Digital skills
The term ‘digital skills’ includes a wide range of capabilities. There are many different definitions, which range from the basic use of a computer or computer software to more advanced technical and programming skills.
Digital skills include the skills everyone needs to be effective online, whether it’s searching efficiently, evaluating online information, communicating and sharing, or finding the right digital or online tools to suit particular needs.
These are skills that transfer across all areas of our lives. If you think back to the list you made in Activity 2.1, many of the things you listed are likely to have been relevant to your everyday or home life. However, the same activities and skills can help you to be more effective at work. In fact, many of the skills you’ve listed may appear in job descriptions. The ability to work online with members of staff in remote locations, for example, could be an essential skill for a particular job. Digital skills are very important if you’re studying, and can make a difference to how successful you are at researching, collaborating with other students or writing assignments. With experience and confidence you can transfer your digital skills to different environments.
Activity 2.2 Identifying skills
Reflecting on the skills you use in a digital environment will help you to gauge how confident you are about using them, and identify which ones you would like to improve. Choose one of the environments listed below and think about what skills you might need to do things effectively online. Note down your thoughts.
- At home – for example, knowing how to find things on the internet quickly.
- At work – for example, being able to find information for reports quickly to meet deadlines.
- If you’re studying – for example, being able to conduct research online.
Here is Zin Min Thant’s example:
| At home, I might need to know … | At work, I might need to know … | When I’m studying, I might need to know … |
|---|---|---|
| … where to look for information. | … where to find statistics and research that I can use to get my point across. | … where to find journal articles. |
| …how to communicate online to get my point across without upsetting anyone. | … how to communicate with colleagues, clients and customers online, including using social media. When writing online, I would need to know who my audience is and be able to adapt what I write for that audience. | … how to write online, and for group assignments, file sharing and editing,. |
| … what and who to trust online. | … where to find reliable up-to-date information, or know the best people to go to for this information. | … how to find trustworthy sources of information. |
Information in a digital age