Thinking in the Digital Era: A Revised Model for Digital Literacy

Having digital literacy requires more than just the ability to use software or to operate a digital device; it includes a large variety of complex skills such as cognitive, motoric, sociological and emotional skills that users need to master in order to use digital environments effectively. Unfortunately, the research on digital literacy lacks a well-established theoretical framework. This paper presents an updated version of the skills-based theoretical framework, published by EshetAlkalai in 2004 – adding to it a sixth skill (real-time thinking skill), and discussing the model in light of the recent literature on digital literacy. The updated model of digital literacy consists of the following skills: photo-visual skills (understanding messages from graphical displays), reproduction skills (utilizing digital reproduction to create new, meaningful materials from preexisting ones), branching skills (constructing knowledge from non-linear, hypertextual navigation), information skills (critically evaluating the quality and validity of information), socio-emotional skills (understanding the “rules” that prevail in the cyberspace and applying this understanding in virtual communication), and real-time thinking (the ability to process large volumes of stimuli at the same time, as in video games or in online teaching). The present paper presents results from performance-based studies of the author, that investigated the application of the above digital literacy skills conceptual model among different groups of users. Results clearly indicate that the younger participants performed better than the older ones, with photo-visual and branching literacy tasks, whereas the older participants were found to be more "digitally-literate" in reproduction and information literacy tasks. The paper presents findings from recent studies that examined change over time in digital literacy skills. It sheds light on the cognitive skills that users utilize in performing with digital environments, and provides educators and software developers with helpful guidelines for designing better user-centered digital environments.