Digital Literacy and Citizenship

What is Digital Literacy?

According to the American Library Association, digital literacy is "the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills."

Why is it important for students to be digitally literate?

At some point during your time in school, every student will use technology at some point during the school day. You will research. You will, at some point, write a paper. You need to know how to find the answers to questions, not just copy and paste the first result from a search engine. You need to be able to evaluate a website or a news article to make sure it contains the information that answers your question, and that the information is the truth. You will create original content; this is not limited to just research papers and worksheets, but also includes school media projects, social media posts, infographics, displays, etc. And, you need to know how to communicate your thoughts and ideas effectively, and not just to your friends.

What is included in this guide?

In this research guide, you will find information on the main elements of digital literacy. You will find out about our school's primary research database (GALILEO), how to ethically use any information you find, and examples/projects that build on these skills. There will also be a student resource section that will provide additional links and sources that will help your students to develop their digital literacy skills.

Use the Navigation bar at the top each page to move to each section. Or, you can use the yellow buttons below to jump to the section you wish to view.

There will also be a section with sample lesson plans, collaboration ideas, and resources for you to use when adding digital literacy skills into your curriculum.

This website is a constant work in progress, which means we will be updating it as we find more helpful, updated information.