December 11, 2007

      During the course of the semester in my CD 315 class, I have been able to  aquire a vast amount of knowledge and skills. Throughout the semester, I have expressed many different feelings on course work. There have been times where I felt overwhelmed with assignments, worried that I did something incorrect, or even stressed thinking I was not finishing something on time.Overall, I can now say I feel that I have accomplished a lot throughout the course of the semester,  and I am content with the way things fell into place.I have learned to adapt a better sense of organization to my learning habits.  As a student, I have completed many assignments in this course, such as, creating a video presentation, writing an I-Search paper, joining several mailing lists to communicate with people about autism, posting weekly blogs, learning how to use social bookmarking sites,  peer reviewing papers, and much more which I will explain later on while talking about the different course objectives I have met. The information I have obtained from my class learner outcomes will be beneficial in the future as they have allowed me to obtain knowledge that will assist me tremendously throughout my life as a student, pre-professional, and a citizen in today’s society.

Learner Outcomes: Conceptual

1. …acquire knowledge of the various conceptions of literacy in the 21st century.
2. …acquire knowledge of what constitutes acceptable sources and resources within a profession and in the 21st century
3. …acquire knowledge of the professional issues relating to literacy within the ASHA Scope of Practice.
4. …acquire knowledge of the forms of inquiry associated with evidence based practice.

In the beginning, I was confused with how I would obtain and aquire knowledge of the various conceptions of literacy in the 21st century. Now sitting here weeks later, I now realize the importance of this topic. Although we can look at literacy in several different areas, and while they all remain important, it is no secret that digital literacy is continuing to grow and overwhelming people everyday with the information we are coming up with through a variety of techniques discovered throughout digital literacy. It’s important not only to read this information but understand it as well.  The article “Experiments in Digital Literacy,”  by Eshet-Alkali, Y., Ph.D. & Amichai-Hamburger, Y., Ph.D, allowed myself as the reader to gain a better understanding of digital literacy and and how it requires a large variety of complex skills. The purpose of the article was to inform the reader that digital literacy has become a “survival skill” in the technological era (421). This article allowed myself to realize that I need to be able to aquire the complex skills that is much needed  for digital literacy, so I will feel more literate and competent in all information literacy skills as well as digital environments. The article “Expanding the Concept of Literacy broaden my outlook on literacy altogether. This article worked towards informing the reader of all the changes and expansion in literacy that have taken place, and the importance of multimedia language. In the book What it all Means, by Richardson, talked about the importance of the Read / Write Web in chapter 9. He expressed the impact it has in today’s society on education. The author wanted the reader to realize that the Read / Write Web will continue to grow, therefore, we need to take into consideration all the shifts that have and will take place overtime. It’s important as a student, and future SLP to realize the importance of multimedia language as it can have a major impact on researching information that can be very helpful in this profession.

The second objective which was acquiring “knowledge of what constitutes acceptable sources and resources within a profession and in the 21st century,” seems to be an objective in which I applied throughout the entire semester. After reading Finding Things on the Internet: A Tutorial, I was able to look at the best search engines, which will be very helpful while looking up research. I was able to learn how Google has grown to be one of the largest databases of Web pages as it includes many other types of Web documents as well. I was also able to learn the techniques to use when looking for a Web site that is reliable, in which I learned to thoroughly analyze a site such as www.betterdogfood.com. I learned how to evaluate this  site by answering the questions regarding its accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency, and coverage of the site.  The information showed me the importance of evaluating research material in which I was also able to apply to Web Sites while working on collecting information for my I-Search paper as well. I also aquired “knowledge of the professional issues relating to literacy within the ASHA Scope of Practice.” This was an important course objective to discuss when we arrived at the topic o Copyright information. I feel that Copyright is a “touchy” topic that tends to confuse people in a lot of ways. But as a professional we need to make sure we are abiding by each and every term even if it relates to some of the  exceptions that may apply such as the “fair use rule.” I enjoyed discussing this topic with my classmates in a virtual discussion. I feel that everyone was expressing different opinions and thoughts on the topic of Copyright, but yet everyone’s opinions made sense.

