Leaders' Edge

Topic: Leadership and Vision

What are 21st Century Literacy Skills?

People use the term "21st Century literacy skills" a lot these days. What does it mean?

During the 2003 Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Literacy Summit held in Washington D.C. last January, leaders in education, policy making, and the business world agreed that educators have yet to come to national consensus about what these skills are. However, headway is being made in this area.

For example, a study entitled "Digital Transformation: A Framework for ICT Literacy," published by ETS identifies these skills as the ability to:

• Collect and/or retrieve information
• Organize and manage information
• Interpret and present information
• Evaluate the quality, relevance, and usefulness of information
• Generate accurate information through the use of existing resources

You may access a copy of this report for your own professional reading, or to use as a tool for discussion with staff.

Submitted by: Susan Brooks-Young

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Leaders' Edge Coordinator: Susan Brooks-Young