Digital
literacy as a fourth literacy has become necessary to talk about in education
and eLearning. Although reading, writing, and mathematics are respected as the
basis of being literate, literacy in this day is not complete if a person is
not capable of accessing and creating digital information.
Education
as an important vehicle drives the economic development and human welfare of a
nation. It is important to note that the changing educational environment, the
diverse educational needs of students, the high expectations from the public,
the work environment, and periodic policy reports demand educational change not
only at the education system level but also at the school-based level in local
and international contexts.
Information
and Communications Technology (ICT) and digital literacy have the potential to
transform our economies and systems of education. Therefore, our ICT policy and
educational practice must evolve to help bridge the digital divide, and our
teacher educators must be positioned to use ICT in their professional practice
to help address challenges faced in developing digital literacy.
Digital Literacy and E-learning
Digital Literacy is the ability to use ICT to find, evaluate,
create, and communicate information, requiring both intellectual and technical
skills. Whereas e-learning refers to the utilization of ICT tools,
services, and digital content in education. E-learning presents enormous
opportunities to significantly facilitate the effectiveness of delivering the
learning contents and gaining access to a vast pool of educational information
if appropriately utilized, and it has also gained global recognition as a
method to improve the teaching and learning processes aimed at creating an
economy powered by technology and propelled by information and knowledge.
E-learning in schools is used both by students and staff in the process of
exchanging information and gaining knowledge, as well as for communication and
easy access to educational information at a cheaper cost.
A
digitally literate person possesses a variety of skills (technical and
cognitive) required to find, understand, evaluate, create, and communicate
digital information in a wide variety of formats. This person is able to use
diverse technologies appropriately and effectively to retrieve information,
interpret results, and judge the quality of that information; Understands the
relationship between technology, lifelong learning, personal privacy, and management
of information; Uses these skills and the appropriate technology to communicate
and collaborate with peers, colleagues, family, and, occasionally, the public. Such a person uses these skills to actively participate in society and
contribute to a vibrant, informed, and engaged community.
The
lesson of the last two to three decades, for education just like all other
sectors, is that nobody can drive to the future on cruise control. Many schools
and educational institutions, businesses, and corporations that fell asleep at
the wheel are struggling. For many, the struggle came unexpectedly from
competitors, who had appeared to be trivial from afar but raced past the late
moments of the 20th century to become the new industry leaders. Others were
overtaken by smaller, more entrepreneurial, and innovative players who took
advantage of the intersections or entry points that rapidly advancing
technology created. The educational setups and institutions that
positioned themselves properly are championing and still mastering the digital
terrain.
For
the transformative potential of ICT to be fully realized in Ghana, effort must
be made to understand and integrate local knowledge and local literacy
practices into intervention programs. Many communities, both rural and urban,
lack the needed educational content. It is proper that we develop local
language and content curriculum in digital formats. Interventions should not
only focus on equipping people with digital skills to access information from around
the world, but participants’ generative and productive capabilities should also
be developed to contribute local knowledge to the global discourse. Programs
must be culturally and ideologically sensitive to local contexts.
The
nation will make significant progress if it considers structuring the
integration of ICT in education, developing national digital literacy skills,
and reducing the digital divide. For instance, public-accessible e-learning,
and educational resource sharing systems, such as digital education resource
banks (an online repository of learning objects) relevant to the Ghanaian
educational system produced or identified by Ghanaian educators/teachers,
students, and supported by corporate organizations. The learning objects on such an education resource bank may include but are not limited to lesson plans,
multiple-choice questions, simulations, animations, learning activities,
website links, photographs, study guides, audio, and video clips, etc.
However,
this is met by internet accessibility and connectivity challenges. To
facilitate digital education/learning, these challenges cannot be ruled out, and
to include the unserved and underserved across the country. Ultimately, this
will go a long way to support the government and private initiatives to bring
development and promote digital inclusion in Ghana and,
bridging the digital divide.
During
this COVID-19 pandemic, some schools, including universities and businesses, in
Ghana made it possible to develop e-learning/online platforms for students to
access. Schools, libraries, and learning centers of lower and higher levels
must be supported to build educational resource platforms where content
developed by the teachers and students can be uploaded to be freely shared or
accessed by learners and educators in the country and the rest of the global
community.
Thus,
schools and learning centers can partner with relevant bodies to enrich and
roll out e-learning programs to the rest of the country based on the following
objectives:
· To ensure that quality educational
resources reach remote schools and disadvantaged communities.
· To train teachers and students in
e-learning and the integration of ICT in the teaching and learning process.
· To improve or enhance the quality
of education in schools.
· To promote the spirit of
teamwork/partnership between schools within the country.
· To enhance 21st Century skills,
innovative teaching/learning practices in schools and ensure education
transformation.
· To narrow or bridge the gap between
urban and rural schools.
Conclusion
ICT, therefore, provides an array of powerful tools that may
help in transforming the present isolated, teacher-centered, and text-bound
classrooms into rich, student-focused, interactive knowledge environments. Consequently,
digital learning is increasingly being suggested as an alternative to or a way
to enhance traditional educational approaches, since it can overcome many of
the challenges involved in reaching underserved students.
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