1. What is Digital Competence?

Nowadays, technology has taken over the world. We use technology everyday and it permits not only to communicate and stay in contact with others, but also to sell goods and services. Everyday, jobs require high-tech and computers, and employers and employees need to be proficient in their use.

Digital literacy refers to the knowledge, work and skills to understand and create information with digital technology. Those who are digital literates have the knowledge and skills to work with computers, internet, and cell phones, among other digital devices, to interact with society and to communicate effectively in different contexts. All these skills are called digital competence, or e-competence, which has to do with acting and interacting with computers and other digital devices to search, find, process and communicate information. Digital competence includes the use of the internet, e-mails, word processing, spreadsheets, database, and information storage. However, digital competence not only includes knowledge: values and attitudes toward digital tools have to be taken into account. According to Peña López, lecturer and researcher from the ICT the society,

“Digital competence is reached in the strategic use of different skills in several spheres of action which lead to their respective dimensions of the digital competence:

• Sphere of learning: learn and generate knowledge
• Sphere of information: Retrieve, evaluate and manage information
• Sphere of communication: how we relate with others, communicate, etc. in digital environments
• Sphere of digital culture and digital citizenship: civic behaviour, political participation, security, etc.
• Sphere of technology: use and manage technological devices — not the first sphere, not the only one, but one in five"

Teachers should help in the development of this digital competence. Wikis, blogs, podcasts and other web tools can be used in the classroom to this purpose. They can also take advantage of the popular social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and Skype, that usually youngsters use to communicate and to be in contact with their friends.

To learn more about this topic, click on the following links:

1. Digital competence in ICT
   
2. Digital competence for learning
   
3. International Journal of Digital Literacy