What are the implications of the public education system’s curriculum being driven by domestic economy concerns and those of the military-industrial complex? (37)
The literacy background given of the two girls is interesting in connection with class distinctions made and the encouragement they receive to read early in life. “The economic situation of these two families – middle class for Jill and upper middle class for Sally – meant that both households could afford to purchase books, newspapers, magazines, pens, pencils, paper, and, later, computers.”(43) These facts, coupled with the economic freedom of both mothers in the home, are significant to literacy development in general. When absent, they are often seen as the reason for the struggles experienced by other youths in education. It was interesting to see Damon’s case study as a member of a lower economic group, living in a one parent household, with that parent being largely hands-off with his academics. Yet, he picked up the entertainment value of reading, if not the educational value from his mother and sister’s avid reading habits. Thus, his environment did have an impact on his literacy development.
Considering the Technological Literacy Challenge of 1996, I wonder if the focus on technology being used for reading and writing has had a similar effect on students not inherently interested in reading, as the lure of technology seemed to have for Damon. “According to its sponsors, this project was to provide all people equal access to an education rich in opportunities to use and learn about technology…graduates would gain the qualifications needed for high tech, high-paying jobs, and thus, the means of achieving upward social mobility and economic prosperity within the increasingly technological culture.” This is interesting considering the anecdote of Damon’s plight when dealing with the conservative ideologies at his university that maintained the supremacy of “conventional standards of grammatical correctness and spelling, and the logical argumentation strategies he could bring to bear on the essays he wrote…more traditional form of written communication.” (54) Coupled with the conventional standards which continue to be emphasized through the areas which are tested for proficiency by the country’s standardized testing systems, which judge the literacy of students in the public education system, technology would not seem to be the focus of any public education program. The proficiency exams focus on math, reading, and, until just this year, science. Ironically, the tests are still administered by paper and pencil instead of via computer. If the goal of the 1996 technology literacy program was to have all children capable of reading and writing with the use of computers, this definitely underscores a change in what is considered the conventional means of communication and its important elements. Spelling would definitely become a “faded” literacy, as computer programs are capable of fixing the majority of errors, with the exception of usage. I would like to have heard if this break with conventions occurred with the two girls, or if Damon’s ethnicity may have been a factor in emphasizing his need to obtain the conventional literacies as well as the new technological literacy. Especially since his socio-economic position was a factor in the pace of his exposure to and acquisition of the technology.
“in U.S. schools and in the cultural ecology in which these schools existed, computers continued to be distributed differentially along the related axes of race and socioeconomic status. Moreover, this distribution continued to contribute to intergenerational patterns of racism, poverty, and illiteracy.” (57)
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Selfe & Hawisher's No Brainer Guide to Technological Literacy
Selfe and Hawisher provided some interesting insight to computer literacy, generating my own recollections of becoming computer literate as I read about Tom and Melissa who were born in 1964, only one year later than me. I was compelled to compare these individuals with my own journey to become technologically literate in a “world” that almost demands this literacy in order to survive and succeed. Unfortunately, I don’t have quite the detailed memory that Tom and Melissa have. A few specific memories I have of technology in the 70s include Pong (no Ray, this has nothing to do with beer), which I didn’t have much interest in (I have to agree with Tom on it being boring) and my dad buying an electronic calculator for me at Sears. This calculator—an amazing machine at the time—only performed the basic functions and cost around $37.00, a nice chunk of change back in 1974 or 75. The next contact with technological advancement that I can remember came during my senior year of high school. I had no intention or a passing thought of becoming an English teacher, and I knew I had to be able to support myself once I graduated; therefore, I chose to take classes that would help me to be employable in an office setting. I went the route of Vo-Tech, specifically taking a two-period class called “Office Occupations” during my senior year and working 20 hours a week in the office of the local YMCA as a receptionist. In this class, I learned to use an electric adding machine and a memory typewriter, among other office-related skills. A memory typewriter? Gee, what will they think of next? We couldn’t believe the technology we had available to us! Later in the year, we gained ONE TRS-80, a Radio Shack computer. I was fascinated with it, but, of course, we all had to take turns playing with it. I worked at various law firms during the 80s, some equipped with word processors (the ones that read cards) which I never really learned how to use. I think it was during this decade, though, that I first used a computer and floppy disks. This is where it all gets sort of foggy for me. I don’t really remember when I first learned how to use a computer or even the internet, sort of like trying to remember when I first learned how to read or tie my shoes. I can’t even remember exactly when we got our first home computer, but it was in the mid 90s, and no internet until at least 98. At this point, I begin comparing my kids with Jill, Sally, and Damon, although they came about three to five years before my kids. My daughter and I have discussed this topic on occasion, and, interestingly, she really doesn’t even remember not knowing how to use a computer—it’s always been a part of her life.
