The past few weeks have been a roller-coaster ride for me in terms of learning. I’m on a high when I am able to catch-up with the new online platforms that are shared in our ONL group. It’s such a joy when you learn new things, in this case, new online tools that I’ve never used before. Learning to use Padlet and Coogle during our first topic, I’ve increased my digital literacy several percentages more. I also feel high when I can instantly reap the benefits from those new online tools by being able to use it with my students. I felt the instant benefit as an educator to learn from our ONL group.
However, I feel low at times when I am not able to catch-up on the amount of knowledge that is out there. On top of it, as we create new content as a group, this build-up of information to digest can sometimes feel overwhelming. In one of our video conferencing sessions using Zoom as a platform, felt personally “I.T. challenged” when I couldn’t get my audio to work for what seemed like an eternity. All I needed to do was find the icon and click the mouse, and yet I spent a lot of time figuring it out. The lows come from sense of not maximizing my time when I am trying to figure out how a particular platform works, and this is compounded by the learning curve for the new online tools I need to get used to.
The issues that I face are not insurmountable. My subgroup PBL 12 has been extremely helpful and encouraging as I navigate thru my online learning. Knowing that help is available makes the journey more enjoyable and less frightening.
One of the videos shared to us was about building a school in the cloud by Mr. Sugata Mitra. As I looked through the eagerness of the children who have never seen or owned a computer in their life, I saw their genuine desire to learn. They might not know yet that by wanting to learn about the “hole in the wall” , they are on the way to increasing their digital literacy. With their friends or younger brothers by their side as their peer tutors, they are able to learn new things within hours of being introduced to modern computers.
As a move forward in my online learning with people from across the world, I want to focus on the positive aspects of what digital literacy can bring to me, to my group, and to my students with whom I can instantly share my incremental updating of what is out there in the digital world. The online world is as big as the human imagination, and it continues to grow exponentially because users like us build content. The amount of things that we can learn from each other seems limitless; sometimes it’s just a matter of learning the right online tool that will bring about real and tangible knowledge. Although the challenge of improving one’s literacy can bring some anxiety, knowing the good it can bring for humanity, the pros definitely outweigh the cons. I know that this step towards digital literacy is a decision in the right direction. So, am I for digital literacy? With a resounding yes, I am in!
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