DIP1000 E-Literacy For Contemporary society

DIP1000 E-Literacy For Contemporary societyW0071887Kimberley Eastall (Major)

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My hobby is woodwork and building.

I believe I chose woodwork and building for a number of reasons. It requires creativity and mechanical thinking. Its physically challenging and lastly it is rewarding. You get results and get sit back and see your work or in some cases sit back on your work.

E-Literacy has changed woodwork significantly. Its no longer just for the people who have studied the trade. Anyone can look up a plan, head to Bunnings and get to work. Websites like Ana white provide informative tutorials that are simple to understand. Woodworking forums are excellent for feedback, encouragement or trouble shooting. Hardware websites are good for comparing range and pricing (Its not a cheap hobby!) It means that almost all DIYers can become better at carpentry without needing to be trade qualified.

A quick view of the Ana-White website I use to make my projects.Ana White 2015 viewed 20th April 2015

In the video you see the plans for the Simple, Cheap and Easy Console Table. This was the very first project I completed using the Ana-White website. Despite the fact that they use imperial measurements and our local hardware store uses metric I was able to find the correct timber by using the forums on the Ana-White site.

Simple, Cheap and Easy Console

Projects completed by me

Wardrobe with space for TV, Outdoor bar with inbuilt esky and barstool, dolls bed and many others.

How does JUDY use Digital technology for her hobby?

JUDY

Judy isnt a digital citizen. She owns an old (non-smart) phone and a computer that is rarely turned on. Judy is also my mothers best friend (My mum is a digital citizen). When I asked about why Judy isnt a regular user of digital technology she explained that where they lived, north west of Brisbane in a rural town, there had never been fast internet and she found it easier to communicate and learn through people face to face. She worked at a local school but wasnt required to use digital technology in her day to day tasks.

I asked Judy about her hobbies and one that she is particularly passionate about and dedicates a lot of time to is quilting. Judy attends craft groups where they discuss quilting and share ideas. All the quilting skills she has learnt has been through friends and family. Ideas and patterns are either imagined or shared in craft groups. When she has completed her works she either gifts them or displays them in her home. The photo below is of her daughter using a quilt made by her mum.

QUILTING

Quilting is the process of sewing two or more layers together to make a thicker, padded material. Judy uses both hand and machine methods when preparing her quilts.

Rasmatazz Designs http://www.rasmatazzdesigns.com/images/machineQuilting.jpg viewed 20th April 2015 All Things Quilting- http://allthingsquilting.com.au/about/On this website you can use the directory to find local shops, quilting classes and workshops and craft groups. There is also a blog, a community (forum) and a newsletter to stay up to date. This website is easy to read and navigate and is Australian so would be helpful for Judy.

Pinterest- www.pinterest.comPinterest is slightly more advanced in that it requires researching if you want to continue with an item. This may lead to dead ends as anyone can add pictures. It is an excellent source of ideas.

YouTube- www.youtube.comQuilting tutorials are everywhere on YouTube. These tutorials are much like a face to face instructional but through the internet. I believe Judy will find this helpful as she can watch a video, pause, rewind and revisit steps where necessary.Useful websites

As Judy lives a significant distance away from me, I asked my mother to head over to her house and call me. When she was there I instructed both my mother and Judy on setting up her computer so she can have access to these websites.

I explained the purpose of each website and gave her an opportunity to navigate them and ask questions when she got stuck. We made bookmarks for each of the websites so she can easily find each one. We set up a Pinterest and YouTube account for her so she can log in and save projects. We then went a little further and signed her up to Spotlight and Lincraft newsletters so she can receive the most up to date specials for when she heads in to town.

Since this phone call she has also added Facebook to share her projects with friends, family and other quilters.

Judy is becoming an emerging digital citizen.

What did I learn from this task?

I found this task showed me how my own hobbies have been effected by the digital age. What once was a trade qualified, male dominated industry can now be done by anyone. I also found it interesting how much Judy lacked confidence in the digital world. But once she had some guidance and we made it more simplified for her she became more confident and now browses freely on the web. I am looking forward to seeing many of her future projects!

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