Thursday, November 7, 2013
Pencils to Pixels
According to the article "From Pencils to Pixels" the computer is the gateway to literacy. This is somewhat true. Although most people use the computer to read and write, it can also be the reason people become illiterate. Computers can cause people to stop thinking for themselves. They become less analytical and lazy readers. Writing is a form of technology because it can be used to accomplish goals, organize data and ideas, and communicate. The pencil is a form of technology because it is a tool. In Plato's opinion, writing things down was bad for humans because it caused people's memory to be inadequate. He also argued that the written word was not interactive. Written word is good because one can really take time and think about what message they want to send. It also is a good because everything can be recorded and saved. Writing can be bad because it can cause people to be less interactive and most of the time people do not think before they speak. He may have only supported it because his family was in the pencil making business. He did not say much about pencils, however, he did make it known that he was not a fan of inventions such as the telegraph. When he made the best pencil he could make he felt that there was no point in trying to improve it any more. The telephone changed the way people talked. This was mainly because people could not speak in private or use body language to communicate with one another. However, it allowed people to talk more often. Technology made it easier to commit fraud but at the same time it made it easier to detect fraudulence. New technology can be scary and it can change the way we do things. Though we may be skeptical, we have to give technology a chance or else there will be no progress. The technology that scares us may end up being the very thing that changes the world for the better. That may not always be the case but we have to give it a try and hope for the best. This article describes literacy as the ability to adapt to, use, and understand technological advancements.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Yancey
There are some challenges and/or opportunities of writing in the 21st century. One is developing new models of writing. Designing a new curriculum supporting these models and creating models for teaching that curriculum are challenges as well. Writing is a technology that exists in spite of the challenges faced such as being a woman, being black, being young, and cultures that hate writing.
Yancey's main argument is that not only do we need to write more often but more freely as well. We also need to come up with new, more interesting ways to teach people to write more and enjoy doing it. Writing, especially when writing freely, allows people to do whatever they want. It requires a lot of hard work and innovation. However, reading can be a lot more pleasant. I find them both unpleasant. Writing is associated with testing and essays. Most people don't enjoy either of these things. It is also associated with long hours of brainstorming, hard work, and writer's block. Process writing is the process in which authors follow to write papers. Some parts of this process are drafting, peer review, editing, and publishing.
Self sponsored writing is a writing that belongs to the writer instead of an institution. When I write posts on Facebook or Twitter I am creating a self sponsored writing. Other than that, I do not do any self sponsored writing. The 21st century is the Age of Composition because everybody is doing it. Most people create blog posts, or compose things on social networks. It is the Age of literacy because the definition of literacy has changed. Literacy has a broader definition and mostly everyone meets the requirements. The definition of literacy has changed, therefore the way we teach people to be literate should change as well. Much like some of the articles we have read, literacy is not only defined as the ability to read and write. It is also defined as the ability to interpret, analyze, and apply.
Yancey's main argument is that not only do we need to write more often but more freely as well. We also need to come up with new, more interesting ways to teach people to write more and enjoy doing it. Writing, especially when writing freely, allows people to do whatever they want. It requires a lot of hard work and innovation. However, reading can be a lot more pleasant. I find them both unpleasant. Writing is associated with testing and essays. Most people don't enjoy either of these things. It is also associated with long hours of brainstorming, hard work, and writer's block. Process writing is the process in which authors follow to write papers. Some parts of this process are drafting, peer review, editing, and publishing.
Self sponsored writing is a writing that belongs to the writer instead of an institution. When I write posts on Facebook or Twitter I am creating a self sponsored writing. Other than that, I do not do any self sponsored writing. The 21st century is the Age of Composition because everybody is doing it. Most people create blog posts, or compose things on social networks. It is the Age of literacy because the definition of literacy has changed. Literacy has a broader definition and mostly everyone meets the requirements. The definition of literacy has changed, therefore the way we teach people to be literate should change as well. Much like some of the articles we have read, literacy is not only defined as the ability to read and write. It is also defined as the ability to interpret, analyze, and apply.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
cognitive surplus
The article is about spare time people have and the way it should be used. When people have spare time on their hands they should do something that requires thinking. When this happens it is called cognitive surplus. Literacy in this article is being defined as having the ability to understand things without having to dig below the surface of what something actually means. Literacy is not said to be the ability to dig deep and analyze the literal meaning. People should be able to know the information and how to use it as well.
