’Digital literacy’ is a term that seems to pop up everywhere. In the early 2000s, it was the next big thing; some even suggested it might replace traditional literacy and numeracy. But, like many educational trends, it soon faded from the spotlight, and became something that schools ‘should’ do, or something left to the lone teacher who had been handed the role of IT coordinator. 

For many teachers, at least in the UK, digital literacy meant booking a set of laptops (and hoping the last class had remembered to charge them) and ticking off history learning objectives by making a PowerPoint about Henry VIII’s wives. It became a bit of an afterthought. 

More recently, digital literacy seems to have been rebranded as ‘digital skills’, often framed as the capabilities young people need for the workplace of tomorrow. But I don’t think that tells the full story. 

Digital literacy beyond employability

Digital literacy isn’t just about employability; it’s about fairness and access. It’s about more than just learning to use spreadsheets (though my love for Excel remains strong); it’s about ensuring that all young people have the knowledge and confidence to navigate the digital world we live in today.

Digital literacy is about understanding the digital tools we rely on every day, securely accessing online services, making informed decisions about sharing personal information, and critically evaluating the endless stream of news and misinformation online. 

It’s also about artificial intelligence: not just playing with the latest tools, but understanding how they work, the biases built into them, and the ways they shape our lives.

True digital literacy empowers young people to engage with technology thoughtfully, critically, and confidently. And that’s something worth making space for. To truly ensure that young people have fair access to the digitally enabled world we live in, we must equip them with the skills to understand and use technology effectively. This means making space for digital literacy within the curriculum and ensuring that all teachers feel confident in delivering it.

Digital literacy as a core part of teaching

Every teacher has a role to play in helping students develop these essential skills. This requires high-quality curriculum resources that integrate digital tools meaningfully into different subjects, as well as comprehensive teacher training to ensure every educator feels empowered to teach digital literacy as part of their everyday practice. 

So, let’s not treat digital literacy like that forgotten box of tangled charging cables in the staffroom (important, but nobody is quite sure what to do with it). Instead, let’s make it a core part of teaching, just like reading, writing, and knowing how to keep a straight face when a student asks if they really need to save their work.

If we get this right, we’re not just preparing young people for the jobs of tomorrow, we’re making sure they can navigate today’s digital world safely, confidently, and with the critical thinking skills to tell fact from fiction (because let’s face it, the internet isn’t exactly short on absolute nonsense). 

Now, who’s up for making a PowerPoint about Henry VIII’s wives? 

More on digital literacy

You can discover our free teacher training and classroom resources, and read about how we’ve integrated digital literacy in The Computing Curriculum.

A version of this article appears in the newest issue of Hello World magazine, which is all about digital literacy. Explore issue 26 and download your free PDF copy today.

You can also listen to our recent Hello World podcast episode exploring three teachers’ digital literacy tips for the classroom.