Born wired or logging on late:

Born wired or logging on late:

Supporting digital learning across generations

Background

• Digital divide
• urban and rural
• socioeconomic status
• education
• Post covid- internet use but access and extent of use is limited.
• Digital natives & immigrants

Digital Equity

What is digital equity? K-12 schools, Higher Education, Communities

• Digital Literacy and Citizenship

• Access to devices and connectivity

• Digital competency

• Learning with technology

• Leadership and digital transformation

• Systems, resources, & policies

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From Digital Promise: https://digitalpromise.org/digital-equity/higher-ed-framework/

Digital Literacy

What does it mean to be digitally literate in 2025?

• I can navigate, evaluate, and create information across a wide range of digital environments.

• I understanding how technology works, shapes communication, access to information, and participation in society.

• I can adapt to new technologies, recognize misinformation, protect my privacy, and contribute positively to online communities.

+ info

Digital Competencies

What does it mean to have digital competency?

• access and use the internet on a variety of digital devices; troubleshoot issues.

• hardware: know different digital devices including specifications for processing, storage, and memory.
• download, edit, and resize images; compress and unzip files; use cloud storage
• create accessible text documents, record and add captions to videos, create ALT text for images
• keep personal and student information secure
• identify deepfakes; analyze AI output

adult Learner Model

Learner Variability Project

Digital Promise- focused resources and strategies for meeting the needs of all learners. Recognizes differences, experiences, and context for learners.

Content

Cognition

Social & Emotional Learning

Background

Components

Photovisual & Reproduction Literacy

Real Time Thinking

Branching Literacy

• Navigate a website
• where to click
• button functions
• Create multimedia.

• design a presentation
• record and edit a video
• crop and resize photos
• remove background

• Working memory
• Processing multiple sources of information
• Determining meaning and context

• Searching online
• Scheduling appointments
• Searching for news articles
• Non-linear, multidimensional formats: links; hyperlinks; QR

Adult Learner Factors

Background

Social & Emotional Learning

Language & Literacy

Cognition

• Background knowledge
• Composition
• Digital literacy
• Disciplinary literacy
• Numeracy
• Oral communication
• Problem solving

• Adverse experiences
• Technophobia
• Literacy
• Hearing, vision
• Sleep; health
• Social support
• Socioeconomic status

• Attention
• Auditory processing
• Cognitive flexibility
• Inhibition

• Memory
• Processing

• Emotion
• Mindset
• Motivation

• Self-regulation
• Sense of belonging

Resource: Promoting Digital Literacy for Adult Learners

• Digital promise
• Based on Adult Learner Factors
• Background information and guide for teaching digital literacy

Additional Resources

UNESCO: September 2025 International Literacy Day EuroPass: Test your digital skills UNESCO: Digital Competencies European Commission: Digital Competence Framework (DigComp)

Best Practices

Needs Assessment

Design

Assess digital literacy and digital competency

IntentionalUniversal design for Learning

Lifelong Learning

Skill Development

Continuously update skills

Multimodal Multiple means to demonstrate

Scaffolding

Intentionally prepare for tech and digital skill use

Contact

Dr. Jacqueline McGinty Professor Indiana University of Pennsylvania jmcginty@iup.edu