Reading about the culture ecology of California in the 60s and 70s felt so strange. I mean, I was there, but I don’t really remember much of that sort of stuff. And I never thought about the Latinos (we just used the term Mexicans and Chicanos back then) being a minority and getting the short end of the stick. In my Catholic grade school, I was actually the minority, but it never occurred to me. Almost all of my friends were Mexican (there were only three other Anglo-Saxon girls in my class of 43), and I never considered that my situation was any different than anyone else’s. I played with African American girls who lived down the street from me. Again, I never considered the cultural differences. I never appreciated the fact that racism could provide an obstacle to their literacy, learning, and success. Honestly, sometimes I wish I could go back to those naïve and simple times. . . . It would be so much easier than dealing with all the ignorance and prejudice in my world today. I suppose I’m digressing, but in light of recent news about a lot of ugly white trash, I can’t seem to help myself.
One more thing, the more things change, the more they remain the same. A cliché, but the first chapter describing the cultural ecology of the early 80s just confirmed it.
Reading about the culture ecology of California in the 60s and 70s felt so strange. I mean, I was there, but I don’t really remember much of that sort of stuff. And I never thought about the Latinos (we just used the term Mexicans and Chicanos back then) being a minority and getting the short end of the stick. In my Catholic grade school, I was actually the minority, but it never occurred to me. Almost all of my friends were Mexican (there were only three other Anglo-Saxon girls in my class of 43), and I never considered that my situation was any different than anyone else’s. I played with African American girls who lived down the street from me. Again, I never considered the cultural differences. I never appreciated the fact that racism could provide an obstacle to their literacy, learning, and success. Honestly, sometimes I wish I could go back to those naïve and simple times. . . . It would be so much easier than dealing with all the ignorance and prejudice in my world today. I suppose I’m digressing, but in light of recent news about a lot of ugly white trash, I can’t seem to help myself.
One more thing, the more things change, the more they remain the same. A cliché, but the first chapter describing the cultural ecology of the early 80s just confirmed it.
The Literacy of Technology
In the first chapter of Selfe and Hawisher, I was immediately drawn in by the idea of technological literacy and its effect on the traditional idea of literacy as reading and writing. I couldn't help thinking about my own ability (or lack thereof) with new technologies that have seemingly appeared overnight in my classroom. S & H write on page 31, "From 1978 to 2000, literacy and computer technology became so inextricably linked in minds of most people that, by the end of the century, many considered students no longer fully literate unless they could communicate within electronic environments". I am not the student, but the teacher, and at this point in my career, I don't feel fully literate. I am now one of the "older teachers" at my school and it's really hard for me to adapt to using technology in my classroom. Sometimes I feel like Tom who just liked having something in his hand rather than using the computer. I've seen over the years, a loss in student patience...they want it and they want it now. Computers give students this instant gratification. Sometimes I feel like putting on the brakes and just ditching technology in favor of the old pen and paper, but then I realize that this isn't going to help my students. So I find myself, I think, very much like one of the Latinos in Mike Rose's book....in a world where I don't understand the literacy. So, if I want to keep my job and keep the students from losing all interest in my class, I have to learn how to incorporate technology in some way. Our school was awarded a CFF grant this year and I just got a polyvision board (smartboard) in my classroom last week. I've had one day of training, enough to do a few things on the board and I have to say, I was AMAZED at their attention to this thing.
As I have been in each of the previous readings for this class, I continue to be captivated by the role of an individual in the lives of learners. S & H write that "Despite his ongoing family troubles, however, Damon enjoyed school and often found himself motivated best by individual teachers whom he remembered as upholding high standards" (50). And even though Damon's mother had a drug habit, he recalls her reading all the time. There were books all over the house and his mother could read for hours on end. Later in the book, Melissa recalls the impact of seeing Barbara Jordan speak at a July 4th celebration on the Washington Mall. She wanted to emulate her and was determined to acquire the "appropriate literary technologies if she was ever going to be anything like this amazing woman" (120). The crowning of Vanessa Williams had a similar effect on her. Maybe this is about inspiration. Melissa was really inspired as a young black woman to make her mark and do whatever it took to be successful. I'm just wondering... can you get inspiration from a computer?
