Pencils to Pixels

In the article Pencils to Pixels Baron describes the computer as the gateway to literacy. I agree with this because as we keep advancing literacy is advancing too. Each step we take moving forward the way we communicate is right along side the technology. Writing is a technology because when it was first created it was an advanced form of communication completely revolutionizing the way we interact with one another. The pencil is a technology as well because it changed the way we write. They could now make mistakes and it wouldn’t leave a permanent mark, which was extremely beneficial to artists, and jobs that needed the pencil to make fixes. Baron is describing in this article how each new way of communicating with each other is adding on to the way we write. He describes the creation of writing, the pencil, the telephone, and now computers as a technology to literacy. In each form we are moving forward the way we think and write. Baron views this as a positive thing because with each new creation we are learning more and more. Baron explains that with each new technology at first we try to fight it and describe all the wrongs we see with it, but then when we look back we realize how essential each type of technology has helped us move forward.

Writing in the 21st Century

In the article Yancey is talking about how literacy used to be described as just reading and writing but today there are so many more aspects that the definition of literacy has taken on such as how we add digitally and through writing different ideas and different forms of information. Yancey describes three challenges that we face today: Developing new models of writing, designing a new curriculum supporting those models, and creating models for teach that curriculum. Writing has faced many challenges throughout history as Yancey describes how different cultures who devalued writing, the prohibition of female and colored people writing and the fact we were told to read when we were young instead of write. All these challenges we faced and overcame Yancey explains. The reason writing doesn’t get as much respect in history as does reading is because usually when something was written many people went off of it such as the bible and other works but when more and more people are writing its questioning the past and the history so many people in the past were accustomed to so they were against writing. Writing also required you to write which no one likes the physical part of writing. Yancey talks about how process writing was so influential to writing because it became the first main form of writing teachers and professors were teaching. Process Writing includes “invention, drafting, peer review, reflection, revising, and rewriting, then finally publishing the work. This process has influenced the curriculums in which they teach to write as I have been taught all of these steps in that exact order through my academic career. Self-Sponsored writing is a new form of writing in which people write for other people to see and is not necessarily a certain length but for the idea of writing to each other.

Is Google Making Us Stupid

The main argument the author, Nicholas Carr, is trying to make is the fact that Google is making us less focused and reducing our ability to really read and get into different works of text. Carr describes the internet as reducing our ability to analyze and stay focused on a work of text. He describes the modern day Internet as a way to get information very quick and skimming over instead of going in depth. Carr believes it is changing our mind process to getting the information as fast as possible then moving on to what is next. He uses Socrates to back up his argument and Carr describes literacy as the ability to adapt to times to communicate and go about living our lives. Carr’s work of text is very similar to Socrates because in both works they are describing the Internet as changing the way we are thinking. Both sources believe that the Internet is hurting our ability to read and go in depth to large works because of how fast we are getting information now. In my opinion it is changing the way we think but this new way of thinking to me is extremely effective and beneficial because we are getting the info in a fast reliable way. Through doing this we are getting our work done at a much faster rate and becoming a more technologically advanced society everyday.

Digital Intimacy

In Thompsons article he’s arguing that social media is helping our lives become more public but also through the idea of gaining a self-uniqueness. It is interesting to see because as we keep going forward through this social media boom the way we’re thinking is changing everyday. No longer do we need to talk and interpret people face to face, but instead, we can just go on a social media site and from that one site gather a ton of information on someone. Doing this is taking away the ability to gather information and analyze. Thompson talks about ambient awareness, which is the information you gather from what someone puts up. The problem I have with this argument is you can’t really get to know someone just through social media. I have a bunch of friends whose personalities are completely different on social media sites than they are in the real world. Thompson does say how tweeting or posting a status leads people to think about their feeling and can become a bit of a philosophical activity. I have a hard time agreeing with this because for the most part on these social media sites we are skimming through information and we may post and think about our mood but this action for most people only happens a couple times a day. Overall I do not agree with much of Thompsons article but he does bring up interesting points and it makes us realize how far we have come through social media relationships.

Cognitive Surplus for the Better

This is interesting because cognitive surplus is not a defined discrete idea. But the way Shirky uses cognitive surplus is defined as being active in some way doing something productive. This is interesting because Shirky describes some of the past cognitive surplus’ such as when people in the 20’s were drinking gin and other type of alcohol in their free time for enjoyment. In recent times people have watched Television as a form of cognitive surplus. But today we are using social media as our cognitive surplus. Interacting as a world becoming a community. Overall the idea of social media being considered active might sound strange but the fact that we are all using it and spreading word faster than ever is extremely active. I personally believe that we are doing good for the future because this cognitive surplus is leading to more creative thinking and a completely remodeled way of interacting with each other that we have never seen before. In this reading there is a ton of repetition with the words mouse, gin, cognitive surplus, and youth. I think Shirky see’s a change in our cognitive surplus that will benefit out youth. Literacy relates to this because in every day social media we are being literate and active with our ideas, thoughts, and ways of thinking. We are all shifting and the way it seems is for the better.

The internet and it's effect on us

Overall this article is telling us about how Google is making us not as intellectually sound. Carr is telling us that all this quick information and this world of quick responses is actually making us machine like as he calls it. We aren’t able to sit down and read a long book with as much ease. We are in this fast and quick world where when you want something or need something the best way to go about doing it is the most efficient way. Carr talks about how the internet is making our thinking process altered to gather information real quick instead of actually analyzing and developing your own theory on the answers that are given. Carr talks about Socrates and how he thought the same thing when writing was becoming popular. Carr thinks very similar to Socrates but about computers completely taking over. He say’s we eventually will become machine like with brains smarter than our own. The mental habits for us as well have completely changed which Carr thinks to seem is a bad thing as we are becoming so fast paced expecting things to happen fast. Carr backs his article up with a study from Harvard, as well as frequent blogger about the internet Bruce Friedman. Carr also refers to various books talking about different topics that can relate to the computer like changes we are going through. Overall I believe the evidence is effective yet for me it doesn’t really make me think that by getting our information in a swift pace we are becoming not as intellectually sound. Although we may not be as adept to reading long novels we are getting our information in a very fast way making us even smarter through all the time we save and the overall ease of information in such a fast pace. The article I believe does a good job of answering the so what question in the final lines of the article “as we come to rely on computers to mediate our understanding of the world, it is our own intelligence that flattens into artificial intelligence.” The quote pretty much outlines his whole article and answers the question of “so what?” Overall Carr writes a creative article that is well thought out and has good sources but for me I just do not think this will be an issue with our generation getting information so fast. I think we are getting smarter through the use of fast and swift information.