I Won't Admit It....

I’m not sure if it is embarrassing to say where I get my news or not. But honestly, most of my news comes from Facebook. Everything and anything goes on Facebook; important news, recent news, and worthless news. I would say that the major of the news on Facebook is worthless news. By worthless news I mean something like “I’m having a great day” or “It’s snowing!” However, when something impactful happens, it is posted on Facebook almost immediately. I am not a big fan of reading newspapers. I am not sure why that is, but reading New York Times for 10 minutes never seems like an ideal use of my time. But, I’m not saying that Facebook is completely worth my time either. While I was writing this, I was also on Facebook. I was scanning my newsfeed and 2 posts that said “RIP Caleb Moore” went up a few seconds apart from each other. Although I did not know who Caleb Moore was, his death affected some of my friends. After looking up Caleb Moore on Google, I found out that he is a professional snowmobile rider who competed at the X Games in Aspen this winter. This news was particularly interesting because I am from Colorado and have been to the X Games before. I also receive news from other people. One of my favorite hobbies is to have coffee with people to get to know them personally. While talking, current issues and events usually come up in conversation. Personally, I think receiving news from other people is one of the best ways to receive it. But, the only problem is that you cannot always trust what they say entirely until checking with a legit source. This is when the newspaper comes in handy. 

Draft for Extended Essay

Convenience

Jimmy Wales once said, “If it isn’t on Google, it doesn’t exist.” To a point, that is a very true. Today’s society relies on Google for many things such as; the weather, random knowledge, and browsing. It is the most popular web search engine and is growing. Google is a way for people to connect with one another. Along with Google, there is Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. These websites also allows people to connect personally with each other all over the world. They are able to share ideas, pictures, conversations, and laughs through a single click. Where is our generation heading with new technology? Some will argue that our generation is being illiterate. One of their arguments would be that our generation has lost the ability to socially interact with one another. But, I would disagree with them. Our generation may be different, but not all change is bad.

            “Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”  George Bernard Shaw couldn’t have said it better. Those who are not open to change will never accept it. This is how I feel about people who are not open to the idea of new technology and today’s advancements. In the article, “Is Google making us stupid?” by Nicholas Carr, Carr tries to bring this question to attention. Is Google making our generation stupid? Carr brings out many valid points in his article. One of them being that Google is convenient. Why would a person want to read textbooks to find a few bits of information for a research paper when you could find it on the internet? Even Carr admits that “I’m just seeking convenience” (Carr 2). Within a few seconds, Google can bring up over a million results on just about any topic. Although it is not the old fashion way, it is the smart way of finding information.

            Although our generation tries to go for the most efficient way of doing things, we are a little bit on the lazy side. One of the most popular ways of getting thoughts out is through blogs. Blogs is a way of free speech. It is an informal way of writing that does not go through an editing process. Anything can be a part of a blog. A blog is longer than a text message, but shorter than a newspaper. In Carr’s article he states, “[A] blog post of more than three or four paragraphs is too much to absorb. I skim it” (Carr 2). People want convenience, but that does not mean that we cannot read a decent sized piece of writing. Sure, whenever I do not want to read something, I skim it. But when I do skim it, I always go back to make sure that I understood what the passage had to say. Convenience does not mean we cannot get away with laziness.

            Andrea Lunsford had a nice take to social media in her article, “Our Semi-literature Youth?” She conducted a study by collecting different pieces of writing throughout a student’s college career. She studied the student’s writing before giving her own opinion on literacy. She does not think that our generation is becoming illiterate, just different. “But rather than leading to a new illiteracy, these activities seemed to help them develop a range or repertoire of writing styles, tones, and formats along with a range of abilities” (Lunsford 1). She believes that the students know when it is the appropriate time to do formal writing and when it is appropriate not to. For example, it would be considered unusual if someone sent an essay sized piece of writing in a text message. Text message are designed for short and sweet communication.

