Should Everybody write??

Well, as is stated in this article, everybody is already writing. This doesn’t mean that everyone is writing books, or scholarly articles, but everyone is writing things down.

Facebook and Twitter allow people to post their thoughts in short snippets, whereas people use blogs when they have something more to say. With everything that is online, there is no way that one person could read it all, but because everyone is a writer, there is a variety of stuff out there to read. Whatever you are interested in there is probably people blogging about it.

With the ability for everyone to be able to write, we see the way of writing shifting. You don’t have to have an editor to get things published, you just hit post. Also, we don’t see a lot of long articles online. Writers cater to what readers look at which is a couple sentences, more if they are interested. I think we see a lot of short writings online because that’s what people have time to read or care to read.

As long as the internet keeps booming, I’m sure people will continue to write. I think the shift is in the technologies they are writing on. First we saw pen and paper shift to computers, but the next shift it seems will be going from writing on your computers to writing with your cell phone or smaller portable computers (netbooks/iPads).

Wide Web of Diversions.

I found the article explaining how laptops have been ban from some classrooms very interesting. It made me think of how I use my laptop in class, and what I've seen others doing. Overall, I think it's a hard choice for teachers choose whether they want students using laptops or not. There are plenty of advantages to having the technology. If something is brought up in class, I find myself looking it up online, and I've noticed other people do this too. Also, for me personally, I can type faster than I can write things out by hand. So if I need to take a lot of notes I would rather be able to use my computer. Another thing is when the teacher is going through a power point presentation or pulling from articles they have listed online, it is useful for me to be able to pull those things up on my own computer, just as I've been doing the last few days of class.

I can understand though, why teachers would be opposed to having laptops in their classrooms. It causes a major distraction. It seems inevitable that students are going to look at something that is not relevant to class, such as Facebook, e-mail, YouTube, checking up on the scores of a sports game, or even doing homework for other classes. On occasion, I have felt that I was being very distracted by having a laptop, or by someone near me having one. I find that when someone near me or in front of me has a laptop and is jumping from site to site, I am drawn to it and my attention is no longer on the class discussion.

As far as ever reaching an overall consensus as to whether computers are more useful in or out of the classroom, I think the jury is still out. It can be either good or bad, and without teachers constantly walking around the room and peering over the shoulder of every student, I think they will continue to be sometimes distracted from class. Laptops in classroom can be a benefit or distraction; it just depends on how the student chooses to use it.

The end of Shirky

Throughout chapter ten, Shirky talks a lot about free failure and its advantages. I find there are lots of advantages of being able to fail on the internet. If you set up an online business, for instance, and it doesn’t take off as planned, what are you really losing? The few dollars you spend on your webhosting plan? On the other hand, if you tried it in a physical space, you would go through the process of renting out a space or buying a space where your business will be. You would also have physically go to that space when your business is open. And if you failed, you would have done a bunch of things and spent a lot of money for nothing. Through failing online, you can learn a lot about what to do the next time around without losing as much as you would with physical failure.

In chapter eleven, Shirky discusses the three rules of social networking, these being the promise, the tool, and the bargain. So, let’s look at Twitter. What’s the Promise there? Share and discover what’s happening right now, anywhere in the world. This is a promise that catches people’s attention and interests them. Who doesn’t want to know what’s happening all over the world? Next, the Tool. Well, there is not just one. You can use this service on your computer or you can tweet with your cell phone. This allows you to post the latest news as it is happening. Last, the Bargain, what do you expect and what do they expect of you. With Twitter, you are expecting to be able to look at other people’s tweets and follow whoever you want to, while in return, you will get followers of your own. I am not a Twitter user, so I don’t know if you can block people from following you or not, but if not, that’s part of the bargain. You may get followers that you don’t know, but you can also follow people that you don’t know personally. Celebrities for example. When all three of these rules, the promise, the tool, and the bargain, work together that a social networking site succeeds.

