Reading week 10

Reading week #10
1. What is the main argument being made by the speaker?
Yong Zhau’s main argument revolves around standardized test scores and how they squash the creativity and confidence of our youth. He made some very interesting points regarding America’s education and the ‘horse’ race to the top. But like Zhau, to the top of what? He also argued that although China may have the highest test scores, they have stifled the creativity of their youth. They are now looking for the next Steve Jobs.
  2. Do agree or disagree with his argument?
 I definitely agree with Zhau’s arguments. America’s educational system is stuck in a rut with no definitive solution. I agree that literacy is very important but not enough to set as a national goal. As Zhau said, it should be the floor not the ceiling. Meaning it should be the base of building a curriculum. Our text has a good point on page 342 by stating ‘While standards of literacy are constantly under negotiation in any community of practice, we do believe that relative newness…where values, norms, and literacy are particularly flexible.” The 1950s, ‘60s through 2007 the US claimed that our education was bad because our test scores were not top of the world. Politicians kept making edicts to improve test scores when they should have been improving the educational system. According to Zhau pushing for higher tests scores damage the student’s confidence. With today’s digital generation and globalization we must realize the other countries are not our competitors, but collaborators, investors and consumers. Our test states on page 342 “ We do not believe that educators and parents need to bear down on kids with complicated rules and restrictions and heavy –handed norms, but(on page 343) Parents need to begin with an appreciation of the importance of youth’s social interaction with their peers and recognize that children are knowledgeable experts on their own peer practices.” In conclusion I agree that test scores do not reflect or predict the student’s ability or the quality of our teachers. The schools must get involved to help every child to meet their potential. Page 532 of our text states in part “ Rather that thinking of public education as a burden that schools must shoulder on their own,…(page 353) it should think of education as a process of guiding kids participation in public life that includes social, recreational and civic engagement.”

Disaster Preparedness example

The end product does not need to be 'Oscar' worthy, but a fun and imaginative way to prepare for any kind of disaster.

Final webquest

The final quest enjoy. Final webquest

Zombie Apocalypse 2012

This was a pretty cool assignment. I will probably use a version of it in my Resp Class. Enjoy
Zombie Apocalypse 2012

Reading Week #9

Chapter 7: Work

1. How do educators in youth media programs differ from the orientation of classroom teachers in terms of preparing students for using digital media for work related purposes?

   The educators in youth media programs view their roles in terms of vocational training. They tie media production directly to the hope of employment in a creative class jobs. The educators struggle to instill ethic of professionalism in the production process. Whereas the educators of the standard classroom see media production as a way to keep them engaged in school.

2. With some important exceptions, how are lower income youth marginalized from using digital media in ways that might provide them with economic empowerment?

   The sad reality is, that in our capitalistic country, those who have the money get all the toys and the best education, while those who are at the low end of the economic scale are forced to deal with what is at hand. However, there are those that use their street smarts for economical gains.

3. In 2005 the CEO of IBM announced that if we wanted know what business leadership looks like in the 21 century look at what is going on in MMORPG's. After reading Box 7.4 does this make sense?

  I’m not exactly sure if what  IBM said is a good thing or bad. As I am not entirely familiar with what a MMORGP is.  However, after reading the assignment .  is their comment ,  because the gamers are working together as a team to crush the dragon, Or is because they spend so much time gaming and inventing alternative worlds and people

  Are you impressed by the levels of commitment and collaboration it takes players to be successful in a these games? I really can’t give an honest opinion, because I don’t know how much actual time they spend gaming. What else could they be doing?

 Do you have new respect for gamers? Sadly, not really

4. How do school need to change to become learning environments that cultivate the same kind of enthusiasm and commitment from young people like NeoPets did for Eddie?

   It all boils down to funding. I’m sure every school in the whole world would love to have the ability to equip every child with the equipment and means and educational experience to tap the unexplored talent .Also all the teachers need to be on board with digital media as a way to enhance the students’ creative juices, instead of just keeping them in school.

