Final Post

1. The most surprising thing about digital literacy that I've learned in this class is that it doesn't have to be intimidating. I can do anything digitally if I'm willing to put the time in to learn. And most answers can be found with an online search. Not surprising, software and digital literacy are a lot like theory- the more you learn, the more you don't know.

2. The most challenging part of this course, for me, was learning the different technologies. It can be really frustrating when you are teaching yourself new software, but it's rewarding when you can produce something with it. I used to think that I couldn't do something, like building a website, without being taught. Now, I'm much more likely to just dive in and play with the software to see what works and what doesn't. I'm sure I don't always do things the best or most efficient way, but I can usually think around the problem to get the results I want.

3. My proudest accomplishments are the OLPC movie and my website. Those are two things that I probably would not have challenged myself to do before. I've always wanted to play with iMovie and I've been meaning to create a website for a years, but it took this class to motivate me to do it. I really liked that we were encouraged to play with new software outside of our comfort zone, instead of just writing a paper about a digital literacy topic.

4. What I've learned in this class, the theory and the software, I'll continue to be able to use. The theoretical lens will always be useful at looking at the changing world around us. I can't see "new media" without thinking about how it is remediated. And the technological skills I've learned will help me immediately by allowing me to express myself in ways I couldn't do before this class. Of course, these skills will eventually become obsolete (sooner than later, I'm sure), but the confidence that I can jump in a learn a completely new software will, I hope, remain with me throughout my personal journey in digital literacy. (Wow, that was a little over the top but it's true, so it stands).