My very limited knowledge and experience
For this post, I wanted to put together a little timeline of my digital literacy. While doing so, I jumped down a rabbit hole of cringe. I've always been a kind of weird kid, but I don't think I've ever been weirder than 2010 me trying to figure out the internet. Anyway, here's a brief list of my life on the internet:
2010: I join Facebook at age 13. I also get a "girlfriend" (I'm not sure if freshman year really counts) and a new cell phone--not a smartphone, but still one with apps and a cool glowy clock. I happen to have deleted my first profile picture, so here's my oldest one instead. Good luck not reactively reaching into your computer screen and giving me a much-deserved wedgie.
2010: I join Facebook at age 13. I also get a "girlfriend" (I'm not sure if freshman year really counts) and a new cell phone--not a smartphone, but still one with apps and a cool glowy clock. I happen to have deleted my first profile picture, so here's my oldest one instead. Good luck not reactively reaching into your computer screen and giving me a much-deserved wedgie.
2012: I join Twitter, my personal favorite social media platform. My handle: @MattSchwain. Some people at school didn't realize that's not how you really spell my last name. You could say I had friends, just not many.
2014: After graduating high school, I get a smartphone. My social life explodes, for whatever reason, when I join Instagram and Snapchat, two apps/platforms I still use today. I kept the trend from 2012 alive and dubbed myself @MattSchwain on everything, although my name on most peoples' Snapchats shows up as "matty matt swizz." I consider this a personal victory.
2015: I start this blog! Sort of. I rarely use it, but when I do I have a lot of fun. Initially, it was my teaching portfolio for English 150 with Dr. Lyn Jones, my higher education/general hero (who is my professor again this semester for English 409!). I've actually used this website for several different classes, and after graduation (or maybe just sometime soon) I plan on buying the domain name and giving this site a major overhaul/makeover. Of course, the blog will stay mostly the same, so if you like what you see you need not worry!
2016: I create new Twitter and Instagram accounts for school and "professionalism." My habits of goofing off and being generally really weird (see below) never really went away, and these accounts eventually became the ones I use most. I used the same name for both of them: @coffeecuppoetry, something that I'm still kind of surprised has stuck. I like the name because it has my two favorite things in it.
2014: After graduating high school, I get a smartphone. My social life explodes, for whatever reason, when I join Instagram and Snapchat, two apps/platforms I still use today. I kept the trend from 2012 alive and dubbed myself @MattSchwain on everything, although my name on most peoples' Snapchats shows up as "matty matt swizz." I consider this a personal victory.
2015: I start this blog! Sort of. I rarely use it, but when I do I have a lot of fun. Initially, it was my teaching portfolio for English 150 with Dr. Lyn Jones, my higher education/general hero (who is my professor again this semester for English 409!). I've actually used this website for several different classes, and after graduation (or maybe just sometime soon) I plan on buying the domain name and giving this site a major overhaul/makeover. Of course, the blog will stay mostly the same, so if you like what you see you need not worry!
2016: I create new Twitter and Instagram accounts for school and "professionalism." My habits of goofing off and being generally really weird (see below) never really went away, and these accounts eventually became the ones I use most. I used the same name for both of them: @coffeecuppoetry, something that I'm still kind of surprised has stuck. I like the name because it has my two favorite things in it.
And with that, I think I'll end this blog post. My digital literacy has improved more since 2016, but in less visible ways. Overall, I'm pleased with where I am now, as a communicator and digital citizen. And I know that, since there's much more room for growth, I'll only have more fun reaching out and creating spaces online!
Until next time!
Until next time!