"...literacy is..."

The panel selected the term literacy over other terms such as competency, ability, or fluency that have been used in earlier frameworks (Committee on Information Technology Literacy, 1999). To some "literacy" connotes functional literacy and implies basic or fundamental skills. To the panel, the term literacy implies a universal need, a condition that must be met to enable full and equitable economic and social participation. We view literacy as a tool that may be applied to simple or more complicated contexts - like a hammer that can be used to build a shelf, or a house. In its broadest sense, literacy is a dynamic tool that allows individuals to continuously learn and grow.

The increasing role of technology in our lives requires us to expand our notion of literacy. It is obvious that to function fully and effectively in society, individuals must be literate in terms of traditional domains such as reading and numeracy. But today it is becoming increasingly clear that ICT literacy joins the ranks of essential and fundamental requirements. Perhaps as important is the panel's belief that those who fail to acquire this new kind of literacy, like the more traditional literacy skills, will find themselves falling further behind as economies and societies grow and change over the years ahead.

"...using digital technology, communications tools, and/or networks..."

The description of digital technology, communication tools, and/or networks reflects the same thinking that stimulated the panel's use of information and communication technology (ICT) versus information technology (IT). Digital technology reflects hardware and software products, communication tools reflect those products and services used to transmit information, and networks themselves are the pathways for this transmission. The words are meant to be as inclusive as possible to reflect the breadth of hardware, software, and infrastructures that makeup ICT.