![]() As I think about possible concepts for my digital literacy narrative, a couple ideas first come to mind. The first idea that I think about when looking back at a literacy-related experience that has changed me as a child/pre-teen is the instant messaging application (also known as AIM). AIM was first developed and skyrocketed into the internet world in the late 1990s/early 2000's. At this time in my life I was about seven years old. It is crazy to think that I was involved in technology at such a young age, but AIM truly taught me some major lessons at that age, as well as morphed me into the adult that I am today. AIM was the first form of text messaging, except it was on computers. Text messaging wasn't as popular during this time, so AIM was the go to messaging system to communicate with your peers. My very embarrassing AIM address was - [email protected]. This is so embarrassing as I say it out loud today, however I am sure my viewers will find it amusing. Almost all of my friends and I had funny or weird AIM names. I suppose that was just the thing to do at the time. I literacy aspect of AIM comes into play being that the words/sentences/phrases that we used were completely different from the correct English language. We used words like "U instead of you," "Waz Up instead of What's Up," "R instead of are," "Iz instead of is," and so on. These were simply used as a type of AIM "Slang." The entire world of AIM knew of these types of slang words that were always used when talking back and forth with your friends; and all of your friends knew exactly what you were saying in return. I remember coming home from school and immediately talking to my friends on AIM. This was so much fun at the time that it was almost addicting! However, with every new piece of digital literacy, there can come a few problems. For example, writing in school for me became very challenging. I found myself struggling with writing correctly being that I was so used to talking in slang throughout AIM. I found myself re-reading passages and pieces of text because I wanted to make sure that I didn't mis-spell a word or two. This was a huge adjustment for me during my literacy practices in school. Although AIM messaging helped me in some ways with my speaking and writing, it affected me in other ways like during school when I had no chose but to write the proper way when analyzing a text. The second idea that comes to mind when thinking about my digital literacy narrative is my first cell phone! I got my first cell phone when I was in 6th grade-about 11 years old. This was a hot pink flip-Razor phone, and I was absolutely obsessed with it. I got it on Christmas morning during my winter break, and I couldn't have been more excited on that day. However, my family limited my phone to only texting and calling, nothing else. The only contacts that I was allowed to have were my mom and dads, my grand mom and grand pops, and a few of my closest friends from school. My mom also checked my phone and messages every now and then to make sure that everything was moving smoothly. Overall, my first flip phone was a life-changing experience. Even just being able to text my mom and dad to come pick me up from a friends house was super easy. I didn't have to worry about doing things in which I felt uncomfortable doing being that I had a cell phone to contact all of my loved ones with the tough of a button. Overall, having this phone at the age of 11 truly morphed me into the young adult that I am today. I believe it gave me practice with literacy, as well as communication with friends and family. The feeling of excitement is something that I will never forget when I first opened that box on Christmas morning. I will never forget owning my own phone, and finally feeling like I was growing up. Finally, the last piece of knowledge that I would like to share about a possible digital literacy narrative is the story of listening to my first audio book. When I was younger, I struggled with reading a lot. I was pulled out in reading groups throughout my school day up until about third grade when I finally started getting the hand of it. However, flash back to Kindergarten and First-Grade - I did not know how to read at all. I was super behind on my instructional level, and I couldn't recognize worlds in the way that my other classmates could. That is, until my teacher introduced me to audio books. Being that I was considered a struggling reader in my early education years, my teacher decided to let me listen to the books I was reading through an audio recorder and headphones instead of simply reading the text and struggling even more. This was something that truly changed my life forever, and I will always be grateful for the teacher that came up with this idea for myself. Simply listening to the words in a text helped me comprehend the story and the vocabulary. Of course this didn't help much with recognizing and visualizing words, but it did help me when I began to reread those books. After listening to a book via audio, my teacher then allowed me to reread the book, except this time I would read quietly to her. Knowing what the story was about already, and recognizing some of the words and sounds from the pictures truly helped me prosper as a young struggling reader. Eventually, in fourth grade I was reading all by myself without the help of audio recorders! This aspect of digital literacy helped me so much in the educational world of reading; and I will be forever thankful for that.
