So my new favorite thing is Lastfm.com. I've heard about the site before, but never really checked it out. Music is such a central part of my life, so it is nice to find a site that is so user-friendly and that offers such a variety of artists. Lastfm, for those of you who aren't familiar with it, is a music networking site. You create an account, start playing any kind of music you like, and are able to add friends, recommend songs, and much more. They have a type of media player that allows you to search, by keyword or artist, for a bunch of songs. You are also able to "tag" each song you listen to, describing it any way you like. I have to say, there are a ton of different artists available, and you are able to play full-lenthg songs. Alright, enough of the sales pitch, but I just want to say I highly recommend this site! I'll leave you with a video of a song called "Coffee and TV" by the band Blur. It's pretty funny...
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Reading Notes #3
If I had one word to initially sum up the content of last week’s readings, it would be “chaotic.” We read parts of Hayles’ Writing Machines and viewed Memmott’s Lexia to Perplexia. Writing Machines was a written narrative of the online Lexia to Perplexia . These pieces were about the same topic, yet differed in their presentations. I’m glad I read Writing Machines before I viewed Lexia to Perplexia . Initially, this reading and presentation were very confusing to me. Hayles was similar to McLuhan in that she was concerned with how the medium shapes the message. She believed that the medium shapes how we receive the message and also how the message is generated. I would agree with this belief to some extent. Two completely different processes are used when producing a message broadcast via television versus a message broadcast via a book. I believe people’s reactions and ways of interpreting the messages also differ. Some people prefer the “movie version” over a story in a book. These cases are obviously very different. In the movie case, you have someone’s opinion and understanding shaping your understanding. You consequently form your own opinions while reading a book. Reading a book also requires just one sense while watching television or a movie requires multiple senses.
I was initially very frustrated with Lexia to Perplexia. As I continued to click on different areas, I got more and more confused. It was difficult to keep track of the content and how the different parts related to each other. I thought that the many puns were creative, but I was not familiar with that kind of language, so it took me awhile to catch on. My feelings changed somewhat after discussing in class. Scot pointed out that one of the main objectives of the presentation was to purposely be unclear and unstable. Our class pondered why this was so, and came to the conclusion that it dealt with the relationship between the user and the computer. The user clicked on different areas of the video, yet had to explore in order to find the “right” spots. In this way, both the user and the computer were in some sense “controlling” the other. The computer in this case was what is called a “cyborg”, which is something that has both machine and biological components.
This reading and online video were challenging, yet broadened my perspective about ways in which messages are broadcast and ever-evolving relationships between technology and humans.
I was initially very frustrated with Lexia to Perplexia. As I continued to click on different areas, I got more and more confused. It was difficult to keep track of the content and how the different parts related to each other. I thought that the many puns were creative, but I was not familiar with that kind of language, so it took me awhile to catch on. My feelings changed somewhat after discussing in class. Scot pointed out that one of the main objectives of the presentation was to purposely be unclear and unstable. Our class pondered why this was so, and came to the conclusion that it dealt with the relationship between the user and the computer. The user clicked on different areas of the video, yet had to explore in order to find the “right” spots. In this way, both the user and the computer were in some sense “controlling” the other. The computer in this case was what is called a “cyborg”, which is something that has both machine and biological components.
This reading and online video were challenging, yet broadened my perspective about ways in which messages are broadcast and ever-evolving relationships between technology and humans.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Writing About Cool
What does the world “cool” exactly mean? There are several answers to this question. In “Writing About Cool”, Jeff Rice attempts to give it some definition by explaining its past and present meaning.
Rice says that “cool” has been typically associated with independence and rebelliousness. James Dean and Elvis Presley are two major figures that represent these qualities. After the invention of the Internet, however, “cool” took on a new meaning. The ability of the Internet to reach so many places at the same time captivated companies trying to sell products on a large scale. Words were manipulated in order to attract as many customers as possible. Rice contends that it is possible that the “rebels” of the 1960’s influenced the Internet. In this way, “cool” still is associated with ideas that vary from the norm. It is used by proactive entrepreneurs that attempt to influence future customers and make profit.
Rice also paralleled the idea of “cool” with connection. He believes that common words are used to bring people together, usually to influence and persuade.
