Category: Digital Literacy

The term ‘literacy’ has been used over the years to refer to the ability to read and/or write text. However, the last century has given way to image-based discourse as an addition to text-based discourse. Most people across the globe can now access much information from television, the Internet, and other information and technology platforms. Textual literacy is no more a sufficient criterion for one’s ability to comprehend and utilize communications media. Consequently, ‘media literacy’ has become an indispensable skill in today’s world. It refers to the ability to critically consume and produce media. Some of the activities involved in media literacy include sifting through and examining the messages that inform, entertain, and broadcast to millions daily. A person is therefore considered to be media literate if they are in a better position to decode the sophisticated messages that come in their way from television, newspaper, magazines, billboards, video games, and the Internet. The primary objective of media literacy is to offer media consumers more freedom by educating them on how to examine, access, appraise, and generate media.

Media is undoubtedly exerting significant influence within societies and cultures. The general perception of reality is shaped by the nature of information and images accessed via the media. Before the era of media, virtually all cultures relied on storytellers derived from the communities. They included friends, family, or specific people in a community renowned for storytelling. However, this is no longer the situation in the contemporary world as the most established storytellers are television, video games, movies, music, and now, increasingly, the Internet. A comparison between narratives and the current media reveals some glaring differences in how information is conveyed. In typical narratives, for instance, the storyteller passes information to their audience as something that happened in the past. The communities receive the information as an event of the past and draw lessons from the narrative. On the other hand, media platforms have almost eliminated the element ‘past nature’ of most stories. Images and stories are presented as though they are taking place in the present.

There is certainly a strong correlation between how media and culture influence each other. For media to influence a given culture, it has to serve as a mirror or rather a reflection of that culture. Those generating media must tailor them to appeal to the audience so that information therein may sink into their minds. The information and images formed then form the basis of the promotions. Music is one of the most popular ways to display media literacy in today’s world. By recording their music and distributing them through channels such as radio, the Internet, television, etc., artists have been able to shape the manner people behave and even their attitudes toward certain things. For example, pop music has altered American culture over the years. Similarly, the media has influenced society’s understanding and acceptance of cultural practices. In this era of information and technology, information travels very fast and different cultures exchange information. This results in some cultures being absorbed or rather modified by others.

In conclusion, media literacy has certainly found its way into the contemporary world and plays a significant role in the manner information is conveyed, analyzed, and understood.

The American Library Association’s digital-literacy task force offers this definition of digital literacy: “Digital literacy is the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information requiring both cognitive and technical skills”. Hiller Spires, a professor of literacy and technology at North Carolina State University, views digital literacy as having “three buckets: 1) finding and consuming digital content; 2) creating digital content; and 3) communicating or sharing it”.

I was first introduced to the world of using ‘digital literacy’ at a very young age. It all started with a PlayStation 2. Playing games and learning the controls for every game I played was a part of learning ‘digital literacy’. Later in my life, digital literacy was even as minuscule as learning the buttons on a TV remote or learning how to plug in the AV cables. My parents, especially my dad, did not care for technology at all. He mainly focused on reading books and writing with a pen and paper. My mom, on the other hand, learned the whole sending emails back and forth whilst running the family travel agency. Overall, my life shortly became revolved around learning how to use technology.

While the word ‘literacy’ alone generally refers to reading and writing skills, when you tack on the word ‘digital’ before it, the term encompasses much, much more. Sure, reading and writing are still very much at the heart of digital literacy. But given the new and ever-changing ways we use technology to receive and communicate information, digital literacy also encompasses a broader range of skills, everything from reading on a Kindle to gauging the validity of a website. The term is so broad that some experts even stay away from it, preferring to speak more specifically about particular skills at the intersection of technology and literacy.

While learning how much I used technology regularly was scary in a way. However, for me, learning how to use the tech was a necessity to live in the world because at school using a computer for learning programs was common. Then, my entertainment revolved around a lot of TV usage, so if I wanted to pick what I wanted to do, I had to learn how to use the television. It takes great skill to learn how to do so many technical things within such a short time. But it seems easy due to our adept skill of digital literacy. For instance, sending a text, then playing a round of Mario Kart, then sending a Snapchat can take two minutes of someone’s time. This was a lot of what consisted of this past week for me every day. Furthermore, whilst doing a school project or something on the web for school can take some skill to find valid information. However, the skill of digital literacy can help someone determine if a website is just a scammer site that gives you a nasty virus.

