Digital Blog Post #D

   Chapter 5 of the textbook really starts to go into detail why it is important to be digitally literate. It is true that reading and writing are still and will always be a vital part in the learning process and to be literate in general but this is the 21st century and now whether we are students, teachers, employees, or employers, we are still expected to have the basic understandings of technology and more so we should want to because of how much it can really help us. The three concepts I would like to discuss are digital literacy, media literacy and a topic that was brought up but I felt needed to be expanded upon, digital ethics.

   Digital literacy is a very powerful concept for us that we should embrace. Technology, and even just the internet in general has made learning easier, more effective, but most importantly gives us the ability to grow. Back then we could not google things as we can now or would have been able to use certain teaching tools that have proven to be effective in the classroom. With all the concepts we are able to to look up and learn, we are unlocking answers to any questions we have, even if it doesn't have such a simple answer. We now are able to learn to research, which gives us the tools to interpret and synthesize information at a higher level as well as being able to help us manage our thoughts in order to teach others. This is a process, an important process that has helped us gt a lot further and will help us get a lot further in the classroom.

   Media literacy is just important to understand because it is a part of being digitally literate and whether we notice it or not we see multimedia in every every form so much throughout the day. The way we evaluate this media determines what we take away from the media presented to us. Visual learners are very effected by media because it is easier for them to interpret images, or charts, etc. and understand the concepts better. This takes communication to a whole new level. Not only is media literacy important to obtain and understand in the classroom but even in everyday life which leads me to digital ethics.

   I think digital ethics is what is able to make us analyze at higher level. This means we are able to research with a fair mindset, present with balance, and display professionalism. Digital ethics is all about doing things the right way, and the fair way. Both digital and media literacy require you to use digital ethics to be most effective and being able to understand digital ethics aids your comprehension in both literacies. This really ties both together so it is important to understand each part. Below I have made a little diagram from the web tool gliffy to sum up the concepts digital and media literacy can teach us

                                                               Tree Of Literacy

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Gliffy (n.d.). Tree of Literacy. Retrieved September 28, 2016