summary of digital literacy

1. What has most surprised you when investigating the topic of digital literacy?
I was most surprised to find out that digital literacy encompasses so much. I had originally believe that it only meant having the tools and the knowledge to understand the digital application that you are using; however, over the course of the semester I learned that it not only means this, but also being able to creatively express yourself through a digital means. I feel this is true because until you decide to “play around” with an application you will never be able to use or even find all the helpful tools that will only improve your self-expression.

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.)

I think the most challenging part of this course has been understanding that computers and other technologies aren’t as delicate as I have thought of them in the past. Yes, a laptop will most likely break if dropped, but it’s normally not going to break if you click one too many times on a button in order to further your knowledge. I’ve always limited my computer usage to the bare minimal (word, email, email, facebook); however, this course has challenged this and has forced me to expand my horizon.

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?
Well, I can tell you that I’m always proud (and surprised) with myself whenever I’m able to answer someone’s question that pertains to what I have learned through the help of this class. For example, just yesterday someone in one of my other classes asked me how to get a print screen… I had to learn how to do this for one of my projects, so, I was able to show him what to do! There have been many other things that I have learned that tremendously increased my digital literacy. Here are some examples of what I have learned how to use: Windows Movie Maker, Blogger, converters, and much more.

4. How will what you have learned here affect your life? (That's the real test of a class, isn't it?)
Because of this class I’ve been more outgoing when it comes to moving around in a digital world. When I was creating my blog for my final project I wasn’t afraid of searching for different widgets or templates because I knew I could always find help somewhere, if needed. Sometimes my searching didn’t always work out, but it’s ok because at least I know I tried. Overall, I feel that I will take with me the confidence one needs to survive in today’s growing technological world.