Digital Literacy Autobiography

Howdy friends,

I'm here to answer a few questions about my experience with technology and social media.

1. How did you first learn to use the computer?

My first memories of using a computer was when I was around 8 or 9 years old. My Mom had this ancient Hewlett-Packard computer and I remember playing Sports Trivia, Spiderman, and using the paint feature on it. I didn't know what the internet was, but I remember having lots of fun playing games on it. My earliest recollection of actually learning how to use a computer was in 1st grade when our teacher would take us down to the computer lab and would teach us the basic skills and what certain functions the computer had. It is hilarious to think about dial-up internet, AOL, and all of those other "cutting edge" technologies that are so obsolete now.

Using the internet as a kid was pretty exciting as well. I remember getting in trouble when I would use the dial up because that meant that my Mom couldn't use the telephone (landlines are pretty funny to think about, too). Once again, I learned how to use the internet at school, and the stuff I didn't know I just figured out for myself.

I never had a MySpace, which I think was most of my friends first social media experience. I remember being told by my parents that social media was a risky idea and that having personal information on the internet was scary. It's funny how quickly things change. My first Social Media experience was when I got a Facebook in 7th grade. I remember being so excited when people accepted my friend request. Twitter and Instagram didn't come until later, but those are the social media platforms that I use most. I just figured them out on my own, granted they are aren't very difficult to use anyways.

2. How does getting supplementary online support help you in this course and in your other courses?

I thoroughly enjoy the online support because thats where everything else is. Although I am a traditional student and also a big fan of classic pen and paper, I think we are almost to the point where everything will be done on the computer. Being able to look something up on the computer has made my life so much easier, and having the supplementary information is no exception. It just makes life easier because you know where everything is.

I think some advantages are, like I mentioned above, that you know where information is going to be and it is very easily accessible. I think a potential disadvantage, and I think is comes with all forms of information, is that no matter how easy you make it for the student, they will still not take advantage. As a whole though, I only see a positive upside to online support.

You can maximize the advantages by making sure everyone has the address that links exactly where the information is. Not a lot of people can screw that up, so I think being able to show people exactly where the support is going to be, the easier it will be access. I think if you can take away potentially slow internet speeds and give students the right information and tell them where it is going to be, I believe the disadvantages could vanish completely.