This article is important because it stresses the importance of using our time wisely. In our spare time we should exercise our mind and be creative. We should try to come up with new ideas and solutions to problems we are facing.
Repetition:
The repetition of "at least they're doing something" is very important because it goes back to cognitive surplus and what that means. The phrases "at least they're doing something", cognitive surplus, and "better to do something rather than nothing" actually tie in together and are equal in importance. They all give the same message in different ways which lets us know the point the writer was trying to get across.
This article is important because it stresses the importance of using our time wisely. In our spare time we should exercise our mind and be creative. We should try to come up with new ideas and solutions to problems we are facing.
Repetition:
- fad
- cognitive surplus
- transform society
- at least they're doing something
- looking for the mouse
- taking advantage of the surplus
- better to do something rather than nothing
- information society knows without really knowing it
The repetition of "at least they're doing something" is very important because it goes back to cognitive surplus and what that means. The phrases "at least they're doing something", cognitive surplus, and "better to do something rather than nothing" actually tie in together and are equal in importance. They all give the same message in different ways which lets us know the point the writer was trying to get across.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Digital Intimacy
Nowadays social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter allow us to build and keep relationships with people. These relationships can be strong or weak. They can also be built or maintained with friends, family, or even "strangers". Social media sites allow you to have an appropriate relationship with people you have never physically met.
When Mark Zuckerberg created the news feed his intentions were to make it easier for users to keep up with their friends' lives. They would no longer have to search each friend and browse their accounts. It also allowed them to find out about things going on in their friends' lives before it became old news. Although this was a breakthrough for Facebook, it affected the literacy of the users in a negative way. It goes back to the article "Is Google Making Us Stupid", people no longer had to think for themselves. They did not have to search for information or even think about how to find it. The news feed put everything right at their fingertips.
Ambient awareness is like getting to know someone through the subtle things they do or say. Each little thing they do makes you more familiar with them and their everyday lives. These things are not directed at you they are just noticed by you. They are like tiny puzzle pieces that end up revealing who the person is. Even though these puzzle piece are tiny they are all important. When something is missing you will definitely notice. I experience ambient awareness in instances where something may be wrong with one of my followers and I will know because they will tweet less or not at all. An ambient update is an immediate update of a person's life taken directly from social media. For example, you're sitting at home on your computer and your friend posts about her new boyfriend and their first date. I would not say there is a downfall of ambient awareness but it definitely changes the way people communicate. People no longer have to ask "How have you been?" or "How was your weekend?" because they already know. Ambient awareness allows people to jump right into conversations about specific things or events. They don't have to wonder what to talk about they simply start talking.
People's reading is getting lazy and becoming less significant. Because of this, the fact that social media posts are skimmable is a good thing for the social network itself. However, it is a bad thing for the literacy of the people. While reading we skip over things and when we do read them we simply decode the information and move on. We no longer analyze or look for deeper meanings in the things we read which is steadily decreasing our literacy.
Our relationships with our friends or followers on social networks are not as personal or deep as our actual friends. This is why the relationship is referred to as "weak ties" and the friends or followers are referred to as acquaintances. These relationships help us because they allow us to have more relationships at one time.
People that are 20-something feel pressured to stay connected to Facebook for a couple of reasons. One, they want to keep up with everything that is going on with everyone. They want to be up to date on the gossip instead of being the last to hear about things. Also, 20-something year olds want to make sure that they are not the topic of negative conversations and posts.
This article describes literacy in the 21st century as a way of understanding people through the subtle things they do and their posts on social media websites. It means using posts as clues to who a person is. This added to my definition of literacy.