At the end of Rice’s first chapters, he asks: How can writing be cool? and Can you write cool? I believe writing can be cool in the sense that it involves creativity, thinking “out of the box”, and connectivity between many people. Writing, especially with new media, can be used to present ideas across a network. I’m not sure if one can “write cool” because I don’t completely understand this concept. I don’t think one can write meanings (independence, revolutionary, rebelliousness), only that writing can be considered these meanings.
Rice says that “cool” has been typically associated with independence and rebelliousness. James Dean and Elvis Presley are two major figures that represent these qualities. After the invention of the Internet, however, “cool” took on a new meaning. The ability of the Internet to reach so many places at the same time captivated companies trying to sell products on a large scale. Words were manipulated in order to attract as many customers as possible. Rice contends that it is possible that the “rebels” of the 1960’s influenced the Internet. In this way, “cool” still is associated with ideas that vary from the norm. It is used by proactive entrepreneurs that attempt to influence future customers and make profit.
Rice also paralleled the idea of “cool” with connection. He believes that common words are used to bring people together, usually to influence and persuade.
At the end of Rice’s first chapters, he asks: How can writing be cool? and Can you write cool? I believe writing can be cool in the sense that it involves creativity, thinking “out of the box”, and connectivity between many people. Writing, especially with new media, can be used to present ideas across a network. I’m not sure if one can “write cool” because I don’t completely understand this concept. I don’t think one can write meanings (independence, revolutionary, rebelliousness), only that writing can be considered these meanings.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Making school cool
Many times, themes and issues are echoed in a variety of different aspects. This can be especially seen in college courses. Many of the terms that are used in my current English 201 course are used in my other classes, both past and present. The
meanings may not be the same, but the fact remains the terms are seen in a variety of environments.
During the Fall 2006 semester, I took an introductory Journalism class. Many of the same concepts discussed in my current English course were touched upon in Journalism. Networks of many kinds were frequently mentioned. This was a very
broad term and employed many types of writing, such as print and web-based. We talked about the importance and prevalence of print and electronic media. We also read a bit of Marshall McLuhan, the famous English teacher known for inventing the phrase” the
medium is the message”, in this Journalism class.
My current History of Education professor was just recently talking about the different kinds of rhetoric that were used in
the 1800’s in order to convert people to Protestantism. He also introduced us to the Quaker culture. I also learned a great deal
about the culture of different Spanish-speaking countries while in third semester Spanish.
The topic of English curriculums has come up in many of my Education courses. We have studied the way people develop
language, how they process information, and how this relates to teaching different subjects.
The majority of my high school and college writing experiences have dealt with traditional, “academic” writing. When I
took English 171-Gender and Sexuality freshman year, we did close readings and analyzed typography as part of our paper
assignments.
My Geography class focuses a great deal on Earth’s atmosphere, which is similar to blogosphere. Each term illustrates a
“sphere”, or all-encompassing area. The atmosphere surrounds the entire earth, while the blogosphere includes the social
network community of blogs and bloggers.
As is apparent, many scholarly terms and concepts are versatile and “chameleon-like”. They are able to be used in
many different contexts, yet still remain connected.
meanings may not be the same, but the fact remains the terms are seen in a variety of environments.
During the Fall 2006 semester, I took an introductory Journalism class. Many of the same concepts discussed in my current English course were touched upon in Journalism. Networks of many kinds were frequently mentioned. This was a very
broad term and employed many types of writing, such as print and web-based. We talked about the importance and prevalence of print and electronic media. We also read a bit of Marshall McLuhan, the famous English teacher known for inventing the phrase” the
medium is the message”, in this Journalism class.
My current History of Education professor was just recently talking about the different kinds of rhetoric that were used in
the 1800’s in order to convert people to Protestantism. He also introduced us to the Quaker culture. I also learned a great deal
about the culture of different Spanish-speaking countries while in third semester Spanish.
The topic of English curriculums has come up in many of my Education courses. We have studied the way people develop
language, how they process information, and how this relates to teaching different subjects.
The majority of my high school and college writing experiences have dealt with traditional, “academic” writing. When I
took English 171-Gender and Sexuality freshman year, we did close readings and analyzed typography as part of our paper
assignments.
My Geography class focuses a great deal on Earth’s atmosphere, which is similar to blogosphere. Each term illustrates a
“sphere”, or all-encompassing area. The atmosphere surrounds the entire earth, while the blogosphere includes the social
network community of blogs and bloggers.
