MODULE 1 – DIGITAL LITERACY

LESSON No. 1

TITLE Introduction to digital literacy and digital technology

AIM The aim of the lesson is for people to familiarise themselves with the new means
behind digital communication in addition to the existing in-person communication
forms.

OBJECTIVES 1. To understand the tools and the logic behind the “digital technology”.
2. To understand the benefits of the usage of digital technology in daily life.

1. The participants will feel confident to communicate about the new digital
technologies and tools.
LEARNING 2. The participants will better understand the added value that digital technology
OUTCOMES and online communication bring the people.
3. The participants will learn how to identify resources in the online world based
on their needs for advanced learning for specific fields of interest.

✔ Benefits of digital technology for communication.

✔ Examples of the possibilities the digital technology offer for communication
CONTENTS ✔ Means behind the digital technologies (hardware and software).
✔ Finding the software that I need.
✔ Lesson supporting material.

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INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL LITERACY

Digital Literacy is the set of skills associated with using technology to enable users to find,
evaluate, organise, create, and communicate information.

BENEFITS of digital technology for communication

✔ Provide a cheaper method to do the same activities, but in a more efficient way.
✔ Enable personalised learning or experiences that are more engaging
and relevant to the people.
✔ Allow people to tap resources and expertise anywhere in the world.
✔ Enable the people to collaborate without being physically present.
✔ With additional devices and software, the Internet can open up new
opportunities for those with special needs.
✔ Provide citizens with tools to become proactive and interact with the institutions.
✔ Enable the people to present in the open market.

EXAMPLES of the possibilities the digital technology offer for communication

✔ From the comfort of their homes, people can attend or follow events in distant
countries thus saving a large amount of time, money and energy.
✔ With high-speed Internet access, people interested in learning a specific field of
interest can take the course online.
✔ With mobile data collection tools and online collaboration platforms, people in a
remote geographic area studying local phenomena can collaborate with
colleagues doing similar work anywhere in the world.
✔ A school with connectivity, but without robust science facilities can offer its
students virtual chemistry, biology, anatomy, and physics labs—offering students
learning experiences that approach those of peers with better resources.
✔ Technology can help educational institutions to move beyond the classroom and
take advantage of learning opportunities available in museums, libraries and
other out-of-school settings.
✔ An adult learner with limited physical access to continuing education can upskill
by taking advantage of online programs to earn new certifications and can
accomplish these goals regardless of location.
✔ People can write messages and submit requests directly to institutions without
leaving their homes.
✔ People engaged in creative writing, music, or media production can publish their
work to a broad global audience regardless of where they go to school.

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Means behind the digital technologies (HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE)
o Hardware - Computer hardware refers to the physical parts of a computer and
related devices. Internal hardware devices include motherboards, hard drives, and
RAM. External hardware devices include monitors, keyboards, mice, printers,
scanners, LCD projectors, speakers, etc.
o Software - Computer software is a general term that describes computer programs or
instructions that tell a computer how to work or what to do. This is in contrast to
hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work.
Related terms such as software programs, applications, scripts, and instruction set all
fall under the category of computer software. Therefore, installing new programs or
applications on your computer is synonymous with installing new software on your
computer.
o Internet - You are most likely already using the Internet daily, even more frequently
than your bike or car. At home, you are most likely connected to the Internet by using
a router, that mysterious box that connects either to your telephone line or to your
TV cable. All of your devices, be it your smartphone or your computers are connected
to that router either via an Ethernet cable or via Wi-Fi. The Internet is simply a huge
number of routers connected that allow you to forward and transmit information
(data that contain emails, pictures, videos etc.) from one point (your home computer
for instance) to another (the smartphone of your friend who is on vacation at the
other end of the world).
● Virtually all devices that you buy nowadays are capable of connecting to the
Internet, either via Wi-Fi or mobile Internet access (smartphones, TV, laptop, and
tablets, for instance, can connect via Wi-Fi or mobile Internet access) or via an
Ethernet cable (most computers are equipped with an Ethernet port).
● Choose a connection appropriate for your Internet usage. If you regularly use
services that require a fast Internet, such as high-definition video streaming, be
sure to get a faster Internet connection (at least 20 megabits per second, which is
equivalent to ADSL2+). More especially, look for an Internet connection with no
limitations to the amount of data downloaded. If you only require the Internet to
read the news and send e-mails, then virtually any basic Internet subscription will
be sufficient for you.
● To connect to the Internet, you have two main options:
▪ Contact an ISP (Internet service provider), usually a telephone or cable
company, that will provide you with a username and password and
sometimes a modem/router to connect to the Internet either via your
telephone line or your television cable.
▪ Get a “mobile Internet” plan from your mobile phone operator. Keep in
mind that the restrictions on the amount of data you can

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 download/upload are still quite high with mobile Internet, although these
will progressively diminish as more operators roll out 4G or 5G mobile
telecommunications standards (with a great increase in speed).
▪ In a variety of public places there are also “open” Wi-Fi hotspots that can
be used to connect to the Internet for free.

FINDING THE SOFTWARE that I need

It is common practice that hardware devices come with a pre-installed operating system and
relevant software.
● First things come first, before looking for software on the internet, the first thing you
have to find out is what operating system is used on your
computer/laptop/tablet/mobile phone. The most popular ones for computers are
Apple MacOS and Microsoft Windows with different versions and variations and for
tablets and mobile phones are Google's Android OS and Apple iOS with different
versions and variations.
● Second, you have to identify the already installed software on your device. You can
do that in Windows 10 or 11 by clicking the Start button or Windows key. All
programs on the computer are displayed on the Start menu. Or in a Mac OS click the
Finder icon on the dock at the bottom of the screen.
● If you haven’t found a suitable program or application so far, don’t worry. In the
internet space, there is plenty of software. In this case, we provide you with several
very popular places to look for additional software relevant to your operating system:
o For the specific operating systems:
▪ For Windows OS: https://apps.microsoft.com/store/apps
▪ For Mac OS: https://www.apple.com/app-store/
▪ For Android OS: https://play.google.com/store/apps
o Browser Extensions:
▪ Chrome: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/extensions
▪ Edge:
https://microsoftedge.microsoft.com/addons/Microsoft-Edge-Extensi
ons-Home
▪ Firefox: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/extensions/
o Popular places on the internet for alternative software:
▪ https://ninite.com/
▪ https://www.softpedia.com/

In our experience, the easiest way to find new software is to search the Web. For example, if
you were looking for a way to edit some personal photos on your computer, you could run a
Google search for free photo-editing software. If you're not exactly sure what kind of

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software you're looking for, try describing the tasks you want to complete. For example, if
you wanted a way to create to-do lists and organise your appointments, you might search for
something like free calendar organiser software.

LESSON SUPPORTING MATERIAL:

o A brief glossary of most common tech terms.
▪ Address bar - (also known as location or URL bar) is a feature in a web
browser that shows the current URL and accepts a typed URL that
navigates the user to a chosen website.
▪ Application - a computer program that is written and designed for a
specific need or purpose.
▪ Bandwidth - Bandwidth describes the maximum data transfer rate of a
network or Internet connection. It measures how much data can be sent
over a specific connection in a given amount of time.
▪ Digital Footprint – the digital footprint is a trail of data created while
using the Internet. It includes the websites visited, emails sent, and
information submitted to online services.
▪ File - A file is a collection of data stored in one unit, identified by a
filename. It can be a document, picture, audio or video stream, data
library, application, or other collection of data. Files can be opened, saved,
deleted, and moved to different folders. They can also be transferred
across network connections or downloaded from the Internet.
▪ Format - The term "format" has several meanings, related to 1) disk
formatting, 2) page formatting, and 3) file formats.
▪ Google Drive - Google Drive is a service offered by Google that allows one
to store and share files online. The goal of Google Drive is to provide a
central place to store files online so that one can access them from
anywhere. The web-based Google Docs application is used to create or
edit documents online.
▪ Hard Drive - The hard drive is what stores all your data. It houses the hard
disk, where all your files and folders are physically located. A typical hard
drive is only slightly larger than your hand, yet can hold over 100 GB of
data.
▪ Internet Service Provider (ISP) - An ISP provides access to the Internet.
Whether at home or work, each time you connect to the Internet, the
connection is routed through an ISP.
▪ IP Address - An IP address, or simply an "IP," is a unique address that
identifies a device on the Internet or a local network.

