Literacy, defined most simply, is the ability to read

and write. But increasingly, we recognize that such a

basic definition does not convey the power-
economic, political, social, cultural-that comes with
literacy
UNESCO defines literacy as “the ability to identify,
understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute,
using printed and written materials associated with varying
contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning in
enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their
knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their
community and wider society”
New Literacies that arise from new
technologies include things like text-messaging, blogging,
social networking, podcasting, and videomaking. These
digital technologies alter and extend our communication
abilities, often blending text, sound, and imagery.
 New literacies generally are new forms of literacy
made possible by digital technology developments,
although new literacies do not necessarily have to
involve use of digital technologies to be recognized as
such.

The term “new literacies” itself is relatively new within

the field of literacy studies ( David Buckingham). Its
definition remains open, with new literacies being
conceptualized in different groups of scholars.
 One group of scholars argues that literacy is now deictic,
and see it as continually and rapidly changing as new
technologies appear and new social practices for literacy
emerge. (Leu, 2000).

Other groups of scholars follow a more sociocultural

orientation that focuses on literacy as a social practice,
which emphasizes the role of literacy with a range of socially
patterned and goal-directed ways of getting things done in
the world.( Gee & Hayes, 2012)
DIGITAL LITERACY
 Digital literacy is a component of media literacy. It refers
to an individual’s ability to find, evaluate, produce and
communicate information through writing and other
forms of communication on various digital platforms.
 Digital literacy is the capacity to use digital technology,
communication devices or networks to locate, analyze,
use and produce information. It is the ability to read, write
and clarify media, to replicate data and visuals to digital
manipulation, and to assess and implement new
knowledge gained from digital environments.
 While digital literacy initially focused on digital skills and
stand-alone computers, its focus shifted to network devices
including the internet and use of social media. Digital
literacy does not replace traditional forms of literacy,
instead building upon the skills that form the foundation of
traditional forms of literacy.
 The International Society for Technology in Education
maintains parameter for digital literacy around six
benchmarks. These consist of “innovation, communication
and cooperation, research and information, critical
thinking, problem-solving and decision- making, digital
citizenship and technology concepts and operations.”
COMPUTER LITERACY
 Computer literacy is the ability to use computers and
related technology efficiently, with a range of skills
covering levels from elementary use to programming and
advance problem solving. By another measure,
computer literacy requires some understanding of
computer programming and how computers work.
 It is different from digital literacy. Digital literacy refers to
the ability to communicate or find information from the
internet. It improves computer literacy to a certain
extent. Computer literacy is part of digital literacy.
GLOBAL LITERACY
Global Literacy is understanding the interdependence
among countries and their people, and having the ability to
communicate and collaborate across culture.
Here is a global literacy skill list to help assess students’
Global Literacy:
 Position topics and viewpoints within their environmental,
economical, political and historical context;
 Outline obstacles and find resolutions with a thorough
understanding of their complications, without
oversimplification;
 Chronicle the characteristics, elements, evolutions and
ramifications of global structures;
 Find historical and up-to-date links, recognizing how the
lives and faiths of people on other parts of the world
blend with our own;
 Critically scrutinize information, while questioning
assumptions;
 Seek out a variety of viewpoints, while asking pertinent
questions;
 Initiate ethical positions pertaining to global matters;

 Demonstrate an awareness of global responsibility and

individual empowerment.
EMOTIONAL LITERACY
Emotional Literacy is the ability to understand your
emotions, the capacity to listen to others and empathize
with their emotions, and the potential to demonstrate
emotions effectively.

Emotional literacy enhances relationships, generate

loving possibilities between people and encourages the
feeling of the community.
Emotional Literacy student objectives include:
• Knowing your feelings;
• Having a sense of empathy;
• Learning to direct one’s emotions;
• Mending emotional damage.
 The four R’s of Emotional Literacy are:

• Responsibility

• Resourcefulness

• Resilience

• Respect
MEDIA LITERACY
Media Literacy encompasses the practices that allow
people to access, critically evaluate, and create media. It is
not restricted to one medium and therefore has had several
different attempt to have a specific definition over the
years.
The US-based National Association for Media Literacy
Education defines it as a series of communication
competencies with the ability to access, analyze, evaluate,
and communicate in a variety of forms which can be print
or non-print messages.
INFORMATION LITERACY
 Information Literacy is the ability to recognize what
information is required , understand how the information
is structured, distinguish the principal sources of
information for a given need, find and assess those
sources critically, then share that information.
 The American Library Association defines “information
literacy” as a set of abilities requiring individuals to
“recognize when information is needed and have the
ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the
needed information.
 The United States National Forum on Information Literacy
defines information literacy as “…the hyper ability to
know when there is a need for information, to be able to
identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively use that
information for the issue or problem at hand.”
 Other definitions incorporate aspects of “skepticism,
judgement, free thinking, questioning, and
understanding…” or incorporate competencies that an
informed citizen of an information society ought to
possess to participate intelligently and actively in that
society.
Information Literacy student objectives include:
• Grasping the basics of the Internet;
• Examining and classifying information;
• Developing search queries;
• Understanding the justification and components of a
citation;
• Evaluating plausibility, usefulness and websites;

• Referencing sources and avoiding plagiarism.

 According to McTavish (2009), in order to increase and
maximize people’s contributions to a healthy, democratic
and pluralistic society and maintain a prosperous and
sustainable economy, governments and industries around
the world are challenging education systems to focus
peoples attention on literacy.
ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY
Environmental literacy is the ability to demonstrate
proficiency of the environment and the conditions affecting
it, especially as it applies to climate, land, air, energy, food,
water and our ecosystem. It means students:
• Understand society’s influence on population growth,
development, resource consumption growth and much
more.
• Study and assess, make precise conclusions about
beneficial solutions.
• Take both independent and communal action towards
tackling challenges, such as participating in global
endeavors, and creating solutions that encourage action
on environmental issues.
Environmentally literate people are:
• 10 percent more likely to conserve energy in the home

• 10 percent more likely to obtain environmentally safe

products

• 50 percent more likely to recycle

• 50 percent more likely to avoid using chemicals in yard

care
VISUAL LITERACY

Visual literacy is the ability to identify and

understand ideas communicated through
actions or images(decode), as well as to be
able to communicate ideas through imagery
(encode)
 Leu, Coiro, Castek, Hartman, Henry and Reinking (2008)
have begun to explore the use of modified instructional
model of reciprocal teaching that reflects some of the
differences between offline and online reading contexts. In
an instructional model known as Internet Reciprocal
Teaching, each student has his/her own laptop with
access to the internet and students work in a small group to
facilitate interactive group work in discussion about
strategy use.