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Understanding Digital and AI Literacy: A Guide for Parents and Teachers

Understanding Digital and AI Literacy: A Guide for Parents and Teachers

Discover the importance of digital and AI literacy for the future of work. Learn how you can support your young people in developing essential skills for navigating the digital landscape and preparing for AI-driven careers.

Gem Hallett
January 16, 2025

Hello Parents and Teachers 👋

In today's fast-paced, tech-driven world, digital literacy is crucial for everything from booking doctors’ appointments to managing finances and interacting with service providers online. And let's not forget the workplace, where digital skills are a must!

What is Digital Literacy?

Digital Literacy is the ability to effectively and critically navigate, evaluate, and create information using digital technologies.

Sounds fancy, right? It’s not, here’s what it means…

📲Navigating Digital Technologies: Using computers, laptops, smartphones, and tablets to access information and perform tasks.

🌐Internet and Web Browsers: Finding and evaluating information online through Google or Bing. Tools like Copilot and ChatGPT are coming in here too.

🤳Social Media Platforms: Using Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn for communication and networking, and understanding the different audiences and messaging on each one.

📊Productivity Software: Employers expect school leavers to know how to use Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides).

📧Communication Tools: Using email, messaging apps (like Slack), and video conferencing tools (like Zoom and Teams). Employers often say, ‘School leavers need to improve their email skills!’

☁️Cloud Services: Storing and sharing files online with Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive.

🎥Digital Media Tools: Creating and editing content with Adobe Creative Suite (like Photoshop) and video editing tools (like Final Cut Pro). Young people often use efficient apps for their social media content and can be ahead of the curve here.

💡Tip: Encourage them to improve their understanding and application of these. We share some of the best tutorials and activities on our @miFutureHQ social channels daily. Follow us there.

What is AI Literacy?

AI Literacy is understanding how artificial intelligence works, its applications, and its implications. Its rapid rise means it’s moving faster than the education and AI is not considered int the curriculum. So self-learning has never been so important, AI tools can give school leavers an edge.

Here’s what employers tell us they want:

Understanding AI Basics: Knowing what AI is, how it works, and the different types (like generative AI and machine learning).
Applications of AI: Recognising how AI tools generate content and automate tasks.
Interacting with AI Tools: Using AI tools like virtual assistants (Siri, Alexa), chatbots, GenAI, CoPilot, ChatGPT, etc.
Ethical Considerations: Understanding privacy, bias, and trusting results.

💡Tip: Encourage young people to learn about AI through online courses, tutorials, and hands-on projects. We share great resources daily on @miFutureHQ on Facebook and Instagram.

Literacy vs. Technical Skills

I just want to express that Digital and AI Literacy are the ‘minimal expectation’ skills. We’re not talking about building robots here – that’s advanced technical stuff! These are the foundational skills necessary for building more complex digital and technical abilities.

How Can You Help?

As parents and teachers, you play a crucial role in helping young people develop these skills. Here’s 3 ways you can support them..

Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest in digital technologies and AI. I’ll do my best to keep you updated through these newsletters.
Encourage Exploration: Motivate young people to explore digital tools and AI platforms. We provide entry-level and beginner resources and opportunities to learn, you can explore these.
Promote Lifelong Learning: Foster a mindset of continuous learning. This goes for everyone! Encourage online courses, workshops, and curiosity about new technologies.

By staying informed, developing relevant skills, and embracing lifelong learning, our young people will be ready for the future workplace.

Thanks for reading, and let’s keep the conversation going. If I can be of any more help, let me know.

You've got this 😎✌️

Gem Hallett,

miFuture Founder
miFuture.co.uk | @miFutureHQ

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