How can digital media play a role in the creation of these kinds of environments?

   It can play a role in relationships among public engagement, cultural exchange , and economic participation.

Reading week #8

Chapter 6: Creative Production
1.What impressed you most about young people's engagement with creative production?
    I think what impresses me the most is the vast amount of untapped talent there is out in this world. Because kids are free to express themselves without criticism, they are free to experiment in all genres and all media. Does the name Justin Beiber ring a bell? That’s where he got his start.  
2. What concerns do you have about young people posting content online?
   My concerns , I think, are pretty universal and that is the violation of privacy and posting inappropriate pictures and videos. I don’t think that the youth realize that once something is posted, it is out there forever. Lives have been ruined and people have committed suicide over inappropriate postings. I teach non-traditional students who will be searching for jobs in the healthcare field, I tell them over and over to be careful what they post on social media. Employers are looking at that now and innocent pictures can and are construed as inappropriate. They the students, laugh at me. I just don’t think they get it.
3. Do you think most school policy toward student use of the Internet is reactionary or a necessary evil?
     It is absolutely necessary, but not evil. There has to be rules and set guidelines. Responsibility must be encouraged and penalties quick and justified. This is the kids playground and without rules to play nice, there would be mayhem.
4. How might teachers' capitalize on student's interest in creative production with digital media?
     I wish all teachers could jump on this bandwagon, but I think in creative writing classes and media classes is where these talents can be developed, by teachers who have the capabilities to appreciate their talents and expand with them.
5. Link to a online lesson plan, article, blog post video or podcast that is an example of student engagement in creative production with digital media for school related purposes.
Creative Youth Media Blogspot.

Comments on the case studies

After reading my colleagues case studies, the one thing I noticed is that gaming , social media and surfing the net seem to be prevalent. This is a universal phenomenon and will vary between socioeconomic classes. I don't think our youth are any different that any other child in the world. The young are usually monitored closely and the older kids get more freedom. I think that our youth  are a little more responsible than we give them credit. I think our teachers would be thrilled to be able to use technology in the classroom, with the proper funding for instruction and equipment. I think that is the biggest limiting factor.

Webquest introduction

I really like this Webquest thing. I think because it pulls together a lot of medias in one place. It also looks to be rather user friendly.

I can't settle on just one role. I am a hybrid of two. The affiliator and the altiudinist( I think that one is a made up term). The affiliator likes the group scenarios where students must work together , collaborate and discuss. This is imperative in the health care field, where the teams must be able to work together, collaborate and discuss. I am also an altitudinist, I believe higher level education is very important but not the only thing. I also believe that technology is justified in schools but not the only reason. My students must use their brains for critical thinking not just memorization. They also need to know what resources are available to them.

Of the 5 webquests, I felt that Ancient Egypt was the best because it was a group activity and required everyone to participate on the end result. I also liked John Wilkes Booth, a lot of research which adds to higher learning, but only peer interactivity. Not as a group.I liked Poetry of War but not as well as the other two. It didn't make my worst list. Because of the out of the box thinking about poetry and digital technology. But I didn't care for the dark red and there was no evaluation tool.
The worst to me was Creative Encounters. Too many bad colors, very distracting. I couldn't get past the introduction.