‘Consuming’ digital content looks pretty much the same as reading print. Reading a novel on a basic e-reader requires knowing how to turn the device on and flip pages back and forth, but other than that, it isn’t so different from reading a book. A PDF of a New York Times article looks a lot like the page of a print newspaper, except that it appears on a screen. Donald Leu, an education professor at the University of Connecticut and a recognized authority on literacy and technology, describes this sort of digital reading as ‘offline reading’. ‘It’s not interactive, there’s one screen, and you just have to read it,’ he explained: “It’s the same as reading a paper page”. The added skills needed for this kind of reading take just a few minutes to teach. In comparison, what Leu calls ‘online reading’, in which a digital text is read through the internet, requires a host of additional skills. For instance, a New York Times piece viewed on the web may contain hyperlinks, videos, audio clips, images, interactive graphics, share buttons, or a comments section; features that force the reader to stop and make decisions rather than simply reading from top to bottom. “The text is designed so that no two readers experience it in the same way”, – said Troy Hicks, a professor of literacy and technology at Central Michigan University. The reader determines, among other things, when to click on videos or hyperlinks, how long to stray from the initial text, and whether and how to pass the information along to others.

Some things within digital literacy are not as skill-needy as others. Determining if a website is a virus packed site is a skill that some seemingly tech-savvy people might not know how to do. However, reading a newspaper through online sources like the Wall Street Journal or the Washington Post is as easy as reading a regular newspaper. For instance, when I was reading articles for my religion project during the week on my Chromebook; it was easy as reading an article in a newspaper on the same subject. Furthermore, the project did have some difficulties because we needed to find a specific article and if you did not type in the exact URL, then you could not access the article. This would be considered harder to do than just picking up a paper and skimming for the title of the article.

On another note, the amount I used social media did not surprise me at all. The usage of Snapchat was expected because I always am in contact with my friends. This is very evident today with many people as well. According to the Independent, “Text messaging is now the most popular form of daily communication between British adults, new figures show. After years of increased use, the amount of time British adults spend speaking on a mobile phone has dropped for the first time. But the average Briton now sends 200 texts a month, Ofcom’s Communications Market Report found, more than double the figure of four years ago. Text messaging has overtaken speaking on a mobile phone and face-to-face contact as the most-used method of daily communication between friends and family”.

For me to have half of my tech usage be social networking is not surprising. People all around the world are realizing that with a little work they too can learn the digital literacy of a phone to keep in touch with each other with such ease that they can do it with only lifting a few fingers in their living room.

Today, our world became a place where everyone and everything is connected digitally. Technological achievements have an impact on every aspect of our life. Without digital literacy, which is the ability to use digital technology effectively, we can’t be successful. I completely agree that digital literacy should be required in all sectors for the following reasons.

First of all, our daily life requires digital literacy. Starting with smart phones to smart home appliances, everything is made out of the latest technology. If we don’t understand the technology, we won’t be able to function normally.

My grandmother is 70 years old, but every day she is trying to understand the technology. It is hard for her, because she is getting older, her memory is not as good as before and most importantly because she never used such advanced technology before. At a glance, we might think what’s the use of learning all that, when it’s such a hard and never-ending process. It’s because society, the world, and surroundings require those skills. This year, fearing coronavirus my grandmother can’t go out whenever she wants, but grocery shopping, making transactions, paying bills and other tasks are awaiting to be done. Therefore, she started learning how to use mobile bank applications, shopping sites and more. This is one example of the need for digital literacy.

Furthermore, basic tasks of any job require to be digitally literate. Many office jobs perform daily tasks on computers using different software and programs. Communication is made through emails, not letters. Research and planning have become a crucial part of every business. This process is done properly only when you have digital literacy, because it includes taking surveys from people, finding information, analyzing it and more. We used to submit our written resume by going from one to another company, but now we do this online. Every business is making a transition to an online, digital world. Technology provides people with a convenient life that everyone desires. For instance, banks that were flooded with people have made their services online. One click on your computer can bring goods to your home.

In conclusion, digital literacy is a must have skill. Digital appliances and technology are evolving every day and also changing our lives. In the business field, work can’t be done without proper knowledge in technology. Thus, we have to adapt to this style of living and learn every day.