When Mark Zuckerberg created the news feed his intentions were to make it easier for users to keep up with their friends' lives. They would no longer have to search each friend and browse their accounts. It also allowed them to find out about things going on in their friends' lives before it became old news. Although this was a breakthrough for Facebook, it affected the literacy of the users in a negative way. It goes back to the article "Is Google Making Us Stupid", people no longer had to think for themselves. They did not have to search for information or even think about how to find it. The news feed put everything right at their fingertips.
Ambient awareness is like getting to know someone through the subtle things they do or say. Each little thing they do makes you more familiar with them and their everyday lives. These things are not directed at you they are just noticed by you. They are like tiny puzzle pieces that end up revealing who the person is. Even though these puzzle piece are tiny they are all important. When something is missing you will definitely notice. I experience ambient awareness in instances where something may be wrong with one of my followers and I will know because they will tweet less or not at all. An ambient update is an immediate update of a person's life taken directly from social media. For example, you're sitting at home on your computer and your friend posts about her new boyfriend and their first date. I would not say there is a downfall of ambient awareness but it definitely changes the way people communicate. People no longer have to ask "How have you been?" or "How was your weekend?" because they already know. Ambient awareness allows people to jump right into conversations about specific things or events. They don't have to wonder what to talk about they simply start talking.
People's reading is getting lazy and becoming less significant. Because of this, the fact that social media posts are skimmable is a good thing for the social network itself. However, it is a bad thing for the literacy of the people. While reading we skip over things and when we do read them we simply decode the information and move on. We no longer analyze or look for deeper meanings in the things we read which is steadily decreasing our literacy.
Our relationships with our friends or followers on social networks are not as personal or deep as our actual friends. This is why the relationship is referred to as "weak ties" and the friends or followers are referred to as acquaintances. These relationships help us because they allow us to have more relationships at one time.
People that are 20-something feel pressured to stay connected to Facebook for a couple of reasons. One, they want to keep up with everything that is going on with everyone. They want to be up to date on the gossip instead of being the last to hear about things. Also, 20-something year olds want to make sure that they are not the topic of negative conversations and posts.
This article describes literacy in the 21st century as a way of understanding people through the subtle things they do and their posts on social media websites. It means using posts as clues to who a person is. This added to my definition of literacy.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
The Internet and the Way We Think
Although the title of the article is "Is Google Making Us Stupid?," the words "What the Internet is doing to our brains" directly under the title tell us what this article is really about. This article claims that the Internet is affecting us in several unsuspecting ways. It is making us read less and also lazily. The Internet is even changing the way we think.
There was a point in our lives where some people could read really long articles or tons of books without any problems. Now, they find themselves losing concentration, fidgeting, and skimming anything that is more than a few paragraphs. This is because of the affect the Internet is having on our brains. Sometimes people stop reading books all together and only use the Internet simply because it is more convenient. Also, there was a time when people had to spend hours in the library going through several books just to get research done. Now the Internet allows one to find that same information in a few seconds.
The Internet is very useful and extremely convenient, but unfortunately, it is changing the way we think. It is unfortunate because it is making us become decoders of information. We are not thinking as deeply into the things we read as we used to. Which can make us less innovative, creative, and it also makes of lose the complexity of our thinking. When used in the article "Is Google Making Us Stupid? as well as "Socrates Nightmare" the word "illiterate" is used to describe a particular way of thinking. In addition to those things, the Internet is also making us illiterate.
The claims made in this article are backed up by friends, professionals, and also written sources from the past. He mentions the research of the 1960's media theorist Marshall McLuhan as well as Maryanne Wolf, a developmental psychologist. All of the evidence used in the article "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" is very effective and some even tells us the answer to the "so what?" question. There are two answers to this question in this article:
"It is clear that users are not reading online in the traditional sense; indeed there are signs that new forms of “reading” are emerging as users “power browse” horizontally through titles, contents pages and abstracts going for quick wins. It almost seems that they go online to avoid reading in the traditional sense."