My webquest

I really like everything about this webquest,because it is a fun way to explain disaster preparedness.It met all the accomplished points on the rubric. The thing that I would change would be to make it a group activity, for collaberation and teamwork. In the healthcare field, we are the front line of defense and will need what to do in case of an emergency. I was at a teaching seminar where one of the teachers presented a similar scenario only with a plane crash.It was actually fun to do. My webquest

Reading Week # 7

Reading Week 7: Gaming

1.             What surprised you, concerned you, or intrigued about students' engagement with gaming?

What intrigues me the most is the research showing that our youth are not turning into mindless blobs sitting in front of the TV or other gaming devices.  Because I don’t have children in this media age, I, like many of the senior population ( AARP says 55 and older) are swayed by the TV hype. Ever since the TV was invented it was used for killing time. Cartoons on Saturday mornings, ‘prime’ time sitcoms, brain numbing talk shows are just a few examples .I would take books and crossword puzzles to doctors’ offices, I’m sure if I had some sort of mobile device, I would be doing that and when GameBoy® came out, my kids played that .As stated in out text      “The dominant discourse of this form of gaming is about boredom and killing time. Digital games are used to pass the time when traveling on a bus car or in other situations when there is little else to do.” ( pg 203 paragraph 1) The mobile devices of today allow for killing time to be everywhere and since different people have down time at different places and time it looks like that is all that is going on. I found that to be enlightening and I will not judge people so harshly. Again, as said before, this is an age old problem is between parents and children and setting rules.

2.     What aspects of your own gaming experiences were reflected in the case studies? 

My gaming experiences revolve around bowling alleys and roller rinks where pinball machines existed this is where we socialized and made everlasting friendships My kids had the arcades where every conceivable arcade game existed. As in the case study ( Box.5.3 Learning and collaborating in Final Fantasy XI )  is about a social game, where friends gather and develop lasting relationships. All the malls and restaurants had arcades for the kids and adults, which I have noticed have gone the way of the dinosaur. But before home game modules, there were the public arcades. All the things that this case described are not really new, just a different venue.

3.   . Do you agree or disagree with the comparison between sports and gaming and the benefits they offer children in terms of learning.

 I agree with the fact that both teach rules, regulations and sportsmanship. Competition is also very prevalent. But what concerned me was the author stated “ ...  that the most important benefits of gaming---if they are to be had….” Don’t they believe that there are benefits?  I agree after reading these chapters that the benefits of gaming lie in the ecology of parents, siblings and peers.

My Case Study

I had such fun interviewing these kids. They kept me laughing the whole time.  My Case Study

Reading Week # 6

Reading Week #6 Families

1.     What surprised you, concerned you, or intrigued about students' access to technology in their homes?

      I was not really surprised about student’s access to technology. As I stated in the previous post it’s an age old theme. Every generation has to deal with the technology of that period. Every parent has to deal with the trials and tribulations of integrating the technology into the home, the concerns about independence, separation and autonomy that occur during the teenage years. I was told once that if God had told us what teenagers were like there would be zero population growth. I only disagree with the terms working class and middle class because in today’s economy, they are pretty much the same. In fact the middle class is dissolving and there is mostly ‘those who have’ and ‘those who not’. However after leaving out those terms, parents still want what they consider is the best for their children and perhaps how they were raised.

2.     What kinds of household spaces related to technology, or rules about using technology, were similar or dissimilar to your own household environment?

     I never had my ‘own’ space. I shared a room with my sister, my college roommate and a husband. I only recently acquired my own space and I revel in it. As a result, I made sure that my children (2) had a private space, mainly, their bedroom within which they were allowed certain privileges. I emphasize privileges not rights. I reminded them that until they owned their own place. had a job, paid taxes, they had to follow our rules. We had a family room with one TV, computers weren’t invented yet, nor were cell phones, or ipods, ipads etc. Both had their own phone and that was about it for technology and that was an extension. I also made it clear that I was allowed access to their rooms and friends of the opposite sex were never allowed in their rooms.  I never snooped and they knew that, and as technology evolved we tried to keep up. But they were older and territoriality was not much of an issue.

3.     Could this chapter be helpful for teachers who seek to integrate technology into their classroom activities in more meaningful ways?

