“Tomorrow Will Not be Like Today” : Literacy and Identity in a World of Mulitliteracies
By: Browyn T. Williams
Issue Question: Do the rapid changes in technology and students’ usage of internet encourage a new world of literacy practices and identities?
My claim: Changes in technology have made young people accustomed to a new world of literacy practices online and introduced them to online identities.
· Because some changes are promising, young people read and write online more than they used to( 429)
· Because people’s main communication is through new technology: iPhones, Facebook, MySpace, etc. (429)
· Because they have played with their identities on multiple sites (430)
· Because people read and write thousands of words a week online (430)
· Because new technologies can offer exciting opportunities to rethink communication through words, images, and sounds (433)
· Because students have access to computers and can make their writings global (430)
· Because young people learn from experience how to enter a new community through reading and writing (431)
· Because young students learn to negotiate literacy situations online and they learn valuable lessons about reading and writing (431)
· Because teachers may be surprised to find students’ knowledge from experiences ( 431)
· Because the importance of identity will not change in terms of literacy practices (433)
· Because people still read and write a lot in the classroom
· Because not all people manipulate their identities online
· Because students can still learn traditional ways of literacy in the class room
· Because students that use this technology already have reading and writing skills, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to use technology correctly
· Because young people are surrounded by older people with tradition literacy skills
Enthymeme:
Claim: Changes in technology help students to learn literacy in different ways
Reason: because evolving possibilities of online literacy practices may change a great deal about how we perceive and teach reading and writing (433)
Grounds:
· There is an example on the bottom of page 432-433. New exercises, such as a class MySpace page, could help students rethink their activities outside of the classroom. ( class would discuss how to represent its identity and how to determine its audience)
· Teachers can create better understandings of their students’ literacy, thus create opportunities for better understanding of needs, concerns and desires
Warrant:
People of different generations all perceive reading and writing differently due to technology or absence of technology.
Backing:
· The changing world of technologies is unnerving to Williams( a teacher) (433)
· Life online is a natural way of life for young students (430)
· The online world of reading and writing fast, and multitasking is overwhelming to teachers and parents (430)
· Young people growing up reading and writing online, think and feel different about literacy and communication versus people who did not grow up this way (433)
Summary of Argument:
It is obvious that technology today, is advancing at a very rapid rate. As the title declares, “Tomorrow will not be like today”. As technology changes so does the effect it has on people’s literacy and identity. Years ago, people had to handwrite everything or use typewriters. People that did not grow up using computers have a different outlook on literacy in contrast to young students today that are accustomed to doing everything on computers. Older people unaccustomed to computers or other types of new technology are bewildered by students’ natural use of technology and their new literacy practices learned online.
Browyn T. Williams, an English teacher, has been blown away by this change in technology. She is overwhelmed by its complexity. She watches her students comfortably utilize the Internet to read and write. Williams feels as if young students have a different outlook about literacy and communication because they grew up reading and writing online. For example, students read and write online more than they do in the classroom. In fact, students are reading and writing way more than students did years ago. “Life online” is a natural way of life for young students. Williams is optimistic about this new world of literacy. She remarks that’s students with online identities can write in ease and can accessibly share writings globally. Williams believes that teachers should communicate with their students to discover the social skills they have learned online. Teachers can then combine teachings of traditional literacy practices and new literacy practices. This new world of technology opens a wide door of opportunities for understanding of reading and writing in a totally new way.
I believe the changes in technology and focus on social networking have affected today's society. It appears to me that teenagers are more interested in writing comments and opinions on scoial networking sites than writing papers in the classroom. Involvement in social networking sites may be more popular because limitations are not set on what may or may not be said.
ReplyDeleteTechnology could be used in a positive way to increase students writing abilities by using blogs such as this one, but the way that young people use technology has actually become a distraction from correct ways to read and write. Social networking has made students accustomed to internet slang. Young people are becoming more and more susceptible to improper grammar and have become more obsessed with their identities on social networking sites rather than with schoolwork. In conclusion, though there are ways of making positive use of technology for reading and writing, they are used much less often than social networks.
ReplyDeleteLiving in such an advanced society, humans/teens, have no choice but to advance as well to the evolving world around them. Therefore devices such as computers, cell phones, ipads etc. have become a sense of literacy devices. Because of the age generations, many different views must be taken into account. The older generation may think that technology has advanced too much and is wounding the minds of the children. Technology does not leave room for literacy learns; examples include “spell check” and “dictionary” on Microsoft word. Before children are able to read and find their mistakes the computer as automatically fixed it for them In this aspect the advanced of technology is crippling the ability to develop “old fashion” literacy practices. Social networking places a huge roll in this crippling. On social networks, teen are allowed to write any way they please, most likely being informal. This has become a problem, because social networking is over powering more important this, such as education. For example, when children are caught with cell phones, majority of the time they are on “facebook”. However, the younger generation is simply keeping up with technology. Technology is essentially created to make life easier for the everyday person. Humans fail to realize that technology does not control us, we control technology. Thus, in a classroom setting literacy practices still should be set in place. Society must be able to discipline themselves with technology; knowing when and where to use it. Though technology is rapidly changing the great minds behind it had to start off with basic literacy practices. Technology cannot be blamed for the “laziness” of humans ability and desire to complete education.
ReplyDeleteIn today’s society, technology is used a tremendous amount. However, students who use social networking sites for most of their communicating and leisure activities may not be progressing in the social world as opposed to students who are involved in face to face interaction for much of their time. It is stated that “today’s online technologies have people reading and writing more than they were 20 years or even a decade ago”(429-430). This may be true but if the content in which the student is engaged in is not beneficial to learning and progressing in an educational way, the individual’s literacy may not be altered. Also, students who are using social networking sites as their main way of communication may be perceived differently (having a different “identity”) when away from technologies and entered into society.
ReplyDeleteToday's generation revolves around technology. Teens would rather read and write online then on paper because in there minds it is easier. They are able to write something with the help of the internet behind them. Many teens in this generation don't understand how to write probably on paper because they never really have to think about it on the computer. Technology is taking over the world. The world is changing everyday and no matter what different generations will feel differently about this. I think teachers learning how to do literacy online would be easier for the classroom because children and teens today already know so much about it.
ReplyDeleteThis is Sally's post:
ReplyDeleteTechnology has become more of a distraction rather than an aid in people's learning processes. "Being online" doesn't necessarily involve reading and writing on an advanced level. Most teenages today use advanced technology to do activities for their pleasure-not to learn.
I believe that technology has changed the world’s youth. Technology will continue to change the world’s youth, and the older generation will have to get on board. Schools will continue to teach students how to read and write in class, the right way. We are finding new ways to use technology for learning. So, I think technology is a good thing and that it will not alter the way students read and write.
ReplyDeleteThe Internet provides today’s youth with a vast majority of ways to communicate, learn, and play. However, while Williams argues that this new movement of technology can be beneficial in ways such as reading and writing more, using blogs such as this to hold a class discussion, or being able to create an identity, I believe that students are taking advantage of these advancements. While students may be intrigued by the thought of doing homework online or broadening classroom conversations, most of them are spending their time watching youtube or chatting friends of Facebook. These student’s are spending so much time with their hands on the keyboard that they are forgetting simple grammar rules on their paper, or possibly how to spell—since they lack spell check when using a pencil. While the Internet has the potential to be very useful, its amenities are not being acknowledged in the appropriate way in regards to learning.
ReplyDelete