Step 1:

Step 2:

After reading the article on digital skills versus digital literacies, I found that it became much clearer to distinguish between these two concepts and appreciate the reasons why the digital literacy is rather a much broader concept than the mere digital skills. Well for me, digital literacy was all about being keen with certain tools and software but these insights have really enlightened me. Technology integration is no longer the issue at large; the focus must shift to the moral dimensions of our digital behaviour and privacy and information literacy.

One example that seemed especially interesting to me was about teaching students social media as a tool. Which is why I came to understand that it’s not enough to stop at educating the students on how to post or share something online, but to make them understand the consequences of some of their posts , the dangers of sharing some information with other people , as well as to explain how the posts made may affect their future job opportunities. This made me contemplate about my digital presence and how quickly it can change with even the simplest of interactions. As a result, I am now more aware of the posts that I make and the comments that I put out there realizing that anything that is posted online may be detrimental to me later.

In addition, the lesson on using judgment when it comes to understanding the digital world was of especial interest to me concerning the part that was dedicated to discussing a presence of Wikipedia. Though, I always considered that Wikipedia is beneficial, I have never realized that it can have a bias or be restricted in any particular way. I was enlightened on the fact that one should always work on corroborating information and also be weary of the biases that exist that may influence any material read or used. This is something I will carry with me whenever I use research is because I have to be very careful so as to make right choices when choosing my sources.

All things considered, reading this article has made me more aware of my own use of technology. I now realise that digital is not only a kind of technical proficiency but about being conscious about ethical, social, and individual implications of technology. Even though it can be defined in many ways, it’s about applying technology effectively, innovatively, and wisely. From now on, I will pay more careful attention in how I interact with different technologies and the positive as well as negative consequences of doing so.

Goals:
Improve knowledge in the field of research and searching.
Explore new useful design and editing tools programs.
Stress should be made on relations concerning digital safety and mental health.
Take part in more learning via the internet.
Learn programming or data analysis skills if you never have learned them before.
Deliver better executive management in digital teamwork.

Step 3:

I chose Taught Path

Reflection #1

I chose the Podcasting In Education lesson and it was beneficial. At first, I was presented with some slides that explained to me what podcasting is and where can I find and listen to podcasts. I found this extremely helpful as I never used podcasting at all in my educational background even though I feel like I will be using it in my future as my Major is communication. I need to be familiar with such tools. The lesson also gave me some suggested podcasts to listen to and some of them are by Ted Talks which is my favorite podcast channel ever. The lesson also made me learn about the tools I need to create a successful podcast. By the end of the slideshow, there was a mini quiz about 10 questions or so. I found myself scoring a 10/10 as the lesson was extremely interesting and I earned a digital badge by the end. I also got to learn various new things like how to record and edit a podcast and there was a video demonstrating how which I found a bit tricky but I’m sure ill get the hang of it when I practice more often. Overall, this lesson was very effective and it made me learn various things about education of podcasting and how to start one.

Reflection #2

The second lesson I chose to learn about was Digital Footprint, this one was not as interesting as the podcast lesson but it was still extremely helpful. This lesson was taught in a slide form and I had to go through each slide to learn about how we leave traces of our personal information in each site we log into or visit. Truthfully, this lesson made me more self-aware of the sites I visit especially illegal sites that I use to watch free movies because they are the ones that are marked as the most dangerous. The lesson also taught me how to protect myself from such sites and which websites I should be using like Lightbeam for example, to help me navigate my way through sites that aren’t dangerous or illegal to use. By the end of the slides, I took a short quiz that I may or may not have failed a couple of times but by the end, I got the hang of it and earned my digital badge after retaking it a couple of times. The quiz included specific questions like “Which website helps spot eves-drooping sites” and such which were difficult to memorize but I still got to learn a lot about the digital footprint and the online security I need to take care of the sites I have been visiting.

Key Takeaways/ Reflection :

Reflecting on my digital profile has inspired me to continuously grow my skills and knowledge in the digital world by evaluating my digital literacy.
Learning New Skills: I gained a deeper understanding of podcasting, especially in the context of education. This skill is particularly valuable for my major in communication, as it can enhance my future work.
Self-Awareness of Digital Behavior: This lesson helped me become more aware of how my digital actions, like visiting certain sites, can leave traces of personal information. It also highlighted the risks of using illegal sites.
Understanding Digital Footprint: I learned more about the importance of maintaining privacy and security while browsing the internet, including recognizing the dangers of eavesdropping sites and how to protect myself
Learning from Mistakes: Even though I struggled with the quiz at first, I didn’t give up, and by retrying, I reinforced the key concepts and ultimately earned my digital badge.
My areas for improvement and goals reflect a proactive mindset towards building a stronger digital presence and improving my digital literacy, such as enhancing research skills, learning coding, and participating more in online learning.