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 ▪ Link - When you are browsing the Web and you see a highlighted and
underlined word or phrase on a page, there is a good chance you are
looking at a link. By clicking on a link, you can "jump" to a new Web page
or a completely different Web site.
▪ Menu Bar - A menu bar is a user interface element that contains
selectable commands and options for a specific program.
▪ Operating System - An operating system, or "OS," is software that
communicates with the hardware and allows other programs to run.
▪ Platform - In the computer world, a "platform" typically refers to a
computer's operating system.
▪ Program – It is a common computer term that can be used as both a noun
and a verb. A program (noun) is executable software that runs on a
computer. It is similar to a script, but is often much larger in size and does
not require a scripting engine to run. Instead, a program consists of
compiled code that can run directly from the computer's operating
system. Examples of programs include Web browsers, word processors,
e-mail clients, video games, and system utilities. These programs are
often called applications."
▪ Resolution – Refers to the sharpness and clarity of an image. The term is
most often used to describe monitors and printers.
▪ Server - A server is a computer that provides data to other computers. It
may serve data to systems on a local area network (LAN) or a wide area
network (WAN) over the Internet.
▪ URL - Stands for "Uniform Resource Locator." A URL is the address of a
specific webpage or file on the Internet.
▪ Web Browser - A web browser, or simply "browser," is an application used
to access and view websites. Common web browsers include Microsoft
Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Apple Safari.
▪ Web Page - Web pages are what make up the World Wide Web. These
documents are written in HTML (hypertext markup language) and are
translated by your Web browser. A web browser displays a web page on a
monitor or mobile device.
o Connecting to the Internet:
https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/internetbasics/connecting-to-the-internet/1/
o For more technical terms check the glossaries:
▪ https://techterms.com/
▪ https://techopedia.com/dictionary

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1. Do you feel that the class have improved your basic understanding of what is behind the
term digital technologies?
a. Yes
b. No
2. What are the benefits of using digital technologies in communication?
a. Provide a cheaper and more efficient way to do things.
b. Easier can reach and get in touch with people we couldn’t do before.
c. Provide access to knowledge on topics of interest.
d. Guarantee to do all daily things in life for free.
3. Hardware is…
a. Physical parts of a computer and related devices.
b. Computer programs or instructions that tell a computer how to work or what to
do.
c. Refers to the sharpness and clarity of an image.
d. Computer that provides data to other computers.
4. Software is…
a. Physical parts of a computer and related devices.
b. Computer programs or instructions that tell a computer how to work or
what to do.
c. Refers to the sharpness and clarity of an image.
d. Computer that provides data to other computers.
5. How can you connect on Internet?
a. Via telephone cable.
b. Via TV cable.
c. Via the electricity plug.
6. Are you more aware of internet places where you can find free software?
a. Yes
b. No
 MODULE 2 – DIGITAL LITERACY

LESSON No. 2

TITLE Orientation in the web space

AIM The aim of the lesson is for people to familiarise themselves with the web space as
a global digital library and find out how to navigate it.

1. To improve people's understanding of the existence of the internet as the

biggest world library and find out how they can access and benefit from it.
2. Learn a few tips & tricks in order to improve their personal experience while
OBJECTIVES
searching for the right information.
3. To become aware of the misinformation and disinformation in social media and
news sites (e.g. fact-checking information and its sources, fake news) linked
with information.

1. People will feel confident to communicate about the internet and see it as a key
place for finding resource material based on their needs.
LEARNING 2. People will understand how to navigate the internet and research resources.
OUTCOMES 3. People will learn a few tips and tricks to shorten the time for finding the
information and resources as well as improve their internet experience.
4. People will learn how to verify and fact-check the information and its sources.

✔ The idea behind the internet.

✔ Web browsing.
CONTENTS ✔ Personalised web browsing.
✔ Browsing tips & tricks.
✔ Identifying misinformation and disinformation.

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THE IDEA BEHIND THE INTERNET
The idea behind the creation of the internet was to develop as an enormous electronic
library where most public and private libraries from across the world are present. They
provide information about services, programmes and activities, and give access to physical
books listed in catalogues and which can be ordered over the Internet as Word or PDF
documents.
The Internet carries a vast range of information resources and services, such as the
inter-linked text documents and applications of the World Wide Web (WWW), electronic
mail, telephony, and file sharing. Today the Internet has rapidly spread around the world and
has had an impact on the lives of millions of people. Many could not work without it.

WEB BROWSING
With billions of websites online today, there is a lot of information on the Internet. Search
engines make this information easier to find. It helps internet users to search for content via
the World Wide Web (WWW) and find the information they are looking for online. A user
enters keywords or key phrases and receives a list of Web content results in the form of
websites, images, videos or other online data that semantically match the search query.

At the very start of the Internet, there were no search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing,
etc. People had to find websites printed on paper, or in magazines and type the address into
their browser. Hopefully, that website had links to another website and by clicking from one
link to another, they could “explore” the internet. Progressively, Internet portals or
directories were created, which were a bit like a phone book: a vast list of websites sorted
into categories.

Google is the most popular search engine today and it made itself popular thanks to its
algorithm which used an original method of ranking a website’s importance, based on how
many backlinks it has. This means how many external websites include links to your website.
For instance, if the wikipedia.org website is referenced on a large number of other websites,
then it gets ranked higher. For instance, you can build up your digital skills by searching for
solutions to problems you experience with your devices or simply satisfying your curiosity
about how they work. Finding this Internet literacy handbook, the very one you are reading
now, can happen thanks to using a search engine.

PERSONALISED WEB BROWSING

● You need an account. You have to be aware that some online content in search
results may not be open access or freely available and may require a fee or signing up
(log in with your account) for a service in order to access it. To sign up or log in for
some service means, first of all, to create your Gmail / Yahoo / Hotmail… account.

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 You can use the username and password to sign to your mail or another service like
YouTube, Google Play or Facebook.
● Internet Cookies (the small files left on your online device to store information about
you and your preferences) can improve your browsing experience by remembering
your preferences or avoiding that you sign in each time you visit certain sites.
However, by using cookies, search engines will lead you only to like-minded sites, and
could gradually narrow your perspective on news stories and topical issues. If a user
returns to that site in the future, the web browser returns that data to the web
server in the form of a cookie. Without cookies, you’d have to log in again after you
leave a site or rebuild your shopping cart if you accidentally close the page. Making
cookies is an important part of the internet experience. Cookies can be an optional
part of your internet experience. If you so choose, you can limit what cookies end up
on your computer or mobile device.
o Be aware that your geo-location and cookies from your previous searches will
influence your search results (e.g. travel destination). It will also help ensure
that you are reasonably well informed on important social and political issues
by not limiting you to your perceived perspective. You can also disable
cookies altogether by looking at your settings inside your Internet browser;
however, beware that some websites might not function properly.
● Personal internet behaviour impacts. You have to be aware that search results, social
media activity streams and content recommendations on the internet are influenced
by a range of factors. These factors include the search terms you use, the context
(e.g. geographical location), the device (e.g. laptop or mobile phone), local
regulations (which sometimes dictate what can or cannot be shown), the behaviour
of other users (e.g. trending searches or recommendations) and your past online
behaviour across the internet. Many applications on the internet and mobile phones
collect and process data (personal data, behavioural data and contextual data) that
the user can access or retrieve, for example, to monitor their activities online (e.g.
clicks on social media, searches on Google) and offline (e.g. daily steps, bus rides on
public transport).

BROWSING TIPS & TRICKS

The most practical and useful search features to remember are:
● Quotation marks “”: this is probably one of the most useful and most well-known
advanced search features. If you want to make sure that a search engine looks for an
exact expression, use quotation marks around it. This may be useful if you want to find
an exact phrase or expression.
o For example, if you just search: Nobel prize winners 1987, searching those words
on Google might kick back a top result about Nobel Peace Prize winners because

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 you're basically telling the search engine to look for content related to those
words, but not necessarily those words exactly. The results could also bring back
pages that include any of the following: Nobel Prize, winners of prizes, 1987
winners of prizes, 1,987 winners of prizes...the list goes on. This is where
quotation marks come in. Surrounding part of the search in quotes—specifically
the part that you want to be grouped together—will provide more accurate
results "Nobel prize winners" 1987. The above example will ensure that all results
include those three words in quotes. Not just Nobel, Prize, or Winners, but all
three, and in that exact order.
● Minus sign “-”: this is for when you search for something but exclude a specific term. If
you don't like the results you're seeing, use the minus sign to tell the search engine that
you're specifically not interested in seeing those items in the results. This strategy works
for words, dates, other phrases, and even entire domain names.
o In the case of the previous example try "Nobel prize winners" – technology.
o For instance, if you search for “twilight”, the first results will be all about the
famous movie series. But if you search for “twilight -vampire”, you get the
definition of the word “twilight”.
o Therefore, the minus sign is very useful when a word is too often associated with
something else and you want to make sure that it does not get mixed up in your
search.
● Specialised searches: most search engines within their own “advanced search” options
have specialised search options, such as searching for multimedia content (images,
videos, etc.), academic papers, books, maps, news, language, colour, size, quality, time,
copyrights and so forth. Advanced search options are a set of filters offered by most
search engines on the web. They narrow the scope of a search query to eliminate
irrelevant information to help you find the exact content you're looking for.
o For instance, you can filter images by size, colour, file type and even copyright
and licence. Search tools: the “search tools” available directly below the search
bar once you have made a search are also extremely useful. You can filter results
by country and by time. This is very useful if you search for news for instance, as
you can restrict the search to the most recent news or news published exactly
one year ago.
● Bookmark is a method of saving a web page's address. A bookmark is handy when you
find a web page that you want to remember and look at another day. When you
bookmark a web page, you create a shortcut for quick access to that web page. You can
access that bookmark at any time to view the web page again without having to search
the Internet to find it. To bookmark a page using your mouse, click the Bookmark (star)
icon (or a similar symbol) to the right of the address bar.

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● Social media: Twitter. Besides browsing the official web portals, another alternative way
of getting information updates from the Internet is through browsing via social media
such as Twitter. You can use your own Twitter address to follow news outlets, journalists
and experts in the fields you are interested in or sign up to a Twitter list so that you can
follow anonymously. Social media platforms are progressively adding new functions to
keep you updated on world news too.

IDENTIFYING MISINFORMATION AND DISINFORMATION

The internet as the biggest world library provides lots of opportunities, but there are threats
as well. We have to be aware that online environments contain all types of information and
content including misinformation and disinformation, and even if a topic is widely reported
it does not necessarily mean it is accurate. It is important not to take everything for granted,
we need to analyse, compare and critically evaluate the credibility and reliability of sources
of data, information and digital content.