            Not every household has the most modern and up to date technologies, or are the sole user of the computer.  I think that teachers know the socioeconomic and family situations of their class, i.e. inner city or private institutions. They may not know each student’s situation, but they have a good handle on what can and cannot be possible outside the classroom. I teach adults from all over West Virginia and I know that there are some places that don’t have access. So if I give an assignment that requires out of class on line access, I give them plenty of time to complete this. My students also know at the very beginning of the program that computer activity will be required and places where they can get access. One example of the socioeconomic situation would be the Garcia family in urban Los Angles.

I interviewed a brother and sister aged 12 and 9 and they had me laughing from the start. They are what you call 'connected' They have every playstation and xbox from the beginning of time, their own laptop computer but no phones. Not yet, when the plan runs out they will get a phone. When asked about hanging out, messing around and geeking out, I was informed they were not geeks.Tswift13JB just uses facebook and plays games at home and has restricted computer time at school. She wished she had more time at school. It was math and reading and that was fun. Ceclas has had to do a report from home and didn't like that, he would rather play on his XBox. Both play basketball and still spend time outside. Their parents have their passwords and have rules and regulations they must follow regarding usage at home. More to follow....

Reading Week #5

I was pleasantly surprised that the research is showing that our youth are not going down the tubes with iphones in their hands. As I read through these chapters, I was reminded of my parents complaining about the youth of the day, namely me and my siblings in the 1960s. According to my parents, we were always on the phone, sitting in front of the ‘boob’ tube and we were going to amount to nothing! There were no malls yet, but we had the public pool, roller rink and pizza place to hang out. We had to ride our bikes, but by golly we got there. I will fast forward to my children, always on the phone, in front of the TV, they were going to amount to nothing. But instead of party lines, there were phone extensions in every room and we had two TVs. Atatri also came out and computers were in their infancy. The malls and arcades were the hang outs and carpools were born. Now to modern society these kids are always on the phone and they sit in front of a game station or computer. These kids are going to amount to nothing. The malls have become chat rooms, myspace  and facebook. So what’s the difference? Not much really.(pg 114, para 2) We didn’t turn out so bad and my children are fairly normal tax paying citizens, as will our youth of today. There will always be best friends and bullies, gossip and rumors, breakups and heartbreaks, ‘greasers’ and jocks, prom king and queens. It’s all the same, except with each generation the speed of the media has increased. Where it used to be days or hours to hit the ‘grapevine’ now, it’s instantaneous.(pg 112 para 2) And once it has hit the net it is ‘out there forever’ something that must be ingrained early and often.

My and my children’s circle of friends was fairly tight, usually encompassing just our neighborhood and school friends, we only expanded our horizons if we went away to college. Dating and having a relationship of any kind was tightly controlled by the parents.  New technology has expanded the scope of relationships so that they can flirt, date and, breakup outside of the ears and eyes of the parents.(pg 145 para3) Today’s kids’ circle has expanded to encompass the world, even the moon, but they still maintain a basic core of friends from school, activities and their neighborhood.( pg 82 paragraph Peers and Friendship).

I have a new appreciation for social media and I may just invest in an ipad.

Media Ecology Case Study

This was a journey into the unknown, for me. Since I am going to a seminar next week, I have already interviewed two children, brother and sister ages 12 and 9 respectively. He will be known as Ceclas  and she is known as TSwift13JB. They are the children of one of my students and I have only just met them last year. They are the classic connected kids, with all sorts of digital media. I didn’t have to ask many questions they had no problem telling everything. I did ask, ‘what would you do if the electricity went out all over the world’?  They had an answer for everything. I also had questions regarding passwords and parental monitoring. I must say it was quite entertaining.

Reading Week #4

I found after reading this article, that I am totally out of touch with the elementary/secondary schools.

Since my children have grown and I teach college students I never knew that reading and imagery went hand in hand. I really feel like a fish out of water.

