Digital Literacies

Digital literacies refers to the many different ways in which humans create, share, and negotiate meanings using the tools and resources of digital technologies, within different contexts, for diverse purposes, and where there are varying norms for proficiency. Digital literacies occur in myriad social contexts, although, historically speaking, digital literacies in out-of-school learning contexts tend to attract more attention from researchers and educators alike as they study how people make use of [Page 216]digital literacies in their everyday lives to get things done or to participate in meaningful practices. This entry first discusses the development of the idea of digital literacy and how it has been defined. It then discusses digital literacies research, the digital literacy practices of participatory culture, and key issues and concerns ...