Always maintain a healthy scepticism about the material you find. The Internet offers a free
space for people to share opinions and put forward ideas. Be sure to evaluate with a critical
eye and search for divergent opinions and information in order to avoid propagating myths
or falling for false claims.

It is important to distinguish the difference between disinformation (false information with

the intent to deceive people) and misinformation (false information regardless of intent to
deceive or mislead people). These two words, so often used interchangeably, are merely one
letter apart. But behind that one letter hides the critical distinction between these
confusable words: intent.
● Misinformation: “false information that is spread, regardless of whether there is
intent to mislead.” If you are spreading around information that is wrong but you
don’t know it is wrong, then you are, well, technically, spreading misinformation.
Rumours are information not attributed to any particular source, and so are
unreliable and often unverified, but can turn out to be either true or false. For
example, say a party starts at 8 pm, but you forget or misread the invitation and tell
your friends it starts at 9 pm, you are supplying them with misinformation.
● Disinformation: “deliberately misleading or biassed information; manipulated
narrative or facts; propaganda.” Let’s go back to the earlier example. Now, if you
know a party starts at 8 pm but tell some people it starts at 9 pm because you want
them to look foolish, you are supplying them with disinformation. Disinformation is
very powerful, destructive, and divisive, and is a common tool of espionage.
Countries often have an interest in intentionally spreading fake information to their
rival nations, as the Soviet Union and the United States did during the Cold War, for

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 instance. When distinguishing between misinformation and disinformation, keep one
very important word in mind: intent.
● Fake news: "purposefully crafted, sensational, emotionally charged, misleading or
totally fabricated information that mimics the form of mainstream news".

Quick Tips for Fact Checking (verifying the information):

● Stop: This is a critical move! When a piece of information sparks a strong emotional
response, either positive or negative, stop to think before you act on or share it. If
something seems outlandish, or makes you angry, or seems too good to be true,
you'll want to verify it.
● Investigate the source: Where does the information come from? What kind of
reputation does that source have? If it's a person or a media outlet, Google them and
maybe check their Wikipedia page. What do others say about that source? Does it
seem trustworthy or appear to have a track record of sharing misleading or false
information?
● Check other sources: Open another tab, do a quick Google search, and scan other
sources to see what they are saying about the topic. Does it appear that there is a
consensus among reputable sources that this information is accurate?

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1. Do you feel that the class have improved your basic understanding of how you can
navigate the web space as a digital library?
a. Yes
b. No
2. What is the purpose of a search engine?
a. It helps internet users to search for content via the World Wide Web (WWW)
and find the information they are looking for online.
b. It is used to prevent, scan, detect and delete computer viruses that have infected
your computer.
3. Which of the following are search engines?
a. Windows, MacOS, Android.
b. Google, Yahoo, Bing.
4. What are internet cookies?
a. Small files left on your online device to store information about you and
your preferences.
b. These are collections of programs that enable a person to manipulate images,
and illustrations of videos visually on a computer.
5. When browsing via the internet, what do the quotation marks “ ” help?
a. This is for when you search for something but exclude a specific term.
b. If you want to ensure that a search engine looks for an exact expression.
6. What is the difference between misinformation and disinformation?
a. Misinformation is false information spread by mistake and disinformation is
publishing the correct information to fix the previous mistake.
b. Misinformation is false information with the intent to deceive people and
disinformation is deliberately misleading or manipulated information.
 MODULE 2 – DIGITAL LITERACY

LESSON No. 3

TITLE Tools for digital communication

AIM The aim of the lesson is for people to familiarise themselves with the new means
behind digital communication in addition to the existing in-person communication
forms.

1. The participants become aware of the advantages of using digital tools for
remote collaborative processes.
OBJECTIVES 2. The participants become aware of which communication tools and services are
appropriate in specific circumstances, depending on the audience, context and
purpose of the communication.
3. The participants learn of the existence of some expected rules about one’s
behaviour when using digital technologies.

1. The participants will feel confident to communicate about the new digital tools.
2. The participants will be encouraged to try different communication tools by
LEARNING understanding the added value they bring in communication with other people.
OUTCOMES 3. The participants learn different strategies for communication to avoid any
misunderstandings and difficult situations when communicating with other
people online.

✔ Digital communication basics

✔ Email
✔ Chat
CONTENTS
✔ Social media
✔ Online meetings
✔ Ethical considerations

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DIGITAL COMMUNICATION BASICS
Digital communication is any type of communication that relies on the use of technology.
There are many types of digital communication, commonly referred to as digital
communication channels. These include email, phone calls, video conferencing, and many
types of instant messaging like SMS and web chats. Even blogs, podcasts, and videos are
considered forms of digital communication.
● Advantages: Digital communication is fast, efficient, and convenient. An employee
can have a conversation in real-time with a colleague or client from the opposite side
of the world without having to leave their desk. Company leaders can use digital
channels to communicate with their entire global workforce at once and use
corresponding channels to effectively collect feedback from those employees.
● Disadvantages: Having constant access to communication tools can impact digital
wellbeing and make it hard for employees to disconnect at the end of the workday,
blurring the line between work life and personal life. Without having a chance to
unplug, employees are more likely to experience burnout and other signs of
overworking themselves. Digital communication has also presented security
challenges for many companies. Every time company data is transmitted over the
internet, there is a risk that this information won’t remain private.

EMAIL
● Email (short for electronic mail) refers to the message itself. It is the system for sending
messages between computers, transferred successfully in a matter of seconds and the
recipient can access and reply whenever it is convenient. Billions of messages are sent
every day. Although many other ways of communicating have emerged, e-mail accounts
are still at the heart of a user’s online experience since it is often the only way to create
accounts to participate online, becoming the “key” to the online identity of users,
serving often as a “login” to connect to all the online services they use. This is because
you'll need an email address to do just about anything online, from online banking to
creating a Facebook account.
● To use your e-mails, you can either use the webmail service via desktop/laptop or the
official app of the e-mail service on your smartphone/tablet such as the Gmail app, the
Outlook app or the Yahoo! app).
● Good practices on emails:
o Create strong passwords for your e-mail accounts (more than 8 characters long,
combining letters, numbers and symbols) and use different passwords for each
account.
o Keep e-mail messages short and to the point. Try to avoid long blocks of text.
Check your spelling.

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 o Make sure you include relevant words in the subject line. This helps the recipient
identify your message as being genuine and helps to find the e-mail at a later
time.
o Include an email signature. Another reason you should include your email
signature is that it’s a touch of personalization. People are naturally more inclined
to read an email if they know it came from a human being, not just a collective
marketing team. Your email signature is your ticket to their attention.
o Clean your mailing list regularly. An average professional receives many emails
every day. It’s certainly very easy to lose control of your inbox when you have to
deal with that many. For most of us, reading and responding to emails takes away
lots of time in our workweek. Prioritise, group, filter and sort emails into
categories to create an organised inbox. The more refined this process is, the
easier it will be to locate important and specific emails at the time of need. You
can also create parent categories and subcategories for various projects or clients
for a superior experience.
o Don’t hesitate to hit the unsubscribe button. Unsubscribe from emails and
newsletters you never read. If they were valuable and relevant to you, you’d most
probably open and read them, at least from time to time. This also refers to
commercial emails offering huge discounts – if you’ve never purchased anything,
then you’re obviously not interested. This way, you’ll significantly declutter your
inbox.
o Disable social media email notifications that can be distracting. Every little thing
that goes on in your social media feed invades your inbox and ends up creating
thousands of unread emails.
o Be considerate in the volume of e-mail you send out and be smart and strategic
about how you communicate with others. If you need to have a group discussion
with a large number of people, perhaps it is more useful to organise a conference
call or a chat on a private forum rather than sending a massive amount of
e-mails.

CHAT
● “Chat” is a generic term that refers to interactive communication which takes place on a
dedicated discussion channel. Users can talk to groups of people in chatrooms or hold
private conversations with selected friends by using instant messaging services.
● Chat and instant messaging are short messages sent and read in real-time, allowing you
to communicate more quickly and easily than email. These are generally used when both
(or all) people are online, so your message can be read immediately. By comparison,
emails won't be seen until recipients check their inboxes.

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 o Chatting is a very informal means of communication, similar to face-to-face
conversations, and occurs between two or more people. Chat discussions are
usually typed but can also include video or audio streaming through the use of
headsets or webcams. This form of communication is instantaneous and
therefore different from the e-mail, which does not depend on the recipient
being present at the same time as the sender.
o A few examples of instant messaging tools include Short Messages Service (SMS),
Multimedia Message Service (MMS) or Messaging applications like WhatsApp,
Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts and many others. Some sites, like Gmail
and Facebook, even allow you to chat within your web browser.
o Messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram or iMessage are increasingly
being used by smartphone owners. These types of messaging media are typically
free and seemingly offer more “privacy” than the types of messages that are
available on larger platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.
o The quick availability of these messaging apps on smartphones often means that
users film, comment, take photos and send before thinking of the ramifications.