Nowadays, the generation of millennials relies on the technological know-how that is around in our environment which has an impact on by means of others. The use of gadgets, appliances, and other electronic gadgets is our everyday habit and also part of our everyday routine. As a section of millennials the place technology, gadgets, and social media are a phase of my non-public life, especially as a use for my education, for communicating with my friends, household, and loved ones, and for searching for things that fit our everyday life.

The concept of ‘The Digital Self’ is likewise the self-promising principle of being based on modern-day technology. The fundamental purpose why the precept of ‘The Digital Self’ is that once you go online as your actual identity, by using the use of your very own title or appearance, you have an online presence that can be traced back to you in the real word. In managing your digital self, it is important to use these social media reasonably in order to respect and will be appropriate with the tips of such social media for an elementary and environmentally-friendly to have a superb journey in usage. Psychologically speaking, these digital selves can be associated with the emotional aspects of a person wherein it is successful to alter one’s emotion with the aid of irresponsible utilization of social media as these matters also occur at present

I use social media on an everyday basis, and my digital self or identity is identical to in personal or actual life. I don’t make any big difference between Tweeps and other buddies or acquaintances. Some are nearer than others and it is continually remarkable to meet up with people you have never met in person, but who you already think about your friends. Having a robust social media presence has by no means been an intention for me. I don’t strive to amplify my wide variety of followers and reactors however rather think that having a lot of followers would put stress on me to write interesting things. Neither do I have any career desires for my digital presence. The Twitter bills that I manage for our society are now not meant to be reflections of my personal beliefs, but I like to maintain my private money owed very private and have left out all references to my being a consultant of others.

But we can not compete with human beings we only met on Facebook and haven’t met in character but because many humans on social media are now pretending you will turn out to be a victim because others have been abused they will take your self, you fall from higher and when you fall into their trap, they will idiot and abuse you. You need to be conscious and cautious of yourself as an online user. Many are insulted on social media because others posted unpleasant matters to see so that they can earn many likes, and reactors, just to hold up with the trend. Sometimes we are the ones who put ourselves at risk. It is easy to attain world extensive repute via a strong digital presence, that same platform can be used to bring you down in the most brutal way. Maybe that is one of the reasons I have been content with my nameless presence. A badly worded tweet can easily cause irreparable harm if spread outside the small community used to my feeling of humor. I don’t like to put myself in that function in real life, and my digital self is no different. We are one. I’m content with what I am now and I don’t have to count on too many people what I in reality am, my digital self is the same as my actual life identity.

There is no denial behind the rise of digital technologies becoming a part of everyday life for some. These digital devices, such as cell phones or computers, have become so common in everyday use that at times can become inconvenient if individuals don’t own such devices. As society continues to progress with these digital shifts, it leaves an interesting question on how these shifts are affecting individual’s lifestyles beyond just the conventional calling or texting. In Danielle DeVoss et al.’s ‘The Future of Literacy’, a chapter written in a book focusing on expanding student’s writing and literacy, provided four case studies that explore the concept of literacy consistently changing as society advances digitally and implores the need to revamp the education system to properly meet these digital demands. In this essay, I will explore the contents within ‘The Future of Literacy’ as well as provide personal and peer digital experiences to show how it affects both classrooms and daily life experiences.

In Danielle DeVoss et al.’s, English professors, ‘The Future of Literacy’ begins with proposing literacy practices are beginning to change with the rise of digital environments. In particular, suggesting educators are not able to give their full support and truly challenge the new digital literacy skills students are learning on their own time. DeVoss et al. researches this argument through conducting four case studies that range from two different generations. Although having two different generations, a pattern DeVoss et al. found between all four cases was the lack of support educators could provide to promote student’s newfound digital skills, causing the case study participants to develop such skills during personal time. Leading to DeVoss et al. calling for educators to “change their attitudes about literacy in general, and they will need additional technology resources so that they can work more closely with students to learn about the new, self-sponsored media literacies these youngers are developing and practicing online” (209). In making this comment, DeVoss et al. argues that educators need to not only be open to the idea of incorporating digital environments but also get proper equipment to effectively develop students’ digital skills. Essentially putting all the focus and responsibility on literacy educators to educate and challenge students’ digital capabilities. Although I agree with DeVoss et al. up to a point, I found myself still considering other factors outside of classroom settings that could also play role in allowing students to easily understand the digital world. For example, all participants in the four case studies had previous experiences with digital environments in day to day lives. Therefore, already developed a skill beforehand and easily transitioned into society’s demand for these digital skills. However, if they were to include a case study where the participant that didn’t have access to digital devices beforehand and found it difficult to learn basic digital skills. Would the problem be the lack of support from educators or lack of accessibility to practice on their own?

