorate-General, 2004)

The second reply comes from Gerald Heidegger and Wiebke Petersen who say: "Usually the term means just 'Knowledge of the use of PC´s' ('PC-Kenntnisse') which includes knowledge of software which is often specified, e. g. in ads for employment. The creative use you are writing about is certainly important but is normally not referred to. Overall in Germany people do not believe so much in the creative possibilities of computers. Often it is still called 'calculator' (Rechner). 'Digital-Kenntnisse' is no German word or concept.


Graham Attwell; 09-February-2005 20:39:08;

1 Replies (comments)

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1 digital literacy goes beyond the use of technology

The defenitions mentioned above reflect the (limited) understanding of Digital Literacy in German. However, I would suggest using a wider, jet more specific understanding of the term literacy as the ability to use specific forms of communication.
What is (or should be) taught in primary education is not only the use of paper and pencil (= technology), but to read and write.  What is (or should be) taught in tertiary education is the critical consumption and production of scholarly texts, e.g. how to select relevant sources and how to write seminar papers, presentations, maybe even journal articles. Please note the important combination of consumption and production in specific (mainly written) forms of communication as two sides of the coin "literacy".

The relevance of new digital media lies in the fact that they create new forms of communication, e.g. email, forum, blog, e-journal, e-portfolio, wiki, shared database, etc., which constitute new forms of literature or new literary formats.

My main point is that Digital Literacy goes beyond the mere use of technology. To know the buttons in MS-Word does not qualify me to write a journal article. Rather, I have to know the conventions of scholarly journals as well. However, similar conventions and skills are more difficult to find and to define for digital forms of communication, new literary formats.


Thomas Pfeffer, 17-August-2007 18:46:44