It is not unusual in the present day to me to be surprised by something I don’t wait for. In topic 1 we had the opportunity to discuss many concepts, attitudes and point of views which have done an effect so deep in my classes and posture inside internet and digital environment that I feel full inclined to change not only my way in conducting my classes, but the level of empathy and collaboration in the construction of knowledge to be shared with the students and teachers depending on my position as student or professor too.
Generally, we don’t mattering with the difficulties and peculiarities that each student in his singular world has to confront to follow our thoughts and important subjects to be shared, but how meaningful these thoughts and subjects are in the context of the student? Do you really know the student? When I think about the questions: who I am as an individual in the digital age, and what characterizes my journey so far? I have to say that this opportunity to take a course like #ONL is so enriched to me as that to be in contact with the most important pedagogues and thinkers in education which had impact in my formation as a researcher and professor. I would like to mention Paulo Freire and its wonderful teaching “The pedagogy of oppressed”, Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varella with the invaluable book “The tree of knowledge” and Howard Gardner and the concept developed by him of the “Multiple intelligences”.
So, digital literacy refers to the need to establish in our minds the urgency to be ready to discover new insights about concepts which we believed as established, but in truth can be remodeled to something more sophisticated or complete. There is no doubt that we will feel sometimes as skillsets residents or visitors using cultural, creative, constructive and communicative digital literacies and in other occasions this feeling will allow to us become as a mindset digital literacy resident or visitor too, with the characteristics of someone confident, cognitive, critical and civic. Sometimes you think the cup is full, but sometimes you change your mind and think the cup is empty.
References:
Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. New York: Basic Books; 440 p.
Freire, Paulo. (2006). Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 30th Anniversary ed. New York: Continuum.
Maturana, H. and VARELA, F. (1987). The Tree of Knowledge, Shambhala, Boston.
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