Core 1 Rough Draft

Tyler Kingsley
Professor Moody
ENC 1102-0105
Feb. 9, 2010

Exploring Digital Literacy

As time goes on, technology advances for the better, but are we becoming too dependent on it? I try to incorporate technology into my life as a tool, not a life raft. It has an impact on what I can do every day and tries to make me more dependant on it. Overall, I would say I have a relatively high level of technological expertise.

Technology has impacted my life on a day-to-day basis. Before I leave my apartment to go anywhere, I always make sure I have my cell phone with me. Using the technology that my cell phone gives me allows me to be more dependable. I can send and receive emails, navigate myself using the GPS system, and make emergency phone calls if needed. The most important technological device I use is my laptop computer. I use it everyday for homework, class work, and socializing. According to Selber, functional literacy is “…a tool metaphor that stresses effective computer use…” where computers are tools and students are users of technology (25). Through the use of working with computers, I have grown a certain level of expertise of functional literacy. I am able to use Microsoft Office, myUCF portal, email, instant messaging, Skype, and much more. These tools are essential for keeping up with college level work and still being able to keep in touch with friends. Microsoft Office, myUCF and emails are used to help me complete the rigorous work and assignments I am given to do everyday. On the other hand, instant messaging and Skype lets me focus on relaxing with friends on the Internet. I would say that computers have impacted my life for the better by allowing me to easily complete my schoolwork, and then distancing myself as far away from it as possible.

Although I use technology as a tool, there are a few times I depend on it. I use the spelling and grammar check on Microsoft Word as a crutch for my writing assignments. I make spelling and grammar mistakes throughout my essays and depend on Microsoft Word the correct them. Whenever I am assigned to hand write and essay or homework, I begin to panic. Not only is my handwriting unreadable, but also past teachers have taken off points for typos leaving me with a grade that’s lower than I deserve. Also, when I am given online homework for my Chemistry and Psychology, sometimes I use the Internet to help me with it. Any time I don’t know how to work a problem, I use a search engine. This, however, is my greatest technological flaw. According to Jay David Bolter, students see the computer as a definite authority and believe everything we read. The truth is that it is not and that print is more stable and reliable (3). Countless times I have chosen to search for an answer using the Internet, rather than look for it in a textbook. Every time I see an answer that I find reasonable, I believe it and never check to see if it is reliable.

Even though technology is advanced now, it still has room to improve. I have noticed that more and more classes for school are being offered online. Advancing through elementary, middle and high school, I never thought that I could take a class for school online and receive credit for it. I decided to take an economics class online my senior. I was surprised to see how well a class could be taught without ever seeing your teacher. The only time I made contact with my teacher was on the phone for my monthly oral exam. Now that I am in college, I am finding out that most students take online classes at least once. Some professors even use Skype to video chat with their students to mock a classroom setting. At this rate of increasing online classes taken, students will stop going to a college campus and stay home to go to class. This would benefit the students who do not have access to online classes by reducing the student to teacher ratio, thus giving them more individual time with the professor.

The most important technology that I will ever use will be used in my future career. I plan on becoming a Forensics Trace Evidence Analyst, which uses multiple forms of technology everyday. The main piece of technology I will be using is a Scanning Electron Microscope. It will locate and identify almost every type of chemical and gunshot residue on any object. Further advancement in technology can only be beneficial for Forensic Science. Many murder cases become cold due to outdated technology and old techniques. Murderers will be set free and the case will go unsolved until new technology is created.

Whether you are a technology genius or technology challenged, technology can benefit your life. From cell phones and computers to microscopes, technology should be used as a tool we can maser, not something to depend on. Also, technology is continuing to advance and become more beneficial to those who use it. Without these advances, school classrooms will continue to be over crowded and murder cases will turn cold and unsolved. Being an expert at technology has helped me become who I am today and enriched my life.