Why is digital literacy important?

It’s cyber security month! We will be sharing useful tips throughout October. With technology at our fingertips, and a part of many people’s daily life, it is becoming increasingly accessible. We can send an instant message, share a video, access the internet, or stream a video with the press of a few buttons. Digital literacy is more than just knowing how to use technology. It means the ability to find, evaluate, understand, share, and create clear information on digital platforms.

Here are 3 methods to increase your digital literacy:

1. Search for quality information   

With virtually an unlimited amount of information available on the Internet, it can be difficult to sort quality and relevant content. Effective digital literacy entails knowing how to safely and effectively search for pertinent information, and verifying its source and authenticity.

Tips to search for quality information:  

• Use recognized and trusted websites when possible.
• Use advanced search settings and filters to maximize security.
• Always look for references from each source of information.
• Verify information through multiple sources.
• Don’t rely exclusively on sites such as Wikipedia for accurate or impartial information.

  2. Share information securely

A major part of what makes online information so readily available, is that it is becoming progressively easier for people to share content through a wide variety of digital platforms. Whether through email or instant messaging, social media, or websites, sharing information online has advanced to the point where communicating a message to the other side of the world can be accomplished with just the click of a button.

Tips to sharing content securely: 

• Never share sensitive or confidential information online.
• Use password protection for sensitive documents.
• Always use secure platforms whenever possible. (ie. Slack, Dropbox)
• Maintain privacy settings on each digital platform.

3. Creating digital content

With the wide variety of platforms to obtain information from, in addition to countless potential sources, creating digital content can be overwhelming at times. Being diligent when creating digital content is important to ensure that information is accurate, reliable, and easy to reference.

Tips to creating digital content: 

• Always use information from trusted sources.
• Double check references and information sources.
• Always provide proper credit when using others’ content.
• Verify information from at least two quality information sources.

Stay tuned for more useful info about cyber security next week. Don’t miss our iPad giveaway post!