Blog post #1

I believe that digital literacy is the ability to read, write, and interact safely with the digital world. It’s not about writing code or reading binary strings but about confidently and safely navigating the digital world with ease. An example is, from my experience, Brightspace is an excellent platform for the University of Victoria to manage grades, assignments, and course materials. Personally, I feel confident navigating the site and can use it with ease. However, not everyone may share my comfort level.

As a fully online student by choice and an advocate for distributed, hybrid, and online learning modes, I consider myself to have a strong grasp of digital literacy. This skill is one of the reasons why I do better in fully online courses. That said, I acknowledge that distributed learning, while ideal for me, may pose challenges for others who struggle with navigating digital tools. For those individuals, face-to-face learning modes might be more appealing as they better suit their comfort level with digital literacy. 

When I first started University I strictly took face-to-face classes. Since my junior and senior years in highschool were fully online due to COVID-19, I was exhausted of online school. I wanted to be back in real classrooms surrounded by my peers. However as the years went on I got tired of commuting long distances to get to classes that were five hours apart and having to spend most of my day on campus lounging around waiting for my next class to start. Oftentimes I make my usual hour and a half commute to school to get to class and be completely unable to focus. Each week felt like I was wasting more time than the last. I gave a couple online classes a shot to find this is where I shined academically. Without being around computers and technology my entire life I’m not sure if I would have wanted to make the switch to fully online. 

Digital literacy plays a critical role in how individuals engage and succeed in today’s digital world. As I’ve shared firsthand, how my understanding of digital tools and platforms can lead to greater academic success, and digital literacy continues to evolve around our ever changing world. I believe it’s becoming ever more important to create and support equitable open educational opportunities that support learners at different levels of digital fluency, ensuring that everyone can thrive. 

My last little note is about how I control my digital identity. While there is an illusion of privacy on the internet, I still make sure that my posts and interactions on social media platforms stay always within professional bounds. Meaning if I don’t think my Instagram post from yesterday would be very appropriate printed and stuck to a wall at a potential future job, I wouldn’t post it.

References

BCcampus. (n.d.). What is open education? BCcampus. https://open.bccampus.ca/what-is-open-education/