Putting Digital Literacy in Practice: How Schools Contribute to Digital Inclusion in the Network Society

Does the “Do-It-Yourself Approach” Reduce Digital Inequality? Evidence of Self-Learning of Digital Skills

“…For instance, with respect to the findings of Meneses and Momino (2010), it cannot be ruled out that Internet users with more initial digital skills became more motivated to experiment with trial and error. Even if this trial-and-error experimentation did not increase their skills, it would nevertheless result in the association between skills and self-learning that the authors found in their data.…”

“…Other scholars studying pupil acquisition of digital skills also reasoned that the use of the Internet at home would be especially valuable for learning because it is often private and solitary, with much room for free exploration and experimentation (Kerawalla and Crook 2002;Kuhlemeier and Hemker 2007). Further evidence has been found by Meneses and Momino (2010) in a large-scale study of Catalonian children and young adult Internet users. They showed that within the group of Internet users who claim to have acquired digital skills via self-teaching, as compared to users who claimed to have acquired skills via learning in other contexts, exists the largest proportion of users with adequate specific digital skills, such as knowledge about search engine use, downloading files, chatting, and sending e-mails.…”

“…A number of studies show that intensity of Internet use and digital skills are strongly associated (Hargittai 2003;Howard, Rainie, and Jones 2001;Kuhlemeier and Hemker 2007;Meneses and Momino 2010;Zillien and Hargittai 2009). Nevertheless, even in sophisticated multivariate analyses, strong associations between Internet use and digital skills do not tell very much about the underlying causation because of a vicious circle.…”

The Intersection of Public Policy and Public Access: Digital Divides, Digital Literacy, Digital Inclusion, and Public Libraries

“…It is a challenge to solve a problem you cannot define, and the inconsistency of definitions has affected policy-making processes that attempt to address these issues. One caveat-this article focuses on definitions and policies in the United States, but it is important to note that different nations have taken differing definitions of and approaches to digital divides, digital literacy, and inclusion (Barzilai-Nahon 2006;Craven 2011;Dolan and Kahn 2011;Harle and Tarrant 2011;Meneses and Momino 2010;Salvador, Rojas, and Susinos 2010;Stevenson 2009). A review of this literature suggests two conclusions.…”

“…It can also include their ability to deal with and make sense of the amount of information they receive (Goulding 2001). The kinds of technologies and level of access available have a significant impact on digital literacy (Meneses and Momino 2010). One specific component of digital literacy includes what is known as information literacy, which is the ability to recognize when information is needed, find and evaluate the information, and use it effectively (Thompson 2008).…”