Cyborgs

I just listened to the podcast about "cyborgs" and was fascinated with the ways we alter ourselves. Even just wearing eyeglasses is an alteration or augmentation. With the advent of cell phones, I'd say that most people, then, are part cyborg, as we willingly communicate through space without our bodies being present. We form images in our minds of who we're talking to, but we never actually see the person at the other end of the phone.

I was also interested in the discussion of how easily we give up or change our identities when the computer tells us to. The computer is supposed to be our tool, yet when it denies our passcode, we immediately pick a new one, many times the one that it gives us. I did that with my internet passcode, and have done that for other programs. I guess I feel that I have no choice, but to do what the computer tells me, without self-awareness, I give up my ownership of my identity.

It's amazing how subtly the computer works and what easy access we give it to our lives. I feel that we are not in charge, in most cases, when dealing with the computer, and I wonder what the results of this lack of control will be in the future.

The Magic Circle

The Magic Circle reminded me of Burke's terministic screens. We each have our own perceptions and group identities that we relate to. Niemeyer said that "you expand your perceptions with deliberate actions," which I took to mean that one must open oneself to ideas that may be new or different from one's own, in order to grow as a person. I liked his description of the football game as a Magic Circle in which rituals take place to start the game, such as the kickoff and the standing crowd, and rituals take place to end the game. One knows that one is leaving the Magic Circle when the teams shake hands and leave the field. Another interesting thought was the discourse that we use at games; words that we don't usuallyuse in our daily life, and that we leave behind when we leave the stadium. So much unspoken common agreement goes into the creation of a Magic Circle, and I am amazed at how we take our interactions for granted.

The Oxford English Reference Dictionary says that to plagiarize is to “take and use (the thoughts, writings, inventions, etc. of another person) as one’s own” (1107), which seems clear until one comes to the idea of pictures, graphics, paintings, collages, and the like. Nowhere in the definition does the dictionary mention images, but it’s obvious that if one were to attempt to claim Ansel Adams’ photography as one’s own, one might find herself in a court of law.

So, while we accept that some images are the creator’s property, and to copy them would be an act of plagiarism, or copyright, how do we define this new world of remediation in which television, video games, and movies are constantly remediating ideas and images? Are some images endowed with more meaning than others, just as the West has endowed writing with a deeper meaning than imagery? Will the answers be decided in a court of law, or will an unwritten agreement be acknowledged, that certain powerful companies, like Disney and Time Warner, may loot what they like, while others must obediently follow the rules?

I was at the C.S. Huck Children's Literature Festival yesterday, where author Candace Fleming spoke of remediation, and how it affects the way she writes now. She practically pulled a page out of Bolter and Grusin's book, Remediation, when she complained of how CNN uses the "split screen" (191) for its newscasts, causing an ADD effect that the viewer has now taken on as "normal." As she writes history, she is under greater pressure to attract and retain readers, who are, she worries, accustomed to "visible multiplicity" (190). Fleming shared with us a page from her book, Abe and Mary, which she originally wanted to name Abe and His Babe. The page was a collage of pictures, paragraphs, graphics, bullets, and captions. She said that the reader no longer needed to start at the beginning of the book. He or she could jump in anywhere, as well as to anywhere, in the book without confusion. The narrative is gone. Yet, while she is still adjusting to this new style of layout, she is also writing old fashioned children's books in the normal 32 page layout. With one foot in the past, and one in the future, Candace Fleming is coming to terms with remediation.

In the Time article, "Taming the Cyclone," Micheal Sherer notes that Obama's team is facing "a news cyclone, a massive force without beginning or end that churns constantly and seems almost impervious to management. In response, Obama's advisers have had to remake the rules of presidential p.r." (18). They still use newspapers, brodcasts, and magazines to communicate their messages, but now they must create and stay on top of the latest technology; such as, websites, blogs, e-mails, facebook, Twitter, and I imagine much much more. The good news is that a lot of young kids will be getting new jobs managing all those sites. The bad news is that it's impossible to control information coming from less reliable sites. It will take an organized person, with a cool head, and a lot of techno support, to keep the endless "swirl" of communication under control and channelled through the proper sites. Information is a good thing, but sometimes too much of it is mind numbing.

I was reading in the March 15, 2010 edition of Time Magazine, about the plight of the U.S. Postal Service. It seems that so many people are e-mailing now that the postal service is losing tons of money - "$238 billion...over the next decade" to be more exact. The article also says that "4 out of 5 households with Internet access now pay bills online..." (16). Will there come a time when everyone pays bills electronically? I wonder what our postal service will look like fifty, or one hundred years from now. Will the cost of a stamp be $5.00 in order to defer costs? Will mail only be delivered two days a week? As it is, there is talk of the end of Saturday service.
Who knew that technology would affect an institution that has been taken for granted since the early days of our country.

And will we see "all classic texts finally become avilable online," as Bolser and Grutin suggest could happen. Will our libraries become vacant storage houses for antiquated books? Kindle and its kind seem to be hurrying that scenario along, but I hope that the feel of the actual book, and the turning of the pages will keep people coming back to the real thing.