Back to Damon for a bit...someone else already wrote about this, but this struck me too. On page 54 S & H discuss Damon's lack of "conventional print literacy". I wrote in the margin of my book, "did he really need this?" I can't help thinking that money and power are important elements here. There are certainly good paying jobs out there for people with well developed technology literacies. Many of these jobs would not require traditional academic literacy as well. But a leadership position often does require the traditional literacy and the more "high powered" jobs also require this. So I think that as Damon's world or his literacies started to overlap with others, he saw that in order to gain more power or more money, he was going to have to learn that traditional literacy as well.
My favorite paragraph came at the end of Chapter 4. There is a discussion about Tom's resistance to using computers although he can handle the basic requirements....word processing, email, etc but "The question then becomes whether his own technological literacy practices will allow him to shape a satisfying life, personally, professionally, socially, within a larger public sphere that increasingly values communicative exchanges online" (130). Tom's personal commitment to stay or move up the social hierarchy will determine what literacies he must acquire.
As I have been in each of the previous readings for this class, I continue to be captivated by the role of an individual in the lives of learners. S & H write that "Despite his ongoing family troubles, however, Damon enjoyed school and often found himself motivated best by individual teachers whom he remembered as upholding high standards" (50). And even though Damon's mother had a drug habit, he recalls her reading all the time. There were books all over the house and his mother could read for hours on end. Later in the book, Melissa recalls the impact of seeing Barbara Jordan speak at a July 4th celebration on the Washington Mall. She wanted to emulate her and was determined to acquire the "appropriate literary technologies if she was ever going to be anything like this amazing woman" (120). The crowning of Vanessa Williams had a similar effect on her. Maybe this is about inspiration. Melissa was really inspired as a young black woman to make her mark and do whatever it took to be successful. I'm just wondering... can you get inspiration from a computer?
Back to Damon for a bit...someone else already wrote about this, but this struck me too. On page 54 S & H discuss Damon's lack of "conventional print literacy". I wrote in the margin of my book, "did he really need this?" I can't help thinking that money and power are important elements here. There are certainly good paying jobs out there for people with well developed technology literacies. Many of these jobs would not require traditional academic literacy as well. But a leadership position often does require the traditional literacy and the more "high powered" jobs also require this. So I think that as Damon's world or his literacies started to overlap with others, he saw that in order to gain more power or more money, he was going to have to learn that traditional literacy as well.
My favorite paragraph came at the end of Chapter 4. There is a discussion about Tom's resistance to using computers although he can handle the basic requirements....word processing, email, etc but "The question then becomes whether his own technological literacy practices will allow him to shape a satisfying life, personally, professionally, socially, within a larger public sphere that increasingly values communicative exchanges online" (130). Tom's personal commitment to stay or move up the social hierarchy will determine what literacies he must acquire.
Only one more blog to go!
No mention of ColecoVision or Atari? Remember Dodge 'Em?
So, on to the three students...the two girls grew up in a technologically literate and culturally literate climate. They became successful and had an easier time with writing than Damon, who ultimately still succeeded in life; he found a familiar discourse in college that helped him identify with peers, but because he did not have a literate background growing up, he caught the attention of professors who thought he was lacking in writing. But was he? Discourse...he didn't need writing growing up, and really, did he need it at that point in college? Yes, it would have been nice, but he didn't need it to be successful. He knew a lot about the field he was getting into and he was good at it. Maybe at some point in his adult life he may feel the pangs of not being able to write a business letter that looks like it was put together by the educated man he has become. But the fact of the matter is, he *is* literate...he is literate in the area he has chosen to earn a living. He created an identity for himself in his adult life that does not require him to be literate in the same sense that the two girls need or choose to be literate in their adult lives. Aside from that, the three students-turned-adults can still identify with the discourse they are familiar with--the one they grew up with. It's comfortable to have something left of your younger days that you can identify with. Although it's possible Damon is the only member of his family to have gone to college, the fact that he doesn't write well maintains the discourse he grew up in--he just happens to have a degree now.