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![]() "We understand the stories told to us in words and videos not only as vehicles for formulating identities—people's ways of telling themselves into being—but also as personal efforts to tell about and bring into being a new kind of globalized world." The world around us is constantly changing. Not only in the United States or in other developed countries, but everywhere in the world. The invention of a new computer system in the United States could be the same as the invention of a flip phone in the Middle East. Regardless of how advanced each country is individually in the creation of new technology, the world continues to prosper and grow globally. As said above in the quote by Hawisher, Kisa, Nurkic, and Polglaze, the advancement of technology and the understanding of globalization truly can form identities. I would not be the person that I am today without the invention of new technology. While growing up in elementary school, technology around the world was just beginning to prosper. Therefore, my generation had to adapt to the new technology and ways of learning around us. The schools were administered different technological advances, such as chrome books and smart boards. This is something that not only myself and my classmates, but my teacher had not used before. It took a lot of time and practice to get the hand of the new technology, but it ultimately shaped my perspectives and understandings as I continued to grow as an adult; and as new technology continued to be out out into the world. I can only imagine how the students who moved from their homelands to different countries in the 90's felt about globalization. It was probably a huge shock to them. They had to adapt to the new technology, while living in a completely foreign territory that they were not familiar with. I can't imagine having to adapt to not only the area in which I was now living, but the globalizing community around me. Even though it was tough for them to adapt, i'm sure that it was also a blessing in disguise. These students were now able to communicate with their families in an easier way through via cell phone, or email! This is something that was just being discovered as the students moved abroad, therefore it was something that they would also greatly benefit from. Education also improved for the students during their movement. Technology provided ways that they could become successful with their studies while abroad. This obviously involved having an understanding of their past, and how they learned in their homelands before globalization; versus their future, which will involve incorporating the advancement of technology in their everyday lives. There is so much to value within the digital literacy aspect of these student's lives. They are now able to share their stories about how they have grown throughout their generation with the advancement of digital literacy. As I continue to grow throughout my life, I know that if I ever come into an obstacle that seems impossible to overcome; I can think back to these students and everything that they have accomplished throughout their lives. My first ever piece of technology that I personally received was my cellphone. I received my first cellphone on Christmas day in sixth grade. This was one of the most exciting days! I had always wanted a cell phone, and now I finally had one! My parents made sure that I could only text and call on my phone - nothing else. I also only had their numbers and some other emergency contacts. Even though I was not allowed to have my friends phone numbers, I was still ecstatic about having access to a phone! My first phone was a hot pink razor phone. If i ever walked around with a hot pink razor phone in this day in age, I would more than likely be made fun of! It's crazy how the evolution of cell phones has changed so much over the past ten years. This aspect of digital literacy reflects upon the beginning of my discourse community. I was finally able to be a part of the community of technology. My parents and my closest friends and family were now all connected by this technology, that allowed so many different means of communication. I was now a part of this community. I would soon grow up with this discourse community as the evolution of cell phones continued. Now, being 21 years old I, as well as the rest of my family have IPhones. We grew up together within the advancement of technology while using our Razor phones, and are now continuously growing with our new and improved IPhones. This artifact truly means so much to me. Without it, I would have never felt the excitement and joy that I did as a kid when I first received my phone, when I first sent my dad a text, and when I first called my mom when she didn't pick me up from cheerleading practice on time. Without this artifact, I would not be the person that I am today. My family would not be the close knit family we are today without experiences like these that shaped us to understand the major benefits of communication throughout the discourse community. I will forever be grateful for the advancement of digital literacy and technology. It has provided me with feelings as a child that I will never forget. It has helped me understand my own personal identity and become the woman that I am today. Along with the abroad students and their own experience with digital literacy, I am now able to reflect and tell my own story as well. ![]() Immediately, after reading the first paragraph of the Rhinegold Introduction, I was hooked. Social media is what makes the world go around. Without it, this generation would be completely lost. The following reading describes what makes and breaks social media, as well as the power behind it. The author states, "I've been asking myself and others how to use social media intelligently, humanely, and above all mindfully." This last sentence is what I took away from most from the opening paragraph. This topic is something that can be so tough to discuss. However, I believe that taking this stance is one that anyone who uses social media could certainly benefit from. This reading also brought me back to what we talked about during class. What exactly is technology? Is technology everywhere, can it be anything? Is social media a form of technology and if so does it affect our population positively or negatively? As citizens of this society, it is so important that we become mindful of social media. For example, the author explains in the text that "Just like driving a car- this generation must learn how to use social media. And instead of simply throwing words on a page, it is important that we learn how and when it is best to do that, and become mindful of our actions." This kind of reminds me of the saying "Think before you speak." Alternatively, "Think before you post on social media." Some main points that the author discusses throughout the text involve the understanding that certain people can truly benefit from reading this book. He includes examples of parents who want to understand what their child could be getting into while posting online. The new generation of teenagers is tough for most parents, being that their kids know how to use social media better than many parents do themselves. This is a big problem in my family. Not so much for myself and my brother, but for my younger sisters who are nine years old. My parents are not used to the young generation of technology. They do not understand why my sisters are devastated that they are not allowed to have an iPhone as nine year olds. Not all aspects of social media are bad. There are many useful ways in which a nine year old could benefit from the use of