What I know about illuminated text and using pictures to help a student read more proficiently is very miniscule. I do believe, however, there is a place for illuminated text in the school. But not the way I just learned it. I feel that if a child is having trouble learning to read, the illuminated text of flashy words and letters zooming from one side to the other would only confuse a student more. In the examples that were posted for us I found the illuminated text ‘I carry you in my heart’ to be quite boring and if I were having trouble reading, I would give up early. Where the example of the toothpicks, ‘Toothpick Ocean’ kept words moving along with images and I think this would resonate better with the student. As Stated in our reading “We have noticed that the strategic use of visual material can enhance reading experiences for reluctant and low-ability readers and, indeed, can help them become more proficient creators of internal visual imagery that supports comprehension.”( pg 759) I interpret visual as meaning pictures, drawings etc. Where as, in the 1^st paragraph on page 762 titled ‘Illustrations in the text’, I feel that illustrated text when used with pictures or drawings in addition to words would be an excellent tool in the school. In fact I feel that one of my fellow student’s illustrated text about FDR and the day of infamy would be an excellent example of this. It has pictures and words and the speaker of those words. I was mesmerized by it.

This is not what I originally produced. It seems authorSTREAM does not like PPT 2010. I spent way too much time trying to fix it. It was fun to do...but disappointing end production. A hearty thank you to Mary Swiger for instructions in embedding.Enjoy.

Dance the Final Recital

More PowerPoint presentations from Jodee Nelson

Week 3 reading

Chapter 1: Media Ecologies in Hanging Out, Messing Around and Geeking Out

1.      What findings in the Media Ecologies: Quantitative Perspectives surprised you the most? How does the finding change the way you think about young people, technology and learning?

What I found most surprising was the fact that according to the Kaiser report , media engagement did not crowd out time spent with family, hobbies and physical activity. I found this to be very interesting in light of the hype we see on TV about having 5 phones in a house hold and they text each other across tables. I’m from a time when color TV was invented and we still had rotary dial telephones and party lines. I remember when the calculator was invented, my parents then claimed it would turn our brains to mush. The family units started to become disjointed with the need for both parents working or divorcing and having no time together. So it seems to me that maybe media engagement is helping pull the family back together. I think that the more I learn about this, I don’t think it should be limited to just the young people. However, the world is their oyster and media has so much to offer them. I’m a little jealous that I didn’t have this access in my youth.

2.      What are the benefits to a genre-based approach to understanding youth engagement with digital media over a categorical-based approach?

As in all new technologies, the powers that be want cookie cutter answers. Like No Child Left Behind, the government tried to compartmentalize special needs students , only to find there are a stunning amount of special needs. I believe that this is a similar situation and the variables are staggering. Our text points out that the genre-based approach emphasizing modes of participation, not categories or individuals. They are looking at the variables that make the youth and the technology unique, and looking at the forest and not trying to identify the trees.

       3.      What aspects of Michelle's (Box 1.2) computer use at home have implications for computer  
            use at school?

I feel a showdown approaching between mother and daughter. Michelle is a 12 year old or tween in a strict home environment, where Mom does not want to let her go. The internet has opened a whole new world for her. She loves the creative media course in school because it gives her the freedom to express herself. Although I think she is in a similar socioeconomic situation as her friends, she has more access which can give her the edge in school.

4.      As you read about Clarissa (Box 1.3) consider the affordances of digital technologies that help Clarissa shape her identity and the role they play in literacy engagement. Do you think there are positive implications for these affordances in school-based literacy instruction? If so, what are they. If not, what are your concerns?

I feel that there could be positive implications for school-based literacy. Because story writing could   be beneficial in lieracy.  However, my concern is how do you control who they are talking to and writing and posting? To me the youth are not given enough guidelines to follow. Free expression should be a privilege and not a right.  In the day and age these young people don’t realize the implications of sharing passwords, and what they post. Facebook and myspace have taken on a whole new meaning. Like writing in a diary, when I was young, stories are made up or embellished. It was our world and we could be anything that we wanted. Clarissa does the same but she puts it out there for all to see in the program Faraway Lands. That to me is very bothersome.

