I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with myself (and I suppose by proxy, Prof. Peele) because I've come a lot farther than I expected. I'm still reluctant to "expose" myself like so many others in the online universe, but at least now I can say I tried it and it wasn't as scary as it seemed.
So much of my problem with gaining digital literacy has been the intimidation factor. I think I'd convinced myself that Twitter, blogging and laptop video editing were for people younger, cooler and more tech-savvy than myself. Because I am a journalist, I probably do use more technology than the average person, but I honestly thought I was "at capacity" and would not be able to get the hang of the newer stuff that seems to be launched every second.
I'm the kind of person who has moved from a beeper...
...to a pager to a giant cell phone...
...to a sleek cell phone to a Blackberry... yet I'm guessing I won't get an iPhone until it's 5th or 6th generation! I think that is a perfect metaphor for my digital literacy learning curve. I'm OK up to a point, but then there's a bit of a plateau before I jump into the next arena.
But as I said, the good thing is that this class forced me to jump right in... and for that, I am thankful. Aside from trying all the different applications we experimented with, it was interesting to think about how society is grappling with the digital revolution from a more academic and less pop culture point of view. Reading about how educational curricula are changing from kindergarten right up to university as a result of the need for digital literacy was enlightening.
At heart, I am a traditionalist with Luddite tendencies.
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I like hardcover books, handwritten notes, talking in person over texting. But I'm also a realist and for that reason, I believe this revolution is undeniable and probably irreversible. And after taking this class and challenging myself to be more open, I think maybe it's not SO terrible after all!
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