Northstar Digital Literacy
Northstar is a program of Literacy Minnesota, whose mission is to share the power of learning through education, community building, and advocacy.
Northstar Digital Literacy defines basic skills needed to perform tasks on computers and online. Online, self-guided modules assess the ability of individuals to perform tasks based on these skills. Included are basic computer digital literacy standards and modules in three main areas:
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Essential Computer Skills - Phone Keyboard Basics & Logging In, Basic Computer Skills, Internet Basics, Using Email, Windows, Mac OS
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Essential Software Skills - Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Docs
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Using Technology in Daily Life - Social Media, Information Literacy, Career Search Skills, Accessing Telehealth Appointments, Supporting K-12 Distance Learning, Your Digital Footprint, Cybersecurity Basics, AI Basics
Northstar was developed in response to the needs of job seekers who may lack the digital literacy skills needed to seek, obtain, and retain employment, as well as to perform other tasks in daily life.
Get started:
- Go to the Northstar Digital Literacy website
- If this is your first time using Northstar, you can sign up as a learner by clicking the "Sign up as a learner" link. A learner account lets you save your progress and is recommended when using Northstar. If you already have an existing learner account, please click on "Log in with Northstar". Otherwise, enter test-taker name to get started without a learner account.
- Once you've signed in, you will see lists of essential computer skills, essential software skills, and skills for using technology in daily life. You can click on an assessment to get started. Alternatively, you can click on the "Go to Northstar Online Learning" button to open your account dashboard and take an assessment or a lesson.
- Taking an assessment will show you what areas you are strong in and what areas you may need more practice with. Taking a lesson will strengthen your skills, and then you can retake the assessment to see if you have improved your digital skills. Click on the "Go to Northstar Online Learning" button to open your account dashboard and take an assessment or a lesson.