Shirky 7-9

In the third part of the book, (chapters 7-9), Shirky talked about transparency. We discussed this issue quite a bit in class and brought up the example of libraries. Because of the way technology is changing, companies such as libraries are having to change the way they do business. We no longer physically go to the library as often, but instead we go online to find sources or check out books. These book then get sent to us in the mail. This type of thing is happening with all kinds of businesses. One that comes to my mind is the bank. People c an set up direct deposit for their paychecks, have bills come right out of their account, and with ATM’s in most every businesses, they no longer have to go to the bank if they need to get cash out. Although, like libraries, we are no longer having to physically go to the bank for all our financial needs, the bank is still working behind the scenes, so to speak, managing your accounts.

Shirky also talks about how connected we are, and what a small world we live in. Social networking sites are making it easy to find friends of friends and be more connected. These sites suggest friends to you, based on mutual friends. It’s like we don’t even have to work at finding friends. They are given right to us. On several occasions, I have been on vacation and met someone else from the same town as me, even though I’m clear across the country. It is quite astonishing! It just goes to show that it is quite a small world after all..

Here Comes Everybody!

After reading through the first chapter, it is easy to see the advantages of today’s technology. With easy access to the internet, you can post something online and it will spread like wildfire. We see this in the example of the lost phone. The story was posted on a website, with the creator telling all of his friends. They all then told their friends, and eventually it was a story on larger websites like Digg. The story even became a news item.

Technology is changing the way we communicate, which in turn is changing society. We can send a friend a text message in an instant, no matter where they are. With the invention of the telephone came the accessibility to communicate as long as someone was home. Now we can communicate no matter where we are, what we’re doing. With the ability to constantly be in contact also allows for more group collaboration on things. Shirky mentions that no one really works alone, pointing out that Michelangelo had help on the Sistene Chapel, just as book writer works with editors, publishers, and designers. It is easier to work in groups with an easier way of communicating.

With more access to the internet and sites such as Flickr, more information is available to everyone. You don’t have to wait for the news to be on, you can just look up the latest stories online. This seems to lessen the need for professionals. For example, why would I need a professional photographer at a big event, if I can hire a friend with some photoshop experience and some extra time for a lot cheaper? Technology is has several advantages on the way we live our lives, and as we can see some are good but some are not so good.

Tapscott (part 1 & 2)

Being a part of the Net Generation, I find so much of this book to reflect my life. I am definitely one of those people who have lots of things going at once. I do my homework with the TV or music on, multiple windows open on my computer, and often eating dinner at the same time. I do not find these things distracting. I am used to it. One of the interesting things I read in the first part of the book was in chapter 4, The Net Generation Brain. There is one part in particular that discusses how video gamers notice more, they have more highly developed spatial skills, good for engineering and architecture, and they are quicker at switching tasks, quick at finding things on the Internet, and their mind seems incredibly flexible and multimedia savvy. (This is all on page 98) I find this very interesting. I think this shows the different ways that the Net Generation learns. We may not read as many books, but we read more information on the Internet. We may not concentrate on just one thing at a time, but we are doing many things, still getting them all done, just in a different manner than an older generation may be used to. Technology, including the internet and video games is not turning us into zombies as some may say. It instead is giving us more opportunity to learn. There is so much more information to take in than any of our parents ever had.

In the second part of the book Tapscott discusses several issues surrounding the Net Generation including their education, their work ethic, them as consumers, and their family life. I have not yet finished all of part two, but what I’ve read so far is very interesting. Tapscott explains how the education system is 100 years behind the level of the students. I find this so true! It seems as though some of the teachers aren’t up to speed enough on technology to take advantage of it and teach the students. They are trying to lecture students for an hour straight and expect them to pay attention. The net generation is so used to multi-tasking that lecturing is no longer the most effective way of teaching. Personally, I have such a hard time paying attention to a completely lecture based class. Most of the teachers of the DTC program are up to speed with technology, which makes sense, they are teaching a technology based degree. But I have taken a class where the teacher didn’t even use a computer. He used a typewriter. Yes, a typewriter! Anyways, I think in order to effectively teach the Net Generation, teachers need to be on the ball with technology. They also need to be able to switch from topic to topic in order to keep the attention of the students.