My background is so similar to Melissa's in terms of culture playing a role. For me, it wasn't so much the racial side, but the basic background of her parents and growing up just outside of the age where kids were using computers in junior high and high school. I remember my brother-who is and was always very smart-getting the first "real" computer that I knew of...but he would write all the programs... those DOS programs...and he would ask me to sit for hours upon hours reading these codes to him...and after all those hours, the program would do something stupid, like have a bee fly really fast across the screen or play one line of Bach's Overture. Now I look back and think...what a waste of time...but at the time, it shaped my view of what it meant to know how to use a computer. Much in the same way as Melissa...and I credit being exposed to computers in junior high and high school to my brother, not to school itself...I always seemed to sort of fall into the category of being known as the one who knew how to use computers. I now wonder if it was by default...default that I had the brother I had...but then this whole farce felt like it was building up, and now I HAD to learn how to work this thing. I wasn't afraid of it either, which helped shape my digital literacy. Even today...all the different technologies...I don't use them if I don't have to, but if I do, I'll pick up on it pretty quickly. I have to use technology to relate to my students, and to teach them a thing or two...blogging, wiki's... but on the other hand, like Tom, I still have to print every last document that needs to be read for post grad work...it just doesn't feel the same having to look at it on a screen. I like to highlight. I like to turn the pages. Sounds like I'm doing work. (I am) And how annoying if I accidentally close one of the 20 windows I have open that each contain a document I need to read. I think people who were in that crossover in the 80's...for a lot of us...it's not about resistance (I refuse to use those new "books" that look like they are paper but they are digital, whatever they are called) but it's about creating that balance between technology and tradition. I'm comfortable there. And I'm still digitally literate.
So, on to the three students...the two girls grew up in a technologically literate and culturally literate climate. They became successful and had an easier time with writing than Damon, who ultimately still succeeded in life; he found a familiar discourse in college that helped him identify with peers, but because he did not have a literate background growing up, he caught the attention of professors who thought he was lacking in writing. But was he? Discourse...he didn't need writing growing up, and really, did he need it at that point in college? Yes, it would have been nice, but he didn't need it to be successful. He knew a lot about the field he was getting into and he was good at it. Maybe at some point in his adult life he may feel the pangs of not being able to write a business letter that looks like it was put together by the educated man he has become. But the fact of the matter is, he *is* literate...he is literate in the area he has chosen to earn a living. He created an identity for himself in his adult life that does not require him to be literate in the same sense that the two girls need or choose to be literate in their adult lives. Aside from that, the three students-turned-adults can still identify with the discourse they are familiar with--the one they grew up with. It's comfortable to have something left of your younger days that you can identify with. Although it's possible Damon is the only member of his family to have gone to college, the fact that he doesn't write well maintains the discourse he grew up in--he just happens to have a degree now.
My background is so similar to Melissa's in terms of culture playing a role. For me, it wasn't so much the racial side, but the basic background of her parents and growing up just outside of the age where kids were using computers in junior high and high school. I remember my brother-who is and was always very smart-getting the first "real" computer that I knew of...but he would write all the programs... those DOS programs...and he would ask me to sit for hours upon hours reading these codes to him...and after all those hours, the program would do something stupid, like have a bee fly really fast across the screen or play one line of Bach's Overture. Now I look back and think...what a waste of time...but at the time, it shaped my view of what it meant to know how to use a computer. Much in the same way as Melissa...and I credit being exposed to computers in junior high and high school to my brother, not to school itself...I always seemed to sort of fall into the category of being known as the one who knew how to use computers. I now wonder if it was by default...default that I had the brother I had...but then this whole farce felt like it was building up, and now I HAD to learn how to work this thing. I wasn't afraid of it either, which helped shape my digital literacy. Even today...all the different technologies...I don't use them if I don't have to, but if I do, I'll pick up on it pretty quickly. I have to use technology to relate to my students, and to teach them a thing or two...blogging, wiki's... but on the other hand, like Tom, I still have to print every last document that needs to be read for post grad work...it just doesn't feel the same having to look at it on a screen. I like to highlight. I like to turn the pages. Sounds like I'm doing work. (I am) And how annoying if I accidentally close one of the 20 windows I have open that each contain a document I need to read. I think people who were in that crossover in the 80's...for a lot of us...it's not about resistance (I refuse to use those new "books" that look like they are paper but they are digital, whatever they are called) but it's about creating that balance between technology and tradition. I'm comfortable there. And I'm still digitally literate.
Monday, November 17, 2008
The web
It's not just a matter of print versus electronic literacies. Last week's discussion was the precursor to this issue. In the case of Damon, the description on page 54 is telling--"[Damon's teachers] were concerned that Damon might fail to complete the requirements of his bachelor's degree program in technical communication because he did not devote enough attention to the more traditional forms of written communication." And why would he, really? After all web design work, music production and non-print media were giving him tangible rewards of an immediate nature, whereas a B.A. was a potential, intangible future benefit. The aura of respect that is given to little pieces of paper with degrees on them is a practice of the upper classes, emulated by the middle classes, and ignored by the poor. So with his background, Damon was making the best choices he knew how to.