As is apparent, many scholarly terms and concepts are versatile and “chameleon-like”. They are able to be used in
many different contexts, yet still remain connected.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Reading Notes #2
Jeff Rice contends in his, "What Should College English Be? Networks and New Media", that college English should be new media. He does not reject the current curriculum but wants people to recognize the importance and prevalence of the network in today’s society. He defines the network as “spaces of connectivity”. Traditional English writing deals with individual space and one author, while new media writing works with many spaces and authors. Rice believes that we need to “rethink the old English model” and incorporate some of its components with some of new media’s aspects.
Daniel Anderson, a college English professor, would agree with Rice’s view that today’s society needs to adapt and take on some of new media’s elements. In his “Prosumer Approaches to New Media Composition: Production and Consumption in Continuum”, he asserts that people should become “prosumers”, a blend between a producer and a consumer. Prosumers break down the barriers between being strictly active (producers) and being passive (consumers). As a prosumer, one is able to receive information from other’s via new media while making their own opinions and perspectives known.
I found this reading and video to be quite interesting. I agree with Rice’s view that college English needs to encompass both traditional English styles as well as new media. However, I think this could be taken a step further and be applied to English courses in general. This process of incorporation could even begin in elementary schools. That way, when students reach college, they will be familiar with styles like web writing. However, I do think that traditional English ways of writing have their own benefits. They allow ample time for revision and a very structured way of writing.
I thought that Anderson’s video was groundbreaking in a sense and inspirational. I had never seen an English class structured in this way. I admired the fact that he gave his students the option of either writing a paper or creating a video for their final project. By letting his students become “prosumers”, they were able to not just choose between “old” and “new” media, but even combine them. As a future elementary school teacher going into Language Arts, I found this video to be very useful for my future career. I know that my students will have grown up in an even more fast-paced and technologically-based society. I realized that incorporating new media into my curriculum would benefit both my students as well as myself. Both the reading and video put a new “spin” on my traditional way of thinking about my future Language Arts class.
Daniel Anderson, a college English professor, would agree with Rice’s view that today’s society needs to adapt and take on some of new media’s elements. In his “Prosumer Approaches to New Media Composition: Production and Consumption in Continuum”, he asserts that people should become “prosumers”, a blend between a producer and a consumer. Prosumers break down the barriers between being strictly active (producers) and being passive (consumers). As a prosumer, one is able to receive information from other’s via new media while making their own opinions and perspectives known.
I found this reading and video to be quite interesting. I agree with Rice’s view that college English needs to encompass both traditional English styles as well as new media. However, I think this could be taken a step further and be applied to English courses in general. This process of incorporation could even begin in elementary schools. That way, when students reach college, they will be familiar with styles like web writing. However, I do think that traditional English ways of writing have their own benefits. They allow ample time for revision and a very structured way of writing.
I thought that Anderson’s video was groundbreaking in a sense and inspirational. I had never seen an English class structured in this way. I admired the fact that he gave his students the option of either writing a paper or creating a video for their final project. By letting his students become “prosumers”, they were able to not just choose between “old” and “new” media, but even combine them. As a future elementary school teacher going into Language Arts, I found this video to be very useful for my future career. I know that my students will have grown up in an even more fast-paced and technologically-based society. I realized that incorporating new media into my curriculum would benefit both my students as well as myself. Both the reading and video put a new “spin” on my traditional way of thinking about my future Language Arts class.
Thursday, February 8, 2007
"Academic" Writing Vs. New Media
Aside from learning to keyboard in around third grade, my elementary school English classes were filled with endless worksheets, Venn Diagrams, writing stories, and practicing handwriting. Because I knew of nothing else, I just accepted this traditional style of academic writing. However, in today’s society, where new media is ever-present, “academic” writing feels a bit restricted and rigid.
There is no doubt that new media challenges the conception of writing. It poses questions of validity and effectiveness. We are very much used to the old-fashioned, “academic” style of writing and have established it, in a sense, as a precedent and standard. There are many people who are still not open to the kind of change new media poses, although this surely varies with generations and even within certain types of people. Redefining the conception of writing is a controversial issue, and one that is ongoing. There are some who believe that “academic” writing is the only option, that it provides necessary order and a better opportunity to revise. On the other hand, there are others who believe writing through new media is necessary in our continuously changing society.
