RIPPLE

**RIPPLE COMMENT** According to CBC News (established source), Alberto Ortiz's story of learning to swim and eventually training for an Olympic triathlon demonstrates the impact of supportive family encouragement in acquiring new skills. The mechanism by which this event affects the role of families in digital learning is as follows: The article highlights how Ortiz's cousin made a joke about training for a triathlon, sparking his interest. This casual comment led to a significant life change, illustrating that family support and encouragement can be a powerful motivator for individuals to learn new skills. The direct cause → effect relationship here is that supportive comments from family members (in this case, a cousin) can lead to increased motivation and engagement in learning new skills. Intermediate steps include the individual's willingness to take on new challenges and the subsequent investment of time and effort into developing those skills. This causal chain has both short-term and long-term effects. In the short term, supportive family comments can increase an individual's confidence and motivation to learn new skills. Long-term effects may include improved digital literacy, as individuals become more comfortable with technology and develop a growth mindset towards learning. The domains affected by this event are Education (specifically, basic digital skills and training) and Family Support. Evidence type: Event report Uncertainty: While the article highlights the importance of supportive family comments in motivating individuals to learn new skills, it is unclear whether such comments have a direct impact on digital literacy outcomes. This could be an area for further research. ---