The importance of digital learning today

The old adage highlights the importance of the three Rs: reading, (w)riting, and ’rithmetic. While still supremely relevant for education today, the three Rs are, today, best paired with five Ds – which are neither indicators of failure nor distinction – digital operation, digital identity and development, digital information and analysis, digital communication; and digital innovation and creation.

These ‘five Ds’ are referenced in a recent report to the Coalition of Australian Governments Education Council, presented as an all-encompassing umbrella for a third literacy that complements the core pillars of English and maths for secondary students.

However, while these ‘five Ds’ are undeniably important in the digital age, they only work if accompanied by two other factors: digital access and digital critique.

The digital access issue

A basic premise of being ‘digital’ is that students have access to the tools – both connected devices and high-speed connectivity – that allow them to truly tap into the potential of online learning. COVID-19 forced students into remote learning, with the stark realisation that not every Australian student was equally able to make this move.

While students in areas with speedy internet and compatible devices were primed for digital access, those without either were not. To address digital access, we must bridge the digital divide between the ’haves’ and ’have nots’.

But even with the right digital access, perhaps the more pressing concern should be upskilling students on the importance of digital critique.

Teaching digital discernment

Digital critique is paramount in today’s world.

For students, it is about teaching them to become digitally discerning citizens who responsibly engage online. I learnt a critical two-part question in a university library in the mid-1990s during an impactful Writing Histories course, which is as relevant then as it is today: who wrote history, and why?

The digital age gifts us with access to a wealth of information, but also an infinite array of opinion about any topic. Unfortunately, as noted by the EY Megatrends 2020 report, this freedom of access to knowledge is a double-edged sword because of how quick and easy it is to make and spread fake information.

You do not have to scroll too far down a social media feed to discover COVID-19 conspiracy theorists which, admittedly, are obvious ‘fake news’ shares you can spot a mile away. Those in-your-face ideas are far less insidious than marginally incorrect or flat-out deceitful storytelling, which reinforce fears and prejudices.

The EY Megatrends report was created to guide leaders through unprecedented change and to chart future growth with the help of a framework. As for a framework to navigating the trustworthiness of knowledge online, the answer to determining the validity of online information is found in answering a digital tweak to that same two-part question: who put this online, and why?

Information ‘vs’ misinformation

According to the EY Megatrends report, the Edelman Trust Barometer notes that six in 10 people (from 27 countries) are unsure of what is true and what is not. It is not surprising, though, given that the report also notes an alarming 93% increase in the coverage of misinformation and disinformation in 2019.

These kinds of erosions to the great trajectory of human knowledge are regressive. They can also lead to entrenched political nationalism and have proven to be enormously persuasive to those people ill-equipped to reflectively ask and honestly answer: who is telling the story, and why?

Despite the perks of digital access, the ease of acquiring information online also puts a greater onus on our students to place higher levels of discernment, fact-checking skills, and critical assessment to the information they discover before they share it. Thankfully, as noted by the EY Megatrends report, lessons dedicated to teaching students to spot phony information has led to future citizens who are more discerning at identifying misinformation.

Evolving digital literacy

Digital critique must evolve alongside digital access.

Critical assessment of un-curated digital content is crucial, which means it requires a change in approach for secondary students. To date, secondary education focuses on the absorption of predefined views in order to understand the system as a whole and our place in it.

This must change to embed digital critique as a fundamental literacy.

Applying this two-part line of questioning to this blog – who wrote this? – I have dedicated my career to providing services to government regulators to promote best outcomes for education (and other core areas). As for why I wrote this blog, the health and sustainability of our democracy demands that our education policymakers, leaders and influencers acknowledge that digital critique must be a fundamental literacy.

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 The views reflected in this article are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organisation or its member firms.