The final conceptual objective was based on ”knowledge of the forms of inquiry associated with evidence based practice.”   As we look at evidence based practice and what it means to us as a professional, we need to think about the needs of our “future clients.” It is important that we stay up to date with the most recent research, so if something comes available or information is updated on a topic/ disorder, we know about it and have access to the information. Therefore, once again we are reminded of the “digital literacy era” that is currently evolving. For the most part, we have access to this type of information at our finger tips, we just have to stay updated.

Learner Outcomes: Technical

         Each week in our instructions Mrs. McComas provided us with a few resources/readings/preparations in order to prepare for class discussions.  I would work on preparing myself for class discussions and activities, as I would look over the instructions from week to week and try to think of questions that I was concerned about, or interested in talking about with classmates. I also prepard myself for a discussion on my topic with Mrs. McComas as well. I developed an essential question build up around foundation questions, and Mrs.McComas was able to give us a hand as she lended us some helpful ideas on things we could add, change, or just delete altogether. In the beginning, I was a bit nervous about how virtual meetings and virtual class discussions would go over, but in the end I enjoyed it. I enjoyed getting the opportunity to participate in a class discussion while sitting on my couch in the comfort of my apartment. The first discussion went over really well as we had Katie McComas talk with us and answer questions we had previously came up with for her to answer. She was able to provide us with a lot of informative information and recalled some of her highlights in her profession as well as some downfalls she has witnessed thus far.  I prepared myself for both virtual meetings by preparing questions for Katie as well as questions on the topic of Copyright. My group was able to help one another by anwering and clearing up any misconceptions one may have had, and it was interesting to read what one another had to say.

Next, I completed each and every assignment in enough time in case something came up. I’m not much of a procrastinater, so I did not wait until the last minute, because I never knew how long I needed to allow myself for each assignment, so I insisted on spacing each assignment out daily. I was able to keep myself organized and make sure that everything was in. My practical thinking skills were important as I was deciding what information I would use to develop my multi media project.  I used critical thinking skills in order to develop a thorough research assignment that would in the end turn into a published multi media project. This took the skills of not only developing a researchable question, but it also enhanced my ability to develop branching literacy skills.

 My creative thinking had to take place during the process of developing my multi media project. I set forth not to allow my nerves to get the best of me (haha), and I think for the most part I was able to “WIN.” I was able to use pictures throughout my video that I managed to take myself, as well as some of friends and family members. After compiling all of my photographs, I then had to be creative in the manner I used them. So as I sit back and think about ways in which I was able to think practically,  think critically , and think creatively , I think about it all in terms of my project. Whether it was working on my proejct prospectus, finding resources, writing my I-Search paper, or creating my movie, I think I was able to apply each and every skill to one of the above assignments. I also showed how to demonstrate enhanced communication skills and strategies, using the discourse of the discipline, in both oral and written formats, through my final projects as well. I was able to use oral communication during the narration of my video. Throughout the entire semester, written communication was an important factor. We were entitled to compile our written assignments on a Weblog, and submit them by a deadline which was normally Sunday at midnight. I  feel like I demonstrated the abilities to use the internet for means of collaboration in many ways. I was able to find and manage information through social bookmarking sites such as del.icio.us and mailing lists. Overall, I feel that each objective listed above can be filtered upon the final objective. I feel as if we showed how to demonstrate self-confident interdependence in multiple digital spaces and with multiple forms of media through many of the assignments we completed. I am very pleased to have a class so aimed at helping one another, as each and every person in one way took part in one way or another at making sure questions were answered through e-mails or when asked about in class. 

Now, here it is the end of another semester, and I have  been able to obtain a tremendous amount of information and skills as a result of this course.  I feel more confident in myself with certain skills I have aquired, and I hope to continue using them in the future .

