Online participation and digital literacies

The last two weeks, we have worked with digital literacies and have tried to define ourselves in this digital space. I must admit that I at first was a bit afraid of this topic. When it comes to social media I am actually really terrible. I do not use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat or any other type of social media. I also do not read or comment on blogs. And this complete lack of social media is applicable both for my work and for my private life.

However, after having read an article about Visitors and Residents by White & LeCornu my mood went up. In short, the authors propose that people could be more or less classified as Visitors or Residents in the digital environment. Strict Visitors use digital tools but they do not engage in social interactions on the web. Residents, on the other hand do interact in social media and in this way, leaves behind digital footprints. So, according to this I am a Visitor which I in the beginning of these two weeks considered as something bad. However, White & Le Cornu argue that this might not at all be the case. Visitors can also be competent within digital technology and actually be more competent than Residents in specific areas. So, according to this it is really nothing wrong with being a Visitor.
During these two weeks, me and my fellow group members, have evaluated ourselves through different self-assessment forms. I have made two tests that you can find here and here. Both tests showed my incompetence in social media but they also showed that I am interested in using digital tools for education and that I also use quite a lot of digital tools with my students. In conclusion, I like digital technology and I like to use it when I teach. It is just that I do not use social media.

So, what does this tell me about how I should meet my students. In the beginning of these two weeks my opinion was that students always know more than me when it comes to technology. I would have argued that students are young and have used computers for their whole life. But, I really must say that my opinion has changed. According to the Jisc-guide, students may be good at some areas of digital technology but they need support when it comes to the use of technology for learning. In other words, even though I am just a Visitor I do not need to feel insecure when using technology in my teaching. Students are digitally literate to some extent and so am I!