Page 35 - digitalliteracy

Summary & Resources

Summary & Resources

Module Summary

By enrolling in an Ashford University online program, you have decided to embark on an
exciting journey to transform your life. Over the course of your studies, you will meet new
people, explore your subject area, learn new skills, and enhance your career opportunities . . .
all from the convenience of your own personal computer! Yet to get the most out of your expe-
rience, you need to become digitally literate, or capable of understanding and appropriately
using electronic technology to accomplish educational, professional, and personal goals. The
following are important skills you must develop and use regularly in the digital world:

• Know which digital tools are best suited for personal use versus academic and pro-
fessional use.
• Adapt your knowledge and actions to the academic classroom, the professional
workplace, and the digital world.
• Acquire the knowledge and skills to search, understand, and evaluate the tremen-
dous amount of data available today; interpret it correctly to create new informa-
tion; and know when it is appropriate and inappropriate to share this information
with others.
• Know how to use what you learn to become a productive and ethical citizen of the
digital world.

By the end of this text, you should be well on your way to achieving digital literacy.

In recent decades technology has revolutionized the way we learn. Your course materials are
electronic and portable, allowing you to study when and where it is most convenient. Just a
few decades ago, in order to pursue this degree, you would have taken significantly more time
out of your week to travel to and from campus. You would have written all of your papers on
a typewriter and used correction fluid to fix your mistakes. You would have spent countless
hours at the library doing research for your papers and projects. For many, the sheer amount
of time required to take classes would have been a barrier to pursuing higher education. As a
student of Ashford University, you can tap into the collective knowledge of your instructors,
your classmates, and the vast electronic databases of information that are at your fingertips.

Technology has also revolutionized the way we work and the way we live. Rather than com-
muting to the office and working from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. using cumbersome, stationary
office equipment, many people now enjoy the benefits of being able to work wherever they
are, whenever the need arises. This flexibility translates into our personal lives as well. Smart
devices that connect to the Internet offer unprecedented time savings, convenience, enter-
tainment, and access to opportunity.

Critical-Thinking Questions

1. How has digital technology changed your life over the past 10 years? Overall, how
has it improved your life? How has technology made it more challenging?
2. What changes in technology would you like to see in the next 10 years? How, as a
consumer, might you influence or effect that change?

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