Contrary to popular belief, today’s young students are not as digitally savvy as they seem to be.
Of course they are familiar with various devices and basic operations like moving around Social Networks and downloading videos and music. Unfortunately these skills are not enough to deal with the demands of both academic and working environments, nor do they ensure the quality of the information they receive or their online safety. Thus, we must not assume that any child is naturally acquiring those digital skills most needed in today’s world.

A clear example of this is the use of such basic tools as cloud-based document editors and storage services, or all the functions and uses found in the most popular email managers. Without these abilities these students are at a clear disadvantage compared to their peers who handle routine tasks using these tools. Simply put, they are not ready to make the most of the digital opportunities at their disposal.

This reality highlights the need for a digital education based on real-world tasks that are required in daily life at school and work. Unlike languages which are naturally acquired through exposure at an early age, digital skills must be explicitly taught, explained and practised at school and at home in various contexts.

Furthermore, another goal of this focus on practical digital education can be the development of students’ ability to identify legitimate and false sources while researching a topic on the Internet for class. This would allow the students to recognise the characteristics of trustworthy sources of information. This ability is fundamental for a well-informed citizen to form solid opinions about issues like climate change or the sharing economy.

Another focus for the digital wellbeing of students should be managing their privacy in all of their online interactions. In this way, students would have the tools necessary to protect themselves from online predators, and bullying from classmates.

Only if these aspects and lessons of digital education are integrated into course syllabi can we truly call young people digital natives.