1. What has most surprised you when investigating the topic of digital literacy?

I was most surprised by how much is expected of people in terms of digital literacy already. It seems one is pretty much required to be a graphic designer and/or digital artist these days just to get by. That's why I've often considered that I'd have been better served by a tech-school program than a grad degree, but ... that ship has sailed -- ha! Anyway, I can speak only for myself, but I suspect others share my feeling that it's very frustrating to feel left behind or out of touch in terms of technology, as well as it's frustrating to feel as though you've involuntarily enrolled in a neverending series of lessons in technology -- that you have to teach yourself! While it's obvious that technology and digital literacy are an important part of society, I'm surprised by the degree to which that's true -- as if you're less of a person if you're not proficient in Photoshop, or able to use Flash. It actually seems a little ridiculous sometimes. We're all still humans, and presumably we have value with or without digital literacy.

2. What has been the most challenging part of this course (and by challenging, I don't mean that you didn't like it, I mean to ask what challenged your previously held notions or beliefs--what made you reconsider something you thought you understood previously.)

Sort of accepting the notion that less can be more has been the greatest challenge. Coming from a newspaper background, my philopsophy was slightly grounded in "all the news that's fit to print," or really maximizing space to fill with information. I've come to value the idea of a little "air" (white space) in a presentation, or at least a more minimalist approach -- as I think newspapers in general have tended toward in the last several years.

3. What has been your proudest accomplishment? What do you know now that you didn't know before? What can you do now that you couldn't before?

My proudest accomplishment so far was my creative project (marketing materials). I was pleased with the way they turned out, and I put a lot of thought and effort into them. I did have the opportunity on other projects to learn about online moviemaking, though, and I'm able to put together a basic movie with music and narration.

4. How will what you have learned here affect your life? (That's the real test of a class, isn't it?)

I hope it will inspire me to be more willing to experiment with programs I've avoided in the past, to be more willing to embrace the possibilities that come with gaining knowledge of and skills relating to digital literacy. However, I still have no inclination or intention to make a MySpace page! ;)