How do you measure digital literacy?

Measuring digital literacy is vital. It's not just assessing; it's understanding capabilities in a digital realm. Why measure? Because it's empowerment. In our tech-driven world, digital literacy is oxygen for progress. Gauge fluency, navigate complexities. It's not just a metric; it's a compass guiding individuals towards proficiency in a landscape where digital skills are not just advantageous, but essential.

I serve as Activities Director for a rec center for older adults. Our demographic ranges from age 50 to 103! Each decade of ages has (or hasn't) been around different forms of technology. Society is quickly becoming a digital era and it's up to me and those who serve this demographic to ensure our members feel comfortable with this shift. This ranges from cell phones, to online documents and forms, to paying bills online, to even checking in for doctors appointments online. It is up to us, those whom they trust, to help prepare them for these changes. In just 40 years, I went from a large IBM desktop computer with a dot matrix printer, to this small, rectangular phone that fits in my back pocket AND does everything I need it to do.

Digital literacy in part is about understanding how a digital medium affects the receipt of a message. How does a YouTube video differ from a website in terms of delivering information? What are the affordances of these different platforms and formats?

The framework to use for measuring digital literacy is largely driven by the kind of economy one seeks to evaluate. What are called advanced skills in some developing economy can be intermediate skills in another developed economy.

With our digital literacy classes, the instructors understand they must go at the pace of those attending the class. They must treat the class as if all of the information was 100% new information. A lot of the information will just need lots of practice and repetition. Our classes aren't necessarily the "How to use Microsoft Word" types of classes, although they are offered. We want to focus more on the daily tasks such as paying bills, using your computer safely, playing safe computer games, basic computer lingo. Information that those who have grown up and into the digital era might take for granted already knowing. With our digital literacy classes, the instructors understand they must go at the pace of those attending the class.

If you're based in the U.S., I highly recommend connecting with Northstar Digital Literacy. They define basic computer and internet skills for daily life, employment, and higher ed. They also offer online self-guided assessments, classroom curricula for adults (English & Spanish), and individualized online practice. My learners earn badges and recognized credentials through their assessments. I've worked with them as a user, an instructor, and a testing site director, and I can't say enough about how user-friendly and reliable the platform is.

Creating information is as important as processing and receiving information. A social media account is an information portal that serves as a primary source, and I think that gets lost in the conversation.

We must understand both digital literacy and digital equity, especially when dealing with older adults. They don't know what they don't know. Most older adults that I talk to don't feel comfortable asking for help with their computer questions because they don't want to bother them.