DLMA_NEU: Digital Literacy Mobile Application for Children

Abstract

This paper presented the design and implementation of DLMA_ NEU, a digital literacy mobile application for Android that targets children between ages 7 and 18. It is a developmental study aimed at designing a digital literacy mobile application. The study was conducted in three phases: (1) literature review, mobile application store search, and interviewing experts in children’s digital literacy; (2) smartphones app development; and (3) accessing the functionality and usability of the app. Thirty students from Near East College and five experts on mobile app development and e-learning provided qualitative and quantitative data used throughout the research process. The app is the first digital literacy mobile application to support the Turkish language, considers children’s opinions during the design phase, and is interactive. For application use, a child is required to register first. Furthermore, the application currently supports two languages (English and Turkish) to provide representation. The application supports chatting with friends and educates children (via videos, text, cartoons, and jokes) on interacting online. The application also serves as an avenue for children to report cyberbullying and other online issues and acquire internet usage habits