2 How digital are you?

The following short activity is designed to provide you with a general overview of the digital skills you use in everyday life.

Activity 1 What type of digital user are you?

Timing: 25 minutes

There are no right or wrong answers in this quiz. Instead, the aim is to get a feel for how much using technology and the internet are a part of your life, and what kinds of things you tend to do at the moment.

For each question, choose the nearest option to what you would do in that scenario. If the questions do not seem relevant to you, try to imagine what you would do in that situation. Keep a note of how many As, Bs, Cs or Ds you choose.

  1. You have bought a free-standing fan in the original sealed package from an electrical showroom. When you get home, you open the box to put the parts together, but there is no manual/instruction document in the box. What would you do?

    • a.Go to YouTube and find a video that shows you exactly what to do
    • b.Google it
    • c.Make a phone call to the showroom and ask for the instructions
    • d.Ring a friend or family member who is really good at fixing things and ask them to come over

  2. You’re planning a holiday to Bangkok and need to book a hotel and flights. What would you do?

    • a.Go online and compare prices using comparison websites
    • b.Email or send a message via Facebook or Viber to your friends and family who’ve been there, and ask them for recommendations
    • c.Get hold of a brochure and ring up the hotel and airline you want to use
    • d.Ask the local travel agent to arrange it all for you

  3. You want to find out the latest Premier League football results. What would you do?

    • a.Look it up on your smartphone or tablet
    • b.Switch on the television and go to the sports channel
    • c.Ask your friend, who always keeps up with the latest scores
    • d.Buy a sport journal

  4. You’ve just passed an exam with distinction. What is the first thing you do?

    • a.Post it on Facebook with a photo (selfie) of you celebrating
    • b.Email or send a Viber message to everyone in your list of contacts
    • c.Ring your best friend
    • d.Go out for dinner with friends or family

  5. You have cousins in Singapore who you are planning to visit this year. You want to discuss arrangements for your stay. How would you contact them?

    • a.Arrange a time to have a video call (on Viber, Whats app or Skype, for example) with them
    • b.Send emails to each other
    • c.Do it all by phone, on your mobile
    • d.Write a letter

  6. You have taken lots of holiday photographs on your phone or digital camera and want to share them with friends and family. How would you share them?

    • a.Create a holiday album on Facebook where you can share them with others virtually
    • b.Save them in a folder on your computer and email them in batches
    • c.Store them in a folder on your computer and show visitors when they come to your house
    • d.Print off the ones you like the best and send them by post to one or two people who you think would be interested

  7. You are watching television and there’s an advertisement break. What do you do?

    • a.Update your Facebook status on your smartphone
    • b.Text a friend or family member
    • c.Talk to the other people in the room
    • d.Go and get a drink

  8. You’ve been asked to plan an event at work and you’re trying to find the best date for everyone. How do you decide?

    • a.Set up an online poll (on Doodle, for example) with some options and get everybody to vote
    • b.Send an email or a message on Facebook to everybody in the office, responding to each person as they reply
    • c.Go round and ask everybody in person and write down the answers
    • d.Just set a date that you think will be best for everybody

  9. During the hottest summer month, your air conditioning breaks down and you need to get hold of an engineer quickly. What would you do?

    • a.Consult the app on your smartphone or tablet for finding a tradesman
    • b.Do an internet search
    • c.Visit your neighbour and ask who they would recommend
    • d.Look through the telephone directory

  10. You are applying for a job and the application process is all online. You are not sure how to go about it. What would you do?

    • a.Look up the Help facility on the relevant website to read more detailed guidance
    • b.Keep trying until you get it right
    • c.Ask a friend or family member for help
    • d.Decide not to apply – it doesn’t seem worth the trouble

Discussion

Mostly As: ‘Appy’ and adventurous

You have knowledge of technology and social media and use it confidently in all sorts of everyday situations. You may sometimes need to be reminded that face-to-face communication is important too.

Mostly Bs: Online and aware

You are aware of the sorts of information you can get from the internet and you are comfortable using email. This usually serves you well and you haven’t found it necessary to use social media much (or at all) so far. It would be worth getting to know other ways to use online tools as it could save you time in some situations.

Mostly Cs: Face-to-face and friendly

You like to interact with people face-to-face and so far haven’t seen the need to use technology in a big way. Face-to-face is best sometimes, but there may be occasions when talking to someone in person is not an option. It is worth thinking about those tasks and situations that come up regularly where going online could make life easier.

Mostly Ds: Paper-based and practical

You prefer to just get on with life and not waste time going online when it would be easier to find another way round the problem. Sometimes, the practical solution makes most sense. In other cases, mastering the basics of technology and online communication could open some new opportunities for you.

The technology you use is likely to depend on your individual needs and preferences. It also depends on the nature of your work and job requirements, or could be influenced by your family and friends. It could include any or all of the following:

  • mobile or smartphone
  • laptop or desktop computer
  • tablet (e.g. iPad or Samsung Tab)
  • MP3 player (e.g. iPod)
  • games console.

The types of activities mentioned in the quiz reflect some everyday uses of technology. During the rest of this week you will look in more detail at some of the skills involved in these activities, as preparation for the rest of the course.

It’s likely that you will only do some tasks once in a while – for example, applying for a job or applying to a university or college to study a certificate, diploma or degree. It may therefore take some time to feel confident about what you’re doing and, of course, every website will be slightly different. Succeeding in a digital world is about developing your confidence so that you can take on new challenges as they arise.

Now is a good time to make a note in your reflective journal of the skills and knowledge you gained and how you are planning to use them in future. If you haven't already downloaded a reflective journal, you should do so now.

1 The importance of being digital

3 Digital skills for everyday life