Journal Entry #1

initial reflection

As I think back on the readings from this first module of EDTE 665, what strikes me the most is my general naivety towards digital literacy and how my understanding on this topic has expanded.  If asked "what is digital literacy?" prior to this semester, I likely would have shared some combination of functional skills that I associate with someone who is "digitally literate."  Below is a representation of what this might have looked like for me just a few weeks ago.  I had not created a mind map since college, and certainly had never used a digital tool to create such a product (I think the only mind maps I created were by hand via pen and paper), so this was a new experience for me:

 

Version 1.0 of my digital literacy mind map.  Created using the Lucidchart app (Lucid Software, Inc.)

Having spent time in discussion with my classmates, and more considerable time digesting some of the literature surrounding the idea of digital literacies, I feel that I've broadened my understanding of what digital literacy is, and align more with the idea of digital literacies.  Here is a small representation of how my thinking has grown:

Version 1.1 of my digital literacy mind map.  Created using the Lucidchart app (Lucid Software, Inc.)

I titled this second iteration as "version 1.1" rather than "version 2.0" because I feel that this idea will continue to evolve as technology and society evolves.  There are also less secondary and tertiary connections on the left-side of version 1.1, which represents the fact that I have more gaps in my knowledge there.  I anticipate being able to fill-in more and more detail as I continue to learn more about digital literacies, and apply them (and this knowledge of them) in my own work.

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a quick note...

Because of my background in a design field, the ideas of copyright and fair use were relatively familiar to me as I've had experience (although over 10 years ago) engaging in some forms of digital representation where others' creative work may have been involved.  Although I did learn some new aspects of this subject, it was nice to feel comfortable and a little familiar with some of the material from Module 1 (since most is very new to me).

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As someone who is not an educator in a K-12 classroom setting (although I'm married to a second-generation public school teacher), I found myself looking to apply this information within my own professional setting.  Also, being a parent caused me to think about this information through the lens of my children.  Although they are young now, it will not be long before they will be more fully immersed in the digital setting.  Much of the information discussed in the literature should not only be helpful for educators but for parents as well.

my kiddos enjoying time at the farm with their "Papa"

representation (1)

For me personally, representation (in media, and across the full spectrum of our society) is important to how we see the world and how others might perceive the world, because what we choose to present very often represents what we value, who we value.  Even if it does not represent value, it certainly projects value.  In my work as a fundraiser, representation is very important to the future of philanthropy, especially here in America.  For instance, as we look to engage more donors of color in the work of philanthropy in higher education, can they see themselves represented in the (1) students, faculty and staff, (2) boards and other governance bodies of the institutions and (3) in the donors stories we share to promote the work of philanthropy in higher education?  Our audience (current and potential donors) rely on our representations to make more informed decisions about their philanthropy (Hobbs, 2010).

Home page for the Ball State University Foundation's website. Ball State University Foundation. Retrieved 1/26/2022 from https://www.bsu.edu/foundation

This is an evolving area of research in the field of philanthropy.  The Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University has been conducting research in this area for a number of years.  Their 2019 article in the Stanford Social Innovation review highlights the myth that African Americans are a part of the group of new or emergent donors -- in fact, their research shows that this group has been philanthropic for "hundreds of years" (Philanthropy, F. of the L. F. S. of, 2019).

Screen capture of video conversation with Dr. Uno Osili about engaging donors of color. Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Retrieved 1/28/2022 from https://philanthropy.iupui.edu/research/myths.html

I loved reading the story of Mrs. DeCordova's class exploring and analyzing the Civil Rights movement and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. using the new lesson plan, because it showed the power of engaging students with the media as a way to go beyond simply learning the facts (and more importantly, taking the facts at face value).  It facilitated a conversation that allowed the students to understand things in more deep and meaningful way because they were not just consuming a representation, but rather seeking to understand other aspects such as (1) those behind the representation, (2) what meaning the images were intended to convey and (3) how these align with reality.  Not only would this method of using media likely be more engaging for students, but it facilitates a more deep and authentic analysis of the subject being presented, which is a skill that is greatly needed when navigating the digital (and later professional) world.

technology integration (2)

My biggest take-away from reading the Futurelab handbook was in Chapter 3 concerning how we approach communication.  Because I'm not coming at this from the perspective of a classroom teacher, the lens I'm using here is that of a non-profit professional.  I was particularly struck by some of the ideas of how to help students think about their audience when preparing a digital representation, to ensure that they are more critically engaging with the information they are communicating.  This is a skill that even seasoned professionals seem to lack, and is something that could be more effectively used in the professional setting.  We often use the "go-to" standard PowerPoint set-up issued by our organization, including stock images, without giving any thought to how these representations might impact the intended audience.

