Digital Literacy for Open Societies

Course aims
The purpose of the course is to provide participants with knowledge, understanding and skills in the area of digital literacy, and to enable them to conduct teaching and training in this topic.
 
We take digital literacy ("literacy for an information age") to mean:

1. The ability to understand how information is generated and communicated in all formats
2. The ability to create critical frameworks for the retrieval, organisation, evaluation, presentation and use of information.

The concept is rooted in Popper's thought on sources of knowledge, and on critical evaluation and analysis. It has come to prominence with the growth of networked, digital information. Promotion of digital literacy is a significant task for the formation and strengthening of open society.

The role of librarians, and other information specialists, in promoting digital literacy, is a relatively new topic for the Library and Information Science (LIS) discipline, but it is receiving great interest, in terms of both research and of curriculum development for formal education and for in-service training, worldwide. This course will help LIS educators and trainers throughout the region to reflect on the concept and its significance, and to develop curricula, teaching materials and approaches.
 
Course objectives
On completing the course, participants will

•  have an understanding of the concept of digital information literacy, its significance in promoting open societies, and its relevance to libraries and information services;
• have the knowledge and skills to practice and promote digital literacy in their own professional and academic work;
• comprehend the variety and nature of digital information sources (particularly internet), and appreciate methods for finding, accessing and producing digital resources;
• be able to show the role of knowledge organisation and critical thinking in the evaluation and use of digital information resources;
• possess skills for teaching and communicating the principles and practice of digital literacy (including the use of networked teaching resources);
• have experience in the use of technology for distance education, and understand how and when technology can be used to promote learning, communication and literacy, and how it can complement the physical and interpersonal aspects of learning.