Future Literacy

Gone were the days where updates on holidays or personal life had to be snail-mailed via postcards or letters. Nowadays, even wedding invites are digitalised and sent through fibre optics (dial-up internet) or through radiowaves or 'white noise' (wireless internet) across seas to any part of the world.

The world has advanced through leaps and bounds. It has become so saturated that displacement has to take place. Hence, the displacement from the 'real' to the 'virtual'.

The picture above shows how learning is taking place in the virtual realm. Each avatar (a virtual person) represents an actual person in the real life.

Real: Who you really are in real life
Virtual: Your avatar identity (the role that you play)
Projective: To bring the real to the virtual. The 'self' you bring to the avatar.

Advantages of digital literacies in virtual online spaces? Plenty.
Students, especially young children learn better with pictures, animation, videos and audio. Since learning can take place in the virtual world, the boundaries are limitless. Ideas can be manifested and understood by other avatars while physical differences are not a hindrance for socialising as the avatars can be fat, thin, bald, white, black, brown, beautiful or good-looking. It's all up to the individual to choose the avatar that he/she wants to represent him/her. Children who feel inferior or shy may no longer feel afraid to share what they think and may express their ideas constructively and collaboratively.

However, like any good idea, there're always counter arguments and areas for improvement. In my opinion, learning in virtual online spaces can only be used effectively when coupled with real experiential learning.

Afterall, we need to know how much it hurts or bruise when we fall. 
Subsequently, we need to feel to know the texture of a rabbit's fur or the pointy-ness of a durian. "Experiences are what makes a man."

Norah.