Using, Analyzing, and Creating

Welcome Back!
If you thought last week was in-depth, exciting, and complex, you ain't seen nothing yet.

Using. Analyzing. Creating.
These are three words I never applied to the digital world before this month. However, it is pivotal that one understand these ideas to become a master of the digital landscape.
'Using' is the act of utilizing aspects of the digital world. 'Analyzing' is absorbing the digital world and processing how these aspects function as an individual and as part of the whole. And one is only capable of creating once they have successfully used and analyzed the digital world. 'Creating' is adding to the digital world. Creating...is the end goal. But that does not mean creating is the end. Creating in the digital world is infinite.
These three incredibly important aspects of critical digital literacy have played a significant role in my own learning in the past few weeks since I have been made aware of them. Two weeks ago I had the unfortunate experience of having my laptop taken over by a virus. Luckily for me, I still had my old laptop and charger to use. However, I had forgotten how different aspects of this old laptop were. I had to analyze the elements of this old laptop and use them to the best of my ability while I was waiting for my regular laptop to be ready to use again. I had to navigate a different version of Microsoft Word, and I had to navigate a different browser (I usually use Google Chrome, but I only had Internet Explorer). Having the knowledge that just using aspects of the digital world is not enough, I quickly analyzed these aspects and was able to navigate them with ease once I did so. I was able to create new Word documents and utilize Internet Explorer within two days, and even though the computer ran slower than I ever remembered, using the aspects of it that differed from my regular laptop were made easier by the knowledge that I had to analyze the digital landscape.

Juliet Hinrichsen and Antony Coombs write of a similar concept in their journal article "The five resources of critical digital literacy: A framework for curriculum integration" in which they speak of deconstructing, selecting, and interrogating. 'Deconstructing' is being able to see all the different elements of a specific digital tool. 'Selecting' is being able to understand and draw conclusions about particular aspects of this digital tool. And 'interrogating' is being able to take the analysis one can accomplish and utilize it within the digital world. While I feel this concept is a little too abstract for use within the digital world (because the digital world is incredibly practical and this concept is not), it is still a very relevant concept to understand. While similar to the using, analyzing, creating model, it differs just enough while still being very relevant so I felt it pertinent to mention to all of you.

If you remember, in my previous post, I used an aspect of the digital world that some people call a 'creative make.' Last post I used a Bitmoji. This time I tried something different. I attempted to create what is known as a GIF on a website called Giphy. 
A GIF is a snippet of a video usually with a caption. When the caption and video are put together, it provides an often comedic mixture. The GIF I created involved taking a video of my roommate that I made last year, cutting it down so that just one aspect was shown, and then connecting the caption to something relevant to my life today. GIFs are an excellent way to explain the using, analyzing, and creating model of understanding the digital world because they cover all aspects of it. It allows people to view other people's GIFs (using), understand the construct of a GIF and how they work concerning a specific circumstance (analyzing), and then it allows people to create their own GIF with their own unique style (creating). If you wish to heighten your skills in the modern day digital world, I highly recommend you try making a GIF of your own. It is both simple, entertaining, and enjoyable. As well, try filtering through other people's GIFs, it is a strong way to 'use' GIFs and will allow you to understand what they are in society. The website entitled MediaSmarts provides some great insights into this aspect of critical digital literacy as well as many other facets of the concepts. MediaSmarts is a website that attempts to provide relevant, important information about understanding digital literacy from the definition of digital literacy to incorporating it into the classroom.

But GIFs are not the only way to learn how to create in the digital world. Every so often, I find myself using video editing software to cut together clips from movies in an interesting (to me) way. After learning about the using, analyzing, creating model, I once again found myself sucked into that world and found myself creating a trailer to the movie Star Trek: Into Darkness using clips from the film. This is how I found myself understanding the using, analyzing, and creating model. At first, I was just playing around with the aspects of the video editor, using different clips from various films just to see what I could do. But after a short while, I found myself wound up in the world of video editing for beginners and chose to cut together my own trailer. While cheesy and admittedly not very well done, I was happy with myself for being able to incorporate the skills I am learning about in my critical digital literacy class into my everyday life in the digital world. Although not for any particular purpose, video editing is something I get pure entertainment out of even though I am not very good at it, and thanks to being introduced to the concept of analyzing and creating within the digital world, was able to put something together that made me proud and I enjoyed my time creating.

(Apologies for the watermark I am using a trial of a premium video editor, and I cannot get rid of it)

Wow! There was a lot to discuss this time! The past few weeks have given me so much insight into the wonderful digital world and how to navigate it, and after obtaining so much information, I just had to tell all of you about it!

I wonder, after reading this and learning about using, analyzing, and creating, how did that affect your use of the digital world and use of digital tools?

Have you ever created within the digital landscape? What have you created? How did you create it?

Well, that just about does it for now. So. Much. To. Absorb. But that's okay! I hope you'll check back here shortly for my next post because we have even more to talk about! Go and use, analyze, and create all you can in the digital world. I promise you won't be disappointed at how amazing it can be.

Until next time, have fun, and you will hear from me really soon. 😊❤

References:

Hinrichsen, J., & Coombs, A. (2013). The five resources of critical digital literacy: A framework for curriculum integration. Research in Learning Technology, 21. doi:10.3402/rlt.v21.21334