Self Assessment for the course Intro To Writing Arts. By Rowan University student Mickey Grilli. Follow on twitter (@mickeythatsme)

1. Technology Literacy By Mickey Grilli (@mickeythatsme) Spring 2011 (TFW11)

2. The Definition of Technology Literacy According to David Howard Moore, being technology literate has become a twenty-first century skill and has three distinct levels. Identify technologies relevant to a task. Understanding how to use the technology and how to navigate its interface. Understanding the inner-working or structure of the technology.

3. In addition… Technology literacy is more than being aware of technology and it is even more than knowing how to use a set of technologies. Technology literacy is a recognition that the tools we find and create in our environment are extensions of ourselves.

4. How am I technology literate? 1. I am able to identify technologies relevant to tasks. I learned in this module how to use new technologies such as Google Docs. My group and I constructed our entire white paper together without ever physically meeting in a room together aside from class time. In addition, I also have learned how to use technologies more efficiently like twitter and tumblr. I learned how to properly use tags on tumblr so more people can search and see my posts. I also learned how to conduct and save searches on twitter so I can see all posts with certain hashtags. For example, when I missed class two weeks ago, I was able to see what we covered by searching my class hashtag and looking at my classmates’ live tweets.

5. 2. I now understanding how to use the technology and how to navigate its interface. For example, in addition to the tags on tumblr that I mentioned earlier, I also know how to effectively work hyperlinks and reblogging. By setting a hyperlink to my posts, people are able to navigate through the Internet to ensure credibility for my posts. Also, by reblogging other people’s posts, I am sharing their ideas, and exchanging data among the discourse community of tumblr.

6. 3. Finally, I now understanding the inner-working or structure of the technology. Since starting this module, I have learned the how to work a large amount of technologies and make them work together. For example, I have linked my tumblr posts to my twitter account, I have posted links from surveys created on Surveymonkey on twitter and facebook, I have used wordle to find my groups most commonly used words and posted the results in a google doc and many more inner-workings of the technology. I have effectively recognized how and what to use each of these technologies for.

7. Affordances/Hindrances of Technology Through class discussions, research, and first hand use, I have learned that no technology is perfect, and that there are positive and negative aspects of each form of technology.

8. Twitter Affordances- free use, customizable, users pick who they follow, ability to be private, easy searching for people and tweets, social networking options, and able to obtain pop-culture news at anytime. Hindrance- Only 140 characters max, pop-culture news is not always accurate, people can tweet anything, and it is a forum for corporate promotion.

9. Tumblr Affordances- free use, enables users to post anything (Text, pictures, videos, links, quotes, etc.), able to choose who you follow. Hindrance- Not defense to reblogging, unkown followers and bloggers, confusing to new users.

10. Google Docs Affordances- Automatic saving, able to work with others over the Internet, chat capabilities, multiple people can work on the same document, private invites. Hindrance- slow use at times, can be publically viewed and searched, not always easy for multiple people to type without errors.

11. Conclusion Technology literacy goes far beyond just the ability to read and write, and is not restricted to just the use of computers. According to David Howard Moore’s three requirements to be Technology Literate, I feel I have proved I meet the requirements to be considered Technology Literate. I can identify technologies relevant to a task, I understanding how to use the technology and how to navigate its interface, and I understanding the inner-working or structure of the technology. I have shown this in my previous slides but in addition, I have also learned to use technology for other purposes. For example, I have a water jug in my room used to hold spare change, and an old shoe box to hold my guitar picks. Being technology literate is an important skill. According to Moore, of interest because so much of work life using computers and networks. It is a macro skill that is essential for success in today’s society. There are many aspects involved in Technology Literacy however, with practice anyone can be technology literate.