5.      In the section titled Messing Around we read about the sophisticated and creative technology practices young people are developing on their own outside of school. Do you think it is important for teachers to know about and understand these practices. Why?

      I absolutely believe that it is important for teachers to understand these practices. It is important for them to keep up with the developing technology.  If we don’t understand how students are already using digital media, how can we effectively make assignments to enhance these skills? I learn a lot from my students. I find myself ‘messing around’ and this actually leads gathering a great deal of information without setting a specific goal.  I have my students write research papers and this leads to the students learning and not necessarily having prior knowledge of a topic and they don’t even realize it. A few of my students will be presenting their information at a conference in the fall. Part of our program is on-line and we have the students experiment and ‘mess around’ and this allows students to become real experts with new media and teach others. Especially me, I am roaming out of my comfort zone

6.      Should schools support students' in "geeking out"? What are the educational and ethical implications of "geeking out"?

When I hear a person called a ‘computer geek’ it makes me think of people that know how to break the rules necessary to get a job done and others want to learn.  I feel the schools should take advantage of their expertise and not negate their talents simply because that person does not necessarily fit into a preconceived notion of a ‘geek’. Educational implications would include learning how they find credible information, but they also know the shortcuts and illegal downloading could be a problem.

7.      The young people studied for this book lived in urban settings in California or New York City. Do you think young people in West Virginia behave in similar ways and develop the same kinds of digital literacies? Provide examples from your own experiences with young people in West Virginia.

  I believe the youth of the digital age are basically the same all over the states and even the world. They all want to be connected. The more money, the more toys. There are places in every state that has areas of such poverty that braodband has not been installed until very recently. I also believe that if the kids want it, they will figure out a way to get it. Determined is the child that wants something reeeeally reeeeally bad, life is not worth living without. The only experience I have with the youth of West Virginia ,are my students, all over the age of 21. They bring their iphones and ipads to class and listen to their ipods regularly. I had a contest to see who could last the longest without their phone. I had them put the phone in front of them and the first one to look at it had to leave the room. They didn’t last a minute.  For that reason iphones and all i technology is not allowed during class. They hate it.

Reading #2 Multimodal Literacy: An Introduction

1. How has the nature of literacy changed as a result of digital technologies?

 Literacy, no longer confined to communication through reading and writing of traditional printed text, has expanded and figuratively exploded, particularly within the past decade. For educators and students, it’s here—technology. I continually struggle with the tension between the restrictive culture of political mandates that value traditional approaches to literacy and how I continually work to develop a culture of possibilities that engage and build upon the new literacies that students bring with them to class daily. Today make literacy more relevant to students while creating space in the English language arts classroom both for teachers and students alike to explore, compose, and share a range of texts with larger audiences. Further, when we keep such questions in mind, we can create multidimensional curricula that reach more populations in ways that we could not otherwise. We know that when people are actively engaged with inquiry, have a desire to learn new things, and try out different digital, visual, musical, spatial, dramatic (and so on) tools and techniques, they have the potential to say and do things that we have never before imagined.Change in literacy

2. What are the benefits of multimodal reading and writing for students?

Research has shown the multifaceted ways in which languages (art, drama, music, movement, written/oral, math) can be studied in school. It has been substantiated  that students of all ages learn best when engaged .But to be successful the strategies need to be  socially constructed, personally relevant, creative composition and interpretation of texts that incorporate a variety of meaningful communicative modes or symbol systems. Working with multimodal literacies is an essentially interactive and flexible, dynamic and integrative, social and cultural practice that cannot be reduced to anything less.

