Friday, September 25, 2015
Journal post #2
As a child I read anything I could find, books, magazines, cereal boxes, billboards, in short, anything that had words. I remember vividly the phrase "reading is fundamental". Today however, things are quite different. This is the digital age where there are different mediums from which one can read. One can even read books digitally through e-readers. Does this mean that one gains more from reading books as opposed to reading digitally? I don't believe so.
In my opinion, reading is reading and words are words. The article "Are u really reading" was interesting on its face but in my mind there was nothing to convince me that reading a book has more value then reading digitally, or internet reading, especially since in this digital age "books" can be found online. This course is taught entirely online and although we utilize a text, most of the information is gained online to include the article "R U Really Reading".
As I stated earlier, words are words and reading is reading, whether on the internet or in books. There was a point made about the validity of information found on the internet and the same can be said about the validity of books. I remember several books that taught that Columbus discovered America. I believe in this digital age, it is of the utmost importance to be "digitally" savvy and be able to navigate this new landscape. Yes, there is something to be said for the value of a "book" but that doesn't make digital reading any less valuable.....
Friday, September 18, 2015
New Media and New Literacy SA
"The distinctive contribution of the approach to literacy as social practice lies in the ways it involves sensitive attention to what people do with texts, how they make sense of them and use them to further their own purposes in their learning lives" (Gillen et al 2010, p.9)
The University library of the University of Illinois defines digital literacy as the ability to use digital information, tools and networks to locate, evaluate, and create information, as well as to understand the use of information in multiple formats and to perform tasks effectively in a digital environment. We most assuredly live in a digital environment. I grew up in an era where the term literacy referred to the ability to read and write, conversely, illiteracy meant a person lacked the ability to read. Today, contextually, literacy refers to digital literacy.
Approaches to digital literacy have developed alongside the application of technologies (Coiro et al 2008). Rapid development of new tools and technologies are shaping language and literacy practices. Even this course we are presently taking is evident of how digital literacy is a social practice. We interact digitally and the only time we may interact in person is at a residency or graduation. We have computers, laptops, smartphones which change the way we view the world and our place in it.
Resnick writes, "digital fluency will be a prerequisite for lifelong learning, sociability and employment opportunities" (Resnick 2002). I recently applied for a position and the application was filed online, the interview was a teleconference and the onboarding process was conducted online.
During President Obama's first campaign for the White House he utilized social media, such as Twitter, as a means to get support. He also put up a website as a means to solicit donations. At the time this was unheard of, however it speaks to how far we have come in this digital age. Today the White House has it's own website.
Yes, it is of the utmost importance to understand how literacy plays out in our lives. Although there is a digital connectedness, there is a physical disconnect. We text instead of conversing, we video chat instead of visiting each other and we also have a new set of digital dangers like internet predators, identity thieves and cyber bullies. Literacy is most assuredly a social practice because it evolves along with the new technologies.......
The University library of the University of Illinois defines digital literacy as the ability to use digital information, tools and networks to locate, evaluate, and create information, as well as to understand the use of information in multiple formats and to perform tasks effectively in a digital environment. We most assuredly live in a digital environment. I grew up in an era where the term literacy referred to the ability to read and write, conversely, illiteracy meant a person lacked the ability to read. Today, contextually, literacy refers to digital literacy.
Approaches to digital literacy have developed alongside the application of technologies (Coiro et al 2008). Rapid development of new tools and technologies are shaping language and literacy practices. Even this course we are presently taking is evident of how digital literacy is a social practice. We interact digitally and the only time we may interact in person is at a residency or graduation. We have computers, laptops, smartphones which change the way we view the world and our place in it.
Resnick writes, "digital fluency will be a prerequisite for lifelong learning, sociability and employment opportunities" (Resnick 2002). I recently applied for a position and the application was filed online, the interview was a teleconference and the onboarding process was conducted online.
During President Obama's first campaign for the White House he utilized social media, such as Twitter, as a means to get support. He also put up a website as a means to solicit donations. At the time this was unheard of, however it speaks to how far we have come in this digital age. Today the White House has it's own website.
Yes, it is of the utmost importance to understand how literacy plays out in our lives. Although there is a digital connectedness, there is a physical disconnect. We text instead of conversing, we video chat instead of visiting each other and we also have a new set of digital dangers like internet predators, identity thieves and cyber bullies. Literacy is most assuredly a social practice because it evolves along with the new technologies.......
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)