I think a lot of professionals tend to shy away from using PowerPoint for presentations for fear of not using it properly (i.e. having a clearly defined reason for using digital media or technology).  So many of us have sat through presentations where the presenter simply recites everything that is presented via PowerPoint -- and a PowerPoint that is poorly crafted at that.  That being said, using digital technologies to convey a message to colleagues or outside partners can be very powerful, and we should work to not only be comfortable using the software but be mindful of the images we use to convey messaging.  

digital citizenship (3)

As a fundraising organization, the Ball State University Foundation holds a large amount of very personal information (especially financial, but also other types of personal data) on a large number of constituents.  As I reviewed the Common Sense Digital Citizenship Curriculum, I was struck by how many of the resources might actually be helpful (if adapted, in many cases) to myself and fellow colleagues across the fundraising profession.  One subject in particular came to mind as helpful: our personal presence in the digital world as gift officers -- i.e. our digital footprints.

my personal Facebook page

As gift officers, it is our job to develop relationships with individuals, on behalf of the institution.  The implications of this are twofold: we might form close enough relationship with donors to be digitally connected via social media, and despite this close relationship we remain primarily a representative of the university.  This has the potential to put gift officers in a difficult situation if, m for instance, a donor requests to be their friend on Facebook, but the officer does not want to share that part of their life with the donor.  Similarly, as a representative of the university, a gift officer's social media posts have the potential to negatively impact the university if they are connected with donors on social medial platforms.  Some of the resources on digital citizenship offered in the curriculum from Common Sense Education (again, adapted) could be implemented in onboarding for new gift officers, which I think would be very impactful.

copyright and fair use (4)

As I mentioned earlier, this is an area where I had some past experience -- during my undergraduate program in landscape architecture.  I've not had much opportunity to engage with these ideas since that time, as my career took me in a different direction, but I feel that they have come up from time to time.

"Studies in grayspace" A project of mine from my undergraduate degree program that examined the transitory nature of gray space created from artificially interrupting water flow in the landscape.

Given the proliferation of digital media in the past few decades, the ideas of copyright and fair use seem even more applicable today.  It is so easy to find and reuse creative works from the internet, and given the common practice of "sharing" on social media, I can see how students (and adults, for that matter) might construe what is really copyright infringement as just "sharing" information.  These regulations are important to, in my opinion, primarily protect the creative work of others, and individuals should be aware of the consequences of breaking these guidelines (both legal, and the personal harm it could cause to the creator).  That said, there is lots of room for "gray space" in how these guidelines are interpreted, thus all the more reason to be educating around these issues so that individuals know how best to interpret any given scenario.  

general reflection (5)

At the beginning of the semester I felt a bit overwhelmed when I examined the body of work ahead of me in the coming months.  This is partially due to extenuating personal circumstances and extra busyness in my professional life, but in reality it is similar to how I feel at the beginning of many semesters.  Once I get a better understanding of how the course is structured, and can begin really focusing on the content, my stress levels tend to drop.  My experience in graduate school has been so different than my undergraduate experience, as I'm working full time and helping to raise my three kids.  I've found that the spring semesters have been typically a but more stressful for me, and maybe this is because I have less opportunity to spend time on my most fulfilling hobby: gardening. 

My happy place.  This is one of our kids' favorites - a dwarf sunflower called 'Short Stuff'.

I was really looking forward to the content of this course, and some of the projects that I would be able to do, even though most was out of my comfort zone or where I had previous experience.  The content in this course is largely new to me, and being that I'm not a classroom teacher, I often have felt like I've had to go to extra lengths to understand the material and then work to apply it in my own personal and professional setting.  This is not necessarily a negative, as I'm continually learning how to synthesize and apply whatever I'm learning, but does cause maybe a but more time to be spent on my work (versus maybe someone who is in the education field full-time).  

Beyond working through my initial angst over understanding the course structure (again, this is pretty normal for me), I've not had many significant struggles with the first module of this course.  There was certainly a learning curve for me when working on my first digital storytelling mini assignment, as I struggled a bit with deciding the medium/platform I was going to use, and then having to learn how to use a new tool.  This was a whole new experience for me.  I tested out probably 6-8 different methods and platforms before landing on the one that I've been using to create the story.  I was tempted to just use methods and tools that I'm comfortable with, but ultimately decided to try my hand at something new (even if it meant the end product was not as polished as I would have envisioned).  I'm looking forward to finalizing this first storytelling project, and seeing the final result.

references

• Hobbs, R. (2011). Digital and media literacy: Connecting culture and classroom. Corwin.

Philanthropy, F. of the L. F. S. of. (2019). Eight Myths of US Philanthropy. Stanford Social    

     Innovation Review, 17(4), 26–33. https://doi.org/10.48558/WG8D-A060