In opposition to this, the two middle class girls already had the privilege associated with the combination of their class and skin color. Adding a degree to these would be the standard method for cementing their career paths. But for someone raised low-income, black, and male (the stereotypical scapegoat for anything the white middle and upper classes decree) a degree would be nowhere near the top of the priority list when things like self-sufficient finances are already starting to appear. the old print literacies and associated institutions did not get Damon here. It was his self-taught electronic literacies gained by "using tactics...teachers might associate with plagiarism." (53)
The discussion in both chapters of how people have varying levels of technological/digital literacy in their lives brings up the interesting question (which I doubt has a definitive answer): How much mastery of a given literacy and its practices does a person need? How can you tell? For instance, I can't write code, but I search and surf well. It seems enough for me, at present. How will I know when I need more digital literacy? Perhaps more worrying, how will I react if someone prescribes a certain level as necessary and I feel it's not?
In opposition to this, the two middle class girls already had the privilege associated with the combination of their class and skin color. Adding a degree to these would be the standard method for cementing their career paths. But for someone raised low-income, black, and male (the stereotypical scapegoat for anything the white middle and upper classes decree) a degree would be nowhere near the top of the priority list when things like self-sufficient finances are already starting to appear. the old print literacies and associated institutions did not get Damon here. It was his self-taught electronic literacies gained by "using tactics...teachers might associate with plagiarism." (53)
The discussion in both chapters of how people have varying levels of technological/digital literacy in their lives brings up the interesting question (which I doubt has a definitive answer): How much mastery of a given literacy and its practices does a person need? How can you tell? For instance, I can't write code, but I search and surf well. It seems enough for me, at present. How will I know when I need more digital literacy? Perhaps more worrying, how will I react if someone prescribes a certain level as necessary and I feel it's not?
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Living in the NEW information age
Today is November 16 and according to President-elect Obama's transition Web site, www.change.gov. there are 65 days until the inauguration. I would have to applaud Dr. K. for having us read the Selfe and Hawisher book, Literate Lives in the Information Age. This is a historic continuation of the development of technology
There was a small newspaper blip in today's paper entitled "Obama's weekly address to be posted on YouTube". (I could get the printed copy, but not the video from my home computer because I have not updated parts of my computer). But, I believe the written address will be preserved and remembered and challenged politically by many in the days to come. That is the way of democracy in the United States.
Then, we will live the transitions Selfe and Hawisher discuss. The transitions of our society will become evident when radio, television, and Internet as well as newspapers and magazines offer something for all levels of access and literacy.
Our "culture [will]play a critical role in shaping values regarding the literacy's of technology and that, at the same time, the literacy values and practices of people and groups [will]also shape cultures"(126). Those changes will start at the Oval Office. It is my hope that the campaign commitment to access, education, and information will transcend the gender,socio-economic, and geography factors discussed on page 129. Furthermore, I hope that there will be a bi-partisan attempt to do away with the excluding divides with the money, educators, and equipment required to promote inclusion in this new wave of technology.
Having a voice also means knowing what is going on in your world. The choice remains personal how each of us will obtain, retain, interpret, and evaluate the information into our own lives.
I would like to make mention of the discussion on page 130 regarding Melissa and hooks as activism might go beyond the Black woman voice and into a new language. The authors give narratives of a new language and place for "a vital public voice for women" on the Internet and with other technologies gives evidence to Helene Cixous Feminist theory of voice and new language. I believe what will have to be developed is a way of teaching the criticism portion of the communication devices specifically that addresses the new technology and the recurrant problems of truth, lies, and consumerism. Unfortunately, the rhetoric of the Internet not only allows people to interact over distances-but, the illusion of face-to-face conversations on You Tube is exactly that-an illusion of the personal. Reading, interpretation, and criticism will be more important than ever to prevent the inequalities, oppression, and manipulation of the powerful.
Before I close, I would like to make an observation about Chapter One, Cultural Ecologies and the Literacies of Technology. I am concerned that in the class on Literacy, the make-up of the class is White, Middle-class woman and one White, Middle-class male (hooray, Ray! a pleasure as always!). I am curious if other schools with similar classes on literacy and programs with a concentration of literacy education classes see a similar make-up in their classes. If education is to be truly inclusive, where is the exclusion coming from? It is political or personal? Why is this class not seeing more of the diversity from our campus, community, and schools?
Reading reading and composition theory continues to have value. Teaching a diverse student population continues to offer challenges. How can we address diversity of educators within the public school system? Who owns the problems of illiteracy and the solutions to reach literacy?