“What if I do all my reading on the web not so much because the way I read has changed, i.e. I’m just seeking convenience, but because the way I THINK has changed?”
There was a point in our lives where some people could read really long articles or tons of books without any problems. Now, they find themselves losing concentration, fidgeting, and skimming anything that is more than a few paragraphs. This is because of the affect the Internet is having on our brains. Sometimes people stop reading books all together and only use the Internet simply because it is more convenient. Also, there was a time when people had to spend hours in the library going through several books just to get research done. Now the Internet allows one to find that same information in a few seconds.
The Internet is very useful and extremely convenient, but unfortunately, it is changing the way we think. It is unfortunate because it is making us become decoders of information. We are not thinking as deeply into the things we read as we used to. Which can make us less innovative, creative, and it also makes of lose the complexity of our thinking. When used in the article "Is Google Making Us Stupid? as well as "Socrates Nightmare" the word "illiterate" is used to describe a particular way of thinking. In addition to those things, the Internet is also making us illiterate.
The claims made in this article are backed up by friends, professionals, and also written sources from the past. He mentions the research of the 1960's media theorist Marshall McLuhan as well as Maryanne Wolf, a developmental psychologist. All of the evidence used in the article "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" is very effective and some even tells us the answer to the "so what?" question. There are two answers to this question in this article:
"It is clear that users are not reading online in the traditional sense; indeed there are signs that new forms of “reading” are emerging as users “power browse” horizontally through titles, contents pages and abstracts going for quick wins. It almost seems that they go online to avoid reading in the traditional sense."
“What if I do all my reading on the web not so much because the way I read has changed, i.e. I’m just seeking convenience, but because the way I THINK has changed?”
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
@NickiMinaj
Although Nicki Minaj is portrayed as a stuck up, rude, self centered human being in media her instagram account begs to differ. You may have heard many rumors and seen many videos of Nicki Minaj's wild behavior but what if you didn't? What if you only saw Nicki Minaj's instagram account? Nicki Minaj uses her instagram like the average person in some ways. These ways include entertaining, showing off, and sharing "selfies". Some of her instagram posts may lead people to believe that she is friendly, humble, and loving while others portray her as a self proclaimed sex symbol, sarcastic, and her own number one fan.
Nicki Minaj uses her instagram to entertain, show off, and share selfies. She entertains her followers by posting funny and relatable pictures. These posts include pictures about things people do or should do in many different situations. There is a post of Johnny Depp that reads, "If you love two people at the same time, chose the second one, because if you really loved the first one you wouldn't have fallen for the second." and in her caption she asks for her followers opinion of this. Posts such as these may make people forget that she is a celebrity or make them realize that even though she is a celebrity she is still just like everybody else.
Almost everyone uses instagram to show off and let the world know how wonderful their life is. Nicki Minaj definitely does this and she does it quite often. There are many posts of her awards, her luxurious possessions, and her amazing body. Nicki Minaj shows off in a way that suggests that the things she is flaunting is not even a big deal. The fact that she is not stressing how great her things are shows that she is used to such luxuries. For example, there is a post of Nicki Minaj's large estate with a nice foreign car parked outside. Her caption simply says "No place like #Home". Also, the world as well as Nicki Minaj knows how popular her figure is. She posted a picture of herself poolside in a bikini and the caption reads "Have a nice day" as if she did not notice how good she looked. Nicki Minaj shows off without making it obvious which is what most people try to do but usually fail.
Every now and then Nicki Minaj posts photos and videos with her friends, family, and idols. These posts show her having fun and behaving as a normal and loving person would. The media makes it seem like Nicki Minaj is one of those stuck up celebrities that would have that "I don't take pictures", "Get these children away from me", or "I am better than everyone else" mentality. Her instagram account begs to differ. She is shown hanging out with her friends and playing with little children. Most of her friends appear to be normal people and she makes videos having fun with little children. Nicki Minaj also posted a video of two normal girls dancing in the street. In the background of this video you can hear her saying "wow" and "that's amazing" which lets people know that she does not think she is the best because she can still be impressed.