This leads me to my next discussion of the benefits and consequences of incorporating new media into English curriculums. There are a number of pros and cons of adapting new technology into this subject area. Students will most likely be more engaged when exposed to new media in their classrooms. This is only natural, since the majority of students today have grown up in a world where they are surrounded by developing technology. New media will also provide a broader sense of connection. Theoretically, a student’s blog is a connection to anyone in the world. This might help students gain perspective of their own position in the world around them. New media also provides a very quick way to broadcast a message. However, there are some consequences of incorporating new media into English curriculums. Because new media is so fast-paced, there is little time for revision of errors. People are mainly concerned with delivering more information in a quick fashion. Issues of validity and correctness also come into question because of the fact that anyone is able to post information.
New media definitely challenges the old conception of “academic” writing. As I mentioned earlier, there are many people who are wary of the concept of new media. Learning about and understanding it is out of their comfort zone. However, I believe it is necessary to have the ability to adapt to our changing times. No one is quite sure what role new media will play in future English curriculums, but I’m guessing it will be an increasing component.
There is no doubt that new media challenges the conception of writing. It poses questions of validity and effectiveness. We are very much used to the old-fashioned, “academic” style of writing and have established it, in a sense, as a precedent and standard. There are many people who are still not open to the kind of change new media poses, although this surely varies with generations and even within certain types of people. Redefining the conception of writing is a controversial issue, and one that is ongoing. There are some who believe that “academic” writing is the only option, that it provides necessary order and a better opportunity to revise. On the other hand, there are others who believe writing through new media is necessary in our continuously changing society.
This leads me to my next discussion of the benefits and consequences of incorporating new media into English curriculums. There are a number of pros and cons of adapting new technology into this subject area. Students will most likely be more engaged when exposed to new media in their classrooms. This is only natural, since the majority of students today have grown up in a world where they are surrounded by developing technology. New media will also provide a broader sense of connection. Theoretically, a student’s blog is a connection to anyone in the world. This might help students gain perspective of their own position in the world around them. New media also provides a very quick way to broadcast a message. However, there are some consequences of incorporating new media into English curriculums. Because new media is so fast-paced, there is little time for revision of errors. People are mainly concerned with delivering more information in a quick fashion. Issues of validity and correctness also come into question because of the fact that anyone is able to post information.
New media definitely challenges the old conception of “academic” writing. As I mentioned earlier, there are many people who are wary of the concept of new media. Learning about and understanding it is out of their comfort zone. However, I believe it is necessary to have the ability to adapt to our changing times. No one is quite sure what role new media will play in future English curriculums, but I’m guessing it will be an increasing component.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Monday, February 5, 2007
Reading Notes #1
Rhetoric has long been a topic of controversy. What exactly does this word mean? As it goes, there are many different answers to this question. In other words, rhetoric has many different reputations, and the word conjures up good as well as bad connotations in many minds. Plato, who was interested in discovering absolute truth, especially disliked the term “rhetoric”. He believed it to be merely the subjective act of persuasion. However, sophists in Athens taught rhetoric so people could communicate effectively. And so the debate goes on. Is rhetoric simply the act of persuasion or could it actually be useful on a scale larger than influencing one’s views?
I am not completely for or against rhetoric, and I don’t think that is the central issue. I believe rhetoric is a necessary component of our society and culture, whether one chooses to believe this or not. I think humans naturally seek to form their own opinions and gravitate towards others who share the same views. Once people have formed views and perspectives, they are likely to attempt to persuade others of these stances. As people find others who share the same views, they begin to feel validated and accepted.
Rhetoric is mostly looked at as a subjective topic partly because persuasion is such a major component. When people attempt to persuade another, they are utilizing their different ways of thinking that vary from person to person. However, there are also somewhat objective views of rhetoric. Some believe that facts are discovered as a result of debates. Whether or not this is what actually happens, rhetoric definitely builds a sense of community by bringing together people with similar ideas.
Scot also introduced a model that was presented at a recent conference about the productivity of rhetoric. It told of rhetoric “seeing (problems, points of view, events, etc.), making (assembling), and doing (motivating others to take action).” In this way, rhetoric is seen as an effective way to communicate. I agree with this idea, and as previously mentioned, believe humans naturally gravitate towards this process.