Will we be repeating the unfulfilled promises of Reagan, Clinton, and Bush in the next administration. I have my hopes for a political resolve that goes beyond testing into real world application of the technology in this Age of Information. And yes... because of my place in my culture built on age, gender, and education, I still do not like explaining my limitations with technology to someone I can not understand the speech of, who took a job from a friend of mine that was employed in the USA, and who does not appear to have respect or patience for me. And no, I do not like the tax breaks many technology companies receive for outsourcing. Just some thoughts I have been pondering relating to the new Information Age.
There was a small newspaper blip in today's paper entitled "Obama's weekly address to be posted on YouTube". (I could get the printed copy, but not the video from my home computer because I have not updated parts of my computer). But, I believe the written address will be preserved and remembered and challenged politically by many in the days to come. That is the way of democracy in the United States.
Then, we will live the transitions Selfe and Hawisher discuss. The transitions of our society will become evident when radio, television, and Internet as well as newspapers and magazines offer something for all levels of access and literacy.
Our "culture [will]play a critical role in shaping values regarding the literacy's of technology and that, at the same time, the literacy values and practices of people and groups [will]also shape cultures"(126). Those changes will start at the Oval Office. It is my hope that the campaign commitment to access, education, and information will transcend the gender,socio-economic, and geography factors discussed on page 129. Furthermore, I hope that there will be a bi-partisan attempt to do away with the excluding divides with the money, educators, and equipment required to promote inclusion in this new wave of technology.
Having a voice also means knowing what is going on in your world. The choice remains personal how each of us will obtain, retain, interpret, and evaluate the information into our own lives.
I would like to make mention of the discussion on page 130 regarding Melissa and hooks as activism might go beyond the Black woman voice and into a new language. The authors give narratives of a new language and place for "a vital public voice for women" on the Internet and with other technologies gives evidence to Helene Cixous Feminist theory of voice and new language. I believe what will have to be developed is a way of teaching the criticism portion of the communication devices specifically that addresses the new technology and the recurrant problems of truth, lies, and consumerism. Unfortunately, the rhetoric of the Internet not only allows people to interact over distances-but, the illusion of face-to-face conversations on You Tube is exactly that-an illusion of the personal. Reading, interpretation, and criticism will be more important than ever to prevent the inequalities, oppression, and manipulation of the powerful.
Before I close, I would like to make an observation about Chapter One, Cultural Ecologies and the Literacies of Technology. I am concerned that in the class on Literacy, the make-up of the class is White, Middle-class woman and one White, Middle-class male (hooray, Ray! a pleasure as always!). I am curious if other schools with similar classes on literacy and programs with a concentration of literacy education classes see a similar make-up in their classes. If education is to be truly inclusive, where is the exclusion coming from? It is political or personal? Why is this class not seeing more of the diversity from our campus, community, and schools?
Reading reading and composition theory continues to have value. Teaching a diverse student population continues to offer challenges. How can we address diversity of educators within the public school system? Who owns the problems of illiteracy and the solutions to reach literacy?
Will we be repeating the unfulfilled promises of Reagan, Clinton, and Bush in the next administration. I have my hopes for a political resolve that goes beyond testing into real world application of the technology in this Age of Information. And yes... because of my place in my culture built on age, gender, and education, I still do not like explaining my limitations with technology to someone I can not understand the speech of, who took a job from a friend of mine that was employed in the USA, and who does not appear to have respect or patience for me. And no, I do not like the tax breaks many technology companies receive for outsourcing. Just some thoughts I have been pondering relating to the new Information Age.
My apology for the mix up
Regarding my blog last week:
The image I mentioned of all the people on the cover with the over sized glasses looking on way should have been attributed to the cover of Guy Debord's book Society of the Spectacle NOT John Berger's Ways of Seeing. On page 85 of Berger's book he has a delightful oil painting of oil paintings, page 23 has a repetition image of Leonardo's Virgin and Child,and many Marilyn by Andy Warhol can be found onpage147. One book discusses the images through images while the other discusses the image as commodity through society's consumption with overlappings of theory throughout both.
Just a short correction.
The image I mentioned of all the people on the cover with the over sized glasses looking on way should have been attributed to the cover of Guy Debord's book Society of the Spectacle NOT John Berger's Ways of Seeing. On page 85 of Berger's book he has a delightful oil painting of oil paintings, page 23 has a repetition image of Leonardo's Virgin and Child,and many Marilyn by Andy Warhol can be found onpage147. One book discusses the images through images while the other discusses the image as commodity through society's consumption with overlappings of theory throughout both.
Just a short correction.