Although all those things are true about her instgram account she remains true to her rapper identity on instagram as well. She shows how successful she is, promotes her music and products, and shows how great her lifestyle is. She also posts pictures with captions that are quotations from her songs. There is a post of Nicki Minaj racing her shadow which suggests that she is her own competition. She says things related to this in several of her songs. In one song she says "Competition, why yes I would love some".
Nicki Minaj's instagram account shows Onika Maraj as well as her alter ego Nicki Minaj. She posts photos and videos of her family and friends and sometimes seems like a normal person. She also shows off her lifestyle and promotes her music and products. Though all of this is true, Nicki Minaj's instagram account contradicts the way the media portrays her and gives audiences a better idea of who she really is.
Nicki Minaj uses her instagram to entertain, show off, and share selfies. She entertains her followers by posting funny and relatable pictures. These posts include pictures about things people do or should do in many different situations. There is a post of Johnny Depp that reads, "If you love two people at the same time, chose the second one, because if you really loved the first one you wouldn't have fallen for the second." and in her caption she asks for her followers opinion of this. Posts such as these may make people forget that she is a celebrity or make them realize that even though she is a celebrity she is still just like everybody else.
Almost everyone uses instagram to show off and let the world know how wonderful their life is. Nicki Minaj definitely does this and she does it quite often. There are many posts of her awards, her luxurious possessions, and her amazing body. Nicki Minaj shows off in a way that suggests that the things she is flaunting is not even a big deal. The fact that she is not stressing how great her things are shows that she is used to such luxuries. For example, there is a post of Nicki Minaj's large estate with a nice foreign car parked outside. Her caption simply says "No place like #Home". Also, the world as well as Nicki Minaj knows how popular her figure is. She posted a picture of herself poolside in a bikini and the caption reads "Have a nice day" as if she did not notice how good she looked. Nicki Minaj shows off without making it obvious which is what most people try to do but usually fail.
Every now and then Nicki Minaj posts photos and videos with her friends, family, and idols. These posts show her having fun and behaving as a normal and loving person would. The media makes it seem like Nicki Minaj is one of those stuck up celebrities that would have that "I don't take pictures", "Get these children away from me", or "I am better than everyone else" mentality. Her instagram account begs to differ. She is shown hanging out with her friends and playing with little children. Most of her friends appear to be normal people and she makes videos having fun with little children. Nicki Minaj also posted a video of two normal girls dancing in the street. In the background of this video you can hear her saying "wow" and "that's amazing" which lets people know that she does not think she is the best because she can still be impressed.
Although all those things are true about her instgram account she remains true to her rapper identity on instagram as well. She shows how successful she is, promotes her music and products, and shows how great her lifestyle is. She also posts pictures with captions that are quotations from her songs. There is a post of Nicki Minaj racing her shadow which suggests that she is her own competition. She says things related to this in several of her songs. In one song she says "Competition, why yes I would love some".
Nicki Minaj's instagram account shows Onika Maraj as well as her alter ego Nicki Minaj. She posts photos and videos of her family and friends and sometimes seems like a normal person. She also shows off her lifestyle and promotes her music and products. Though all of this is true, Nicki Minaj's instagram account contradicts the way the media portrays her and gives audiences a better idea of who she really is.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Beautiful Tattoo
It has been said that your social media life is as permanent as a tattoo. Everything someone posts on social media sites will be there forever and anyone can see them. When I say anyone I mean employers, teachers, parents, pastors, friends, family, ANYONE. This may seem like a bad thing to most people but not to me.
My Facebook page says a lot about me. Posts such as "Walk with me Lord" and "An incredible God deserves incredible praise!" lets people know that I am very religious. I have a great relationship with God and I thank and acknowledge him for the many things he does for me. I also have many posts of me at church with family as well as friends. This says that not only am I "talking the talk" but I am also "walking the walk". I do not post statuses about God or my religion just to look good. God is number one in my life and that is reflected on my Facebook page.