3. What project described intrigued you the most?

I found two studies, in particular, demonstrated how the inclusion of drama in the reading

curriculum improved students’ comprehension and the teacher’s use of effective instructional practices to support reading (Rose etal., 2000; Wolf, 1998). Saying ‘Yes’ to Music: Integrating Opera into

a Literature Study,” Sharon Blecher and Gail Burton describe the integral role music plays in their first- and second-grade curricula. They demonstrate how music frames their school day, enhances children’s understanding of story, specifically fairy tales, and enables children to engage in authentic musical and literary inquiry .In this chapter, readers see how drama, visual arts, music, and the genre of fairy tales were integrated to help children broaden their thinking and extend the possibilities for learning in unique and phenomenal ways. Chapter 4, Esther Gray and Susan Thetard present their research investigating how Susan’s high school students express the complexities of the Holocaust through process drama  and writing in role. Gray and Thetard describe how they carefully designed  contexts to discourage students from oversimplifying the events or from resorting to mere tragedy narratives. Findings f rom the data illuminate the ethics and insights students gained about the Holocaust-era and about themselves as actors. This chapter raises important points related to critical literacy and identifies key considerations for teachers who plan to implement drama in their own literacy classrooms.

            Interestingly, when I was in 7^th grade , 1964, my English Lit. teacher had us act out our book reports. We did not just read, this made us more aware of what we were reading. But we read books paper and print, nothing on line. When my children were in kindergarten (1977) their teachers read their fairy tales to music and incorporated dance. My daughter loved it , my son hated it. Go figure. What I find interesting is today, it is made out to be a new way to engage students.

4. What challenge to integrating mulitmodal reading and writing into schools do you most identify with?

            There are many challenges that I can identify. Although I try to become multimodal savvy, I take the risk and try to move outside of my comfort zone. But many classes are led by , more talented than I, weavers of multimodal curricula or by teachers who collaborated with researchers or colleagues. But more significant is that, I teach what I know best, what I am most comfortable with, and what I enjoy. A teacher’s comfort level with his or her own artistic abilities or technological skills can be one of the biggest deterrents to implementing multimodal literacies instruction, which I strongly agree.  Because I am not from the techno generation, it is like going to a foreign country without knowing the language and trying to get around one word at a time. The students today are practically born with an iphone in their hand and I’m still trying to figure out the VCR. Actually I can set the time now.

What is literacy? Certainly hope this works.

Literacy Autobiography #3

                                          "Not all of those who wander are lost" J.R.R. Tolkien
This picture was taken at a peak in Shannondoah Valley on the Appilachian Trail on my 60th birthday last year. I am single now, older and definetly wiser.  I have been across the United States as a traveling respiratory therapist and have many miles to go before I sleep, Life is good.

Literacy Autobiography #2

 On my 25th wedding anniversary, we went to SanFrancisco to celebrate. We biked through NapaValley and had such a wonderful time in the 'City by the bay' Everytime I hear this song it takes me back to a time when life was so good. I left my heart in San Fransico by the one and only Tony Bennet.

Literacy Autobiograpy #1

When I was in junior high school, my literature classes consisted of getting out of there as quickly as possible. We were never asked how our readings related to anything in our lives. High school pretty much the same. I never thought about profound statements in text that I would always remember. So the next 3 posts important times of my life.

John F. Kennedy Inaugural Address Friday, January 20, 1961 Heavy snow fell the night before the inauguration, but thoughts about cancelling the plans were overruled. The election of 1960 had been close, and the Democratic Senator from Massachusetts was eager to gather support for his agenda. He attended Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown that morning before joining President Eisenhower to travel to the Capitol. The Congress had extended the East Front, and the inaugural platform spanned the new addition. The oath of office was administered by Chief Justice Earl Warren. Robert Frost read one of his poems at the ceremony.

"Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country"
          This one of the most memeorable quotes from his only inaugeral speech. Although I didn't race off to join the Peace Corp, community service became a significant part of my life This link is the speech. .http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres56.html

Reading assignment #1

Reading assignment #1:

Define print culture.

