Thoughts From A Digital World
A Final Semester Reflection
After reading the Rheingold article that was assigned this week, I was really struck with how well the two comics at the beginning of the chapter articulated what was about to be discussed. One of the lines of text reads: “The Future of Digital Media Depends on You and Us… The image also shows a sketch of the globe and arrows pointing all over the continents emphasize how our relatively new digital world connects and depends on us all as well. I felt like this was especially relevant for us in this last week of class as it is a good reminder that everything we are learning only works if we are all able to meaningfully contribute and listen to each other and each other’s project.
In terms of the course as a whole, I already knew that there is a lot of misinformation out there in the digital world and that it is not necessarily a safe space for everyone. After taking this class as part of the Learning Technology minor offered at the University of Minnesota, however, I was more shocked at how much of a problem this kind of stuff still is today. As I go forward, I think that having taken this class will force me to be more aware of my online presence and my responsibilities as a digital citizen. I love social media as much as anyone, but I also recognize the unhealthy habits that can arise from not being able to censor our emotions and stabilize our habits. My hope is that me and my classmates will take more time to think before we post or respond to information online. If we see instances of cyberbullying or misinformation spreading, we will report it. And if we are unsure whether or not to believe something online, we will use sources like Canada Fact Check to reaffirm that the information that we are processing is reliable.
After this course ends,I plan on continuing to build on and refine my digital literacy knowledge and skills by taking the last couple of classes to earn my minor in Learning Technologies. I took Social Media and Connected Learning last semester and I really enjoyed both the class content itself and the professor. I am so glad that I decided to continue my education in this field because I truly think it’s an important skill to practice since this course emphasizes so much how technology and the internet isn’t going away. I also plan on becoming a teacher, so learning as much as I can about digital literacy will help me in my future classroom. Taking these courses during a global pandemic has also just reinforced the importance of online learning and being a respectful and responsible digital citizen. Education would not be able to continue without the use of online learning resources, and I am very thankful that I am someone who has access to reliable internet and wifi. I am sad that the semester is coming to an end… But I must admit that it will be nice to take a much needed break from being on my laptop and online all day everyday.
