Networked Publics Overview

     In Networked Publics by Mizuko Ito, we are reminded of the far-reaching changes that have taken place over the last few of decades in the infancy of the digital age. The internet showed itself as the invention that would transport the general public into the future, and allow for a worldwide connection virtually instantaneously. Technological advances were once again going to change the world with a meteoric affect. Just as the industrialization era proved it true, there would be a divisor between certain classes and underdeveloped nations. Not every individual was going to have access to the internet, and not every country could afford the advances of such an idea.

     As time passed though, changes in technology improved upon the digital connectivity of individuals. The original slow “dial up” modem was replaced with cable and fiber optic connections which allow for an almost instantaneous link to anything an individual could ever want access to. Shopping became easier as merchants began to offer services via the internet. Today, a person can live virtually free of human contact yet still remain 100% connected to the world without ever having to leave the comfort of their home. Networked Publics points out that we still need personal interaction, but that we are also more reluctant to true social relationships.

     Networked Publics is not a book based solely on the advances we benefit from the internet and its uses, but it is a tool to broaden the debate on the implications of our future based on these advances. We are opened to the issues faced today and the possible issues of tomorrow through the voice of the author in regards to privacy, protocols, and personal development. Networked Publics examines the ways that the social and cultural shifts created by these technologies have transformed our relationships to (and definitions of) place, culture, politics, and infrastructure. (Varnelis, 2008)

      The advances in technology are not the primary concept in the writings, but also how the world and society adapt to these changes. The generation of youth we have now are growing up and thriving during all of these advances while others are simply surviving and adapting to the same progresses. 

     Networked Publics delves into a multitude of topics and subjects from gaming cultures, videos, and cultures, to the radical changes we are facing or will face though the usage of digital media. This collaboration of literary works has proven to be insightful and tantalizing, leaving a reader to reach further into the possibilities of this emerging technology we have at our fingertips.

References

Varnelis, K. (2008). networked publics. Cambridge, Massachusets: MIT Press. Retrieved from http://networkedpublics.org/book

Journal #2

What counts as literacy and why is it important in this evolving culture of web based literacy?  Literacy is basically an individual’s ability to read and grasp one’s own language for the improvement of themselves and those they will encounter. Levels of literacy are often based on social construct, formal rhetoric, a level of grammar comprehension, sociology of class-speech, and formal rhetoric to speak of a few. The importance of literacy is immeasurable when we look at the challenges we face in the world today which require active communication either online, in the workforce (person to person), or in the quality of the literature we read for enjoyment.

In today’s emerging world of new social media and the escalating use of the internet, our youth are encountering a way of learning and the expression of ideas that did not exist in past generations.  In the schools, it is evident from a teacher’s or a  learner’s outlook that there is a growing gap between those who immerse themselves in these new avenues of communication and those who struggle to accept them. Literacy is not based on one’s current level of knowledge, but on the ability to accept and grow from the world that is evolving around us.

There was a time when literacy could be based solely on how well we could read or write, but if we take a word based in its purest form, we see that it is neither reliant nor a negligible singularity of our language.

Journal #1 (Gillen and Barton, 2010, p.9)

New Media and Literacies

"The distinctive contribution of the approach to literacy as social practice lies in the ways in which it involves careful and sensitive attention to what people do with texts, how they make sense of them and use them to further their own purposes in their own learning lives" (Gillen and Barton, 2010, p. 9).

Watching the news is not a matter of finding out what is going on in the world, but rather learning about a topic that is expressed from the viewpoint of the reporter. What is learned is based on what that particular reporting agency wishes us to see from how they want us to interpret what is presented as news.

In reading this quote, I could not help but feel that our reaction to a text and how we interpret the information is as much a part of our thought processes and social construct as is our own way of learning. When we reflect on research, it is not merely the data being interpreted but also what the author wants us to learn based on their bias. Considering this thought, I seek to convey through a period of instruction exactly the information I want to be grasped by the audience. How the learner is best able to understand a given topic involves a greater understanding of the group as a whole. It requires a careful consideration on the educator’s part to fully understand the topic, glean new insights from the texts through repeated study, and then seek out the best practice for delivery.

Look inside a fly fisherman’s tackle and you will find a multitude of fly lures in a wide array of sizes with hooks so small that they require tweezers to effectively work with them. There will also be a magnifying lens. None of this is by chance, but rather through the careful study of what their quarry is biting on at that particular time of the year and in that specific body of water.  The lens is used to study samples of what is in the water as a food source and found to be to the fish’s liking in that exact spot. Each cast is meant to mimic distinct and selected forage through precise delivery. Our interpretation and study of a given text will allow for a precise delivery of our thoughts with the desired outcome.

References

Gillen, J., & Barton, D. (2010). Digital literacies. Teaching and Learning Research Programme.9.

Good evening to the entire class. I just wanted to kick off the first blog here by saying hello and I hope we all have a wonderful semester. I have a had a jam packed summer with work related activities, certifications, and class. Looking forward to this semester as we near the end of the academic programming and move on to the next stages of our lives.