Coming from a world that is largely "hands on," I often find the technologies in use today to be somewhat confusing. When I was young, we held our toys in our hands, in a distinct physical location. We could feel them and see them; turn them around and view them from all sides. In some ways, which I mean to correct, I feel left out of the experience of using the latest technologies and need to gain the skills required to join in with the rest of the world.
The Smart Phone is something that I have yet to conquer, and I do not currently have any kind of cell phone, mostly due to living simply and keeping financial burdens to an absolute minimum. It's not that I'm cheap, but I am thrifty, and I have yet to find a Smart Phone that is affordable and still comes with all the latest and greatest technologies. When is comes to Smart Phones, I remain in the dark ages. This is my secret shame.
According to Green's common literacy practices, I struggle with decoding much of the language of a Smart Phone, or any texting mechanism in use (Facebook, etc.) (Durant & Green, 2000). I have not mastered texting language but for the basics, such as lol, for laugh out loud. As a former English teacher, I balk at the idea that our language is changing and evolving into something very casual and informal, and I worry that the English I came to love will become extinct, or perhaps already has . . .. My love of the English language seems lost on the youth of today, and my struggle to keep up with the technology in use today leaves me somewhat conflicted because of the vast changes in our language, how we communicate, and the lack of the physical, tangible world that I know so well.
Author Varnelis states, "digital networks enable us to be present in physical and networked places simultaneously (on the phone while on the road; on the Web while at a café)—often at the expense of non-digital commitments (2012). Humans have found a way to be in two places at the same time. The fact that much of what we know and believe exists in the cloud, for instance, requires not only a firm belief in the intangible, but a working knowledge of the intangible.
Through this blog, I represent the "growth of amateur-produced and-remixed content online" (Varnelis, 2012). I am a reporter, a consumer, an advocate and politician, and I have the power to have my voice be heard in an entirely new way. The key to change, I believe, is being more excited about gaining new knowledge than upset about losing the old. This is how I know that I will succeed in conquering new technologies; sheer excitement of the discovery.
Thanks for reading.
Durrant, C., & Green, B. (2000). Literacy and the new technologies in school education: meeting the l (IT) eracy challenge?.
Varnelis, K. (2012). Networked Publics. Retrieved from http://networkedpublics.org/
Mary: I have an iPhone only because my daughter gave me her old one then she bought me a brand new one on my birthday; otherwise, I would still have my old Samsung. The hands on generation is still here and the new technologies are fighting to bring them in because of profit making and marketing to big commercial industry. I don’t mind if the U.S. spends billions to in a spaceship to Mars, but what are they going to do once they get there?
ReplyDeleteSo in regard to Green’s common literacy practices, I have to continue my struggle with updating, downloading, then deleting cookies afterward then when I lose an application, I get frustrated. Marilyn
I agree that technology can be confusing, but it is definitely a helpful tool to have.
ReplyDeleteI waited longer than some other people I know to get a smartphone myself, but once I got one, I was very glad I did. It has made life a bit easier. However, there are times when I wish I wasn't so connected all the time. Sometimes it is nice to be disconnected and to just enjoy the people you are with.
I agree that people need to be excited about gaining new knowledge and not upset about losing the old. We need to be able to embrace both the new and old knowledge, and use them together.