Other status posts such as "I miss Muh and PawPaw :(" shows people that I am a very family oriented person. There are many pictures of me smiling with my family and enjoying family events. "Me and my PawPaw was matching at church tonight, I put a big smile on his face but he still wouldn't let me kiss him! Lol smh, I love this man so much!!!!!" This shows just how much my family means to me. The amount of exclamation points at the end stresses how much I really love my grandfather. This particular posts also shows that not only am I religious, but my family is as well. I think this can also give people an idea of how I was raised.
"I've been doing homework since Wednesday, guess that's what imma be doing for the weekend too. Trying to make all A's :)" This posts shows others that I am a very determined and hard working person. I sacrificed my weekend in order to work towards my goals. The smiley face emoticon at the end says that I do not mind working hard if it helps me reach my goals. While others may complain or pout about having weekend homework, I had a smile on my face because I knew how much it would benefit me in the long run. This posts also lets people know that when I set goals I set them high and I do what I have to do to reach them.
Social media posts can change a person's life for the better or worse. In my opinion, my posts are good and they truly reflect who I really am. If they change my life it probably will be a good change. I do not feel pressured to act a certain way on social media sites but I know not to posts things when I am angry or sad. Those feelings can lead to misleading and embarrassing posts. Just like any other posts those posts are as permanent as tattoos and no one wants ugly tattoos.
My Facebook posts are a very accurate representation of who I am. If they are as permanent as tattoos then they are beautiful tattoos and I am very proud of them. I do not mind if my pastor, family, friends, employer, teachers, or potential employer sees them. My posts may not affect my chances of getting a job but if they do they will probably work in my favor. I believe this because my posts show that I am family oriented, have a good relationship with God, hard working, dedicated, and determined.
My Facebook page says a lot about me. Posts such as "Walk with me Lord" and "An incredible God deserves incredible praise!" lets people know that I am very religious. I have a great relationship with God and I thank and acknowledge him for the many things he does for me. I also have many posts of me at church with family as well as friends. This says that not only am I "talking the talk" but I am also "walking the walk". I do not post statuses about God or my religion just to look good. God is number one in my life and that is reflected on my Facebook page.
Other status posts such as "I miss Muh and PawPaw :(" shows people that I am a very family oriented person. There are many pictures of me smiling with my family and enjoying family events. "Me and my PawPaw was matching at church tonight, I put a big smile on his face but he still wouldn't let me kiss him! Lol smh, I love this man so much!!!!!" This shows just how much my family means to me. The amount of exclamation points at the end stresses how much I really love my grandfather. This particular posts also shows that not only am I religious, but my family is as well. I think this can also give people an idea of how I was raised.
"I've been doing homework since Wednesday, guess that's what imma be doing for the weekend too. Trying to make all A's :)" This posts shows others that I am a very determined and hard working person. I sacrificed my weekend in order to work towards my goals. The smiley face emoticon at the end says that I do not mind working hard if it helps me reach my goals. While others may complain or pout about having weekend homework, I had a smile on my face because I knew how much it would benefit me in the long run. This posts also lets people know that when I set goals I set them high and I do what I have to do to reach them.
Social media posts can change a person's life for the better or worse. In my opinion, my posts are good and they truly reflect who I really am. If they change my life it probably will be a good change. I do not feel pressured to act a certain way on social media sites but I know not to posts things when I am angry or sad. Those feelings can lead to misleading and embarrassing posts. Just like any other posts those posts are as permanent as tattoos and no one wants ugly tattoos.
My Facebook posts are a very accurate representation of who I am. If they are as permanent as tattoos then they are beautiful tattoos and I am very proud of them. I do not mind if my pastor, family, friends, employer, teachers, or potential employer sees them. My posts may not affect my chances of getting a job but if they do they will probably work in my favor. I believe this because my posts show that I am family oriented, have a good relationship with God, hard working, dedicated, and determined.
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