December 11, 2007

      During the course of the semester in my CD 315 class, I have been able to  aquire a vast amount of knowledge and skills. Throughout the semester, I have expressed many different feelings on course work. There have been times where I felt overwhelmed with assignments, worried that I did something incorrect, or even stressed thinking I was not finishing something on time.Overall, I can now say I feel that I have accomplished a lot throughout the course of the semester,  and I am content with the way things fell into place.I have learned to adapt a better sense of organization to my learning habits.  As a student, I have completed many assignments in this course such as, creating a video presentation, written an I-Search paper, joined several mailing lists to communicate with people about autism, posted weekly blogs, learned how to use social bookmarking sites,  peer reviewed papers, and much more which I will explain later on while talking about the different course objectives I have met. The information I have obtained from my class learner outcomes will be beneficial in the future as they have allowed me to obtain knowledge that will assist me tremendously throughout my life as a student, pre-professional, and a citizen in today’s society.

Learner Outcomes: Conceptual

1. …acquire knowledge of the various conceptions of literacy in the 21st century.
2. …acquire knowledge of what constitutes acceptable sources and resources within a profession and in the 21st century
3. …acquire knowledge of the professional issues relating to literacy within the ASHA Scope of Practice.
4. …acquire knowledge of the forms of inquiry associated with evidence based practice.

In the beginning, I was confused with how I would obtain and aquire knowledge of the various conceptions of literacy in the 21st century, now sitting here weeks later, I now realize the importance of this topic. Although we can look at literacy in several different areas, and while they all remain important, it is no secret that digital literacy is continuing to grow and overwhelming people everyday with the information we are coming up with through a variety of techniques discovered throughout digital literacy. It’s important not only to read this information but understand it as well.  The article “Experiments in Digital Literacy,”  by Eshet-Alkali, Y., Ph.D. & Amichai-Hamburger, Y., Ph.D, allowed myself as the reader to gain a better understanding of digital literacy and and how it requires a large variety of complex skills. The purpose of the article was to inform the reader that digital literacy has become a “survival skill” in the technological era (421). This article allowed me to realize that I need to be able to aquire the complex skills that is much needed  for digital literacy, so I will feel more literate and competent in all information literacy skills as well as digital environments. The article “Expanding the Concept of Literacy broaden my outlook on literacy altogether. Thais article worked towards informing the reader of all the changes and expansion in literacy that have taken place, and the importance of multimedia language. In the book What it all Means, by Richardson, talked about the importance of the Read / Write Web in chapter 9. He expressed the impact it has in today’s society on education. The author wanted the reader to realize that the Read / Write Web will continue to grow, therefore, we need to take into consideration all the shifts that have and will take place overtime. It’s important as a student, and future SLP, I need to realize the importance of multimedia language as it can have a major impact on researching information that can be very helpful in this profession.

The second objective which was acquiring “knowledge of what constitutes acceptable sources and resources within a profession and in the 21st century,” seems to be an objective in which I can applied throughout the entire semester. After reading Finding Things on the Internet: A Tutorial, I was able to look at the best search engines, which will be very helpful while looking up research. I was able to learn how Google has grown to be one of the largest databases of Web pages as it includes many other types of Web documents as well. I was also able to learn the techniques to use when looking for a Web site that is reliable, in which I learned to thouroughly analyze a site such as www.betterdogfood.com. I learned how to evaluate this  site by answering the questions regarding its accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency, and coverage of the site.  The information showed me the importance of evaluating research material in which I was also able to apply to Web Sites while working on collecting information for my I-Search paper as well. I also aquired “knowledge of the professional issues relating to literacy within the ASHA Scope of Practice.” This was an important course objective to discuss when we arrived at the topic o Copyright information. I feel that Copyright is a “touchy” topic that tends to confuse people in a lot of ways. But as a professional we need to make sure we are abiding by each and every term even if it relates to some of the  exceptions that may apply such as the “fair use rule”. I enjoyed discussing this topic with my classmates in a virtual discussion. I feel that everyone was expressing different opinions and thoughts on the topic of Copyright, but yet everyone’s made sense.

