broadband strategies handbook.pdf - Khazar University

Figure 6.2 Elements of Digital Literacyincreasing complexity ofknowledge and expertiseElementsAccessManageIntegrateEvaluateCreateDefinitionsKnowing about and knowing how to collect and retrieveinformationApplying an existing organizational or classification schemeInterpreting and representing information: summarizing,comparing, and contrastingMaking judgments about the quality, relevance, usefulness, orefficiency of informationGenerating information by adapting, applying, designing,inventing, or authoring informationSource: Educational Testing Service 2002.to participating in special programs (figure 6.3). The range of skills andsettings vary and overlap. For example, some people may choose simplyto acquire basic skills in a formal academic environment, while othersmay choose to pursue a higher degree of ICT knowledge. Although thereare a variety of institutional settings for gaining knowledge about the useof broadband networks, self-training plays an ongoing lifetime role. Thisis particularly important since the services and applications availableover broadband networks continually evolve.There are several challenges to ensuring that people are digitally literate.Some studies suggest that the main way people learn about ICTsis through self-study (that is, through their own initiative and assistancefrom friends, family, and colleagues) rather than through formal courses.Motivating people to continue to learn on their own is essential in orderfor them to adapt to the constant evolution in broadband services andapplications without always having to resort to more formal training.This is related to the interaction of digital literacy with “value addition.”Although training is important, it does not necessarily build peoples’understanding of how broadband and associated technologies cantransform their lives. This lack of understanding risks creating a “valuedivide” in which the people who have broadband diverge widely in theirability to derive value from it. As broadband spreads to other platforms,particularly mobile phones in developing countries, the notion of digitalliteracy, which has typically been associated with learning on personalcomputers (PCs), must be adapted to entail familiarity with using applicationsand services delivered via various mobile devices such as smartphonesand tablets.250 Broadband Strategies Handbook