SOCIAL MEDIA
● Social media is a web‐based technology to facilitate social interaction between a large
group of people through some type of network. A common widely used network is the
Internet. Social media are interactive digital channels that facilitate the creation and
sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual
communities and networks.
● Social media is growing rapidly and becoming an inevitable part of everyday life, because
of the latest technological revolution. Smartphones make it easy to access any social
media platform from anywhere virtually. They create highly interactive platforms, in
which individuals, communities, and organisations can share, co-create, discuss,
participate, and modify user-generated or self-curated content posted online.
Additionally, social media are used to document memories, learn about and explore
things, advertise oneself, and form friendships along with the growth of ideas from the
creation of blogs, podcasts and videos.
● Some of the most popular social media websites, with more than 100 million registered
users, include Facebook (and its associated Facebook Messenger), TikTok, WeChat,
Instagram, QZone, Weibo, Twitter, Tumblr, Baidu Tieba, and LinkedIn. Other popular
platforms that are sometimes referred to as social media services include YouTube,
Telegram, Snapchat, Pinterest, Viber, Reddit, and more.
● Observers have noted a wide range of positive and negative impacts when it comes to
the use of social media. Social media can help to improve an individual's sense of
connectedness with real or online communities and can be an effective communication

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 (or marketing) tool for corporations, entrepreneurs, non-profit organizations, advocacy
groups, political parties, and governments. In business, social media is used to market
products, promote brands, connect to customers and foster new business. As a
communication platform, social media promotes customer feedback and makes it easy
for customers to share their experiences with a company. Businesses can respond quickly
to positive and negative feedback, address customer problems and maintain or rebuild
customer confidence.

ONLINE MEETINGS
Over recent times, the globe received a firm push into the world of virtual working, due to
the 2020, COVID-19 pandemic. This meant that companies everywhere, no matter what
industry or circumstances had to look at alternatives to their usual co-located ways of
working. This included a huge shift to virtual meetings. Of course, the pandemic didn’t
create virtual meetings, but it raised their popularity drastically.
The most popular platforms for online meetings are Zoom, Google Meet and Skype.

The key advantages virtual meetings can offer your business:

● Cost-effective. When you start to look up the cost of travel, venues and time, meeting
physically in a mutual location starts to add up. With virtual meetings, all of that is
removed.
● Worldly connection and inclusivity. Attendees can come from all over the world with
distance being no obstacle. In group meetings, all employees have an increased
opportunity to attend and be involved in discussions or updates.
● Broader information sharing. You can invite external experts to provide insight that you
may not have had access to in a traditional meeting.
● Increased productivity. Having your meetings virtual allows for shorter, more concise,
and efficient meetings when they are needed. Decision-making is speeded up and time is
used better.
● Face-to-face feeling. While a screen may separate you, webcams and video visuals can
add a crucial ‘in-person’ feel to your virtual meetings.
● Environment. Removing all the travel, untouched food and wasted printouts can only be
a huge advantage to our environment.
● Recordable. If you would like a record of the meeting, or if a colleague is unable to
attend, you can record the whole meeting with ease, for their reference later.
● Ease of sharing. Sharing files and slides is easy in a virtual meeting. Most platforms come
with a ‘share screen’ or ‘share files’ option, making sharing visuals and documentation
with attendees easy and effective.

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ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
The digital tools for communications have many advantages, but we have to be aware of the
limitations mainly related to human behaviours and attitudes while online. Here are some
tips on the ethical considerations and communication strategies we have to be aware of
while communicating online:
● Non-verbal communication. When chat is text-based, social cues, gestures and
non-verbal communication cannot be transmitted through typing, and
misunderstandings can easily occur online. One should be as agreeable, polite and
well-mannered as in real-life situations and make a habit of using good netiquette. The
expression of emotions via e-mail is difficult. This is why you should always write your
messages with care to make sure they are not misunderstood.
● Responsibility for posting. Consider carefully the material that you post online –
remember that once you post something you may never be able to completely delete it
from the Internet. Never post anything which may be offensive, defamatory or degrading
to others.
● Legal reasons: The limits of “freedom of expression”: this right is not absolute and there
are some limits to its exercise. These limits may vary from one country to another but
there are some “broad” considerations that you should bear in mind: defamation, hate
speech, and sharing someone else’s personal data. Any of the actions above could get
you into some form of legal trouble.
● Online reputation: while you may have the illusion that you can remain anonymous
online, there are many ways for people to find out your true identity. Law enforcement
authorities have the necessary means to track down Internet users under certain
conditions (in most cases, a court warrant). If you share offensive or silly content online,
it may affect your current and future social and professional life.
● Use audio headsets instead of loudspeakers when taking calls in public places or listening
to music.

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1. Do you feel that the class have improved your understanding of what are the advantages
and disadvantages of digital communication in addition to in-person communication?
a. Yes
b. No
2. What are the types of digital communication?
a. Email, chat, social media, video call
b. Zoom, Skype, What’ Up, Messinger
3. Chat
a. Chat accounts are still at the heart of a user’s online experience since it is often
the only way to create accounts to participate online, becoming the “key” to the
online identity of users, serving often as a “login” to connect to all the online
services they use.
b. Chat and instant messaging are short messages sent and read in real-time,
allowing you to communicate more quickly and easily than traditional email
communication.
4. Which are the social media networks?
a. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin
b. Messinger, Google Meet, Viber, WeChat
5. Did you understand the key benefits of virtual meetings in addition to regular in-person
meetings?
a. Yes
b. No
6. What are the benefit and impacts of considering the ethical considerations while using
the tools for digital communication?
a. Provide us directions with strict rules for our digital presence.
b. Keep us to stay out of trouble.
 MODULE 1 – DIGITAL LITERACY

LESSON No. 4

TITLE Being part of the digital community

AIM The aim of the lesson is to empower the people, so they won’t remain only
passive consumers of information, but active contributors to the digital
community.

1. Understand the added value and benefits of a proactive approach toward

institutions.
OBJECTIVES 2. Understand participatory citizenship or why and how to switch from passive
consumer to active contributor in the online community through digital
technologies.
3. Learn about the possibilities for businesses in the digital world.

1. Understand the presence of institutions in the digital world and the benefits of
LEARNING digital interactions with them over traditional in-person.
OUTCOMES 2. Identified spaces to position own business and use the benefits of the digital
technologies.

✔ Introduction to digital engagement with institutions.

✔ E-democracy and its benefits.

✔ Social media as an open gate to institutions.

CONTENTS
✔ Benefits of joining and/or building networks and communities of interest.

✔ Opportunities and benefits to position your business in the digital world.

✔ Specific places for digital presence.

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INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT WITH INSTITUTIONS
The open institutions’ agenda has gained momentum over the past decade. It is now widely
acknowledged that greater openness benefits not only citizens but also institutions.
Meanwhile, citizens, journalists, businesses and civil society organisations have easy access
to services and information, the skills and means to hold decision makers to account
(without fear of repercussions) and regular opportunities to feed their views into
policymaking.

Digital citizenship is a term that describes how a person should act while using digital
technology online. Digital literacy is the knowledge, skills and behaviours used in a broad
range of digital devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktop PCs. Information
and communication technologies (ICT) have already reached into every aspect of our
everyday lives, changing the type of skills necessary to be active members of society.

E-DEMOCRACY AND ITS BENEFITS

E-democracy comprises the use of electronic communication technologies, such as the
Internet, in enhancing democratic processes within a democratic republic or representative
democracy. Growing evidence points to the rapid expansion of e-Participation as a tool for
engagement and strengthened collaboration between governments and citizens.
● The Internet also enables citizens to participate in online discussions and debates about
topics of interest in public or local life, and even take part in elections by e-voting.
● Where traditional, face-to-face engagement has limited participants, online community
engagement enables more people to have their say, at their convenience.
● It expands and diversifies opportunities for citizens to engage with the state and other
institutions in ways that bypass traditional intermediaries.
● Digital citizen engagement is the two-way interaction between citizens and institutions
or the private sector which gives citizens a stake in decision-making. Citizens are now
able to access information on their elected representatives, national and state budgets
and the laws that govern them so that they can make more informed choices.
● The Internet makes it possible not only to publish far more information more rapidly but
also to continually update this information so that citizens are informed of the latest
developments in their areas of interest. The fact that citizens are better informed
empowers them to better participate in the democratic life of their own country and on
a pan-European and international scale.
● Reduces the costs of participation by tapping into existing technology, reducing the need
to, e.g., travel, be present at fixed times, and incur venue costs both for the citizens and
the intervention.

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● Especially in the era of media and "fake news," it has never been more important for
institutions to have a direct way of engaging their citizens. Institutions need to ensure
that the facts are correctly communicated.
● There is not one perfect way to engage with stakeholders. Using more than one outreach
method for your engagement process will pave the way to increased stakeholder
participation and building stronger relations with your stakeholder community.

SOCIAL MEDIA AS AN OPEN GATE TO INSTITUTIONS

An engaged citizenry is a key to any democracy, and social media is built on engagement.
This is a political development being enhanced by the use of social networks which allow
users to have their own voice and comment “in public” on relevant issues. The use of social
networks in e-democracy could enable broader influence on policy outcomes and increase
transparency and accountability. Nowadays politicians in many countries use social
networking sites to engage with the citizens and seek their views. A government/institution
entity using social media can directly interact with citizens in a more personalized and
accessible way than press conferences, television appearances, or ads. Platforms such as
Twitter, Facebook and Instagram make government officials more accessible than ever.

The online citizen wants to engage with their government directly, without having to take a
number or wait in line. By using social media for citizen engagement, government
institutions are seeing a two-way benefit, not only are their citizens more informed but the
institutions themselves are better understanding the needs of their constituents, leading to
a happier overall community.