The final conceptual objective was based on ”knowledge of the forms of inquiry associated with evidence based practice.”   As we look at evidence based practice and what it means to us as a professional, we need to think about the needs of our “future clients”. It is important that we stay up to date with the most recent research, so if something comes available or information is updated on a topic/ disorder we know about it and have access to the information. Therefore, once again we are reminded of the “digital literacy era” that is currently evolving. For the most part, we have access to this type of information at our finger tips, we just have to stay updated.

Learner Outcomes: Technical

         Each week in our instructions Mrs. McComas provided us with a few resources/readings/preparations in order to prepare for class discussions.  I would work on preparing myself for class discussions and activities, as I would look over the instructions from week to week and try to think of questions that I was concerned about, or interested in talking about with classmates. I also prepard myself for a discussion on my topic with Mrs. McComas as well. I developed an essential question build up around foundation questions, and Mrs.McComas was able to give us a hand as she lended us some helpful ideas on things we could add, change, or just delete altogether. In the beginning, I was a bit nervous about how virtual meetings and virtual class discussions would go over, but in the end I enjoyed it. I enjoyed getting the opportunity to participate in a class discussion while sitting on my couch in the comfort of my apartment. The first discussion went over really well as we had Katie McComas talk with us and answer questions we had previously came up with for her to answer. She was able to provide us with a lot of informative information and recalled some of her highlights in her profession as well as some downfalls she has witnessed thus far.  I prepared myself for both virtual meetings by preparing questions for Katie as well as questions on the topic of Copyright. My group was able to help one another by anwering and clearing up any misconceptions one may have had, and it was interesting to read what one another had to say.

Next, I completed each and every assignment in enough time in case something came up. I’m not much of a procrastinater, so I did not wait until the last minute, because I never knew how long I need to allow myself for each assignment, so I insisted on spacing each assignment out daily. I was able to keep myself organized and make sure that everything was in which showed in my weekly assignments. My practical thinking skills were important as I was deciding what information I would use to develop my muli media project.  I used critical thinking skills in order to develop a thoroughly research assignment that would in the end turn into a published multi media project. This took the skills of not only developing a researchable question, but also enhanced my ability to develop branching literacy skills.

 My creative thinking had to take place during the process of developing my multi media project. I set forth not to allow my nerves to get the best of me (haha), and I think for the most part I was able to “WIN”. I was able to use pictures throughout my video that I managed to take myself, as well as some friends and family members. After compiling all of my photographs, I then had to be creative in the manner I used them. So as I sit back and think about ways in which I was able to think practically,  think critically , and think creatively , I think about it all in terms of my project. Whether it was working on my proejct prospectus, finding resources, writing my I-Search paper, or creating my movie, I think I was able to apply each and every skill to one of the above assignments. I also showed how to demonstrate enhanced communication skills and strategies, using the discourse of the discipline, in both oral and written formats, through my final projects as well. I was able to use oral communication during the narration of my video. Throughout the entire semester, written communication was an important factor. We were entitled to compile our written assignments on a Weblog, and submit them by a deadline which was normally Sunday at midnight. I  feel like I demonstrated the abilities to use the internet for means of collaboration in many ways. I was able to find and manage information through social bookmarking sites such as del.icio.us and mailing lists. Overall, I feel that each objective listed above can be filtered upon the final objective. I feel as if we showed how to demonstrate self-confident interdependence in multiple digital spaces and with multiple forms of media through many of the assignments we completed. I am very pleased to have a class so aimed at helping one another, as each and everyone took part in one way or another at making sure questions were answered through e-mails or when asked about in class. 

Now, here it is the end of another semester, and I have  been able to obtain a tremendous amount of information and skills as a result of this course.  I feel more confident in myself with certain skills I have aquired and I hope to continue using them in the future .