            There are many people who believe that America is becoming illiterate. One of these people is Chris Hedges. In his article “American the Illiterate”, Hedges separates America into two different worlds. The literate section knows what truth it. The illiterate section cannot tell the difference between truth and the lies. He believes that Americans who still use print material are the literate section. There is a transition from print to images. “Many eat at fast food restaurants not only because it is cheap but because they can order from pictures rather than menus. And those who serve them, also semi-literate or illiterate, punch in orders on cash registers whose keys are marked with symbols and pictures”( Hedges 1-2). Hedges has a strong opinion against the illiterate. Although it may be true that we are converted to images, does not mean we are “dumbing down.” It all comes down to convenience.  By looking at pictures, it is a faster than reading a whole menu. Especially when a person is ordering at a fast food restaurant, they expect quick.  Hedges also brings up political issues. He claims that America is becoming illiterate because of candidate speaking levels. Abraham Lincoln spoke around an 11.2 level and Stephen A. Douglas spoke around 12.0 level. Bill Clinton spoke at a 7.6 level and George H.W. Bush spoke at a 6.8 level (Hedges 2). Until 1850, white males who owned property were the only people allowed to vote. These men were well educated and wealthy. In 1850, almost all adult white males could vote. Still, the candidates were very well educated and were still talking to the highest educated white males. These white males had power. Today, an American citizen 18 and older can vote. With an age, population, and gender comparison, there is a huge difference. Candidates today are talking to everyone in the United States. Children in high school and middle school are now tuning into the debates.  Candidates in the past were mostly talking to the highly educated, wealthy property owners, not to children and poor families.

            Let’s talk about some forms of advanced technology. Skype is another useful and extraordinary piece of technology. It allows people from all over the world contact one another in a convenient, cheap fashion. It could be someone down the street, next city, or even another country. Some may argue that Skype takes away social interaction, I would disagree. Skype allows a person to witness things that they normally wouldn’t be able to. A plane ticket is very expensive and may not be possible to travel. Skype allows a person to get a face-to-face interaction as close as they can without actually being there. A person is able to see a new born child, talk to an old friend, or family that they have not seen for a while. Social interaction is still possible with the internet. Before Skype, people tried to use earlier versions of video chat to connect with another. Some of these earlier versions were AIM and MSN. They are chat sites that had webcam ability.  Social media does not take away from an experience, but it can enhance it in.  

            Cell phones have become a competitive market. Although cell phones are fairly new, they have become a necessity for success in the working class world. Without one, a person is unable to keep up with the ever-changing world. Cell phones have changed many styles over the year. They began as a block shaped object, to a flip phone, to a slide phone, back to a block phone. Although they started out as a block phone, the technology has changed drastically.  The original phone would be able to make simple calls. Today, a cell phone is a mini computer. A person is able to connect to the internet, make phone calls, and has applications. Let’s bring this back to our original question, “Is Google making us stupid?” Google is never far away anymore. Google is easily accessed from a device that sits in our pockets. With that much information at your finger tips, would you say that our generation is done with learning? Or are we just smart enough to be able to use our resources? It all comes down to the question of what is knowledge.

Albert Einstein once said, “Information is not knowledge.” By this definition, Google-ing would not be considered a way to gain knowledge. However, I would argue that Google is a door to knowledge. By searching a topic, Google brings up many documents. By reading books online and research documents, a person is able to learn knowledge. But, knowledge is only learned if they invest time in reading the material. Any type of reading material can be a way to knowledge. Knowledge comes from experience and investing time into something. Hedges would agree with that statement. “One America, now the minority, functions in a print-based, literate world” (Hedges 1). Although the print-based material is not on paper, online material is just the same. He just wants the world to be educated the best we can. Not by skimming, like Carr mentioned.  America needs to learn the difference between what actual knowledge is and what it is not.

Social media and new technology has added convenience, efficiency, and enhancement to today’s generation.  Not all change is bad. So far, technology has allowed people to communicate all over the world. We have gone from having pen pals, to emails. We have gone from emails to text messages. Now, we are going from text messages to voice text messages. Where will we be going next? There are endless possibilities. 

             

           

The Internet has no eraser

So far, writing blogs have been pretty fun. The most challenging part with my blog is the first sentence. After that, all my thoughts flow out. My favorite part, by far, is coming up with the title of each blog post. I try to pick something that relates to the article. But, I also like having a little fun with it. I like how all of our readings are on similar topics. They haven’t been terribly boring. My favorite article so far is Andrea Lunsford’s, “Our Semi-literature Youth? Not so Fast.” But, I also did not like a lot of the articles I had to read. My original opinion still has not changed from my first blog post. I still am not a huge fan of blogs, but I am trying to like it more. I still do not like commenting on other people’s blogs but, I am starting to enjoy reading them. When I first joined the class, I only read the people I am close with. By reading, I mean actually reading. Not just skimming and moving on. Considering that three people in my writing class live on my floor, I only read their blogs. Now that I am starting to get to know more people, I am branching out my reading. Eventually, I will make my blog look even nicer.  But I’m trying not to waste too much time on things that don’t really matter. I don’t want to make Blogger another version of Facebook for me. 

Is change really that bad?