BENEFITS OF JOINING AND/OR BUILDING NETWORKS AND COMMUNITIES OF INTEREST

● Social networking and social sharing are inexpensive and rapid ways of sharing content,
from personal information to marketing information. Social sharing allows users to share
content from a website on a social media site or application. Popular global social
networking sites and apps include Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and many
more.
● Most social networks offer simple features for managing the privacy of personal data.
They are organised around life experiences and can provide relevant information to the
wider public or there are also specific communities of interest such as transactions
(facilitate buying and selling, renting properties or rooms, etc.), common interests or on
a specific topic (health, agriculture, human rights), support and advice related to
disabilities, special needs or other challenges and many more.
● Using social media and dedicated social platforms learning encourages people to work
together, collaborating online on shared projects. This provides a new creative outlet,
and the brainstorming involved can stimulate the creative process.

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OPPORTUNITIES AND BENEFITS TO POSITION YOUR BUSINESS IN THE DIGITAL WORLD
● Ease to showcase. One of the biggest benefits of having a strong digital presence is that
it improves the ease of showcasing your portfolio, products and services your business
offers, the opportunity to share and present photo albums and videos on social media
and YouTube and so much more. Becoming an expert in your field should not be a
problem when there are so many avenues available to connect with the public.
● Customers can easily find you. When a business has a digital presence, it makes it much
easier for customers to easily find you. Some consumers will start their shopping
experience online, but finish it in person and others vice versa. Regardless, many new
customers will not want to spend a lot of time looking for a company, product or service.
Instead, they should be able to find you with a simple Google search. After they find you,
will they convert into a customer of your company? Converting leads into customers
online has a lot to do with your digital presence, such as the incentives you offer on your
site or via your social media channels.
● Building relationships. The goal of using social media is to build relationships with friends
and followers, and this is true for businesses and individuals. Your brand acquires a voice
when your company regularly posts on social media, no matter the platform. This voice
helps your company become relatable to customers and provides a human touch. If your
business isn’t on social media, you are missing out on an untapped, free resource to
build your brand.

SPECIFIC PLACES FOR DIGITAL PRESENCE

Do you have something that you want to share with the world and you need a place to share
it online? Content management/organisation: whether you decide to build a website or set
up a photo gallery, your content has to be organised in a simple way for users to find what
they are looking for.
● Website. At the beginning of the Internet, setting up a website was rather costly and
demanded some coding skills. Nowadays, you do not even need to be an IT specialist to
set up and design your own website. But before you do, always take the time to consider
all your options.
o WIX - www.wix.com/ is a drag and drop website builder. You can choose a
template and insert content to build an interactive website. It is not necessary to
know computer code to use Wix.
o WEEBLY - www.weebly.com. Weebly is another drag and drop website builder
that offers a wide variety of pre-designed templates. It also offers hosting
services.
● Blog. A blog is an online journal or informational website displaying information in
chronological order with the latest posts appearing first, at the top. It is a platform

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 where a writer or a group of writers share their views on an individual subject. Blogs
are a type of website. The only difference is that blogs have frequently updated
content and websites tend to be much more static and is organized into pages. A blog
can be a website on its own or a part of a bigger site. The best is that it is free. The
rise of Facebook, Twitter and other "microblogging" systems helps integrate blogs
into the news media. Experts note a three-step process involved when blogging:
defining audience, purpose and scope. Some of the most popular include:
o www.wix.com
o www.wordpress.org
o www.weebly.com
o www.blogger.com
o www.tumblr.com.
● Vlogs. A video blog or video log is the same as a blog, described above, but the postings
are in video format. Vlogs were initially popular on YouTube, and now you can find vlogs
on Instagram, Facebook, etc.
● Blogs and vlogs provide their creators with a voice. Bloggers and vloggers are able to
share their interests, exchange their thoughts, and inform their audience on issues that
resonate with them. They are able to document life, share adventures and provide visual
viewpoints on a platform easily accessible to all. As smartphones are widely available, a
more diverse and often younger audience is able to blog and vlog, without the necessity
of expensive computing hardware. Blogs and vlogs are also used by journalists,
researchers and activists as an important means and source of information and
expression. Technology can be used as a motivating factor. People are interested in blogs
because of their creativity and possibilities for self-expression. This can be used as a
vehicle to teach a wide variety of subject matter.
● Discussion forums are already pretty specific: you can set up discussion forums or
message boards for your company, product or field of interest, for instance.
● If you just want to share pictures, videos or music, you can choose to set up an account
on a service that is specialised in hosting that type of content.
o Picture (Flickr, Instagram)
o Videos (YouTube, Vimeo)
o Music (Spotify, YouTube Music or other podcast portals)
● Publish your Google My Business Profile. Setting up your Google My Business listing is
one of the simplest and most effective ways of setting your business up to be found
online. You can display important information about your business, including the
opening/closing times, contact details or a link to your website.
● eNewsletters – use this to send out fortnightly communications/updates – include user
feedback and create a call to action. There are many great tools to support you in setting
up your newsletter with Mailchimp as the most popular and alternatives such as:

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Moosend, Sendinblue, HubSpot, Omnisend, GetResponse, Constant Contact, MailerLite,
AWeber, and Mailjet.

5
1. Do you feel that the class have improved your knowledge and added value on how to
take a proactive approach toward institutions as a citizen and as a business?
a. Yes
b. No
2. What is digital literacy?
a. Knowledge, skills and behaviours used in a broad range of digital devices such
as smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktop PCs.
b. A process that professionals use to write code that instructs how a computer,
application or software program performs.
3. Do you identify the benefits of e-democracy and digital engagement with the institutions?
a. Enables citizens to participate in online discussions and debates about topics of
interest in public or local life, and even take part in elections by e-voting.
b. It expands and diversifies opportunities for citizens to engage with the state
and other institutions so more people can have their say and participate in
decision-making.
c. The e-democracy actually limits the possibilities for civic participation.
4. What is the impact of the institutional presence on social media?
a. Nowadays politicians in many countries use social networking sites to engage
with the citizens and seek their views. A government/institution using social
media can directly interact with citizens in a more accessible way than press
conferences, television appearances, or ads with two-way benefits.
b. Social media limits the possibilities of the citizens to interact with politicians or
institutions.
5. I understand the benefits of joining and/or building networks and communities of
interest to engage, find support or advice related to specific topics (health, agriculture,
human rights….)
a. Yes
b. No
6. What are the opportunities and benefits to position your business in the digital world?
a. Ease to showcase, customers can easily find you, building relationships with
followers.
b. I don’t find any benefits in increasing the digital presence of my business.
 MODULE 1 – DIGITAL LITERACY

LESSON No. 5

TITLE We as content consumers and creators

AIM The aim of the lesson is to familiarize the people with knowledge on the content
in the digital world as consumers as well as creators.

1. The participants reach basic understanding about the content formats they
consume and they feel confident about that.
OBJECTIVES
2. The participants see themselves as a channel for digital communication.
3. Participants become confident to actively use the most common tools for
content creation.

1. Understand the different types of digital formats and how traditional format
content can become digital
2. Participants will get to know the common tools and editors for text, pictures
LEARNING and video.
OUTCOMES 3. Participants will feel confident to create and start their own digital channels of
communication.
4. People understand how copyright and licenses apply to data, information and
digital content.

✔ Traditional vs digital content.

✔ Introduction to open-source software.

✔ Text: word processors.

CONTENTS
✔ Photo: image editors.

✔ Video editors.

✔ Copyright and licenses.

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TRADITIONAL VS DIGITAL CONTENT
In summary, you must understand what you want to share and how you want to share it.
Do you want to share very specific content (images, video, texts, etc.) or do you want to
share a wide range of content? Do you want to have full control over the entire process
of creativity or do you prefer to work from a present template that you can modify to
some extent? What would be the purpose of sharing content and why do you need it?
Who is the audience – the world, district, hometown or just students and parents? How
much are you willing to pay for sharing content online?

Digital learning tools can offer more flexibility and learning support than can traditionally
formats. Using mobile devices, laptops, and networked systems, educators are better
able to personalize and customize learning experiences to align with the needs of each
student. Digital tools also can make it possible to modify content, such as raising or
lowering the complexity level of a text or changing the presentation rate. At a higher
level of engagement, digital tools such as games, websites, and digital books can be
designed to meet the needs of a range of learners, from novices to experts.

INTRODUCTION TO OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE

Open-source software is computer software that allows anyone to use, study, change
and distribute it for any purpose. It’s important to remember that open source doesn’t
just mean “free”.
● Lots of companies release their software for free but maintain full copyright
ownership of their code, so other developers aren’t able to modify it. By contrast,
successful open source initiatives are built on the hard work of potentially
thousands of collaborators who have voluntarily given up their time to create
something awesome.
● Many companies and individuals prefer to use open source software over
proprietary or commercial software due to its versatility, security, evolution,
community, training, and stability. Some advantages of using open source are:
cost and savings, flexibility of customizing code, and freedom of leveraging a
community instead of a single vendor. There are some disadvantages to open
source, which include: subpar support, poor documentation, undue complexity,
intrusive advertising, and vulnerabilities.
● Some of the most popular open source software licenses for you to download
and run on your desktop or laptop include: LibreOffice (A real open source
alternative to Microsoft Office), VLC Media Player (An open source media player
than can play virtually anything), GIMP (A powerful open source photo and image
editing tool), Shotcut (A slick open source program for advanced video editing),
Linux (The open source operating system), Firefox browser, WordPress…

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 TEXT: WORD PROCESSORS
If you are over 40 you were likely introduced to a word processor in school, and which
one you used was dependent on whether you were using a PC or a MAC. Most users
started out on early versions of MS Works or Word. But today, word processors are
designed to cross platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux), and your choices are more varied
than ever before. There are so many word processing programs out there that make life
easier. Most of these programs are similar. Word processors now include features that
allow writers to choose different fonts, set margins, change headers and footers and a
host of other do-it-yourself formatting capabilities.