November 19, 2007

Aims and Objectives: This week, I set out to finish my assignments before Thanksgiving break. I wanted to give myself plenty of time to focus on looking over my I-Search paper and making corrections appropriately as needed, so I could submit it before Friday evening. I keep looking at the link for week 13, and I can’t believe it is all about finishing up now. Don’t get me wrong, I have learned a numerous amount of information that will assist me in a lot of aspects of my life, but I think I am ready for a nice longgg break . This week, I am also hoping to just relax and spend as much time as possible with my family. With Zach being deployed to Iraq around the Holidays, I can sure use the comfort of my family and friends to keep my mind off of things. I also plan on sleeping in a few days as well, haha!!!  I hope everyone enjoys their break. Happy Thanksgiving

Declarative Knowledge: This week, I was able to use the positive criticism given my classmates to allow my paper to have a better flow and become more readable. I appreciate their comments and I hope I was able to use them to better my paper as well. This week, I also learned how to write both a preface and an acknowledgement paper as well. Both of these papers required a lot of thinking. Although I chose the topic of my research paper, it was somewhat difficult trying to put into words why I chose the topic I did and how I went about it. I also learned that no matter how many times I read over a paper, I am constantly finding mistakes, I don’t know why this is, unless I just  zone out during certain parts and skip over certain aspects. I feel as if I can become easily distracted while reading over something I have spent a numerous amount of time on and become bored with it. However, I need to make sure in teh future I am taking each paragraph or section one at a time, that way, I am eventually making it easier on myself in the long run.

Procedural Knowledge: This week, was a little different then the past, as we did not learn how to do something that we did not already know. However, it was the first time I have written a preface for a paper as well as an acknowledgement paper. I hope I was able to express my thoughts in a clear manner. I also learned that in the past I had been citing some information such as organizations incorrectly, so I guess I did manage to learn something new after all .

Conditional Knowledge: I feel that in general, all the information I have obtained this week will help assist me in several aspects of my life. How many papers do you end up writing in a lifetime… seriously? Okay I don’t even want someone to answer that, however, I am still finding I make the same mistakes in papers over and over again, so I am learning how to correctly revise a paper as well as focusing on my own which is an important process to consider. I feel that when it comes to writing, it is a great idea to start with a rough draft. I have discovered how important it is to take a paper in steps as it eventually comes together in a more developed manner. This will help me in the future if I am required to do another research project of some sort. I know now how important it is to make sure I am obtaining information in small steps so I am able to see if the imformation is relevant enough to use, and so I don’t get overwhelmed with an abundant amount of information that isn’t necessary for my research.

November 17, 2007

In the beginning, I was unsure on what direction I wanted to take with developing an essential question to research. Many topics came to mind, but was able to come to a decision after talking topics over with several students including my roommate. With their hope and advice, I was able to come to a conclusion on what topic was best for me. Although I figured out my topic, obstacles were still in my way as I had trouble deciding how I wanted to connect my topic autism to literacy. As I continued researching information using my own interpretations and thoughts on literacy, given that, I decided to correlate high-functioning autism with reading and writing literacy.

Before coming to a conclusion on my essential question and reaching my final draft of my paper, I would like to thank those individuals who have contributed to my improvements as they guided me in the right direction by stating my strengths and weaknesses throughout my paper. First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to my professor Mrs.McComas for all of her contribution. She set time apart to arrange one on one meetings with each student in her CD 315 class to make sure we were going in the right direction with both our essential question and foundation questions. With her guidance, she allowed me to stay on tract and focus on the important aspects of my paper, which meant deleting some of my questions and only focusing on the ones that would assist me in reaching a conclusion in my paper. She showed interest in my topic and seemed confident that although I did not have much knowledge in the world of autism, I would be able to find an abundant amount of research that would assist me.

I would also like to thank two of my classmates, Kelli and Deidra, for taking their time in revising my paper as. They both put a lot of thought and effort in explaining my strengths and weaknesses throughout my rough draft.  For that, I was able to take their advice and constructive criticism and develop a better paper. Altogether, I would like to express my thanks to everyone I mentioned above in assisting me with my I-Search paper and hopefully with mine and your effort, I have developed a more readable paper.

