Middle-aged and young people, often described by sociologists as Generation X and Y as well as millennials, generally master basic digital skills quite effectively. The younger generations are hungry users of social media and are often more at ease with using ICT than their parents. But is one justified in feeling satisfied with the progress achieved so far in the spread of digital literacy in Malta?
According to EU statistics 70 per cent of the Maltese are internet users. But only 55 per cent possess at least basic digital skills, with the average standing at 59 per cent.
Malta ranks 15th among the 28 EU member states in the mastery of digital skills in the general population.
Up to two decades ago ICT in schools “was universally thought of as an hour of surfing the internet, or falling asleep over yet another lesson in Microsoft Office”.
Since that time many educational systems have embedded digital literacy in the curricula with the same importance that is given to reading and writing. We need to be similarly ambitious for the sake of our future well-being.
In countries like the UK, educational policymakers are debating whether they should be shifting from general ICT skills towards computer science, and whether teaching children as young as five the basics in computer programming is really necessary inthe curriculum?
Forward-looking educators argue that becoming literate in the way the technical world works is equivalent to reading, writing and maths.
This fourth literacy is becoming increasingly mainstream in modern educational systems.
We often hear that human resources are our country’s main asset. Creativity and innovation are rightly identified as critical success factors of an effective educational system. To promotecreativity our schools need to teach students more than the basic skills of operating a computer.
The standards of digital literacyin schools need to improve by incorporating digital literacy into thewhole curriculum.
A good example of how this can be done is in the field of art and design which is giving rise to various profitable economic activities. In most schools children are taught to use paint, pencil and clay.
Few schools promote the use of digital tools to show students new ways of being innovative in the creative arts. Digital literacy and social media need to be embedded in every school’s curriculum to empower teachers to be more effective in using digital tools to promote learning.
Bridging the digital skills and literacy gap is by no means an easy task. Teaching teachers the concepts of digitalliteracy will be one of the biggest challenges ahead. Policymakers are urging teachers to incorporate digital technology in lessons.
But it would be naive to conclude that this is just a matter of providing teachers and students with free tablet computers. There are many teachers who would want to use digital tools to make their teaching more effective, but they first need to be given the opportunity to upgrade their skills to do so.
If our educators are unable to teach our young people how the digital world functions we risk living in a world where we do not master the creative and innovation skills that will be needed in the future economy.
As in any other aspect of educational reform, training the trainers is the first indispensable step to success.
The challenge is to embed learning digital skills inside traditional skills, across the whole curriculum.