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LIDA101: Digital literacies and why they’re important for you

lida101
#1

Doug Belshaw says we should talk about digital literacies (plural) and that they depend heavily on context and are socially negotiated.

Please share with the group:

  1. One digital literacy you have acquired and use regularly in your own context. Summarise your context and suggest why this is a literacy rather than a digital skill.
  2. Share one digital literacy you would like to acquire or improve to support your learning. Why is this literacy important for you?
  3. Optional - do you think there is a difference between digital literacies used in personal life when compared to formal learning or the work environment?

Remember that digital literacies are context dependent and socially negotiated - so there are no wrong or right answers. The ones which are important for you are determined by your own context.

Please:

  1. Read a few responses. If you see a particularly thoughtful post remember to like the post by clicking on the heart
  2. Please respond to at least one or two posts in this topic and remember to include the @username in your post so you can earn the first mention badge.
#2

Digital literacies are imperative if you are going to be online, as knowing how to effectively use the internet prevents wasting valuable time searching articles that are not reliable sources. I have learned, over time, how to evaluate sources of materials before using them in my papers or any posts I make online. This could be considered both a literacy and a skill except one difference is that one needs a bibliography made and one can exclude it. In other words, using non sourced material can hurt others who then may use it for their own research.

I believe research is one I’d like to acquire…I’ve learned how to use this to my advantage when writing papers or in my courses overall, but it’s always one that can be cultivated over time and improved on. I do believe there is a difference between professional literacies and personal as one is causal and one is used in a business type setting.

#3

I think there are differences in digital literacies for personal and professional life by virtue of the fact of the different social media accounts people use. For example, an individual may use Facebook for personal communications and a Linkedin profile for professional purposes.

#4

@mackintosh.wayne Agreed. Mixing the two might not end so well and can definitely taint an otherwise professional appearance online.

#5

That is spot on.

#6

I feel that my ability to find and utilize educational resources online is a digital literacy. In doing so, I consider which resources will be best for me to achieve my goals, test various resources to see if they are right for me, and plan a learning curriculum delivered through a personal learning environment. Saylor Academy courses are just one of the various different MOOC and other educational resources I am taking advantage of, and I’m always looking for more! :japanese_ogre:

I’m planning on posting some more about the various online educational resources I’ve added to my PLN on the blod I’ve set up as part of participating in LIDA101. Check it out here:

As for a digital literacy I’d like to add more to, I need to brush up on my ability to use social media tools to add to learning abilities, job finding abilities, and communication abilities in general as I feel I am somewhat lacking in these areas.

#7

@mackintosh.wayne this is a very good point. I have to take great trouble to keep my personal, education, professional, and artistic uses of social media separate because I have content on each that might be inappropriate to the audience I am interfacing with in each case.