Time to Reflect--Halfway Point

Weekly Reflections Overview

For the past six weeks, I have been reading and responding to various articles, videos and forum posts regarding emerging technologies. 

Since the second week of class, our instructor asked us to send him our weekly reflections about the e-tools with which we have come into contact.

Over the next few posts, I would like to share some of my weekly reflections with you. 

Week 2:Considering our Digital Literacy

 

After reading the article, Digital Literacies: Policy, Pedagogy and Research Considerations for Education, I was intrigued by the discussion of the seven competencies—Define, Access, Manage, Integrate, Evaluate, Create, and Communicate, which are perceived to asses one’s ability and comfort level with technology. 

In my daily life, the ability to have a positive online experience is measured through the above competencies.   

Fortunately, my previous experience with certain technological tools—databases, Microsoft software, E-Portfolios, and more recently a Web Development course, has built a springboard for my future learning and understanding of new technologies.

Being an adult educator, I immediately thought that these verbs reminded me of Bloom’s Taxonomy and how wonderful they would be to use for the creation of learning objectives and grading rubrics.

In my new role at work, as a curriculum developer and content writer of e-learning resources, I am excited about learning how to incorporate technology effectively with training materials. 

The ability to experiment with how to organize, write, and display content visually is very different from the days of paper based curriculum documents. 

After watching Michael Wesch’s video, Web 2.0… The Machine is Using Us, I felt very connected to his message.

Now, more than ever, I understand that ‘text’ is malleable and doesn’t have to be linear. 

Writing for the web, including other electronic and digital formats is very different than traditional paper based ‘text’, because it needs to be short, catch the reader’s attention, follow certain user expectations in terms of layout, etc.

Knowing that I want to expand the ways I reach and impact learners, I know that I will need to learn more about Social Media devices.

And for this reason, I enrolled in this certificate program.