1. Microsoft Word by Microsoft. It is the most well-known word processor on the

market. A proprietary software (not open source) for Windows and OS X
platforms. Considered to be the best word processor for many years (when the
competition was weaker)
2. Open Source alternative software. LibreOffice Writer and OpenOffice are free and
available for Linux, Windows, and Mac OS. They support over 100 languages and
are with a similar interface to Microsoft Word. Can handle different document
types.

PHOTO: IMAGE EDITORS

Image editing encompasses the process of altering images or illustrations. Camera or
computer image editing programs often offer basic automatic image enhancement features
that correct color hue and brightness imbalances as well as other image editing features,
such as red eye removal, sharpness adjustments, zoom features and automatic cropping.
These are called automatic because generally they happen without user interaction or are
offered with one click of a button or mouse button or by selecting an option from a menu.

Additionally, some automatic editing features offer a combination of editing actions with
little or no user interaction. Graphic software programs are the primary tools with which a
user may manipulate, enhance, and transform images.
● Data compression to reduce file size and save storage space.
● Image editors can resize images in a process often called image scaling, making them
larger, or smaller.
● Cropping creates a new image by selecting a desired rectangular portion from the
image being cropped. The unwanted part of the image is discarded.
● Image editors are capable of altering an image to be rotated in any direction and to
any degree. e, to make an image lighter or darker, or to increase or decrease
contrast.

2
 ● Image editors have provisions to simultaneously change the contrast of images and
brighten or darken the image. Underexposed images can often be improved by using
this feature.
● Graphics programs can be used to both sharpen and blur images in a number of
ways, such as unsharp masking or deconvolution. This effect makes the image seem
clearer, seemingly adding details.
● Image editors usually have a list of special effects that can create unusual results.
Scores of special effects can be applied to an image which includes various forms of
distortion, artistic effects, geometric transforms and texture effects, or combinations
thereof.

The best free photo editors should be just what you need, especially if you’re not tackling
professional workloads that require all the necessary pro-level editing tools. So, if you’re
hoping to just do some simple edits like cropping or straightening an image, consider getting
one of the free apps instead:
● Fotor (Best free photo editor for quick, one-click enhancements)
● Ashampoo Photo Optimizer (Fuss-free photo editing with automatic optimization
tools)
● Canva (Best browser-based professional-level photo editor with templates)
● GIMP (The best free photo editor for advanced image editing)
● How to use tools for video editing.

VIDEO EDITORS
Video-sharing has become hugely popular since the launch of YouTube in 2005 and is
nowadays also possible through many social media platforms. YouTube can also be used by
individuals and organizations to set up their own video-sharing channels. More recently,
sites have appeared which allow users to edit their video clips online and add sound,
subtitles and so on.
Video editing is the manipulation and arrangement of video shots and combining all your
video clips into a continuous movie, but also means adding audio, music, transitions, effects,
color corrections and more to your creation. Video editing has been dramatically
democratized in recent years by editing software available for personal computers. Some
apps are much more suitable for beginners than others, so it’s worth checking out whether
an app has tutorials, or a large online presence with a forum where you can ask questions
before you commit yourself. Some of the most popular software include:
● VideoPad. Great video editing software for beginners and social media.
● CyberLink PowerDirector: An excellent all-rounder that's easy for beginners.
● Lightworks. A full-featured and free video editing program.
● Movie Maker Online. The best free online video editor.

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 ● Adobe Premiere: Best video editing software overall. For a do-it-all solution.

COPYRIGHT AND LICENSES

Intellectual property: are you sharing content that is not your own? Then be sure to check
whether you are allowed to share it or not. Commercial content is protected under copyright
law and you need specific authorization from the copyright holder to use it. Certain artists or
creators publish content under a specific “licence”, often called “Creative Commons”.
Depending on that licensee, you may be able to use the content without having to credit the
author, as well as use it for commercial purposes. As regards copyrighted material, if you
want to use it, you need proper authorization from the organization/individual owning the
rights (record company, film studio, etc.).
● Respect copyright laws and do not use other people’s blog designs or photos within a
blog without their permission. There are many websites that allow you to use their
photos for free (for example https://unsplash.com/ or https://pixabay.com/ ) with or
without attribution. Aside from the economic aspect, a creator of audio-visual
content has “moral rights”. This relates to the right to be recognized as the creator
and the right for the work not to be altered or edited without permission.
● Most libraries will provide access according to certain rules. These rules will require
at least that the user honours the copyright criteria of the material. Remember that
unless the materials are in the public domain, you may not redistribute or publish
them without the permission of the publisher. Plagiarism is the use of someone
else’s work without crediting the source.
● Nowadays, content is being produced massively every day by users all over the
world. But regardless of whether the user that uploaded it specified a license or not,
bear in mind that any content uploaded is protected. Only if the author has explicitly
mentioned that he/she waives any rights on the content he/she has produced, does
copyright law not apply.
● As a general rule, always ask the user who originally posted content if you can reuse
it, modify it, repost it or similar. Asking for permission and giving due credit is more
than a legal obligation, it helps create a more positive and enticing environment for
creativity and participation online.
● Use the Creative Commons classification on the content you create and post online.
"Creative Commons" is a non-profit organization offering an alternative to full
copyright. https://creativecommons.org/ The organization has released several
copyright licenses, known as Creative Commons licenses, free of charge to the public.
These licenses allow authors of creative works to communicate which rights they
reserve and which rights they waive for the benefit of recipients or other creators.

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1. Do you feel having a better understanding of the different types of content we
consume or what we can create in the digital world?
a. Yes
b. No
2. What are the advantages of digital compared with traditional content?
a. No advantages, just spending extra time.
b. Have full control over the entire process, more efficient by working on
pre-existing templates, ability to modify the content after it has been
published.
3. Can you identify the benefits of open-source software?
a. It’s Free, and When It’s Not, It’s Cheaper than the Alternatives.
b. More Security.
c. Open-source software is specially developed only for IT programmers.
4. Select the open-source text editor
a. Microsoft Word
b. LibreOffice.
5. Image editing is the process of altering images or illustrations. Select the image editing
software
a. Fotor, Canva, GIMP
b. Winamp, Windows Media Player, Windows Movie Maker
6. Select the proper purpose of video editing software.
a. It is the equipment used by computer users to upload video in digital video
formats on different devices.
b. Arrangement of video shots and combining all your video clips into a
continuous movie, but also means adding audio, music, transitions, effects,
color corrections and more to your creation.
7. What are the benefits of a Creative Commons license?
a. These licenses allow authors of creative works (content) to communicate which
rights they reserve and which rights they waive for the benefit of recipients or
other creators.
b. They are the official state rules and restrictions preventing people to misuse
commercial content.
 MODULE 1 – DIGITAL LITERACY
LESSON No. 6

TITLE How safe we are in the digital environment

AIM The aim of the lesson is for people to become aware of potential risks and
threats in the digital environment.

1. Participants to become aware of potential risks and threats in the digital

OBJECTIVES environments.
2. Participants understand the goals and differences of the internet threats as a
basis for better self-protection.

1. Participants will learn the different kinds of threats existing in the digital world.
LEARNING
2. Participants will learn how to easily recognize the different types of threats, so
OUTCOMES
they can become able to identify possible solutions.

✔ Potential risks and threats in digital environments.

CONTENTS ✔ Understanding the threats and risks.

✔ Behavioural threats and risks through online harassment

0
POTENTIAL RISKS AND THREATS IN DIGITAL ENVIRONMENTS
While the Internet is a great way to access quality content and services, it can also serve the
purpose of bad-intentioned people by disseminating spam, viruses, malware and scams.
Cybercrime comprises offences against computers and data, for example, illegal access to a
computer (also called hacking), interception of a communication, preventing a computer
from functioning or damaging or deleting data, but also offences committed by means of
computers.

One of the consequences of internet users expecting to get everything online for “free” has
been the continuous development of malware or spam attached to “free” software or
services that are used online. The online environment is a shared responsibility and is the
result of users’ individual online behaviours and choices.

UNDERSTANDING THE THREATS AND RISKS

The most widespread include:
● Computer virus is a type of computer program that, when executed, replicates itself by
modifying other computer programs and inserting its own code. If this replication
succeeds, the affected areas are then said to be "infected" with a computer virus, a
metaphor derived from biological viruses.
● Spyware (spying software) is any software that installs itself on your computer and starts
covertly monitoring your online behaviour without your knowledge or permission.
Spyware is a kind of malware that secretly gathers information about a person or
organization and relays this data to other parties in a way that harms the user. For
example, by violating their privacy or endangering their device's security.
● Malware is an umbrella term used to refer to a variety of forms of hostile or intrusive
software, which includes viruses, trojan horses and others. Malware is any software
intentionally designed to cause disruption to a computer, server, client, or computer
network, leak private information, gain unauthorized access to information or systems,
deprive users of access to information or unknowingly interfere with the user's computer
security and privacy (for example, activating microphones or cameras of your devices to
spy on you, and potentially destroying the content altogether). Your infected computer
may also become a “bot” that is controlled by criminals without your knowledge; it may
then be used together with millions of other infected computers as part of a “botnet” to
spread spam, commit fraud, or carry out attacks against hospitals, airports or banks.
o Techniques aimed at fooling the user into installing malware are developing
rapidly as well. An example is a fake pop-up window which realistically emulates
an antivirus scan of your computer. At the end of the fake scan, dangerous viruses
are supposedly identified on your computer, and to get rid of them you must
install software – which is actually a Malware or virus!

