Comparative Study of the Socioeconomic Characteristics and Digital Literacy Level of Agricultural Extension Personnel in Imo and Ebonyi States, South-East, Nigeria

The study comparatively analysed the socioeconomic characteristics and digital literacy level of Agricultural Extension personnel (AEP) in Ebonyi and Imo States, South-East, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to describe the socioeconomic characteristics of agricultural extension personnel in Ebonyi and Imo States, and to ascertain the digital literacy level of AEP in the studied states. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 312 Agricultural Extension personnel (132 from Ebonyi State Agricultural Development Program and 180 from Imo State Agricultural Development Program) for the study. Data were collected through the use of validated and structured questionnaire, and administered through the help of well-trained enumerators. Data were analysed using simple descriptive statistical tools such as percentages mean score, standard deviation and weighted mean. Findings indicated that they were more male in the both States (55.3% and 57.8%) for Ebonyi and Imo State respectively and that the average age of AEP in Ebonyi and Imo States were 44.7 years and 49.2 years respectively. It was further revealed that the majority (77.3% and 82.8%) had B.Sc./HND as their highest academic qualifications, belonged to professional organisations (62.1% and 75%), and were earning an average monthly income of N58,798 and N62,648 for Ebonyi and Imo State respectively. Also, it was revealed that their mean years of service were 12.4 years and 13.4 years for Ebonyi and Imo State respectively. Almost all of them (87.9% and 95.0%) own a smartphone, had access to the internet (80.3% and 90.0%), but do not own a laptop/ipad (82.6% and 72.8%) for Ebon-yi and Imo State respectively. Results further revealed that Agricultural extension personnel in both Ebonyi and Imo State respectively had low digital literacy level ( = 2.41 and 2.32). The study concluded that AEP in Ebonyi and Imo State respectively had similar socioeconomic characteristics and low level of digital literacy. The study recommended that the management of ADPs in both Ebonyi and Imo State should ensure the training of AEP in digital skills to enhance their digital literacy level to enable them use digital technologies in their work.

Digital Literacy in the Rural Environment of Rivers State, Nigeria

While literacy can generally be defined as the basic ability to read,write,and also count,digital literacy can be described as the ability to perform all these tasks using electronic means.These means would include modern electronic gadgets,such as mobile phones,tablets,computers,kindle books,and the like.To be digitally literate would therefore require the existence of modern technologies such as internet facilities that would make it possible to access online reading and writing.The rural environment,particularly in developing areas,is usually characterised by a seeming lack of modern amenities and even worse,digital internet networks.Yet,those who live in the rural areas of Rivers State belong to the modern digital era and deserve to be digitally literate.This paper examines the prerequisites for digital literacy and explores how these can be achieved for citizens who inhabit the rural areas of an industrially-nascent state like Rivers State.

Paths to Enhance Teacher Digital Literacy Under Educational Digital Transformation in China

In the context of the digital transformation of education in the new era,digital literacy for teachers is a new requirement for professional development.Teacher digital literacy encompasses four main aspects:attitudinal literacy,knowledge and skills literacy,instructional application literacy,and innovation and development literacy.Currently,there are several issues with teacher digital literacy,such as a lack of digital responsibility,insufficient digital knowledge and skills,weak digital application skills,and low digital innovation capability.Enhancing teachers’digital literacy is a complex and critical task.Based on the current state of teachers’digital literacy,this paper proposes the following approaches:(1)adherence to digital norms;(2)development of a robust training mechanism;(3)improvement of the evaluation system;(4)strengthening of digital innovation.

Rich Connotation,Realistic Dilemma,and Practical Path of Teachers’Digital Literacy in the Era of Digital Intelligence

With the rapid development of information technology and the popularity of the Internet,digital education has become an important direction of modern education reform.Digital education provides a new way and tool for education and teaching,so that teachers and students can make better use of the application of information technology in the teaching process.Teachers’digital literacy has become the key to realize digital education.In the digital age,the level of teachers’digital literacy directly affects teachers’teaching effect and students’learning results.Therefore,improving teachers’digital literacy has become an urgent task of education reform.

A Scientometric Study of Digital Literacy,ICT Literacy,Information Literacy,and Media Literacy

Purpose:Digital literacy and related fields have received interests from scholars and practitioners for more than 20 years;nonetheless,academic communities need to systematically review how the fields have developed.This study aims to investigate the research trends of digital literacy and related concepts since the year of 2000,especially in education.Design/methodology/approach:The current study analyzes keywords,co-authorship,and cited publications in digital literacy through the scientometric method.The journal articles have been retrieved from the WoS(Web of Science)using four keywords:"Digital literacy,""ICT literacy,""information literacy,"and"media literacy."Further,keywords,publications,and co-authorship are examined and further classified into clusters for more in-depth investigation.Findings:Digital literacy is a multidisciplinary field that widely embraces literacy,ICT,the Internet,computer skill proficiency,science,nursing,health,and language education.The participants,or study subjects,in digital literacy research range from primary students to professionals,and the co-authorship clusters are distinctive by countries in America and Europe.Research limitations:This paper analyzes one fixed chunk of a dataset obtained by searching for all four keywords at once.Further studies will retrieve the data from diverse disciplines and will trace the change of the leading research themes by time spans.Practical implications:To shed light on the findings,using customized digital literacy curriculums and technology is critical for learners at different ages to nurture digital literacy according to their learning aims.They need to cultivate their understanding of the social impact of exploiting technology and computational thinking.To increase the originality of digital literacy-related studies,researchers from different countries and cultures may collaborate to investigate a broader range of digital literacy environments.Originality/value:The present study reviews research trends in digital literacy and related areas by performing a scientometric study to analyze multidimensional aspects in the fields,including keywords,journal titles,co-authorship,and cited publications.