As far as the Net Generation as consumers goes, we are completely different than the generation of boomers. We do product checks on the web, or we ask our friends their advice on products. Also, we TiVo tv shows or watch them online, reducing the number of ads we see. Going into a career where designs, including ads, logos, event posters, or things of the sort may come up, this is something to keep in mind. When selling a product to the Net Generation you have got to get their attention right away and get your message across in a matter of seconds. The Net Generation is just so much different than any generation in the past. They learn differently, shop differently, and have different expectations of the workplace. And I’m sure when the next generation comes along, things will change yet again.

A Better Pencil.. (part 2)

In the last chapters of A Better Pencil, it talks more about digital writing, whether it be email, blogs, Facebook, or whatever you prefer. The book mentions that because writing is so much easier, more and more people are writing. And, essentially, anyone can be an author. Not everyone may get many readers, but that is not preventing them from writing.

So, with anyone and everyone writing/blogging on the web, how do we know what to read. How do we filter out the unnecessary information floating on the web. There is a section that talks about Too Much Information in chapter 11 i believe. I think this is becoming the case today. There is too much information to sift through on the web. It's hard to know what to believe and what sources are really credible. How can we ensure that anything we read on the web is true, or is that even possible to prove?

Going back to TMI... I think that because everyone thinks they are an author, they are posting more and more useless information on the web. Take Facebook for example, I have friends on there that post random status updates... ALL the time. This is where the lines begin to get blurred between public and private spaces. It seems that the more you post online, the less private your life is. And eventually, privacy could be nonexistent. Scary.

So the book is titled A Better Pencil, what will be the next better pencil? What comes after digital text?? I'd love to know.

A Better Pencil.. (part 1)

I found this quite an interesting read. Through the reading we can see the first uses of writing up to how we use writing today. For everything! Important or not, it seems as though we write down most everything. Either typed out on our computer or printed out by hand. After reading these few chapters, it is easy to say that we have it easy. As each stage of writing passes, the next stage gets more efficient. And right now, I feel writing is at its most efficient stage. Going from carving out stone tablets, to using papyrus, to pencil and paper and now to digital writings has really sped up the process it takes to write or publish something substantial.

It also raises the question as to the importance of hand writing. As long as I remember we have had computers in school. When I was in third grade I remember every week we would go to the computer lab and do typing lessons. My teacher didn’t want us to end up like her… a hunt and peck typer. This was also the same year I learned how to write in cursive. What a coincidence. Aside from having to write cursive in school, to merely show that I knew how to write it, I have never needed to use it, besides signing my name occasionally. If I was learning to type at age 8 or 9, how young are children learning these skills today. Will they even spend much time learning to hand write or will that become a thing of the past?? Personally, I prefer to hand write some things. Sometimes my ideas just flow better that way. This is not true for everyone though. Written notes and typed out letters are more and more common these days.

I wonder how many people actually get hand written letters in the mail anymore. Has that become a past-time?? I enjoy getting letters in the mail. When I get a letter in the mail, which is not too often, I think of it as something really special.

It seems as though most everyone is doing away with hand writing. From paying bills online, sending email instead of letters in the mail, scheduling things on the calendar of their phone. We are going paperless. If this is the case, what will be the next stage of writing?? It’s something to think about.

Things Fall Apart... Some of my thoughts...

While reading through Things Fall Apart, you can’t help but notice the importance placed on oral culture. Throughout the book, there are many traditions passed on through generations through speaking, whether it is songs, stories, or anything else. They told stories to get across a message or a moral and also to form common ground between families. Since they lived in such close quarters, telling the same stories over and over put everyone on a common level of knowledge. Story telling was also just something to do. There is no TV or internet in an oral culture. Stories are a source of entertainment, even with a moral or past history embedded in the story. They also had traditional songs they sang during certain times. Having these traditions within a culture kept everyone close and connected. The stories were their history. Whatever was passed on was all that was known about the past.

