Erick Martinez

Digital Literacies
December 17, 2014

This ePortfolio has enabled me to house all of the material I learned in Digital Literacies.
Throughout the semester, I kept thinking about what I was going to learn. At the beginning of the
semester, I thought this class was going to be a fun class, with learning multiple platforms. I was
proven wrong; the class revolved around a lot of theory and practices that college professors had
experienced trying to use digital platforms in their classrooms. I started to lose hope in the
classrooms; I thought it was text heavy. It took a lot of time to read all of the articles, and respond
to blog post. It literally took three days to post blogs, and to respond to other peoples post.
As the semester continued I started to take on a different look on the class. At first, I really
didnt like it because of the text heavy material. But I soon realized that all this reading enabled me
to understand more about digital platforms and how effective they can be. I ended learning more
than I could bargain for. I learned views of many different people, including my classmates, and I
learned to create arguments using different digital platforms.
Through this portfolio, I included the majority of my work. I wanted to include all of it but
it wouldnt have the same effect I wanted it to. The audience of this portfolio is my professor and
my classmates. I have showcased many text based blog posts. I have showcased all the Prezis I have
created. I also showcased many videos. I fell in love with YouTube and videos in general. This class
has made me see the power of videos. I put many videos that meant something to me and to my
arguments.
I have texts, videos, and Prezis in different tabs. I used box logic to create this portfolio. I
wanted to showcase all platforms using a different tab for different types of mediums. This allowed
me to have more structure and have my portfolio easy to navigate. I made these choices because I
enjoy symmetry; I have to have everything organized in a particular way.
This class has enabled me to write essays that apply theories of language and literacy to
analysis of published texts, experience, and observational studies. Throughout this class, I have used
different platforms to write essays. The essays are not formal essays in text, but they are presented in
an engaging form that creates an argument like a traditional essay does. Navigating through
platforms helped me understand the rhetoric of digital mediums and platforms. An argument
presented in a digital platform has the same effect that a traditional essay carries.
In this class I also acquired a strong knowledge base of major, contemporary theories of
language, language learning, and literacy that inform the teaching of writing in adult literacy and
college writing and reading programs. I read a lot of scholarship that enabled me to use and

understand digital platforms. The class has given me a framework to use in my future classrooms,
especially when teaching adult learners English courses.
In the class I had a lot of practice using digital literacies for classroom discussions, informal
learning, research, and writing. I was constantly figuring out how to create an argument that people
would understand. I used different mediums to see which worked for the argument I wanted to get
across. I also practiced critical reading of scholarship, research, and literature. This class was based
on text heavy scholarship. I learned a lot from these scholars. I now see online mediums in a
different light. It is due to the heavy scholarship, that I now understand the importance of online
mediums.
I have learned to appreciate how theoretical knowledge of language/literacy and experiential
learning about language/literacy informs my work as a future teacher. I appreciate all the things that
I learned in this class. I have a working framework to use in my future classes. I know that this is
where the future is going. We as educators should not be afraid of using different online platforms
for the college essay.
This class has changed my view of digital literacies. I thought I had a great knowledge of
digital platforms; but I quickly found out I was a complete amateur. As the semester came to a close,
I reflected on the class. I changed my initial view of the class. I fell in love with the coursework, and
the learning experience. The professor has shown me many things as a student and as a future
educator. I do hope to pass this on to my future colleagues, and the colleagues I have now. This
class is a class that every educator should take. It will open minds, and hearts, to the new world of
digital mediums.
This class I will always cherish. The learning experience was awesome. The discussions were
great. Through this class I have opened myself to new possibilities. Through this class I also became
more reflective. This caused me to become more spiritual. I understand that students are at the
center of education. And as educators we should meet the needs of the students.

Warm wishes,

Erick Martinez