While 50% of the world is technically connected to the internet, how many are making meaningful use of its power? Similarly, how many truly have the digital skills necessary to transition from consumers of technology into creators, makers, and doers empowered by technology? Digital literacy is important. The United Nations Sustainable Development goals repeatedly underline the importance of technology and inclusion as enablers of development. The pairing is essential – unless concrete efforts are made to give everyone access to the right skills, digital tools risk being a force for inequality. Without this foundation, there cannot be true inclusion, an especially dire challenge for forgotten stakeholders. This presentation illustrates the massive amount of resources available to define digital literacy, while showcasing examples of both definitions and frameworks.

1. Digital literacy is a human right.
Melissa Sassi
• IBM Z Influencer Ecosystem – Startup Program Manager
• CEO & Founder: MentorNations
• PhD Candidate
• Chair – IEEE Smart Village Digital Literacy & Skills Working Group
@mentorafrika
#digitalinclusion

2. Discussion Topics
• UN Global Goals
• Digital Inclusion Defined
• Internet Access
• Digital Skills
• The Research
#digitalinclusion

3. Digital
Inclusion
Empowering people through
information and
communication technologies
(ICTs)
ITU, 2019
Access | Skills | Utilization
#digitalinclusion

4. Technology & Inclusion: Enablers of development & economic growth.
Digital tools risk being a force for inequality.
#digitalinclusion
United Nations, 2015

5. Drivers of Change
&
Areas of Impact
#digitalinclusion
The Future of Digital Inclusion:
Technological | Economic | Regulatory | Security | Network
Internet Society, 2019

6. 49% of the world lacks internet access
Poor urban women in the developing world are 50% less likely to access the internet
Internet Connectivity around the World
#digitalinclusion
ITU, 2018

7. Internet Affordability around the World
2B live in a country where internet access is unaffordable
Low-and middle-income countries: 1GB of data costs >5% of monthly income
Affordable threshold: 1GB of data = <2% of avg income
Alliance for Affordable Internet, 2018
#digitalinclusion

8. Alliance for Affordable Internet, 2015
#digitalinclusion
The Gender Inclusion Gap

9. Alliance for Affordable Internet, 2015
#digitalinclusion

10. What is/are:
- digital literacy
- digital skills
- digital intelligence
- digital frameworks
- digital competence
- digital life skills
Ask 1,000 different people to define these words and you will hear 1,000
different answers.
#digitalinclusion

11. Literacy is the Ability to:
• identify,
• understand,
• interpret,
• create,
• communicate,
• compute, and
• use printed and written
materials associated with
varying contexts.
UNESCO, 2019
#digitalinclusion

12. 124 Different Sources
0
10
20
30
40
50
Academia For-Profit TBD Nonprofit Government International
Organization
124 resources identified | 64 definitions | 60 tutorials and lessons
Sassi, 2019
#digitalinclusion

13. 14 Different Audiences
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
Academia | Anyone | Aspiring IT SMEs | Teachers | Policy Makers | Youth
Sassi, 2019
#digitalinclusion

14. 3 Definitions in the Spotlight
DigCom 2.0
• “the ability to access, manage, understand, integrate,
communicate, evaluate and create information safely and
appropriately through digital technologies for employment,
decent jobs and entrepreneurship. It includes competences that
are variously referred to as computer literacy, ICT literacy,
information literacy and media literacy (European Commission,
2018).
The American Library
Association
• “the ability to use information and communication technologies to
find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring
both cognitive and technical skills” (American Library Association,
2018).
Digital Dannelse
• “a combination of knowledge, skills and attitudes, through technology,
to perform tasks, solve problems, communicate, manage information,
collaborate create and share content effectively, appropriately, securely,
critically, creatively, independently and ethically (Digital Dannelse,
2016).
#digitalinclusion

15. Education Ministries with Digital Skills Frameworks
47 countries represented
Some countries have adopted multiple frameworks
1. International
Computers Drivers
License: ICDL
a. 31 countries
2. Certiport Internet &
Computer Core
Certification: IC3
a. 13 countries
3. Microsoft Digital
Literacy Standard
Curriculum
a. 11 countries

16. How can we measure progress…
If we do not measure
results, we cannot
determine if we are
succeeding or failing.
If we cannot see
success, we cannot
reward it.
If we cannot reward
success, we are
probably rewarding
failure.
If we cannot see
success, we cannot
learn from it.
If we aren’t recognizing
failure, we cannot
course correct.
If we cannot share and
demonstrate results, we
cannot gain solve the
SDGs and garner public
support.
We cannot.
Osborn & Gaebler, 1992
#digitalinclusion

17. A Global Framework of
Reference on Digital
Literacy Skills for SDG #4
• Digital Literacy Global Framework
(DLGF) project
• Aims to develop a methodology to
show progress against the
percentage of people with
minimum proficiency in digital
literacy skills
• Focused on economic
empowerment & entrepreneurship
UNESCO, 2018
#digitalinclusion

18. The DigComp 2.0 Framework – A UNESCO Best Practice
UNESCO, 2019; Vuorikari et al., 2016
1. Missing device and
hardware operations
2. Missing career-
specific productivity
tools
3. Missing
computational
thinking
#digitalinclusion

19. The Digital Competency Wheel: Digital Dannelse –
A UNESCO Best Practice
Digital Dannelse, 2017
#digitalinclusion
Missing productivity tools.

20. Coalition for Digital
Intelligence
• Sets a precedent for coordinated
action
• Advances digital intelligence
• Promotes a common
understanding
• Helps articulate what is meant by
terms such as digital skills and
digital literacy.
• Identifies best practices
• Helps establish common metrics
#digitalinclusion

21. Digital Citizenship
Digital Creativity
Digital
Entrepreneurship
The DQ Framework
DQ Institute, 2019
#digitalinclusion
Missing hardware operations

22. Farmer Senior
Healthcare
Worker
Teacher
precision
agriculture
e-government
services
e-health
education
tools
Outcomes
Digital Inclusion
Access | Usage | Skills | Confidence | Motivation | Independence
Employment | Education | Savings | Creativity | Entrepreneurship | Health | Communication | Connection
Entertainment | Public Services | Civic Participation
An Outcomes-based Approach: Tying
Digital Inclusion to Outcomes & Use Cases
UK Government, 2015
Student
knowledge
Veteran
e-government
services
#digitalinclusion
The key to digital inclusion is to translate definitions and frameworks into real use cases
based on real people and actual life journeys and desired outcomes.

23. Thank you!
Melissa Sassi
mesassi@ibm.com
melissa@mentornations.org
https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasassi/
https://twitter.com/mentorafrika
#digitalinclusion