November 17, 2007

Megan Paige Dotson was born in Charleston, WV, but later moved to Statesville, North Carolina, where she spent most of her elementary years. She has two brothers, Jeremy who is 23 years old and resides in Belfry, Kentucky, and Christopher who is 29 years old and resides in Kentucky as well. After spending seven years in North Carolina, her father was able to get transferred back to West Virginia so her and her brother could reside close to their grandparents which is where they wanted to live. She comes from a very close family; which she also admits that her mom is her best friend. Being the youngest sibling especially with two older brothers had its ups and downs; needless to say she was constantly watched over. Megan has recently been blessed with her wonderful niece Maggie Paige, and she has brought a lot of joy into their family. She also has three Yorkshire terriers ( Molli, Macy, and Zoe), whom she misses terribly when she’s away at school. She is also currently engaged to Zachary Hatfield who is a Combat Engineer and currently serving in the United States Marine Corps.

Megan graduated in the top ten of her class from Burch High School in 2003, where she was an active member in several activities and clubs including Honor Society, BETA Club , French Club, Drama Club, volleyball,  and softball. Upon graduation, she left with high hopes of becoming an RN, but shortly after graduation, a family tragedy involved her cousin who was paralyzed in a car accident.  His accident made her realize that nursing wasn’t for her. After observing a Speech-Language Pathologist, she went on and decided to pursue a degree in Communication Disorders, which has brought her to where she is now. As a CD major, she has developed some new traits such as organization and responsibility that has been helpful not only as a student, but in every aspect of her life. In her free time away from school, she enjoys traveling, shopping, anything outdoors, and spending most of her time surrounding herself with the enjoyment of her family and friends.

Novermeber 11, 2007

Aims and Objectives: This week I wanted to make sure I completed my assignments in plenty of time, considering our internet hasn’t been working for a week now. I am not much of a library person, so I decided to go home on Thursaday evening and make sure I completed most of my assignments. I was able to complete everything for the most part, and spend some time with my family as well. I also wanted to spend time looking over my I-Search paper and begin correcting it, as well as providing my thoughts and opinions during peer reviews as well. It’s getting close to the closing of another semester, and although we only have a few weeks of school left, I am feeling overwhelmed with the amount of work that still has to be completed .

Procedural Knowledge: This week, we met for a F2F class meeting where we were able to watch a couple of projects that had previously been developed over movie maker. We are learning the how to use movie maker so we will know what to expect when we work on our individual projects using movie maker. We are still in the process of enhancing our digital literacy skills as we looked up research on another skill know as socioemotional literacy skills. We are continuing to develop our own digital literacy skills as we move into working on our individual projects! This week another mission we took part in was peer reviewing one anothers I-Search paper. During this we each had two reviews to make and receive two reviews per genre. We located one another’s pages by visiting their weblogs and then took time about making suggestions and giving feedback on what we liked and things we may change.

Declarative Knowledge: This week, I was able to aquire a lot of useful information once again. I was able to see how the Internet is changing the way we read and write once again, by researching more information on another digital literacy skill known as socio-emotional literacy. I learned that Socio-emotional literacy is an important skill to have while surfing the net, as it helps one stray away from dangers that may occur online. Since the internet conitinues to expand and allowing availability for new ways of learning, it continues to grow popular among the public for numerous purposes. On Monday in a class session, I was able to aquire information about Movie Maker . I learned how to use it, and also the process to take when  looking up pictures and adding them to my slide show.  I also learned a good way to go about when peer reviewing one another’s papers. We addressed the following topics: Voice, Audience, Say Back, Bless, and Address.

Conditional Knowledge: I feel as if the information I learned this week with help me in a lot of aspects in my life. I feel as if I have obtained so much information on digital literacy skills and I know they will assist me as I get ready to finish my undergraduate degree in collge and hopefully I will be able to use this information as I further my education and as a professional as well. I feel as if socio-emotional skills is something that every individual needs to have a grasp on. This can help to keep one safe while surfing the internet for fun or learning experiences. Since everyone pretty much anywhere now days have access to the internet and use it for more than educational and work purposes, we need to use it caustiously when collaborating with people or sharing information. Since there are no guidelines or rules that one must abide by, we must take the socio-emotional literacy skills into consideration and use them at our best ability. This will protect us from falling into traps or catching viruses online. It’s important to pay close attention to what kind of information we are sharing, receiving, giving over the internet.

