Web literacy refers to the skills and competencies needed for reading, writing, and participating on the web.[1] It has been described as "both content and activity" meaning that web users should not just learn about the web but also about how to make their own website.[2]
In the late 1990s, literacy researchers began to explore the differences between printed text and network-enabled devices with screens. This research was largely focused on two areas: the credibility of information that can be found on theWorld Wide Web[3] and the difference thathypertext makes to reading and writing.[4] These skills were included in definitions of information literacy and included in aSCONUL position paper in 1999.[5] This paper became the '7 Pillars of Information Literacy', which was last updated in 2011.[6]
TheMozilla Foundation is anon-profit organization that aims to promote openness, innovation, and participation on theInternet. It has created a Web Literacy Map[1] in consultation with a community ofstakeholders from formal and informal education, as well as industry.[7][1] Work on what was originally entitled a Web Literacy 'Standard' began in early 2013. Version 1.0 was launched at theMozilla Festival later that year.[8] Going forward, 'standard' was seen to be problematic and against the ethos of what the Mozilla community was trying to achieve.[9]
Literacy Version 1.1 of theWeb Literacy MapArchived 2017-02-07 at theWayback Machine was released in early 2014[10] and underpins the Mozilla Foundation'sWebmaker resources section, where learners and mentors can find activities that help teach related areas. Although the Web Literacy Map is a list of strands, skills, and competencies, it is most commonly represented as a competency grid.
The Mozilla community finalized version 1.5 of the Web Literacy Map at the end of March 2015.[11] This involves small changes to the competencies layer and a comprehensive review of the skills they contain.[12]
^Detweiler, M. C., Hess, S. M., & Peck, A. C. (1996, October). Acquiring User-Centered Design Skills by Designing and Evaluating World Wide Web Pages. InProceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting (Vol. 40, No. 8, pp. 459-462). SAGE Publications
^Snyder, I., & Joyce, M. (Eds.). (1998).Page to screen: Taking literacy into the electronic era. Psychology Press.
^SCONUL Advisory Committee on Information Literacy (1999) Information skills in higher education:a SCONUL position paper. Prepared by the Information Skills Task Force, on behalf of SCONUL.
