Loading ...Digital Literacy: an opportunity for inclusion or a barrier to access?
Date: August 1, 2011
—A Guest Blog Article in the Discussion Series on Social Innovations in Adult Education
Article by Dale Lipschultz
Last summer I acquired an e-reader for purely practical reasons. I could no longer carry a 600 page book in my briefcase―any more than could I leave it home. For me, the switch was neither problematic nor traumatic. A book is a book. How print is displayed is not an issue for me. It’s the reading that’s important.
My personal and pragmatic decision to go digital was greeted with alarm by friends and family members. What about books? What about libraries? Their questions made me think about libraries, literacy, and the future of reading.
The timing is right for thinking and writing about digital literacy. Libraries, librarians, and the American Library Association are examining the broad impact of digital literacy. On the national level, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) have high profile digital literacy initiatives, including the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (B-TOP).
I searched for a standardized definition of digital literacy and quickly learned that one doesn’t exist. I also learned that the ability to read and write (foundational literacy) was not included in any existing digital literacy definition. Given these limitations, I settled on a hybrid: digital literacy is the ability to use technology effectively, understand digital content, and communicate with digital tools.
I continued reading and thinking. A 2010 report authored by the Social Science Research Center (SSRC), commissioned by the FCC, and entitled Broadband Adoption in Low-Income Communities, was an eye opener. SSRC interviewed 170 people in four low income communities. 22% of the respondents stated that digital literacy was the main barrier to accessing the internet.
I wondered if digital literacy really was the main barrier to internet access or just a politically correct response. I think the real barrier to internet access is limited literacy skills. Did SSRC’s interview protocol include questions about reading habits? Finally, is literacy―the ability to read, write, and comprehend text―a skill that is assumed?
Next, I read portions of the National Broadband Plan. The Plan articulates an ambitious, and in my opinion, unrealistic set of goals for bridging the digital literacy gap.
“The Broadband Plan will ensure that every American has access to relevant, age-appropriate digital literacy education, for free, in whatever language they speak … Achieving this goal will likely lead to an adoption rate higher than 90% by 2020 and reduced differences in broadband adoption among demographic groups.”
This statement stopped me in my tracks. I am convinced that policy makers are not considering―or worse yet―unaware of America’s adult literacy crisis. According to the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), 90 million Americans read at basic and below basic levels. For these adults, digital literacy is not the only barrier to internet access.
In the end, the issue is not solely digital literacy―it’s the ability read, write, and comprehend text regardless of format. As librarians, educators, advocates, and policy makers we must ensure that foundational literacy is included in every definition of digital literacy and advocate for literacy services―foundational and digital―for all. Only when literacy for all is a reality we will have successfully bridged the print and digital divide.
Dale Lipschultz is ALA’s Literacy Officer in the Office for Literacy and Outreach Services and a past president of the National Coalition for Literacy. She is a guest blogger in the guest blog discussion series on Social Innovations in Adult Education. See the full schedule online and participate by posting your comments in the box below.