When conducting my own research through personal experience, I found the problem was actually both. In an attempt to learn a new digital skill, I decided to learn 3D printing at MakerSpace located near my college campus. During this visit, an instructor who specialized in 3D printing gave us a quick run-down on the terms we’ll need to know, introduced the materials we’ll be using, and demonstrated how to use the 3D printer to get the final product. Once we became aware of what the instructor expected of us by the end of the session, it was now time to physically recreate what we learned on our own. First, we were instructed to follow a written step by step process on how to acquire a 3D model through downloading files and navigating through software. Next, we transferred the model to a 3D printer in a removable drive and navigated controls on the 3D printer to begin the print process. Once the model was finished, post processing consisted of improving the appearance of the printed model.

Moraski’s case in DeVoss et al.’s ‘The Future of Literacy’ compared to my experiences in MakerSpace was switched in roles. In Moraski’s case, she had already established the basic digital literacy skills needed in the classrooms like using PowerPoints. Therefore, when she sought out and practiced more advanced digital skills on her own time, she found the non-digitally exposed instructor wasn’t able to challenge the new skills she had learned beforehand. In my case, because this session was designed specifically to learn 3D printing, a digital skill I’ve never learned before, the trained instructor was able to challenge a new digital literacy skill for me because of their knowledge on 3D printing. However, interestingly I noticed even though I was able to complete the 3D printing process at the time, afterwards I forgot the majority of what I learned. The lack of having enough time to remember the steps until it becomes second nature is what I was missing compared to Moraski. I lacked having accessibly to consistently practice using the 3D printer, therefore in the end didn’t fully learn a new digital skill even though a trained instructor was present.

In addition, October 24, 2019, I conducted an interview at Houston Community College on Batiste, a fellow classmate, who also participated in the MakerSpace activities but instead chose to do laser cutting. When ask if they were able to connect this activity back to anything in their own digital experiences, Batiste responded with “I don’t know how that’s going to relate to anything in my life”. Batiste continues appreciating the opportunity and had an enjoyable time however couldn’t relate the experience back to themselves. I found this interesting as it brought a new factor I hadn’t considered. As established before, due to my lack of accessibility I wasn’t able to remember the new skills. Fortunately, the MakerSpace offers free access to their technologies to members who went through training. This means I’m able to rely on trained instructors to support me and have access to practice anytime I’d like. However, concluded through my peer interview it’s not just about having trained educators and prior accessibility. The relevancy and interest of the digital skill is a driving factor on building our digital literacy skills. This can be seen through all four cases studies as each participant became introduced to digital environments from the games on their laptop or the messaging apps on their phones.

As our technology continues to advance every day, it’s important to understand the importance of digital literacy. As the technology grows, the skills needed to understand will expand as well. In DeVoss et al.’s article ‘The Future of Literacy’ provided valid points on the impact digital literacy skills it has on our lives and how it continues to grow. Some of case studies provided were conducted during a time where digital literacy was just beginning so issues of untrained educators were relevant at the time. Now in 2019, it’s not just about having educators that support and properly adapt to new digital skills. It’s about having enough resources for the teachers and students, to be able to access such technologies, and incorporate them into our lives. Therefore, digital skills developed through educators and personal experiences would make it easier to adapt in future digital environments.

References

1. DeVoss, Danielle, et al. “The Future of Literacy”. Writing about Writing: A College Reader, edited by Elizabeth Wardle and Doug Downs, Bedford/St. Martins, 2011, pp. 486-513.
2. Batiste, Karla. Personal interview. 24 October 2019.