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● Ransomware is a type of malware that threatens to publish the victim's personal data or
perpetually blocks access to it unless a ransom is paid.
● Internet fraud has greatly developed over the last few years as the possibilities for
e-commerce and making payments online have multiplied. Internet fraud encompasses
different types of fraud such as counterfeits, real estate fraud, premium service SMS ring
tones, money transfer fraud and so forth.
o There are many types of online fraud and new ones appear every day as
technology evolves. A common fraud is called “419”, named after a Nigerian law
prohibiting this type of victimisation. This typically involves promises of a share of
a large sum of money in return for help with bank transfers. Another fraud
consists in asking the victim to send money as a rental deposit guarantee via
Western Union before visiting an apartment for rent.
● Phishing (“fishing for passwords”) is a type of social engineering where an attacker sends
a fraudulent (e.g., spoofed, fake, or otherwise deceptive) message designed to trick a
person into revealing sensitive information to the attacker or to deploy malicious
software on the victim’s infrastructure like ransomware. It is one form of identity theft.
Phishing attacks have become increasingly sophisticated and often transparently mirror
the site being targeted, allowing the attacker to observe everything while the victim is
navigating the site, and transverse any additional security boundaries with the victim.
o For example, recipients receive spam, which is disguised as legitimate mail from a
known institution such as a bank or a social network. These mails often contain
links to false websites, which are used to gather sensitive user information such
as credit card numbers or passwords. The stolen identity information is then
often used to commit fraud.
o Once your accounts have been compromised, your data can be at risk. The
contents of all your e-mails can be downloaded for instance. This data can prove
to be very valuable, either for extorting money from you or your contacts, using
your accounts online to order items, using your credit card, impersonating you
online, etc.
● Spam refers to the mass mailing of unsolicited messages to multiple recipients. It is most
commonly associated with e-mail, but also applies to social networking, instant
messaging, mobile phones and so forth. Fortunately, most e-mail services have efficient
spam filters. Spam may also serve as a vector to spread different types of malware, for
example when a recipient opens an attachment or a link indicated in the spam mail.
o Spam often includes false or fraudulent information. Because the sender remains
anonymous, it is usually not possible to prosecute for false claims. Spammers
often prey on the goodwill of recipients in order to gather mail addresses for
their databases. For example, emails may be sent requesting recipients to add
their personal information to a list in order to support a petition or cause. Often

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 citing a cause such as a sick child requiring surgery, it falsely claims that a
company or organisation has promised that money will be paid each time it is
forwarded.
o New techniques of spam appear every day. For instance, on social networks,
spam can take the form of “clickjacking”, with posts shared by friends that
include catchy titles such as “the top 10 ways to lose weight” or “you won’t
believe what this girl does in front of her webcam”. The consequences can be
that you visit a website that exposes you to a ton of advertising to generate
revenue or forces you to like a page that will spam you with many more posts.
● Cookies – A cookie is a text file left on your computer when you visit a website. It cannot
harm your computer but will give access to information about your behaviour and
interests. This can provide a more personal surfing atmosphere. They also facilitate
behavioural targeting from advertisers. Today, all websites owned in the EU or targeted
toward EU citizens are expected to comply with the Cookie Law which gives individuals
the right to refuse the use of cookies that reduce their online privacy.

BEHAVIOURAL THREATS AND RISKS THROUGH ONLINE HARASSMENT

There are at least six different forms of online harassment:
● Calling someone offensive names
● Making efforts to purposely embarrass someone
● Physically threatening someone
● Harassing someone for a sustained period of time
● Sexually harassing someone or stalking someone.

Online harassment involves directing derogatory or offensive comments at targeted

individuals repeatedly. It can take various forms such as cyberbullying, cyberstalking, trolling
or spreading hate, for example.
● Bullying is an action which is taken against another person in order to cause harm,
repeated in various forms over a period of time. Bullying can take many forms: physical
bullying, verbal bullying, relational aggression, sexual bullying, prejudicial bullying,
extortion and cyberbullying.
● Cyberbullying: is bullying via the Internet or mobile phone, involving offensive or
malicious messages, e-mails, chat room or message board comments or, even more
extreme, websites built with harmful intent towards an individual or certain groups of
people. Cyberbullies also use mobile phones to take embarrassing pictures of others or
send hurtful SMS or MMS messages. All forms of online bullying have a much greater
impact than normal bullying since authors are strengthened by a feeling of anonymity
and victims have no place to hide from the bully – they can be victims night and day,
virtually wherever they are.

3
● Cyberstalking is the use of the Internet or other electronic means to stalk or harass an
individual, a group or an organisation.
● Trolling is the act of causing problems on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting
people, by posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online
community such as a newsgroup or blog with the deliberate intent of provoking readers
into an emotional response or otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.
● Sexting is the act of sending suggestive and explicit content, images (often selfies)
messages, videos, via phone, computer, webcam or other device or writing sexy posts
online has serious consequences not only in legal terms but also with respect to
reputational risks for the person involved, like messages, images or videos may be
posted on social media sites or used in pornographic websites and videos.

4
1. Do you feel that the class have improved your understanding of potential risks and
threats in the digital environment?
a. Yes
b. No
2. What is Spyware?
a. Any software that installs itself on your computer and starts covertly
monitoring your online behaviour without your knowledge or permission while
endangering your device's security.
b. It is hardware attached to your computer, laptop, phone or other devices that
track your online behaviour.
3. What is Ransomware?
a. It is the name of a criminal group that threatens the people to uncover their
digital accounts and sell to commercial entities for marketing purposes.
b. It is a type of malware that threatens to publish the victim's personal data or
perpetually blocks access to it unless a ransom is paid.
4. What is Spam?
a. It refers to the mass mailing of unsolicited messages to multiple recipients. It is
most commonly associated with e-mail, but also applies to social networking,
instant messaging, mobile phones and so forth.
b. Type of social engineering where an attacker sends a fraudulent (e.g., spoofed,
fake, or otherwise deceptive) message designed to trick a person into revealing
sensitive information to the attacker or to deploy malicious software on the
victim’s infrastructure like ransomware. It is one form of identity theft
5. Do you identify any potential behavioural threats and risks laying in the digital world?
a. Calling someone offensive names to purposely embarrass someone.
b. Physically threatening someone
c. Harassing someone for a sustained period of time
d. Sexually harassing someone or stalking someone.
e. All of the above.
f. I have installed antivirus software on my devices and I am not exposed to any
threats in the digital world.
 MODULE 1 – DIGITAL LITERACY
LESSON No. 7

TITLE How to swim safely in the digital sea

AIM
The aim of the lesson is to empower people to take control of one's digital lives.

1. Participants to identify strategies and solutions to prevent and fight the threats
OBJECTIVES
and risks they face.
2. Participants feel confident in safely operating in the digital web space.

1. To understand how to use and share personally identifiable information while

LEARNING being able to protect oneself and others from damage.
OUTCOMES 2. To know about safety and security measures and to have due regard to
reliability and privacy.

✔ Questions we have to ask ourselves.

✔ Personal digital footprint, identity and privacy.

CONTENTS ✔ Threats to physical and psychological well-being while using digital

technologies.
✔ How to protect your own digital identity and personal data.

✔ How to protect your devices.

0
QUESTIONS WE HAVE TO ASK OURSELVES
Before diving into the possible strategies and solutions in order to prevent and fight against
the harmful risks and threats in the digital world, as a starting point it is good first of all to
ask ourselves a few questions:
● Are your operating system and your applications up to date?
● Have you explored security settings for your devices/accounts?
● Have you set up strong different passwords for your accounts and configured
two-factor security?
● When you upload apps, are you sure you know exactly what private information they
will access? Is such access really necessary for the app to function?
● Is it necessary to post that tagged photo on a social networking site?
● Have you made a backup of your most important data?
● Have you checked your digital footprint lately? Put your name into a search engine
and see what comes up. Be sure to look under images and videos as well.

PERSONAL DIGITAL FOOTPRINT, IDENTITY AND PRIVACY

● A digital footprint is data that is left behind by users on digital services. A passive
digital footprint is created when data is collected without the owner knowing,
whereas active digital footprints are created when personal data is released
deliberately by a user for the purpose of sharing information about oneself by means
of websites or social media.
● Privacy settings are the controls that allow users to limit who can access your
information and how much information can be seen by others. Privacy refers to the
degree of control that a person has concerning access to and use of his/her personal
information.
● Most e-mail and Internet users assume that personal information will not be used
without permission and that information exchanges are private and secure. The
reality, however, is very different. Every time you access a website, post content on
social media or send an e-mail, you leave information about yourself that could
include your physical and computer address, telephone and credit card numbers,
consumer pattern data and much more. You should also remember that once your
data is out there, you may have difficulty retaining control over it and there may be
long-term consequences.
● As e-commerce – including online shopping and advertising – becomes a frequently
accepted way of doing business, special consideration should be paid to the
protection of sensitive data, communications and preferences.
● Privacy is closely related to security. If a password is hacked, compromised and
revealed, the consequences could be very serious, ranging from identity theft to
illegal online transactions and more.

