Bringing it All Together

• Personally, I see each of these topics as building on one another and extremely interrelated. Relating these 4 reading is relating like soil to roots to trees to leaves, each are different but inherently connected and interdependent. 
• Selfe's reading gave me a wonderful basis and history of the ideas that we covered with the following 4 readings. It's important to not overlook the time a few years ago when such issues were not as prevalent or the same as they are now. History should never be forgotten, and the history of something so relevant and technological literacy is not one so easily dismissed. The other readings helped me to understand just a few of technology's roles in the classroom, specifically social media, race and sexuality. While these topics may seem irrelevant to the public or private school classroom, in this day and age they are always popping up and must be dealt with accordingly. Together, all 5 articles opened my eyes to the somewhat perilous beauty of technology in the classroom. 
• Becoming a teacher is tough, despite popular opinion (yes, you are correct in sensing that I'm a bit bitter on the subject). The problems that teachers face daily are endless, and are related to every problem imaginable: sexuality, race, drugs, bullying, religion, politics, the list is endless. The ways in which an educator handles these issues is where the significance lies, however. The education classes that I have taken so far discuss these topics, and I would have loved to have read these pieces before those classes. Most of the time I feel as though every class that I take, core or pertaining to my major, are vital to my journey as an educator. Reading articles like these help me to further understand the world and issues that I will encounter as a teacher, and I love new knowledge, so I wish I had known it before I had even begun college.
• Most of my former teachers need to read all of these articles. Growing up in the south means that I encountered lots of ignorant, dogmatic folks who didn't want anything to do with my "new-age heresy." While there were exceptions, for the most part my primary and secondary education was filled with the same religious and political views that I personally find to be very out-dated. The readers of these articles don't need to necessarily adopt all of the principles listed in the works, but maybe just have their eyes opened and become a little bit more open minded. 

Alexander Reading

According to Alexander, teachers and students of writing should consider sexuality in a networked classroom because it offers opportunities, information, and insight that may never be gathered otherwise. Throughout the article, Alexander keeps coming back to the same theme of opening student’s minds to see how culturally and socially conditioned their world is. Due to straight privilege (privilege defined here as something unasked for, not worked for, and often unknowingly receiving the benefits of) most students are unable to ever see the other side of their arguments and truly gain an understanding of how the marginalized group, in this case the LGBQT community, feel and go through everyday life. Teachers must take advantage of networked classrooms because they provide a voice for the marginalized, endless information for the curious, and community for the hopeless. Networked classrooms help to fight the ignorance surrounding sexuality, and tear down the walls hiding the way society has conditioned us to think.

Despite the fact that this piece was fantastic and terrifically powerful without an in-depth study, I can see the benefit of including one. Because homosexuality is unfortunately such a touchy topic, people feel the need to have concrete facts before they can rely on information. The excuses that people find to combat homosexuality are endless and astounding, and a case study or something of the sort would help to debunk some of these theories. An in-depth study could show the long term effects of having networked classrooms, possibly following some of the students and seeing if classrooms such as these actually do make an impact. And as I stated before, people are more likely to believe when presented with statistics. A study like Buck’s could also be valuable if one student, like Ronnie, was constantly followed and analyzed, revealing the inner-workings of the mind. People may identify with the subject followed and, as a result, come to terms with the idea of a culturally conditioned society more easily. 

Banks Reading

The focus on race and technology is key to technological literacy, and not in the way that most may think. In this chapter, Banks argues that the intersection between race and technology is one that has been swept under the rug for too long, and is one that is too important to be ignored anymore. The “white interface” adopted by most websites has crushed the individuality that so many internet users crave, and websites like BlackPlanet throw this model out and allow users to create themselves as individuals. From this article’s view on the intersection of race and technology we learn that allowing students to have their uniqueness online will actually promote their literacy, not destroy it.

In his analysis of BlackPlanet, Banks argues to demolish the popular view that the Standard English grammar is the most beneficial way to communicate, and show how important online individuality is to literacy. By taking just this one website, Banks shows the importance of usernames, personal pages and the mechanics behind them, chatrooms, and online feedback. As Banks says, the users of this website “claim” a space and identity for themselves (Banks, 74-5). The point of this chapter, Banks argues, is to alert educators that recreational web use is “just as important a study as any other, because those uses occur in spaces that are removed from the disciplinary forces of schools, libraries, and other organizations where literacy is taught” (Banks, 73). People often look down upon teens using the web recreationally, (as illustrated by the scene from the library on page 73) when it is, in fact, a vital part of literacy education. Banks uses the example of just this one website to prove his point.

Personally, I find the first of the list to be the most important. In every aspect of learning creativity is key and needs to be utilized in order for students to learn most efficiently. Along with the creativity aspect, students also learn better when they work in groups, or for a common goal, such as feedback. The more connections a student makes with the material, the more likely he/she is to remember it in the long run. Students of all ages, but more specifically middle and high school aged are looking to find themselves, and using this technique will only help them. 

