The African Symposium: An online journal of the African Educational Research Network

Literacy as a term has become a dynamic concept and societal changes, especially advancements in the technological world have necessitated a continuous review of what the meaning of literacy should be. Computer literacy and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) literacy are revolutionalizing the concept of literacy as the knowledge of the computer and ICT is beginning to feature prominently in the emerging definitions of literacy. Computer literacy and ICT literacy however, are two common forms of literacy often erroneously perceived to be synonymous. It is common to see these two terms used interchangeably. However, these two terms even though closely related, connote different technical meanings. This paper discusses the concept of literacy and how computer literacy and ICT literacy have come to bear in the emerging definitions of literacy. It also explores the technical meanings of the two terms by providing an aggregation of the views, assertions, and definitions expressed by experts to make a clear distinction between the two.