Dimensions of Digital Literacy in the 21st Century Competency Frameworks
María Cristina Martínez-Bravo, Charo Sádaba, Javier Serrano-Puche
Abstract
The Information and Knowledge Society demands the development of skills for the critical and responsible consumption and use of technology for leisure, personal, professional, academic development, and citizen participation. The international frameworks of “21st Century Competences” underline the importance of digital competence as the axis to enhance the rest of competences. This key competence goes beyond the operational use of technological tools and applications and has been studied from different approaches. This research explores digital literacy in eight international frameworks from different institutions and initiatives: UNESCO, European Union, OECD, ATCS, P21, NETS, NAEP, and Engauge, from which a content analysis is performed, and where the areas of scope of the competencies and the relationships between the different proposals are explored. The findings contribute to the understanding of an integrated approach to digital literacy, where six dimensions are identified: critical, cognitive, operational, social, emotional, and projective. Three dimensional profiles are also identified that point towards the critical use of technology, the appropriation of technology in daily life and social innovation, which invites a rethink towards digital literacy from a multi and interdimensional vision.