Functional Literacy and Remediation

In the preparation of my Power Point presentation for a school visit, I "use[d] computers effectively in achieving educational goals," made use of "the specialized discourses associated with computers...,
resolve[d] technological impasses," studied the "social conventions that help determine computer use," and navigated my "online world" (45). Selber would be proud of my new-found functional literacy, and while I'm still a little shaky, I'm proud that I've been able to use this literacy in my work life to improve my presentations.



The photo of the little girl on stage is an expample of remediation. Her performance as the actor portraying a character from a children's book, (the same book that I'm reading to the audience off to the side), is a "kind of borrowing in which one medium is itself incorporated or represented in another medium" (45). To add to the mix, she is the girl who inspired the story, playing herself as a fictional character. Think of Plato and his search for truth here.

Movies

Okay, so I found out that I'm not a movie director today. But, I sure had fun finding that out. I can't wait to share the info with my husband for his English class. It's going to open up a whole new way of creating book reports. Thanks guys for an awesome presentation. I may not be able to download Youtube video to my blog, but now I can make a movie out of anything I want!

A Pig is the Best I Can Do

Okay, so I'm not proud of this, but it's the best I can do for tonight. I've been trying to download various educational videos onto my blog, but the only thing I can get to work is a pig video that someone sent me over the internet. I'm sorry that I'm such a loser as far as blog technology goes, but hope you enjoy the video just the same.

Cell Phones Are Fun

In our book, Multiliteracies For A Digital Age, Selber says that “students need to become producers and not just users of computer based environments” (140). He also talks about the need for “collaborative situations” (93), “trial and error,” and “peer support” (30). And it’s ironic that in creating our demonstration for our group project, Elise, Leontine and I experienced all of the above as we sat at Starbucks peering into Leontine’s laptop, sending images to our e-mail accounts from our cell phones while discussing Blog and Twitter topics.

We decided to base our group teaching project around the cell phone, because it's pretty accessible to all, and it can be used in most any environment to collect an image to download to a blog or Twitter account. We asked you all to bring in photos of functional literacy, which many of you did, and Elise brought in a photo that signifies an environmental issue. The next step, after uploading the photo, would be to comment on what the photo means to you and the world around you. Your classmates could then look at your site and make their own comments, extending the lesson from an individual's perspective to the entire class.

I hope the presentation was helpful, and that it gave you new ideas for the classroom. La Tanya, thank you for saying that you want to go home and figure out how to upload photos into your computer now. That made my day!

Transparent Immediacy or Fame?

The authors of the book, Remediation, talk about the "erasure of human agency from the production of photographs" (27), but in pondering their comments on transparent immediacy,I find a few instances of photographer recognition. Ansel Adams' nature photos have a certain emotional appeal and individual style that render them recognizable as Adams' work. Andy Warhol's reworked photos also cry out his name, although I imagine that a certain signature style would be easier to create with additional media techniques.

As we discussed in class recently, some people don't mind if their photos become part of the public domain, while others seek to make a statement with their work. Ansel Adams probably did not set out to gain fame through his photographs, rather he wanted the public to appreciate the beauty and delicateness of nature around us. Andy Warhol, on the other hand, seemed to seek the celebrity tied in with his portraits.

Either way, neither artist was "removed...as an agent..." (26). In my view, their fame adds to the mystique of the work.

Ansel Adams, Half Dome, http://www.anseladams.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=9

I did it!

For the first time ever I used power point to give a presentation. I spoke to 500 grammar school students yesterday, and borrowing from my class presentation, created a power point specifically for them. I inserted a photo of one of their favorite teachers, placed butterly graphics on the page (their school mascot), and included a lesson on writing stories with graphics that pulled the students in to the lesson. It was a big hit, and a former school superintendant told me that it was one of the best presentations he had seen, because I involved the students in the presentation, kept it moving quickly, and had lots of humerous anecdotes (of course a few of them were about his granddaughter - but still!). I was thrilled! I'm going to attempt to attach the power point to Twitter, and just want to thank you all for helping me learn a new technology that has immediately paid off for me. Dr. Rhodes - you're the best!

Visual Essays

I enjoyed looking at different people's visual essays in class last night. It's amazing how many interpretations we all have for the same project, and how many ways we can use the computer as a tool to create a captivating narration.

While I didn't have my project with me, I recently purchased a flash drive and will now have the opportunity to use it to bring my power point to class, another new technology to add to my repertoire.

I loved this project as a teaching tool for composition students. It's personal, creative, challenging, and it pulls the class together as we help each other navigate the web, and it works for students of all ages!!

(I had to leave the photo out of my essay, but I wanted you all to see how happening I was with my cool plaid pants. Even then I couldn't find pants that were long enough!)

