Testing digital literacy

NYT -- The Educational Testing Service has announced a new battery of tests designed to test ICT literacy. This foray into the specialist area could conceivably avail an international mechanism for schools from around the world to measure the ability of graduates to perform in the connected work place.

The test evaluates such skills as

• Knowing where and how to find information
• interpreting, sorting, evaluating, manipulating and repackaging information in dozens of forms from thousands of sources
• Having a fundamental understanding of the legal and ethical uses of digital materials
• Critical thinking

We test third level students in their critical thinking skills as well as in their hands-on proficiency. In a crowded internet enivronment where no one knows you might be a dog, it's critical to insist upon core skills before graduating a multimedia student from year to year. Our position at Tipperary Institute follows from the observation of Colm O'Riordan who says, "Try throwing a stone down Grafton Street without hitting someone who claims to be able to design web pages". Only a demonstration of portfolio skills alongside a solid client list guarantees your work a professional status.

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Tom Zeller -- "Measuring Literacy i a world gone digital"
Robert Reich -- Work of Nations: Preparing Ourselves for 21st Century Capitalism ISBN 0679736158
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