The term "21st century literacies" was coined by The National Council of Teachers of English to describe the social nature of learning that is supported by the ability to collaborate using digital technologies in learning. These 'new literacies' are described as "skills students will need for the society in which they will work", including "strong communication and collaboration skills, expertise in technology, innovative and creative thinking skills, and an ability to solve problems". This set of skills and understandings will "prepare the workforce or citizenry for a changing, interconnected world".
These literacies are dynamic due to the ability to be linked to one another. According to NCTE, active, successful participants in this 21st century global society must be able to:
develop proficiency and fluency with the tools of technology;
build intentional cross-cultural connections and relationships with others so to pose and solve problems collaboratively and strengthen independent thought;
design and share information for global communities to meet a variety of purposes;
manage, analyze and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous information;
create, critique, analyze and evaluate multimedia texts;
attend to the ethical responsibilities required by these complex environments.