There is no denial behind the rise of digital technologies becoming a part of everyday life for some. These digital devices, such as cell phones or computers, have become so common in everyday use that at times can become inconvenient if individuals don’t own such devices. As society continues to progress with these digital shifts, it leaves an interesting question on how these shifts are affecting individual’s lifestyles beyond just the conventional calling or texting. In Danielle DeVoss et al.’s ‘The Future of Literacy’, a chapter written in a book focusing on expanding student’s writing and literacy, provided four case studies that explore the concept of literacy consistently changing as society advances digitally and implores the need to revamp the education system to properly meet these digital demands. In this essay, I will explore the contents within ‘The Future of Literacy’ as well as provide personal and peer digital experiences to show how it affects both classrooms and daily life experiences.

In Danielle DeVoss et al.’s, English professors, ‘The Future of Literacy’ begins with proposing literacy practices are beginning to change with the rise of digital environments. In particular, suggesting educators are not able to give their full support and truly challenge the new digital literacy skills students are learning on their own time. DeVoss et al. researches this argument through conducting four case studies that range from two different generations. Although having two different generations, a pattern DeVoss et al. found between all four cases was the lack of support educators could provide to promote student’s newfound digital skills, causing the case study participants to develop such skills during personal time. Leading to DeVoss et al. calling for educators to “change their attitudes about literacy in general, and they will need additional technology resources so that they can work more closely with students to learn about the new, self-sponsored media literacies these youngers are developing and practicing online” (209). In making this comment, DeVoss et al. argues that educators need to not only be open to the idea of incorporating digital environments but also get proper equipment to effectively develop students’ digital skills. Essentially putting all the focus and responsibility on literacy educators to educate and challenge students’ digital capabilities. Although I agree with DeVoss et al. up to a point, I found myself still considering other factors outside of classroom settings that could also play role in allowing students to easily understand the digital world. For example, all participants in the four case studies had previous experiences with digital environments in day to day lives. Therefore, already developed a skill beforehand and easily transitioned into society’s demand for these digital skills. However, if they were to include a case study where the participant that didn’t have access to digital devices beforehand and found it difficult to learn basic digital skills. Would the problem be the lack of support from educators or lack of accessibility to practice on their own?

When conducting my own research through personal experience, I found the problem was actually both. In an attempt to learn a new digital skill, I decided to learn 3D printing at MakerSpace located near my college campus. During this visit, an instructor who specialized in 3D printing gave us a quick run-down on the terms we’ll need to know, introduced the materials we’ll be using, and demonstrated how to use the 3D printer to get the final product. Once we became aware of what the instructor expected of us by the end of the session, it was now time to physically recreate what we learned on our own. First, we were instructed to follow a written step by step process on how to acquire a 3D model through downloading files and navigating through software. Next, we transferred the model to a 3D printer in a removable drive and navigated controls on the 3D printer to begin the print process. Once the model was finished, post processing consisted of improving the appearance of the printed model.

Moraski’s case in DeVoss et al.’s ‘The Future of Literacy’ compared to my experiences in MakerSpace was switched in roles. In Moraski’s case, she had already established the basic digital literacy skills needed in the classrooms like using PowerPoints. Therefore, when she sought out and practiced more advanced digital skills on her own time, she found the non-digitally exposed instructor wasn’t able to challenge the new skills she had learned beforehand. In my case, because this session was designed specifically to learn 3D printing, a digital skill I’ve never learned before, the trained instructor was able to challenge a new digital literacy skill for me because of their knowledge on 3D printing. However, interestingly I noticed even though I was able to complete the 3D printing process at the time, afterwards I forgot the majority of what I learned. The lack of having enough time to remember the steps until it becomes second nature is what I was missing compared to Moraski. I lacked having accessibly to consistently practice using the 3D printer, therefore in the end didn’t fully learn a new digital skill even though a trained instructor was present.

In addition, October 24, 2019, I conducted an interview at Houston Community College on Batiste, a fellow classmate, who also participated in the MakerSpace activities but instead chose to do laser cutting. When ask if they were able to connect this activity back to anything in their own digital experiences, Batiste responded with “I don’t know how that’s going to relate to anything in my life”. Batiste continues appreciating the opportunity and had an enjoyable time however couldn’t relate the experience back to themselves. I found this interesting as it brought a new factor I hadn’t considered. As established before, due to my lack of accessibility I wasn’t able to remember the new skills. Fortunately, the MakerSpace offers free access to their technologies to members who went through training. This means I’m able to rely on trained instructors to support me and have access to practice anytime I’d like. However, concluded through my peer interview it’s not just about having trained educators and prior accessibility. The relevancy and interest of the digital skill is a driving factor on building our digital literacy skills. This can be seen through all four cases studies as each participant became introduced to digital environments from the games on their laptop or the messaging apps on their phones.

