Source: http://www.english.illinois.edu/-people-/faculty/debaron/essays/pencils.htm
The article From Pencils to Pixels by Dennis Baron starts off by discussing the ways that the computer has changed the world’s literacy practices. Moreover, he admits that he too has become reliant on technology. He then explains how a technology becomes integrated into society. It is not easy for people to embrace something new. A new technology, such as the computer or pencil is first exposed to a small group of people, mostly because of its cost, one that not just anyone could afford. Yes, it could be cutting-edge, but the technology’s unfamiliarity makes the general public untrustworthy when it is first introduced. The technology becomes more popular as the prices decrease and “it becomes better able to mimic more ordinary or familiar communications.” If lucky, it really “comes into its own” the technology creates its own unique new possibilities.
The author soon explains his project in this piece. He believes that the computer is not acting negatively on the practice of writing, it is “simply the latest step in a long line of writing technologies.” Suspicion is bound to occur at first as with any other writing technology, even the pencil. Since this piece is an essay from a book called Passions, Pedagogies, and 21st. Century Technologies that is now available online for free on the Illinois English website, it only proves that with the technology of the computer, writing and the works of writers is simply more available to all people, those with a connection to the internet at least. People can communicate much more easily because of this invention. Writing with a pencil and paper has become old-fashioned at this point in time.
Soon, Baron starts to go into depth on the history of the pencil and, while it may have seemed somewhat unnecessary as I was reading it, he was actually effectively drawing parallels between the technologies of the past and present. Not only that, he teaches us how different patterns of communications have shaped before the computer, including the pencil and telephone. Even though it doesn’t seem that groundbreaking to us, the pencil actually has a deep history to it. This goes for the practice of writing itself as well. They go above and beyond the previous literacy technologies in compelling and innovative ways. In fact, the pencil wasn’t even originally invented to be a writing device, it was “designed initially as a way of recording speech.”
In any case, the point that the author was trying to make by going into the tedious history of these technologies is that the computer isn’t some new phenomenon. All technologies, including the pencil and telephone went through the same phases of spreading. I think Baron definitely succeeded in making this point, although he probably could have done so in a few less words perhaps. This project made me think about all technologies, not just computers, that I have seen grow over my lifetime. They all had a similar way of spreading throughout the population, much like Baron explained in his article.
2) Tech Time Machine: Music Technology by Corinne Bash
Source: http://mashable.com/2015/01/07/music-tech-ces/
In this Mashable article by Corinne Bash, the author goes through the history of music and how technology has changed both the way we listen to and create it. It reminded me of Baron's piece, just in a different medium. Instead of writing a mini-paper analysis, I decided to create a playlist on the music platform "SoundCloud" to curate this source. The songs in the playlist are made by computers rather than instruments. Not only have computers changed the way we write, they have created innovative and often captivating ways to make sound. They have truly created hundreds of new music genres.
Playlist: https://soundcloud.com/ryancarr27/sets/unit-won
3) How social media makes us unsocial | Allison Graham | TEDxSMU
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5GecYjy9-Q
The latter two sources refer to technology as, for the most part, a positive influence on our society. This Ted talk is by some lady named Allison Graham, who makes the argument that technology and the social media that has evolved with it are detrimental to mankind because they discourage real-life human interaction. I decided to use Prezi to curate this source.
Prezi: http://prezi.com/ruek_c4aqrs9/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy
4) How Technology Has Changed Education by Candice Adderly
To come full circle, I decided to utilize a blog as the final source for my unit one project. I thought it would be apposite given that I just made my own blog. My reasoning also stems from the perception I gave in my reflection. Essentially, the blog post gives us the author's opinion on how technology has changed education. Mainly higher education. She feels that tech makes learning much "more accessible, more personalized, and more meaningful." And I would agree, except for that last one. Is it really more meaningful? In many eyes, the fact that the computers and tablets have enhanced the way we learn is a good thing. As I mentioned in my reflection, we always need to make things easier. What we have now is just not good enough for some reason. Let's keep making new things with screens so that middle-schoolers can play games in class, but let's make it BETTER than the last version! Its great that we can check due dates and what not online, but what are the repercussions?
To curate this source, I decided to post a link to a YouTube video that I recently watched to learn more in fifteen minutes than I did in two hour-long math classes. And it's related to a topic that I will almost indubitably never use again after this semester. Technology has certainly made learning more effective, but its not only the blackboard stuff and online courses (as the author mentioned) that students can exploit nowadays. If I can watch a video like this and learn about calculus limits in 12 minutes, why am I sitting in class for two hours? It kind of made me wonder what I was even doing there. Attendance grades? And when am I ever going to need to know this? Point in case, I'm not saying that college is a scam, its just the significant lessons come from outside of the classroom. Street smarts if you will. Soft skills.
Truth is, we really won't ever need to know most of what we learn in these classes, unless its actually related to what you want to do when your older. And even then, most jobs will literally teach you everything you need to know. Prior experience is not as pertinent as most people think. Anyways, I'm not saying that people should be skipping class. Class is a good place to be, can't hurt to go once in a while. Its more of just a revelation I had after taking notes my entire freshman year. Why write all this stuff down if I'm never going to use it again? So I can pass an exam? It is true that technology has made the way we learn more effective, but it also made me question the entire American higher education system itself. If I'm really paying $100 or $200 for each class, as a professor I had used to tell us in an effort to make students show up, then shouldn't I be learning something useful? Funny thing is, I actually went to class and tried to pay attention to what my professor was trying to teach us, she's just very hard to understand. I had no idea what I learned when I left. When the day of the test came, I thought, hey why not look it up online... what do I have to lose? At first, I felt like a genius finding such a loophole. This was followed by the realization I just explained. That's when my shortcut-finding-pride swiftly turned to sheer disappointment in our class system.
Yeah, it's definitely important for me to know all of the twenty different kinds of microscopes that exist @CHE113. That'll for sure come in handy one day.
All of what was said is strictly personal opinion and was not made offend anyone.
For your second source, I love how you made a playlist on Spotify (which was mentioned in the article). You took it to a whole new level by incorporating computer generated music to give another layer of technology's influence on music and how it is written/created.
ReplyDeleteI also like your use of Prezi for your third source. You have a clear sense of organization that helped me understand what the source was about and how it linked to your overall project. Putting your own opinions into it was also a great idea.
Eye-opening stuff my dude
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You gave good reasons as to why you chose your sources and the ending to your post was different but also very true.
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