The world has changed significantly over the last 15 years. Technology has spread substantially in many sectors including education. I remember my self before 2007, when I was in my final year at the high school, I barely had a cell phone with very basic features and only was using the computer of my sister to play games. With the spread of internet in Tunisia, which was around 2008 when most of families could afford to buy Wi-Fi plans, we signed up for our first Wi-Fi plan and my brother bought his first Pc, as he studied architecture, so it was a need for his studies. That was when I had my first presence online, with my first accounts on Fb and skype. But then I wasn’t that proficient in using these tools. Many things seemed to be hard to learn and trust. I didn’t have the awareness on how to behave online. For example, I was accepting friends’ requests on FB even from people that I don’t know, the thing that I don’t do after gaining years of experience in online practices. My online literacy has changed in the past 12 years. My studies require to have a digital identity and so my work. For example, I have accounts in LinkedIn, research gate, academia, to name but a few.
I was born before the technology invaded our life, so I lived the days that I would describe technology free, but then when technology has spread, I was young enough to learn and use technology quickly. As I am teaching now and all my students were born after 2000’s, I feel more comfortable to deal with them as if I am 100% native to digital technology.
After attending the webinar of David White and reading some materials, I can describe myself as 50% native and 50% immigrant and I would consider myself resident more than a visitor. I use FB where I share posts whether related to work or other topics such politics, social issues, etc. I also use google, Microsoft to share my lecture materials, recordings of my lectures with my students, etc. I also do a big part of my work mainly the supervision and the contribution to international projects online.
However, I am very cautious when it comes to my personal life. I don’t like sharing photos, personal information about myself. The older I am getting, the more cautious I become in how I use social media probably thanks to the experiences that I gained. I believe we always must separate between our personal and professional life, in fact one’s private life must be protected. I believe that I am keeping up with the pace the world is progressing with in terms of technology which is necessary for my work.
