Digital Literacy

Digital Literacy and Computer Basics Hello Westfield Educators, It’s summer 2017 and we’ve updated all your computers to Windows 10 and Office 2016. This document will give you an overview of the changes and new features.
First, I want to take a minute to talk about digital literacy and the basic components of a computer. Understanding these 2 principles will help us as we learn about new technology. If we say someone is literate, we mean that they can read with comprehension and produce coherent information in writing. Digital literacy means that we know how to use a variety of technology devices to consume and produce information presented digitally. Let’s take a look at some of these “technology devices.” Computers come in all shapes and sizes. Some of the parts that make up a computer, I call core components. This includes the CPU, RAM, and storage. You don’t need to spend too much time thinking about these, but your computer won’t run without them. Other components like monitors, keyboards, mice, speakers, and cameras are called Human Interface Devices. The computer will keep running fine without these components; they exist for you, the human operator. That’s where digital literacy comes in. Your ability to use the keys, buttons, and settings on the computer is what makes you digitally literate. This is especially true about the screen or monitor. Every little button, icon, or symbol is there for a reason. It’s giving you an option: offering a chance to explore a new digital possibility. It’s a good idea to become familiar with the general structure of digital interfaces and the common buttons that you will see. When we are reading or writing in English, we don’t expect all the words to be in the same exact order every time. We take the basic principles of verbs and nouns and we make sentences. In the same way, you will rarely complete a digital task with the exact same steps. You’ll be repeating many small steps in a different order to complete a larger digital task. It helps to begin with your end goal in mind and then make intentional choices about how to get there.