Today is very different from yesterday. And not just today, this current generation of students is very different from the last one. Why would that be though? Technology. It's very simple, and extremely obvious. Many of the older Adults and especially the elderly are simply baffled by all there is today compared to when they where our age. That saying that you always hear your grandparent sighing, "you kids and your technology" is an understatement. As answered by Walter, puppet from famous Ventriloquist Jeff Dunham to the question 'What was your favorite toy as a kid',
"Dirt. And we where happy!"Although this is an exaggeration, it is defiantly true that the current old population and new populations are like two different words.
For me, I realize that Digital Literacy is extremely important. As such, I am happy that I learned back in 7th grade how to type without looking at the keyboard at a fast speed from a class that was especially to teach students how to type. I spend just as much time on a Computer as I do Video Games, and that's where I virtually spend nearly all of my time, literally. Ask me to define a complicated word for you, I can do it in less than a minute on Google, and not by searching through a dictionary, online or not, I just 'search' Define: Word here and boom! You can find as many as 15 different definitions on a special "Define" page. Need directions? I can map quest it faster than you can pull out your atlas. Not near a computer? No problem! I have a cell phone, and those have Internet and, although I'm not paying for Internet I can still find out by texting Google, for free too. Oh! Did you know you could do that? The number spells out Google. As stated above, I seem to know quite a bit. However, I actually still have a lot to learn. I can safely admit that the way I operate on a computer, although rather efficient, is not efficient enough and I know some of my knowledge is already probably outdated.
All of my current knowledge will play a very important part in my future. It already plays a big part, however I know that as time goes on technology will become a ever increasing part of normal day-to-day life. More technologies are out today than yesterday, and more will definitly come out. In less than 10 years we've went from a slow dial-up connection where you couldnt be on the phone and internet at the same time, to having internet on your phones. With a computer nearby, we have access to extremly vast ammounts of information. It is also ever aparent on how the world is changing from some recent events.
Very recently, The Rocky Mountain Newspaper went out of busness. The reason for this is that not enough people where buying their newspapers. Why would this be? Because of the Internet. Rather than going out and buying a newspaper, people can stay at home and look up the news for free at home, not just from Google but from the 'Rocky Mountain News' website as well! Thousand of people have lost their jobs, and because of the Internet. I beleave it is very apparent that the internet is holding a big impact on how life is today.
As such, it is possible that even more newspapers will go out of busness. So if I ever need to see what was going on today, or what the scores where in the Football game last night, what movies are playing, what job I need, and everything else in the newspaper, I need to be able to look this information up on the internet. As such I'll need to be able to tell fraud information from true information. I'll need to be able to send emails, although currently doing so is like breathing air. I might even need to learn how to shop online, which I do.
And not just this, there are many many things that will change as time goies on. It's possible that maybe the post office will go out of busness, even more newspapers and soon the whole world will be digital. So no matter how anyone looks at it, Digital Literacy is extrely, extrelmly, EXTREMLY important for me to know.
http://pre2005.flexiblelearning.net.au/projects/resources/Digital_Natives_Digital_Immigrants.pdf
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2009/feb/27/goodbye-colorado/