Literacy Task One

• I feel confident on my stance on the paper, or what my thesis will be. I've already done a lot of work concerning race/sexuality in the classroom, and the topic of this Literacy Task goes hand-in-hand with said research. 
• Initially, my concerns are finding time for this paper. Being the expert procrastinator that I am, I will need to keep the due date in mind and plan accordingly. 
• Already we've covered when this assignment is due, gone over what is expected, and been reminded several times, so hopefully I am set for this paper. I don't think I will be able to let the due date sneak up on me because this is such an important factor to this class and my final grade. 

Successes & Failures, Race & Sexuality

MSGC/auto-correct

• While I'm sure there have been many failures/successes, I can't come up with one off the top of my head. I suppose with auto-correct I am often censored against my will and end up typing a message about ducks rather than my intended meaning. 

Social Networking

• Once I uploaded a really embarrassing and horrifyingly unattractive photo of myself to my Snapchat story as opposed to sending it to just one friend, which was pretty mortifying. The world was not ready for the amount of double chins that I can conjure. 

I find it hard to decide which of these factors are less integral to a computer writing class. Looking at it from an educator's POV, both of these things cause lots of on-line bullying that leads to mental health issues and in some extreme cases, suicide and cannot be ignored. Race is the longer-standing issue, but sexuality is finally getting some well-deserved time in the lime-light and is no longer being swept under the rug. Ultimately I can't choose, which is a total cop-out answer, I know. Both issues are equally important and deserve the same amount of attention. 

Again, I can't choose. Personally, I think I can relate to both race and sexuality equally. Both of these issues are rather near and dear to my heart, and I'd like to advocate for both. I can't decide which one deserves more attention because I find them both so crucial. 

Social Media - Buck Review

Upon reading the first few lines of Buck’s article, I thought I could see quite a few likenesses in the social media lives of Ronnie and myself. I tend to, for the most part, communicate via Facebook to my roommates if I want to get the word out quickly or share a photo, as well as messaging classmates if we’re in a group project. However, as I continued on through the story of Ronnie, I was a little taken-aback. The list of social media sites that Ronnie was a part of seemed endless, I don’t know how he keeps up with all of that. While I have a few online accounts, I’m usually the last to hear about new social media outlets and am far from the “early-adopter” Ronnie considers himself. I’ve never worried about how many followers I have or keeping them at a specific number, but granted I’m not very up to date with all things technology. Frankly, the deep analysis that Buck gives just from reading through his public tweets freaked me out. I think that may be another reason Ronnie and I wouldn’t relate well to one another, I’ve never found the idea of posting personal things about myself on the internet for everyone to see very appealing. As snobbish as that sounds, I do believe that is the major difference between Ronnie and myself.

Buck’s statement about literacy practices being connected to academic literacy practices is a powerful one, and is only made more so by the social media narrative of Ronnie. As I’ve mentioned before, Buck is able to fully understand and know Ronnie through his activity on social media, and this is often dismissed as “kids just being kids.” But the fact can’t be ignored anymore, social media is an irrevocable part of student’s lives these days, and educators need to adapt. Social media has always been viewed as the enemy, but if used in the right context, can be a wonderful tool for teaching literacy. 

Memories of Technology

• We had one dinosaur computer, know fondly by my sisters and I as "Tran," short for T-rex. We coined the computer's nick-name from the likeness in age and size of the poor old thing to a dinosaur, my sisters and I were quite the creative bunch. Labelled the "family computer," Tran lived in the office on the main floor of my house. I can't really remember much about what kind of computer Tran was (besides slow and annoying), but probably a Dell. 
• I don't remember myself or my family using Tran much because the dial-up system was too much of a hassle. My dad used his computer at work, and we didn't really have much on-line homework in elementary school. Finally when I was in middle-school we upgraded to a used, but much newer computer and tossed the dial-up connection out the window. From that point on the computer in my house was used a great deal more and my family began adventure out from the dark ages.
• I now own a lap-top of my own and a cell phone. While I know how to appreciate it, I'm not much for technology these days, probably because of my quite traumatic experience with Tran. 

MSGC: Good or Evil?

1.      On initial thought, MSGC doesn’t seem to hold a significant role in my writing, but that seems to be the point. As Tim McGee and Patricia Ericsson observe, MSGC is the “invisible grammarian,” and is not usually given the credit due. Even as I write this blog post I am dependent on the all-knowing power of the great spell-check to catch my embarrassing mistakes before I post them for the whole wide internet to see. Throughout my academic career, MSGC has saved my butt countless times. I can remember the first time MSGC was introduced to me in elementary school, the not-so-technology-savvy technology teacher warning us that MSGC didn't catch all of our mistakes and couldn't be relied on. However, for the rest of my time in grade school I was thoroughly dependent on the Checker to hold my integrity. Never having been a very good speller, MSGC became my best friend.
2.      Until class on Tuesday, I didn’t know that you could manipulate MSGC, embarrassingly enough. Countless times I’ve become quite aggravated with MSGC and the seemingly condescending squiggly lines coloring my papers, but I never knew that there was an option to shut it off.
3.         I don’t believe that teachers really have a choice in the matter, especially in elementary school. MSGC is something that has been widely accepted and rarely questioned, taken for granted and used by all. Whether teachers want it or not, their students will use it. However, I don’t think that it should be required. Myself the perfect example, I became dependent on MSGC at an early age, and am probably a worse speller because of it. Forcing students to use it may result in a generation clinging to MSGC as a crutch. MSGC is the gateway-drug of technology, teaching students that rather than learning and bettering themselves, they can just rely on technology. 