Tool or Machine

Sherry Turkle says that,
"The computer is Janus-like - it has two faces. Marx spoke of a
distinction between tools and machines. Tools are extensions of
their users; machines impose their own rhythm, their rules on the
people who work with them, to the point where it is no longer clear
who or what is being used (Second Self 170)" (Selber 40).
In working on my visual autobiography, I felt that the computer was more a tool than a machine, yet at times I felt at its mercy in formatting my pages. Not at it's mercy like the I Love Lucy scene where the conveyor belt of candy speeds up faster and faster until Lucy and Ethel are stuffing candy down their tops, but like I was pushing against an enforced boundary that wouldn't let me step outside to make one page more unique than the others. While I used sound, finally, to distinguish my two more intense experiences, I felt that I could have used more distinguishing features. I was frustrated with myself for not being more in control of the page, but I was still satisfied with what I was able to accomplish as a novice explorer.

Viet Nam

When Professor Rhodes gave us writing prompts in class on Wednesday, for some reason my memory settled on a magazine photo that I had seen when I was only 8 years old. It was in Time magazine and can be seen at the website: http://www.famouspictures.org/mag/index.php?title=Vietnam_Execution.

Mom and dad subscribed to numerous magazines and encouraged us kids to read, but they didn't count on me finding the photo in Time of a Viet Kong soldier being executed by an enemy General. The photo, to this day, sends chills down my spine, and while I can't remember what I did yesterday, I can remember the soldier's face perfectly.

I remember asking mom why the photographer didn't stop the killer, and why we (I guess I meant the U.S.), didn't punish the "bad man" for what he did. She calmly explained that the "bad man" was on our side and if he hadn't killed the soldier, the soldier would have eventually killed him. I just didn't get it, but I kept my thoughts to myself, mulling over good and evil-a conversation I still have with myself to this day.

Because of that photo, I do not trust people who say they're "doing the right thing," especially in the name of God. I do not trust politicians who want to rush into war, unless they want to be on the front line with the soldiers, and for better or worse, after that day I no longer trusted my parents' version of the truth.

How this ties into computer technology is that images of war are now commonplace. No one flinches anymore when dead bodies are shown on the news or on news websites. We have so much more access to what is going on in the world, which I think is a good thing, because it stirs us to action and allows us access to help others in need. I just hope we don't lose the significance of the horrors of war.

Twitter can be fun

Learning to Twitter was something I never thought I'd do, but surrounded by other 'Twitterers," I really enjoyed the experience. I also felt more connected to the world around me, watching the youtube videos and visiting the hyperlinked sites. Curiousity was the key that led me from site to site, not knowing what I'd find. It was lovely just to be led again, like a school kid, to new and surprising pieces of art, cartoons, political sites, etc.

Selfe speaks of the potential for a sense of community through technology, citing Negroponte's view of the future generation as "emerging from the digital landscape free of many of the old prejudices. These kids are released from the limitation of geographic promximity as the sole basis of friendship, collaboration, play, and the neighborhood" (29, 30). In other words, technology, in concealing superficial tags of wealth, ethnicity, culture, age and gender, allows individuals to speak more freely, listen to viewpoints with less judgement and make friends with people from outside the neighborhood of their streets, cities, countries, races, cultures, and comfort zones. A dose of anonymity can be a unifying experience.

I just found a website that talks about teaching poetry in the classroom in new and engaging ways. It offers a couple of examples for pulling students in to writing projects. The website is: http://www.cpits.org/. Go to the poet/teachers link and click on sample lesson plans.

Foucault and Computers

Chapter 6 of Cynthia Selfe's, Technology and Literacy in the Twenty-First Century, struck a chord with me. Her statement that "technological literacy has been enacted at what Foucault calls the capillary level, 'where the power reaches into the very grain of individuals, touches their bodies and inserts itself into their actions and attitudes, their discourses, learning processes and everyday lives'" (99), mirrors our society today. We speak in computerese. We communicate through cell phones, blackberries, and laptops. From the oldest of us to the youngest, we rely on computer technology to process our bills, remind us of doctor's appointments, program a trip, and communicate with family members and friends who've moved across the country, or maybe live just next door.
When computers crash and cell phones drop our calls, we are more than frustrated. We are temporarily out of touch with the immediacy of the world around us, and we have come to believe that we must constantly monitor as much information as we can download, upload, facebook and twitter. Tuning out is not an option, or is it?

Is the future looking brighter?

Lester Faigley's essay, "Literacy After the Revolution," ruminates on the "revolution of the rich" (32), bemoaning the lack of computers and computer training for all, but I've found that in order to participate at CSUSB, one must have access to a computer and the internet. Blackboard, e-mails, and documents listed on external links seem to be the classroom protocol, and I wonder if Faigley would find the requirements for computer access a step forward, or if he would see them as a deterrent to those who have had no or little previous access to computers.
In other words, are CSUSB's computer literacy requirements pulling in students who are already computer savvy or are they challenging new students to learn skills that may have been denied them in the past. If the latter is true, then the prognosis for the future of those denied access to computers for socio-economic reasons may not be as dire as once thought. Now, the concern would turn to the training offered at the college level, and the time that the professor is given to work with those in need of extra help.

Hello

Thank you to my fellow classmate Thomas for helping me set up this blog.