First I’m going to talk about Andrea Lunsford’s article, “Our Semi-literature Youth? Not so Fast.” I really loved her article and her opinion. Her thoughts are very similar to mine on the issue of literacy.  Sylvia Scribner lost me most of the time. She had a good opinion for a while in her article “Literacy in Three Metaphors”, but her long article eventually lost me. Now on to the big question, “What is literacy?” After reading these articles, I still am not set on a definition. In Scribner’s article, I found it interesting how no one is set. “At least one attempt has been made to put forward an ‘umbrella definition.’ Each of these efforts has identified important parameters of literacy, but none has yet won consensual agreement.” People are still debating what it is. But, Scribner’s take on literacy was rather interesting.  She talked a lot about literacy by using the metaphors of adaptation, power, and grace. She also brought in the concepts of social and the individual. My favorite quote in the article was towards the beginning. “They aim to describe constituents of literacy in terms of individual abilities. But the single most compelling fact about literacy is that it is a social achievement.” It made me question my own definition. I never saw literacy as a social achievement. But, it easily could be. Lunsford’s article was fabulous. I loved how she conducted a study on college student’s writing before giving an opinion. She did not think that my generation is becoming illiterate, just different. “But rather than leading to a new illiteracy, these activities seemed to help them develop a range or repertoire of writing styles, tones, and formats along with a range of abilities.” I liked how she saw nothing wrong with change, and neither do I. My generation knows when is the appropriate time to do formal writing and when it is appropriate not to. When I am speaking informally, like in my blog, I am speaking using my emotions. When I am typing formally, I am using my head and previous knowledge. Scribner’s style of writing is very similar to Carr’s. I believe they have similar ideas. I liked how Lunsford answered the Google question Carr was asking. Lunsford and Hedges would probably get into a debate about this subject. They seemed to be on opposite ends of each other. In conclusion, I do not think that literacy will ever have a set definition. 

Can you Google how to underwater basket weave for me?

“Hey Cassandra, what’s the capital of Louisiana?”
“One sec, let me Google it.”

It is sad to admit it, but this is a conversation that happens more often that I would like to say. The word “Google” has become a verb in our generation. Although I think Google is a wonderful invention, it is kind of like a higher power. We go to Google when we need an answer to something. Honestly, I haven’t cared that our school library has been taking a lot time to be built. I probably won’t use it. I have the internet for research. One of Carr’s discussion points in his article “Is Google making us stupid?” is why read books when you can find the answer faster on the internet? This generation is all about convenience. We struggle at reading long pieces of literature. I couldn't help but think, “Hmm.. Maybe this is why I hate reading my Biology textbook.” That is partially true. I hate to read long things because I lose focus. But, it could also be that it is the subject of biology. I felt convicted when Carr stated, “Even a blog post of more than three or four paragraphs is too much to absorb. I skim it.” Ptsh. I never do that. Okay, maybe that was a lie. It is sad how our generation just skims everything that comes in front of our face. I would be willing to make bets that whoever attempted to read my blog just skimmed it. One thing that made me feel uneasy was when Carr said, “The ultimate search engine is something as smart as people – or smarter.” I don’t like the idea of an object being smarter than me. But, in reality, Google might have more knowledge, but I know what to do with it. Hedge’s piece, “American the Illiterate”, was rather interesting. I like how he put the world into two categories, the print-based (literate world) and the world that cannot tell the difference between the truth and the lies (illiterate world). When he mentioned the illiterate world, I couldn't help but think of the Wikipedia. Wikipedia has so many lies in it. The average person would not be able to tell what is true and what isn't. I believe Hedge’s definition of literacy would be an individual that can tell between the truth and the lies and being able to read. Hedge and Carr both think that the world is “dumbing down” for our generation. What scares me is that I think they are right. We like to have information at our finger tips and to understand things right away. “Obama used hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign funds to appeal to and manipulate this illiteracy and irrationalism to his advantage, but these forces will prove to be his most deadly nemesis once they collide with the awful reality that awaits us.” This is scary. Will we be able to tell apart the truth and the lies?

Whoopty Do, what does it all mean Basil?

Defining reading and writing:

When I thought about defining what reading and writing was, I decided that it would be logical to start with defining writing.

Writing is a way to communicate an idea, history, or any kind of thought that needs to be passed along. It allows the thought to be passed down word for word without it being transformed. For example, Native Americans would pass down stories. But, over time, the stories would begin to lose bits and pieces. So writing is more reliable than the word of mouth.

Reading is also a way of communication. Reading can be in a group or individual setting. It is a way of allowing others to think about new concepts or could be purely for entertainment.