Digital literacy as a potential barrier to implementation of cardiology tele-visits after COVID-19 pandemic: the INFO-COVID survey

BACKGROUND During the COVID-19 pandemic,the implementation of telemedicine has represented a new potential option for outpatient care.The aim of our study was to evaluate digital literacy among cardiology outpatients.METHODS From March to June 2020,a survey on telehealth among cardiology outpatients was performed.Digital literacy was investigated through six main domains:age;sex;educational level;internet access;availability of internet sources;knowledge and use of teleconference software programs.RESULTS The study included 1067 patients,median age 70 years,41.3%females.The majority of the patients(58.0%)had a secondary school degree,but among patients aged≥75 years old the most represented educational level was primary school or none.Overall,for internet access,there was a splitting between"never"(42.1%)and"every day"(41.0%),while only 2.7%answered"at least 1/month"and 14.2%"at least 1/week".In the total population,the most used devices for internet access were smartphones(59.0%),and WhatsApp represented the most used app(57.3%).Internet users were younger compared to non-internet users(63 vs.78 years old,respectively)and with a higher educational level.Age and educational level were associated with nonuse of internet(age-per 10-year increase odds ratio(OR)=3.07,95%CI:2.54-3.71,secondary school OR=0.18,95%CI:0.12-0.26,university OR=0.05,95%CI:0.02-0.10).CONCLUSIONS Telemedicine represents an appealing option to implement medical practice,and for its development it is important to address the gaps in patients’digital skills,with age and educational level being key factors in this setting.

Competencies in Computer Security and Resolution of Technological Problems in Higher Education Students

Starting from the importance of preserving our information and protecting our devices against attacks on their vulnerabilities, this article aims to establish the level of knowledge in computer security and problem-solving of students at a university in northwest Mexico. This research has a quantitative approach where the European Framework of Digital Competencies for Citizenship was used as a reference to identify and establish the level of the competencies that were evaluated. The IKANOS Test was used as a data collection tool. The results show that students know the importance of keeping their devices safe and how valuable the information found on them is. On the other hand, the results also show a considerable percentage of students who do not have the knowledge and are at a basic level of knowledge to solve technical problems with their devices.

How the ICT Development Level Influences Students’Digital Reading Literacy:A Multi-level Model Comparison Based on PISA 2018 Data

The purpose of this study is to systematically showcase and evaluate how students’,schools’,and countries’Information and Communication Technology(ICT)development levels influence students’digital reading literacy by using the data of the Program for International Student Assessment(PISA)2018 and the multi-level model approach.It is found that the ICT development at each level has a significant positive effect on students’digital reading literacy,and there is a significant interactive moderating effect between different levels.The gap in ICT development levels between the countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative(BRI)and developed economies has a“Matthew effect”in widening the digital reading literacy gap in the short term,but in the long run,the faster growth of the countries participating in BRI in ICT development levels will narrow the gap and alleviate the effect.China should make use of its advantages in ICT development to engage in global education governance,facilitate the co-development in both the ICT development level and the digital reading literacy for the countries participating in BRI,and contribute to the development of global education by opening up a new way of development.

CHALLENGES AND CAPACITY GAPS IN SMALLHOLDER ACCESS TO DIGITAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES IN KENYA AND UGANDA

An assessment of the challenges and capacity gaps in smallholder access to digital extension and advisory services(EAS)was made by surveying 197 female and 239 male farmers in Kenya and Uganda.Non-digital extension approaches remain dominant but at least 78%of farmers accessed EAS from electronic sources dominated by radio.This is attributed to the fact that ownership of radios was more widespread than of other digital devices.Challenges that particularly limit the use of digital services included low digital literacy and prohibitive cost of internet and mobile devices.Female and elderly farmers were more likely to report these challenges than their counterparts.Logistic regression model results show that ownership of digital devices,participation in post-production activities,and access to extension were enablers of digital EAS use.Farmers mentioned gaps in obtaining information on crop pest/disease diagnosis and management,fertilizer application,pesticide safety and quality seed.Given the diversity in smallholder technological capabilities and information needs,the recommendations made include integration of digital communication within multimode advisory services that use different but linked communication channels,continued farmer digital innovation capacity enhancement,and participatory design approaches that deliver relevant and actionable information for inclusive scaling of extension activities.