Throughout the short time we have been in class I have learned so much already. From each reading I can take something and apply it to my everyday life; whether it is critically looking over the internet, or how much is followed by what we search or look at, or how the inside of the internet really works. Looking closely at articles from our class so far I can relate them to me and my life.

I learned so much from one of the first articles we read in class called “Literacy: Are Today’s Youth Digital Natives?” by Danah Boyd. Before reading the article I would have considered myself a digital native- which is considered a person who grew up with the Internet and technology and are assumed to understand how to use it and how it works (Boyd, 2014). By the end of the article I easily changed my opinion on being a digital native. Yes I know how to operate computers, phones, and tablets, but I don’t know the internal side of things; why google brings up certain sites or how ads now what you have previously searched for. The parts of the digital native definition that I would say I consider myself under would be the part of growing up with the technology and knowing how to critically look in to it and see if it is too good to be true or if it is the real thing.

The main function of the internet that most “digital natives” are good at is the public sphere part (Habermas, 1974). Teens today are always checking social media sites and posting their thoughts and ideas to share with their friends and followers. While this is not the typical definition of a public sphere because it is only reaching a small amount of people it is what is happening today as a virtual sphere (Habermas, 1974). With a virtual sphere we as people can connect with others all over the world having a more diverse sphere then in past times. The only people excluded from our virtual sphere is ones without access to internet; public or at home. Before reading these articles I never thought critically about how the internet connected us as a world or even a country. Having devices with internet connection (i.e. Phones, tablets, and computers) can connect us to a world of people that we may never meet face to face; this becoming our virtual sphere.

Both of these articles relate to the same topic-the internet. They both talk about how we can use the internet to our advantage whether it be connecting with others around the world or just looking up sources for a homework assignment. The invention of the internet has grown our population and made it easier to stay in contact with one another and also easier to find information we are searching for.

Out of all of the class readings we have had so far, I believe I have learned the most from these two articles. I was able to relate both of these to my daily life and how I use the internet and a computer to interact with others and with research information. They were also helpful in critically thinking about how I use the tools available to me and how I could use them better.

 

 

Boyd, Danah. (2014) “Literacy: Are Today’s Youth Digital Natives?” Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4_F8lxpywuFcVZrbGc3S0Fka28

Habermas, Jurgen, (Autumn, 1974) “The Public Sphere: An Encyclopedia Article” Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4_F8lxpywuFUUVIY2ZQV3NiYnc