Stratification (not)
This is in no way my full post for the week, but I couldn't help thinking about how in 1999 I gave my old MAC SE to a drinking buddy. Trey was just this lady that my girlfriend and I met at dive bars occasionally. She was cool to the extreme, single with three kids, and definitely low income. One night she was talking about how badly she wanted a computer, any computer, for her kids to do their homework on but couldn't afford one. I mentioned my SE, and said I'd give it to her. I didn't have or need another computer at the time, and she did. When I offered it to her, she refused.
We got another pitcher, and a round of Hennessy. As tongues loosened, Trey admitted she'd love the computer, but didn't want charity. I let the matter drop. I did, however, make sure to find out where Trey would be next Friday night; when I got home, I put the MAC, cables, and printer in the trunk of my car. Next Friday came around, and Suzanne and I went to the Wayne to hang out. At the end of the night (we had deliberately made sure Trey was pretty tipsy), we all walked out together. When I popped the trunk and handed the bag to Trey she tried to refuse, but all I said was, "Fine. I'm just gonna leave it here on the curb. Someone gets a free computer tonight. C'mon Trey, you buy the shots next week."
I will never see the effects of my action to help with the access problem, but this just made me think how you don't need to be a Gates or a Buffet to contribute.
We got another pitcher, and a round of Hennessy. As tongues loosened, Trey admitted she'd love the computer, but didn't want charity. I let the matter drop. I did, however, make sure to find out where Trey would be next Friday night; when I got home, I put the MAC, cables, and printer in the trunk of my car. Next Friday came around, and Suzanne and I went to the Wayne to hang out. At the end of the night (we had deliberately made sure Trey was pretty tipsy), we all walked out together. When I popped the trunk and handed the bag to Trey she tried to refuse, but all I said was, "Fine. I'm just gonna leave it here on the curb. Someone gets a free computer tonight. C'mon Trey, you buy the shots next week."
I will never see the effects of my action to help with the access problem, but this just made me think how you don't need to be a Gates or a Buffet to contribute.
I'm a trailblazer!
The first computer I personally touched was an Apple IIE sometime during the late 1980's. I think I bought it from a classified ad in the newspaper and paid about $100. Like Sally and Jill in Literate Lives in the Information Age, we played some really primitive games (like Pong) and word processed on our Apple IIE. The green screen was an eyesore and DID make my eyes sore! The printer was a dot-matrix one. Primitive, primitive, primitive!
In 1990, I was a New Jersey mother trying to do the right thing by staying home with my two little girls. I found out about an internet-based class and hoped this course would offer me some much-craved intellectual stimulation. I went to one on-site class (held about 50 miles away from my home) and received instructions for how to attach a modem to my computer, plug the telephone cable into my existing telephone outlet, and log onto my computer to access the website for this class. I'm almost motivated to find those course materials which I am quite certain I still have as they would be really fun to revisit. It was nothing to wait 10 minutes for the computer to connect to another one via telephone lines. I remember logging on, leaving the computer to go do laundry or give my kids a bath, and then come back once it connected. It's a good perspective to remember when our students whine about their 30 second connectivity gaps.
Back in the day, everyone I knew who was using computers was in the "learn-by-doing" mode. I found it easier to troubleshoot my own hardware and software problems than to maneuver through the not-so-user-friendly layers of telephone support (which always were toll calls and took inordinate amounts of time). In the class I took, we (including the proctor) relied on each other to find solutions to problems we encountered. I suspected that this class would give me an advantage when I wanted to return to the classroom. And I was right!
One of the reasons I was hired as a school librarian for a wealthy private school was my "technology" background and one of my first tasks was to research and purchase a computerized card catalog. I remember Bill Clinton's technology initiative (Selfe and Hawisher, 56); and because of it, I was involved in the Technology Task Force where we developed plans for integrating computers into classroom learning. I learned as much about the physical demands of computing - hubs, networking, "blowing" video, and ethernet cables- as I did about the educational benefits that computers could bring to a classroom. My title even changed from librarian to media specialist. Then I moved to Pennsylvania andI got to repeat this process in another private school setting. But at that point, I really was an expert and had substantial background knowledge going into it.
When I moved on to alternative education in a public school setting, the socio-economic differences between schools hit me like a brick. This school was lightyears behind the two private schools where I'd worked. I could not assign homework that involved computers because so few families had them. There were small advances though. For example, all teachers were given laptops and encouraged (but not required) to use them to teach effectively by integrating websites into lessons. However,there seemed to be little initiative at the alternative level to move technology to the forefront for the students personally and there wasn't even a "computer class" for them to attend or a "lab" for us to use as a class.