November 8, 2007

What is meant by socio-emotional literacy? This type of literacy focuses on the understanding of the rules that exist in cyberspace. Socio-emotional literacy is an important skill to have while surfing the net, as it helps one stray away from dangers that may occur online. Since the internet conitinues to expand and allowing availability for new ways of learning, it continues to grow popular among the public for numerous purposes.  It allows more enhanced ways of learning by sharing information among one another, also known as collaborating learning. We can now enjoy learning through chat rooms, and discussion rooms/ boards as well.  “Much of the work and information sharing done on the internet is conducted in cooperative learning or any other form of information sharing: in chat rooms, online communities, groups and forums” (Aphek, 2006-07). However, although this seems like an advantage in the learning process and if used caustiously and monitored well can be a great way to use the internet, but there are some disadvantages as well. According to the article Experiments in Digital Literacy, “These new opportunities face users with challenges that require them to employ sociological and emotional skills in order to understand the rules of the game and survive the hundles that await them in the mass communication of cyberspace” (Eshet-Alkalai, 2004).  So although the internet tends to offer a lot of opportunities, we need to pay close attention to the problems that one might face with the internet era. “It is not only a global village; more precisely, it is a jungle of human communication, embracing an infinite quantity of information, true and false, honest and deceptive, based on good will and evil” (Eshet-Alkalai, 2004). I agree with Eshet-Alkalai as he explains how socio- emotional literacy is the most complex and highest-level of skill among all five major digital skills. I think this is true, because in order to aquire this skill, one must have the ability yo think critically and have a basic knowledge in all digital skills to be more efficient in this area. Although I had never heard the term socio-emotional literacy, this skill seemed to be the most interesting and easiest to comprehend. Since everyone pretty much anywhere now days have access to the internet and use it for more than educational and work purposes, we need to use it caustiously when collaborating with people or sharing information. Since there are no guidelines or rules that one must abide by, we must take the socio-emotional literacy skills into consideration and use them at our best ability. This will protect us from falling into traps or catching viruses online. It’s important to pay close attention to what kind of information we are sharing, receiving, giving over the internet.

Although one can learn better ways to go about using socio-emotional literacy skills, I think it’s something we pick up on as we are growing up and learning the correct techniques to use while using the internet. I feel that we can learn to better use this type of skill and as we grow older we develop better means of becoming critical and analytical. The study  presented  in the article “Experiments in Digital Literacy” stated that when testing socio-emotional literacy skills the adults scored the lowest, while the college students scored the highest and the high school students in between (Eshet-Alkali, 2004).  I think this happened,  because the internet era has became extremely popular in today’s society, therefore college students are having to use the internet for many educational purposes and since we are evolving into a digital world, younger children are growing up with enhanced skills while using computers. Over the years, I find myself getting better with not wanting to look at everything in my e-mail. I can’t name all the times I have opened up e-mails with a name that was unfamiliar and of course gave me some type of virus right off. I can remember as my computer become slower and slower, I finally broke down and carried it home during Christmas break my freshman year of college, needless to say my new computer was on its last legs, considering it had well over 100 viruses on it from one semester. I couldn’t believe it, I was still naive and had no clue that I could have prevented this from happening if only I paid closer attention to the things I opened up. Now, I have learned to keep my pop-up blockers turned on and I am better aware of things I should open and not open. However, after resarching information on socio-emotional literacy, I can conclude that with all the rapid changes that are occurring in today’s society with digital communication this skill is the newest type and will continue evolving.

Aphek, E. (2007). Digital, highly connected children: Implications for education. Retrieved November 8, 2007, from http://www.phil-inst.hu/mobil/2005/Aphek.pdf

Aviram, Aharon & Eshet-Alkalai, Yoram (nd). Towards a theory of digital literacy: Three scenarios for the next steps. Retrieved on November 8, 2007, from http://www.eurodl.org/materials/contrib/2006/Aharon_Aviram.htm

Eshet-Alkalai & Amichai-Hamburger (2004, August). Experiments with digital literacy. Cyber Psychology, 7(4), 425-434.