1
THREATS TO PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING WHILE USING DIGITAL
TECHNOLOGIES
● Be aware that the Internet often provides a false sense of anonymity. Given how the
Internet works, you always leave a trace whenever you go on the Internet (your IP
address). Be aware that anything you share online may be cached, stored or copied.
● The problem is that as soon as a person posts personal information to the Internet,
he/she has lost control over who will see it and how it will be used. Pictures can
easily be copied and shared with thousands of others at the press of a button.
Because of the digital nature of the photos, they can even be altered or distorted.
We all need to learn to only post pictures we would be happy for everyone to see.
● Mobile phone cameras and easy Internet access capabilities can be a threat to
privacy: there is a worrying trend amongst young people to take “compromising
photos” (e.g. other young people in the gym changing room or in embarrassing
situations, teachers in class), and even the morphing of these images before they are
uploaded to the Web.
● Be aware that not everyone online is who they appear to be. The information
provided by users when they are registering is not checked. Anyone can create a user
profile pretending to be someone else.
● Mobile bullying is of growing concern and is not only limited to smartphones and
tablets, as smartwatches now exist with social networking apps pre-installed.
● Because they are a distraction, mobiles can pose a risk while driving and, even more
recently, they have been noted to pose risks when walking.

HOW TO PROTECT OWN DIGITAL IDENTITY AND PERSONAL DATA

● Every citizen has the right to control their own personal data, which necessitates
knowing what personal information has been gathered about them. Always read the
fine print on questionnaires to see how the information you give about yourself is
going to be used.
● Remember that your profile can be set to public or private. You should consider
carefully which is the most appropriate setting. Remember that if your profile setting
is public, it can be seen by anyone.
● Anyone can access the personal information you post – the rule of thumb is to
assume that everything is public unless you make sure that it is not. Consequently,
you should not say anything on a social networking site which you would not be
willing to broadcast in public in the offline world.
● Be a role model for your children and place limits on your use of technology. Teach
your children how to balance their time online, use time restrictions online. Give
them a set amount of time that they can “spend” each week and let them manage it.

2
 ● Always turn off your devices (computers) or disable the Wi-Fi connection on your
smartphone/tablet when you go to bed. Leaving your devices connected may
increase the security risk to your data and might also pose health risks.
● Do not leave Bluetooth on if it is not being used, in order to avoid security risks.
● As with e-mail, accept data only from trusted sources. Beware of SMS spam: only
share your mobile number with people you know well.
● Before publishing pictures, make sure they will not breach the legal rights of others.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR DEVICES

● Your online security can be compared to security at home. You protect the contents
by keeping the windows closed and the door locked. A healthy degree of scepticism,
critical thinking and ICT skills will also help in preventing you from falling for fraud,
phishing, malware or scams online.
● Security is as important for your sake as for the sake of all Internet users. Malware,
viruses and spam spread mostly through users themselves! If your computer or
device is not safe, all your friends and contacts might be exposed to security risks as
well!
● Anti-virus and firewall software are an absolute necessity. You might also want to
consider other tools such as pop-up blockers and anti-spyware. Be sure to check your
system regularly.
● Install security patches and updates or operating system updates as soon as they
become available. You can set some operating systems and programs to update
automatically or inform you as soon as a patch is available for download.
● Use strong passwords to protect your PC, e-mail and Internet connections. Strong
passwords consist of letters, numerals and special characters:
o Is at least eight characters long
o Does not contain a word found in a dictionary, does not contain a reference
to your personal life or your user name, real name, home address or company
name
o Contains characters from each of the following categories: uppercase letters,
lowercase letters, numbers and symbols.
● Using privacy settings on all of your Wi-Fi-enabled equipment with Internet access is
one of the best ways to protect your privacy. Depending on your browser, do a quick
search on privacy settings to see how you can: block ads and tracking, block
third-party cookies and block websites from accessing your location.
● Before giving out private data, check for the locked padlock symbol that shows up in
the toolbar. This is a sign that your transaction is taking place over a secure
connection. Before making online transactions, check that the URL includes HTTPS;
the S stands for “secure” in the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and authenticates

3
 the website and the associated web server, which protects against third-party
attacks.
● Never share sensitive data or carry out sensitive operations such as mobile banking
via public Wi-Fi hotspots.
● People often exchange files through messaging and chat, and it is important to
remember that files can contain malware. Make sure that all files have been scanned
for viruses before sharing them and scan anything you receive before opening.
● Different sections of your computer can be secured using passwords. Create
passwords for folders containing valuable documents such as confidential projects,
research, original designs and so forth.
● A high proportion of e-mail received is unsolicited and usually undesired spam.
Fortunately, spam filters are getting increasingly better at sorting spam from regular
e-mails.
o Be sure not to contribute yourself to “spamming” by abusively forwarding
e-mails that you find “funny” or “interesting” to all of your contacts. If you do
so too often, spam filters may identify your e-mail address as a proxy for
spam and blacklist it, making it impossible for you to contact anyone.
o Some “forwards” are false or fraudulent. An example are e-mails that falsely
claim that a company or organisation has promised to pay a small sum of
money for a humanitarian cause (often citing a cause such as a sick child
requiring surgery) each time the mail is forwarded. It is easy to conceal a
name in order to be misleading. This can be done by simply changing the
name in the settings or creating a webmail address such as
[email protected]. Even if you recognise the e-mail address as
belonging to one of your contacts, check the subject line too because it is
possible that the owner’s machine may have become a “zombie computer” 5
affected by a hacker or virus.
o Also, do not respond to spam. This will confirm your e-mail address to the
spammer.
o Maintain a healthy scepticism about e-mails you receive. Do not open e-mails
if you do not trust the source. Always check the e-mail address of any
notification you receive to check whether it is genuine. Be especially wary of
attachments. If you receive something that looks suspicious, or that you have
not requested, delete it immediately without opening it. Remember that
even recipients that you trust can send you infected messages if their account
or device has been compromised.
● Make sure you trust the source before downloading anything to your computer.
Never click on links from recipients you do not trust, and more especially on links
that use shortened URLs where it is impossible to see the “original” URL address.

4
 Whenever you install software, make sure you read all the steps before clicking on
the “next” button. Pay specific attention to pre-ticked boxes which may install
malware on your computer! A link may appear to be directing you to one website
when in fact it leads to another. This is particularly common in phishing scams.
● As a general rule, never include sensitive information in an e-mail, such as bank
details. There are only rare circumstances where you will need to send such
information, for instance, to make a hotel reservation. In case of doubt, proceed with
caution, check the online reputation of the service you want to use, check the
procedure to cancel your card or the transaction, use more secure payment services,
such as PayPal, and avoid less secure services, such as direct money transfer services
(e.g. Western Union). However, never send details such as your username and
password of your online accounts via e-mail.
● Use different passwords for your most important accounts and be sure to set up
two-factor security measures whenever possible (adding your mobile phone number
or an extra security phrase/question). Usually, e-mail clients enable you to enter a
secondary email address in case that e-mail account gets hacked. Configure your
security settings properly so it will be much easier for you to recover.
● If you do need to post your e-mail address, you can disguise it by adding characters
such as Tom(dot)Smith(at)gmail(dot)com, or posting it as a picture so that it cannot
be automatically copied.
● Make regular backups of all your data on an external hard drive.
● Victims of cybercrime often do not report the crime to the police, and so offenders
continue with their business and find new victims.

5
1. Do you feel that the class have improved your knowledge to prevent and fight the threats
and risks you face while online?
a. Yes
b. No
2. What do privacy settings imply?
a. Software installed in our computer/laptop/phone devices keeping us safe and
secure while spending our time online.
b. Controls that allow users to limit who can access your information and how
much information can be seen by others. It refers to the degree of control that
a person has concerning access to and use of his/her personal information.
3. Is there are any threats to physical and psychological well-being while using digital
technologies?
a. As soon as a person posts personal information to the internet, s/he has lost
control over who will see it and how it will be used; not everyone online is who
they appear to be; cyberbullying is of growing concern, smart devices are a
distraction and can pose a risk while driving.
b. I have the latest version of antivirus and other software and additional security
hardware protecting me from all types of threats.
4. Is there anything I can do to protect my privacy while online?
a. I can set my profile to private instead of public.
b. The rule of thumb is to assume that everything is public unless I make sure that
it is not. Consequently, I should not say anything on a social networking site
which I would not be willing to broadcast in public in the offline world.
c. Before publishing pictures, make sure they will not breach the legal rights of
others.
d. I call my internet provider to provide additional security for me.
e. I call the police officer to check any suspicious activities I find on my computer.
5. I know that not only myself, but my devices are vulnerable as well. What can I do to
make sure my devices won’t get infected by computer viruses and other online threats?
a. Install anti-virus and firewall software.
b. Install security updates or operating system updates.
c. Use strong passwords to protect my PC, e-mail and internet connections.
d. Never undertake sensitive operations such as mobile banking via public
Wi-Fi hotspots.
e. Always check the e-mail address of any notification you receive to check
whether it is genuine. I know even recipients that I trust can send me
infected messages if their account or device has been compromised.
f. Make sure I trust the source before downloading anything to my computer.
Never click on links from recipients I do not trust.
g. Never send details such as the username and password of my online
accounts via e-mail.
h. Use different passwords for my most important accounts.
i. Set up two-factor security measures whenever possible.
j. Make regular backups of all your data on an external hard drive.
k. All the above are relevant measures.
l. I am protected. I pay an annual insurance policy covering all the above.
m. It is not my job. I can call the police.
Bibliography

1. 2017, “Internet literacy handbook”, Janice Richardson, Dr.Elizabeth Milovidov, J.D.,

Martin Schmalzried
2. 2022, “DigiComp 2.2 The Digital Competence Framework for Citizens”, Vuorikari Riina;
Kluzer Stefano; Punie Yves
3. GCF Global learn free, Internet Basics: https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/internetbasics/
4. Tech Terms, The Computer Dictionary: https://techterms.com/
5. Techopedia, Technology Dictionary: https://techopedia.com/dictionary