technology, even just owning a phone. However, it is though for parents who did not grow up in this world to understand that. The author also explains that young people who only use social media for "hanging out" or posting nonsense memes could benefit from the book so that they can learn to use social media in a productive way. Both of these examples show that the author cares about maintaining an image throughout social media use and posting. It is so important as a generation to understand the positives and negatives of social media; however we must not lose sight of what is right and wrong when it comes to managing the new world of technology. We must think about our future and act mindfully before the practice of social media goes down hill. As seen above, I have included a picture of my individual idea of what technology is, and how we use it. I drew both a happy face, and a sad face. This was the first thing that came to mind when thinking about technology. I love technology. I love the connections that you can make with others through technology. I love the advances that the United States and the rest of the world has made because technology exists. I love using technology in the classroom, which we do in my writing with technologies class. There are so many benefits to technology and the idea around it. Therefore, I started out with a happy face and an air bubble that is showing the exciting side of technology. However, with positives there are almost always a few negatives. And with technology, there is definitely a negative aspect. Sometimes, people lose track of what they are saying and doing on the internet. This is why I drew a sad face as well. Take our president, Donald Trump, for example. Everybody knows that Trump has access to a Twitter account. And everyone also knows that he pretty much writes whatever he wants on it. A lot of the words that he says are very offensive and disheartening for a lot of his followers. Therefore, Donald Trump is a prime example of someone who does not use social media mindfully. I'll admit, sometimes i don't think before I write on social media. It is just the way the world works. It is easy for people to hide behind a computer screen instead of addressing situations face-to-face. I found this reading personally beneficial for myself and my family as well. I will take what I have learned, and address it to my family whenever they are in a time of need. I, of all people, know that social media and technology has positives and negatives. However, technology is only growing; therefore it is important that this generation learns to use it effectively and mindfully. Whenever my sisters bring up an iPhone to my parents, I will be sure to address all that I know about the good and the bad when it comes to having an iPhone as a fourth-grader. However, I hope that my words and my understandings will help ease my parent's minds when discussing this subject. Overall, digital literacy is not going anywhere. It is staying in this world and it will continue to grow as we move closer into the future. It is our job to now understand the benefits and the disadvantages of technology so that the population can understand how to use social media and the internet in a respectful way. ![]() Situated Literacies - The Social Theory of Literacy. Throughout the following reading, authors David Barton and Mary Hamilton describe the overall theme of literacy in a form of socialism. The social aspect of literacy is seen in our everyday lives, even if we are not thinking about it. To be quite honest, before this reading I didn't think of literacy as a social practice. I would have thought that it be more of an independent practice in which you could learn from personal experience, like reading a book. This is the way that I comprehend literacy; therefore I thought that it would be one of the only ways that literacy could be portrayed. However, the author's further explain that "The notion of literacy practices offers a powerful way of conceptualizing the link between the activities of reading and writing, and the social structures in which they are embedded and which they help shape." Basically, they are arguing that literacy is a social process, which helps shape the understandings of obstacles that we may encounter throughout our lives. For example, I am an Elementary Education major. Throughout my fieldwork, I have noticed that students read and write better when they are able to relate it to some sort of social aspect in their lives. This motivates the students to want to read about something they enjoy, or to write something like a narrative about what they enjoy in their lives. Literacy can shape other's lives in the sense that it can motivate others to go out and explore life socially. Literacy will further form connections between students based upon interests and understandings. "The study of everyday literacy practices points attention to the texts of everyday life, the texts of personal life; these are distinct from other texts which are more usually studied such as educational texts, mass media texts and other published texts." The authors are explaining the importance of not only informational texts, but also the study of personal and everyday life texts. It is important to incorporate a diverse collection and understanding of different types of literacy-based texts and to understand them in a social aspect as I have discussed. I also enjoyed reading about the fact that literacy is a source of communication. I agree with this, but I never thought too in-depth about the concept prior to my reading. Every single piece of written literacy is a form of communication. This doesn't only include things like letters and post cards. It includes all literacy. If you are picking up a book to read independently, you are communicating. The author is communicating to you a story or text feature of some type. Any type of writing is a sort of communication; which is something that surprised me after my analysis of the reading. Throughout the process of learning, literacy is always changing, which means socialism is also always changing. Literacy such as reading, writing, listening, etc. will always change because of the social scene. This also goes for the opposite end of the spectrum. The social scene can also change based upon the forms of literacy in which they take. For example, educators use different types of literacy in different socially-accepted ways based on the subject and the class that they are educating. I would like to reiterate the importance of understanding that literacy is a social practice, which is something that I did not think about before my reading. Being that I will be teaching young students one day, I am going to make it a mission to help them understand that literacy is in fact consumable through social interaction. There are so many different types of learners in the elementary classroom; however, most of them benefit from some type of social interaction every day when it comes to learning a specific subject. Reading with a partner, peer editing, and many other social literacy practices as the text states will only help them achieve academic success. I pose the question if social literacy practices will work for all students. Therefore, I will make sure to observe it in a new light throughout the rest of my time as an undergraduate as well as when I am fully employed in the future. I look forward to expanding my knowledge upon literacy in a social form so that I can understand its reality one step at a time. |
AuthorMy name is Kayla Horan, here are my blog posts for Writing with Technologies. Hope you enjoy!! Archives
April 2018
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