Reading and writing are both skills that are taught and is a way of communication. 

r-e-w-r-i-t-i-n-g g-n-i-t-i-r-w-e-r

Writing and reading can be defined in many ways. To me, the purpose of reading and writing is dependent on what the material is about. But in order to read and write, you need to have a text. Roland Barthes said, “A text is made up of multiple writings, drawn from many cultures and entering into mutual relations of dialogue, parody, contestation.” I liked how Barthes worded this statement. Text is made up from different cultures. Everyone is different, so every piece of writing will be too. Harris also states, “A book (or other piece of writing) is a text, but so are movies, plays, songs..,webpages, - and the like.” He considers webpages to be text, which makes blogging a piece of writing. This is why I like Joseph Harris’ idea of rewriting.  My rewrite of a sentence will be different than anyone else, which makes my writing unique. I also liked the idea of intertexuality. “Intellectuals almost always write in response to the work of others.” To practice rewriting, I decided to rewrite the quote. “Intelligent people almost always give a response and their opinions when reading a piece of writing.” I had a problem with that statement though. I like to accept literature how it is and not really think about my own opinion of it. When I am reading a novel for a class, I think writing essays about it afterwards ruins a little piece of the novel.  However, we are doing this with our blogs. I have to read other people’s blogs and respond to what they have to say. It isn’t my favorite thing to do, but it makes me think a little more about the material we read. The purpose of writing is to respond and think intelligently about a piece of material. Sullivan would also agree with Harris’ rewriting stance. Rewriting gives a person the freedom to express their opinions in a way they couldn’t before. To summarize this section of Joseph Harris’ book , “You come to terms with a text by translating its words and ideas into your own language, making them part of your own prose – not only re-presenting the work of another writer but also, at times, actually retyping it as you quote key terms and passage from a text.”

Don't Cite Me

Blogging is an immediate reaction to any type of event, news, or opinion. After reading “Why I Blog” by Andrew Sullivan, I realized that I had to type my blog post right away, while it is still fresh on my mind. While reading this article, my mind went wild with ideas; what I was going to name my blog and what I was going to type into it.  In Sullivan’s article, he states “A good blog is your own private Wikipedia.” I loved how true that statement was. In high school, I was a member of the Speech and Debate team. I competed in student congress along with humor and duo. In student congress, I learned that you never, under any circumstances, want to cite Wikipedia as a source. Wikipedia is considered unreliable when talking about the facts and your opponent would crush you. While this is usually true, Wikipedia gives a wonderful overview of the subject. As a new blogger, I want to do the same thing. Although I don’t want people to cite my blog as a legit source, I want the reader to be able to come to my blog for a good opinion. I like how Sullivan is a writer for two different worlds; the newspaper world and the blog world. “To blog is therefore to let go of your writing in a way, to hold it at arm’s length, open it to scrutiny, allow it to float in the ether for a while, and to let others, as Montaigne did, pivot you toward relative truth.” Blogging is a way of true free expression. When you blog is it a freeing experience, which is why I believe that Sullivan blogs. Blogging is like a diary, you don’t have to hold back on what you want to say. When writing for the newspaper world, a writer has to be more careful. When writing a blog, it is kind of like talking to a friend. It is a more casual way of speaking to someone and the reader feels more connected to the writer. Overall, Sullivan had many reasons to start blogging. He wanted to “write out loud” and say what he really feels and didn’t want to give his thoughts an ending.  There is not a set definition of how to blog, just like how there is no set definition for jazz music. There is only feeling. 

The Beginning

Welcome to my blog! Although I am not a huge fan of blogs, I think they are great for media type classes. Blogging makes me feel like an opinion column writer. This is the second blog I have created for a media and news class. My first blog I created for my college class that I took my senior year of high school. I’m not a fan of blogging because I don’t always like to state my opinion. But, hopefully that will change throughout this course. I am open to new thoughts, which will be good when reading my classmates blogs. But one of my weaknesses is that I don’t like to receive criticism. When comparing Facebook to a blog, they are very similar. Not only could I waste a lot of my time on here by customizing my blog layout, the content is also similar. When I am updating my status, it is like a diary. I’ll talk about how great a movie was or what a wonderful day I had. Sometimes I will even state my opinion on a subject or talk about a problem I am having. A status is a shorter version of a blog and a blog is a shorter version of a newspaper article. It is funny how thoughts are progressively getting shorter and shorter in length. But, by saying this, I would much rather read something short in length and to the point. Blogging is a nice way to get your thoughts out. But if the writer is not careful, the post could end up as a rant. The writer does not have to think much about what they are going to say, just type. I like this kind of writing because it is easy to do and anyone can do it. My hope for my blog is that the reader will receive a new insight and view the subject matter in a new light.