Like I said earlier as well, I believe rhetoric is a necessary part of society. And in today’s society, technology is a main component. As we all know, today’s society and culture is increasingly fast-paced. In order to keep up with the times, I believe we need to consider technology’s role in rhetoric. I think we need to incorporate a certain amount of “fast rhetoric”, as Faigley calls it, into the way we communicate. This could be as broad as showing a friend a video clip of a political candidate’s speech or being able to make a video in place of a paper in an English class. Faigley is in favor of “slow rhetoric”, or books and other print media because there is less chance of mistakes and confusion. Yancy, on the other hand, suggests reforms of current English curriculums that would include more technology resources. I am therefore more likely to agree with Yancy’s point of view. I feel that people should include technology and “fast media” more in general communication as well as specific areas, such as English courses. However, I believe people should use a certain amount of caution when using these technology mediums. They need to be aware of the validity and truth of the sources. If these steps are taken, everyone will be able to connect through common ground. Our society is ever-changing and we need to be able to adapt.
I am not completely for or against rhetoric, and I don’t think that is the central issue. I believe rhetoric is a necessary component of our society and culture, whether one chooses to believe this or not. I think humans naturally seek to form their own opinions and gravitate towards others who share the same views. Once people have formed views and perspectives, they are likely to attempt to persuade others of these stances. As people find others who share the same views, they begin to feel validated and accepted.
Rhetoric is mostly looked at as a subjective topic partly because persuasion is such a major component. When people attempt to persuade another, they are utilizing their different ways of thinking that vary from person to person. However, there are also somewhat objective views of rhetoric. Some believe that facts are discovered as a result of debates. Whether or not this is what actually happens, rhetoric definitely builds a sense of community by bringing together people with similar ideas.
Scot also introduced a model that was presented at a recent conference about the productivity of rhetoric. It told of rhetoric “seeing (problems, points of view, events, etc.), making (assembling), and doing (motivating others to take action).” In this way, rhetoric is seen as an effective way to communicate. I agree with this idea, and as previously mentioned, believe humans naturally gravitate towards this process.
Like I said earlier as well, I believe rhetoric is a necessary part of society. And in today’s society, technology is a main component. As we all know, today’s society and culture is increasingly fast-paced. In order to keep up with the times, I believe we need to consider technology’s role in rhetoric. I think we need to incorporate a certain amount of “fast rhetoric”, as Faigley calls it, into the way we communicate. This could be as broad as showing a friend a video clip of a political candidate’s speech or being able to make a video in place of a paper in an English class. Faigley is in favor of “slow rhetoric”, or books and other print media because there is less chance of mistakes and confusion. Yancy, on the other hand, suggests reforms of current English curriculums that would include more technology resources. I am therefore more likely to agree with Yancy’s point of view. I feel that people should include technology and “fast media” more in general communication as well as specific areas, such as English courses. However, I believe people should use a certain amount of caution when using these technology mediums. They need to be aware of the validity and truth of the sources. If these steps are taken, everyone will be able to connect through common ground. Our society is ever-changing and we need to be able to adapt.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Open Post #1
Well the most exciting thing that happened to me over Christmas break was that I became an aunt! My nephew, Ryan Milan, was born on Friday, January 12th at 9:35 p.m. He weighed about 7 lbs and was 21 inches long. My dad and I got to visit him when he was only about 15 hours old. He had a full head of hair, and even though he "still kind of looked like a conehead" according to my brother, he definitely resembled both my brother and sister-in-law. Before we went to the hospital, my dad and I stopped at Hallmark to buy a card and present. My dad ended up buying his new grandson a "manly" lion stuffed animal. It was so funny to see my dad freak out once we got to the hospital. He kept saying, "Oohhhh my gosh, I'm going to see my grandson, oohhhh my gosh, I'm a grandpa". We definitely got a few looks in the elevator. Ryan's mom is Croatian, and that's where his middle name comes from. He was such a laid-back boy when we saw him. I know the parents were hoping that continued once he got home. Apparently he only slept about 45 minutes the first night back, but he's getting better. It's very exciting to become an aunt, although it does make me feel a little old. I'm looking forward to spoiling him, playing with him, watching him grow, and providing him with Badger clothes!
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