As our technology continues to advance every day, it’s important to understand the importance of digital literacy. As the technology grows, the skills needed to understand will expand as well. In DeVoss et al.’s article ‘The Future of Literacy’ provided valid points on the impact digital literacy skills it has on our lives and how it continues to grow. Some of case studies provided were conducted during a time where digital literacy was just beginning so issues of untrained educators were relevant at the time. Now in 2019, it’s not just about having educators that support and properly adapt to new digital skills. It’s about having enough resources for the teachers and students, to be able to access such technologies, and incorporate them into our lives. Therefore, digital skills developed through educators and personal experiences would make it easier to adapt in future digital environments.

References

1. DeVoss, Danielle, et al. “The Future of Literacy”. Writing about Writing: A College Reader, edited by Elizabeth Wardle and Doug Downs, Bedford/St. Martins, 2011, pp. 486-513.
2. Batiste, Karla. Personal interview. 24 October 2019.

The only thing that is guaranteed in life is change. Whenever people begin to fear change and feel like they are powerless, this can lead to some serious issues. People need to be open to move forward and remain open-minded. Some of the faulty ideas that are associated with media and media literacy are that it is harmful, it requires memorizing facts, it destroys the fun, it is a special skill, and it requires too much effort. To begin, the media is not harmful. While there are certain risks that are associated with an excessive amount of exposure to the media, it encourages more creative and personal writing. Media serves as an outlet for people to share their knowledge and get information out quickly. The focus of the media is not on memorizing facts. Having the skill to turn facts into knowledge is a valuable skill to have and can help people become successful. Media does not require any special skills. However, it helps us build and strengthen the skills that we already possess. Finally, media literacy should not be viewed as something that requires too much effort. Instead, it should be viewed as a way to improve yourself in small ways and see changes in the way that you live your life.

Media literacy is the way that we display our ideas and beliefs to the world for others to interpret. Society has to become more willing to listen to others. There are three critical building blocks of media literacy. First, personal locus ensures that you are aware of your goals. This component helps you make conscious decisions. Second, knowledge structures keep information secured in your memory. They are carefully formed and form patterns that help people to obtain vital information. There are five core parts of knowledge structures: media industries, media audiences, media content, media effects, and the real world. Each of these sections of knowledge structures allows humans to see the bigger picture in situations and have a better understanding of important issues. Finally, skills are the final major component of media literacy. Some of the skills that are important in media literacy include analysis, evaluation, grouping, induction, deduction, synthesis, and abstracting. Using these skills, people are able to take pieces of information and put them together to draw a final conclusion.

The Media Literacy Workshop gives information about the impact of media on our culture. One of the topics discussed in this workshop was ‘post-truth’. This is the idea that whoever has the ‘loudest voice in the room’ or whoever gives the most convincing argument is assumed to be giving the correct information. However, this can be dangerous and result in fake news. This is a term that is used a lot by the news, but most people incorrectly use it to describe information that they do not agree with. Real examples of fake news are satire, slick delivery, sensationalism, and confirmation bias. Sensationalism is whenever there is a breaking news story, and news outlets rush to be the first to report the news. This can lead to misinformation because there is a lack of evidence. They are not aware of all of the facts and details of the event. Another example of fake news is confirmation bias. Humans like to think that they are right about everything. Whenever we see the information that supports what we want to be true, we assume that is it correct without looking at evidence or confirming the truth.

It is crucial that people can understand the advertisements and media that are presented to them. This is a crucial lesson to teach to children at a young age. When kids learn to decode the messages that they see every day, they will have a better understanding of the world. Also, this will give children the ability to strengthen their critical thinking skills and look for evidence. The more educated are citizens are, the better they are at deconstructing the news that are presented to them.

The seven skills of media literacy are analysis, evaluation, grouping, induction, deduction, synthesis, and abstraction. The advantage of having these skills and developing a higher degree of media literacy is that you are more aware of the advertisements presented to you. If you have the ability to decode the news and information that you see every day, your critical thinking skills will improve. In addition, you will be able to turn facts into knowledge and stay informed.