Selfe - Article Summary

In Cynthia Selfe's 1999 CCC article "The Perils of Not Paying Attention," Selfe argues the importance of the link between literacy and technology, exploring how and why this link is so important. Beginning with a short example of her fellow colleges, Selfe observes how little they seem to care about the growing threat, explaining that most educators find technology to be either "boring or frighting" (Selfe, 412). Relentlessly, she treks through powerful and, at the time, shocking statistics about the link between technology, literacy, and jobs, as well as the role of the government. Ultimately, Selfe expresses her belief that technology and literacy are one and the same; there can't be success in one without the equal success of the other, and emphasizes the significance of not ignoring the technological revolution.

Selfe pt. 2 - Paying Attention

According to Cynthia Selfe, the “perils of not paying attention” are many, but none as great as risking the link between literacy and technology. In her words, “technology is now inextricably linked to literacy and literacy education in this country” (Selfe, 414). As this nation strives toward higher test scores and better educated students, we simply cannot afford to ignore vital connections like these. Selfe recognizes the growing significance of technology, and the affects it will have on generations to come. Equally important as the link between technology and literacy is the link between technology and jobs. Selfe states that the “cultural influences” of technology reinforces the importance of this link, including the fact that “70% of jobs requiring a bachelor’s degree or an advanced college degree now require the use of computers” (Selfe 415). The interlinking between technology and the everyday workings of life are endless.

As previously stated, technology has connections in every facet in life. The focus is so heavy on the political aspect because politics are ever-present and oh-so-important. The government is very involved in schooling, therefore in literacy. According to Selfe, the political involvement is not one that we should forget, as “literacy is always a political act as well as an educational effort” (Selfe, 424). Government funding, grants, and projects are what makes literacy and technology possible and cannot be forgotten. Politics, as acknowledged in the section “Literacy Education is a Political Act,” are a huge factor in the start of technology, and continues to play a potent role it’s continuation.

Despite the powerful points packed in Selfe’s article, the major flaw is the time that it was written. In just the few years’ time since the article’s publication, so much has changed. Those who view technology to be an evil and still fight it are considered to be extremists and are viewed quite negatively. Nearly every school in the States is equipped with a SmartBoard, not to mention each classroom having at least two computers. No longer can educators assign “colleagues interested in the ‘souls of machines’” to a “professional isolation ‘in their own separate world,’ because the majority of educators now are said colleagues (Selfe, 12). Though the exact details of the article may be different, the main arguments and points remain important. 

Selfe pt. 1 -- January 8

1. Selfe's first point is an easy one to recognize: she's alerting readers to the problem, but she's doing it the nice way. Smoothly introducing the issue with a quick anecdote about her time in the CCCC, Selfe provides the reader with the basis of her argument. However, instead of attacking the perpetrators with agressive accusations and statistics, Selfe says the irony "has nothing to do with collegial good will," but, rather, has everything to do with "boring or frighting" aspects most often associated with technology. 
2. As for her second point, Selfe is beginning to convince the reader to join her side by displaying the importance of this problem. Including lots of facts and statistics, Selfe makes the reader realize the significance of technology and come to her conclusion on their own. One of her most powerful statistics being that "70% of jobs requiring a bachelor's degree or an advanced college degree now require the use of computers." 

Blog Post 1

What do I do well?

• Throughout my writing career, I have enjoyed many aspects, however few of those reside on the academic level. More of a fiction and poetry writer, I've always found research papers to be a bit of a hassle, but over time I've become better. As for writing on the academic level, I feel like I am good at analyzing given texts and putting a unique spin on my writing.

What would I like to improve on?

• In this class, I would really like to learn to better my paper writing technique, and more specifically, become more creative with it. Throughout high school and college, many of my professors have promoted the commonplace 5 paragraph essays, and I would really like to learn how to write a paper without that hackneyed structure. 

What have I composed that I'm proud of?

• I write a lot of poetry, specializing in spoken word. While 99% of the time my poems end up in the waste basket, the 1% of the time that they don't I feel pretty proud of those little suckers. Though they may not always be on hot-button controversial issues or ever actually be spoken in front of a crowd, there's something special about being able to express emotion through this outlet.