Thursday, January 5, 2012

How Digitally Civilized am I?

Digitally civilized.

What does that mean? Civilized is defined as "characteristic of a state of civilization ; especially : characterized by taste, refinement, or restraint"(Webster's Dictionary) Digital can refer to many different things from fingers to calculations to a certain type of data entry. Together, however, it refers to the phenomena that happened when computers and digital information became ubiquitous.

That phemonina brought about more information than a society knew what to do with... with wikis and webcomics and blogs galore. Some information was useful, some amusing, and others purposefully spreading false information. But never the less, it has become increasingly important to be in the new digital civilization that seems to have cropped up overnight.

For me, I've dabbled in the digital world. From a quirky lovable grandfather who loves to have the latest and greatest gadgets (you should hear the arguments he has with Siri) to an uncle that networks computers (we had lan parties at Thanksgiving)for a living. Learning how to navigate in the digital world has been a family affair. Using the increasing number of tools available is amazing. From video editing to spreadsheet generation to teaching online, where there is a connection you are connected and I thrive on that electronic pulse.

One touch, one command and bingo! There is a multiverse of data that I can gather for projects, or entertainment, even religious enlightenment. The possibilities are endless, and despite my illiteracy in the Computer's own dialect, I would consider myself someone who is fairly digitally civilized,

1 comment:

  1. Sounds great, Marissa! I love that digital literacy is "a family affair" for you. It sounds like you already have a grasp of the importance of digital literacy, and your family will be a built-in network for you to share all the things you're learning in this class. I look forward to hearing more from you!

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