Digital competence is about making use of digital technology. Technological changes and increased digitalization impose demands on knowledge, skills and understanding. Being able to use ICT equipment, interact, understand and orient ourselves online, use functions on various websites and develop digital judgment is essential for mastering a digital everyday life.
Government strategy Digital all your life (2021) defines digital competence as knowledge, skills and judgment. The strategy, which intends to increase digital participation and competence in the population, emphasizes that digital skills are a prerequisite for participation in work, education, community life and various social contexts.
Five skill areas for digital literacy
The Directorate of Education defines five skill areas for digital competence. It's about being able to digitally use and understand, find and process, produce and process, communicate and interact, in addition to exercise digital judgment.
Skill areas in digital skills
Use and understand involves being able to use and navigate digital resources inside and outside networks and safeguarding information and data security. Digital resources can include digital equipment, software and digital measuring instruments. Furthermore, it involves following digital form requirements to emphasize and convey messages using effects, images, sound, illustrations, tables, headings and bullet points.
Find and treat involves acquiring, processing, interpreting and assessing information from digital sources, exercising source criticism, and using source citation. Information from digital sources can be information from text, audio, image, video, symbols, interactive elements, or raw data from records and observations.
Produce and process It involves being creative and creative with the use of digital resources. This involves creating digital products using digital resources, either through innovation or further development and reuse.
Communicate and interact means being able to use digital resources for communication and interaction. Digital interaction involves the use of digital resources to plan, organise and carry out learning work together with others, for example through co-writing and sharing.
Exercise digital judgment It involves following privacy rules and showing consideration to others online. It is about using strategies to avoid adverse events and to demonstrate the ability to ethically reflect and assess one's own role online and in social media.
Source: Basic Skills Framework (Directorate of Education)