 Print culture embodies all forms of printed text and other printed forms of visual communication. This includes incorporation of printed pictures in magazines, newspapers. Books give printed material a wide mass appeal through the ease of visual communication ."Print culture" refers to the cultural products of the printing transformation.

What are the benefits of print culture compared to oral and scribal culture?

Way back before there was print, all that existed was the oral culture. But the need  to store what was said for long periods of time lead to the developement scribal culture. Scribal culture being inaccurate and tedious at best developed into print culture. Scribal culture also deals with large levels of inconsistency. It was always considered that the oldest document was the most accurate, as it had been copied the less. In the process of copying documents,many times the meaning became changed, and the words different. As evidenced in some of the Bible passages that have been passed down through the ages. Nostrdamus is another example of misinterprtations.Reliance on the written text of the time was never exceedingly strong. Over time, a greater need for reliable, quickly reproduced, and a relatively inexpensive means of distributing written text arose. Scribal culture, transforming into print culture, was only replicated in manners of written text.

What was the impact of print culture on society?

The printing press brought a vast rise in literacy, so that one of its effects was simply the great expansion of written culture over oral culture. Numerous eras throughout history have been defined through the use of print culture. Many armed conflicts starting with the American Revolution were fought after print culture  and brought the rise of literacy. Furthermore, print culture's ability to shape and guide society was a critical component before, during, and after the Revolution. Today Presidential elections and other worldly events are won and lost on the front page of America. Thomas Jefferson said it best, “The basis of our government being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate for a moment to prefer the latter.” This serves as an excellent example of how newspapers were highly regarded by the colonial people and into the modern age.

How are changing technologies influencing print culture?

 The article "The First Amendment, Print Culture, and the Electronic Environment" mentions how the new electronic age will make print better. Placing information into electronic form not only liberates the information from its pages but removes the need for specialized spaces to hold particular kinds of information. People have become increasingly accustomed to acquiring information from our homes that previously was only accessible from an office or library. Some fear the end of print. But fear not, the format will never be erased but only remediated. New forms of technology (new media) will be created which utilize features of old media, thus preventing old media's (aka print's) erasure.

What are the implications of these changes for learning in school?

 The advances made by technology in print also impacts anyone using cell phones, laptops, and personal digital organizers. From novels being delivered via a cell phone, the ability to text message and send letters via e-mail clients, to having entire libraries stored on PDAs, print is being influenced by devices. Youtube today has become the MTV of my era. If you want it, "google it" is the mantra of the students today. I asked my students to write a bibliography for a paper and they were unable. It saddens me that the reading and writing of education is slowly degrading.

Introduction

Hello, my name is Jo Ann Nelson, but only the government and my mother call me that. Everyone else can call me Jodee. My blog was created in my very first graduate class, I just hope I can remember how to do things. Technology is not my strong suit.  I am an assistant professor for the respiratory care program at Pierpont Community and Technical College, I am a transplant from Cleveland, Ohio where I was born and raised. I was married and have 2 adult children that reside in Cleveland. I have been a clinical respiratory therapist for 25 years and have come full circle and have been teaching for 4 years, which I absolutely love. I am about half way through my Master's in Ed and hope to complete before I retire. I love the outdoors and for my 60th birthday, my daughter and I walked 30 miles of the Appalachian Trail. What an adventure that was. My bucket list includes hitting all 50 states and doing something in each state. Passing through does not count.I'm about half way. I look forward to working with everyone and hopefully teach an old dog new tricks.
 Now that I have figured out how to use the syllabus, I hope to gain much more knowledge and skill in this new media age. As Lee Iacoca was fond of saying"lead, follow or get out of the way." So If I am going to lead, I better get proficient.
Literacy means to me the skill of reading and writing. With these come critical thinking and decision making skills. But why can't Johnny read? If I had the answer to that , I would be very rich. In the health care field, reading and writing are an absolute necessity. I think my students can read, but they write in phone text, which I hate, I made them write papers and the spelling errors were quite remarkable.