Now I work in a school where all juniors and seniors have their own laptops. Sometimes though, because they have this technology at their disposal, teachers incorrectly assume that they have the pre-existing skill to use this technology effectively. This is often not the case due to the environments where these students lived and were taught prior to attending our school. They are much more adept at accessing games and "playing" than they are at manipulating data on a spreadsheet, using Word shortcuts effectively, or evaluating a website.
When Damon talked about computers not being central to his life and that many of the standards were "of limited relevance to his life" (54), I nodded in agreement. I see cell phones and i-pods as much more relevant in my students' lives. This is changing though as many students now do have daily access to computers and enjoy the social side of that technology in form of emails, "I-m's," My Space, and Facebook.
Our next challenge is to teach appropriate technology code-switching skills and funnel our student's knowledge of technology into appropriate uses in the school setting. I believe there is a use for the social side of technology within a school setting by using blogging, discussion groups, and other interactive formats that allow for instant communication. 'I-m' ing, My Space and Facebook are fabulous ways to stay in touch personally; and, although they may hold value in academic settings, at this point there are more effective, less distracting tools to do the job.
There's much more to say but, as usual, I've probably said too much already.
In 1990, I was a New Jersey mother trying to do the right thing by staying home with my two little girls. I found out about an internet-based class and hoped this course would offer me some much-craved intellectual stimulation. I went to one on-site class (held about 50 miles away from my home) and received instructions for how to attach a modem to my computer, plug the telephone cable into my existing telephone outlet, and log onto my computer to access the website for this class. I'm almost motivated to find those course materials which I am quite certain I still have as they would be really fun to revisit. It was nothing to wait 10 minutes for the computer to connect to another one via telephone lines. I remember logging on, leaving the computer to go do laundry or give my kids a bath, and then come back once it connected. It's a good perspective to remember when our students whine about their 30 second connectivity gaps.
Back in the day, everyone I knew who was using computers was in the "learn-by-doing" mode. I found it easier to troubleshoot my own hardware and software problems than to maneuver through the not-so-user-friendly layers of telephone support (which always were toll calls and took inordinate amounts of time). In the class I took, we (including the proctor) relied on each other to find solutions to problems we encountered. I suspected that this class would give me an advantage when I wanted to return to the classroom. And I was right!
One of the reasons I was hired as a school librarian for a wealthy private school was my "technology" background and one of my first tasks was to research and purchase a computerized card catalog. I remember Bill Clinton's technology initiative (Selfe and Hawisher, 56); and because of it, I was involved in the Technology Task Force where we developed plans for integrating computers into classroom learning. I learned as much about the physical demands of computing - hubs, networking, "blowing" video, and ethernet cables- as I did about the educational benefits that computers could bring to a classroom. My title even changed from librarian to media specialist. Then I moved to Pennsylvania andI got to repeat this process in another private school setting. But at that point, I really was an expert and had substantial background knowledge going into it.
When I moved on to alternative education in a public school setting, the socio-economic differences between schools hit me like a brick. This school was lightyears behind the two private schools where I'd worked. I could not assign homework that involved computers because so few families had them. There were small advances though. For example, all teachers were given laptops and encouraged (but not required) to use them to teach effectively by integrating websites into lessons. However,there seemed to be little initiative at the alternative level to move technology to the forefront for the students personally and there wasn't even a "computer class" for them to attend or a "lab" for us to use as a class.
Now I work in a school where all juniors and seniors have their own laptops. Sometimes though, because they have this technology at their disposal, teachers incorrectly assume that they have the pre-existing skill to use this technology effectively. This is often not the case due to the environments where these students lived and were taught prior to attending our school. They are much more adept at accessing games and "playing" than they are at manipulating data on a spreadsheet, using Word shortcuts effectively, or evaluating a website.
When Damon talked about computers not being central to his life and that many of the standards were "of limited relevance to his life" (54), I nodded in agreement. I see cell phones and i-pods as much more relevant in my students' lives. This is changing though as many students now do have daily access to computers and enjoy the social side of that technology in form of emails, "I-m's," My Space, and Facebook.
Our next challenge is to teach appropriate technology code-switching skills and funnel our student's knowledge of technology into appropriate uses in the school setting. I believe there is a use for the social side of technology within a school setting by using blogging, discussion groups, and other interactive formats that allow for instant communication. 'I-m' ing, My Space and Facebook are fabulous ways to stay in touch personally; and, although they may hold value in academic settings, at this point there are more effective, less distracting tools to do the job.
There's much more to say but, as usual, I've probably said too much already.
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