When the white missionaries came into the village, they were someone knew, with different ideas, different stories, and different traditions. Because they didn’t have any common ground, they did not mesh well. What the missionaries brought with them was change, a new way of doing things. They measured time in terms of weeks, or based on certain days of religious importance, rather than based on seasons or market weeks. They did not speak the same language as the Ibo tribe which was a huge barrier in communication, oral communication being key in the Ibo culture. With various differences between the two groups of people, the problem that arises is a resistance to change within the Ibo tribe. You notice that those with higher societal status are very resistant to adapting to the ways of the missionaries, such as Okonkwo. It is the outcasts who first join in the ways of the white people.

When the Ibo people begin to adapt to what the missionaries believe, they are leaving behind their old traditions. No more story telling or singing of traditional Ibo songs. They have to learn a new language and take up new traditions. They are no longer a part of their native culture.

LIteracy...

So, reading through the second half of Orality and Literacy I began to think of all the ways literate cultures are at an advantage over solely oral cultures. There is a means by which to look things up, anyone with access can study things, we can build on the past instead of reinventing the wheel over and over, and the list goes on and on.

We discussed most these things in class today, and these ideas are all touched upon at some point in the book.

What I didn't really think about much, until we discussed it in class, were the disadvantages of writing things down. But there are quite of few of those as well. When speaking to someone, most of your meaning and emotion is usually implied through gestures, facial expressions, and tone of voice. So, when writing something down, how are you to personalize things so the person reading them can feel your emotion through the text. We have come up with expressions to use in writing for this exact reason, such as exclamation points to show excitement or capitalization to show anger. Overall though, I think with text, part of the personal meaning is lost in the medium.

Also, with anyone and everyone publishing books or websites or anything else with textual content, how are we to know what is True? Who can we believe? Or can we believe anyone? This is something that is kinda scary to think about. Most anyone these days can get online and post a website which looks professional and may sound professional. But without comparing what one person says to several other sources, there is no real way to prove one persons content as the real Truth. Crazy.

Yes, the pros definitely outweigh the cons in this entire situation. If the alphabet would never have been invented leaving us with still no written languages, who knows where we would be today. If we would not be able to recall back as far into history and build on things that have already happened and already been figured out, it is not unlikely to think that we would still be living in a primitive culture with no highly critical thinking taking place.

I must say, I am glad I live in a literate society with a written language.

Orality and Literacy...

When I finished reading the first half of Orality and Literacy, it made me think about different cultures.

I quickly began to compare our society with an oral culture.

Lets take a young college student, one of us, going to a completely oral society. No books. No internet. No magazines. Nothing to read. At all. What you hear is all you know. Comparing this to our lives, we can quickly see that any of us would have trouble coping. With the way our society functions today, our minds go a mile a minute. We have short attention spans. It’s hard for some of us to pay attention to one thing for longer than a few minutes. This would not go over well in an oral society. You cannot use the excuse that if you miss something in lecture, you can just look it up in your textbook. There would be no text book for you to use. Insane.

One of the characteristics listed in chapter 3 explains that oral societies are very redundant in what they say. This is because if you miss what someone says you cannot ‘look it up’. By being repetitive, they can ensure no one misses anything. Or so they hope.

But what if they do miss something?? What happens then? Stories began to change. People add in their own ideas, or just leave things out when they forget. This raises the question as to how much stories changed before they began to be written down. How much of our history do we not know? Until the first person wrote down the history of humans, stories could have changed a few times or a hundred times. No one really knows for sure. But we do know, that since the first literate culture, we have some documented history. And now, even if stories change, we can ‘look it up’ and figure out the truth.

I think many of us depend on being able to look things up and if we would have to go to an oral society, I am not sure how any of us would survive.