Today's Old News: Paying Attention

According to Mark Weiser, “The most profound technologies are those that disappear,” that “weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it” (qtd. in Selber, 159-160). Selber adds, “Technologies may be the most profound when they disappear. But when this happens, they also develop the most potential for being dangerous” (160).

Technology and its corresponding literacy are already deeply woven into our way of life. We see its hemlines at work, school, home, and even in the twenty-first century workings of our democratic government. As more of us go online it instantly creates a division with those who are still offline. We get so used to our new access that we easily forget those without it. The internet and its uses are ingrained in our lifestyles, but what of them who never had it?

Does your child have NimbleFingers?

I heard from a friend of mine teaching in the Walnut School District that many elementary classrooms are teaching typing skills (sometimes in place of handwriting skills). Hearing this impressed me and made me cringe a little at the same time. I recently googled “teaching typing to elementary students” and came across an online typing program called, “NimbleFingers.” It can be used by adults but seems mostly geared towards teaching typing skills to kids. Here’s a link to the Teacher’s Typing Manual that goes with the program:

http://www.nimblefingers.com/teachers.htm

The objectives state, “Keyboarding is an excellent way to introduce students to computer literacy and to improve one’s ability to interact with the computer. Once you know how to type, you do not have to search for the key to press and you can concentrate on the application at hand.” I never really consider using my computer as “interacting” with it and these objectives definitely push kiddos to be as productive as possible.

I’m wondering if I’d mind it if my child did not know how to write in cursive? I feel torn.

Contemplating Selfe-Defense...

Before class on Wednesday a few of us were talking about the Selfe reading and agreed that much of what she has to say is valid, that paying attention to technology is of utter importance, but also agreed that the book seems a bit outdated. Of course, in Selfe’s defense, she published the book in 1999, and paraphrasing a classmate, she was definitely thinking ahead of her day, saying things few others were even considering at the time. But in doing further research on my technology-driven thesis topic, I’ve come to realize that it makes sense that this type of writing becomes obsolete along with the technologies in mention. We upgrade our computers, phones, i-pods, you name it. We buy the latest thing, knowing well that a better version is just around the corner, waiting to make us yesterday’s news. Still, this realization brings me back to 1999—lending to exactly why Selfe insists that we need to pay attention. The rate at which technology is moving seems almost immeasurable. The exponential growth of technology means that the “critical technological literacy” that Selfe calls for must try to keep pace. We must continue to pay attention, keep track, and update (or “upgrade”) our writing as well.

Lighting candles around my computer, ready for another night of worship.

(Found a comment addressed to me lost in cyber-blog-world). =]
Is computer technology now taken for granted as an inborn knowledge and need in our society? Is it so accepted that we no longer question the validity of technology as it affects our lives?

I would say that “taken for granted” is an understatement. We seem to be so set on technology as messiah that we stare blankly up at the pedestal we’ve put it on and wait for the next wonderful thing it’s going to do for us. I must admit that I am as guilty as can be. I too, am rather smitten by all the (technological) things I can do now, compared to the childhood I remember growing up in—playing hide-n-seek with neighborhood kids, jumping off roofs, playing hopscotch with rocks, etc. Today, I can create Sim-worlds, go to virtual pool parties, and submit homework without ever leaving the comfort of my desk chair. Absolutely amazing. However, I do think technology is so “inborn” for some of us that we overlook all those we’re leaving behind. It’s easy for us to get lost in our cyber existence, not noticing those apart from it. After all, they’re not there for us to notice in the first place. It has come to the point where we indulge in the good things so much we neglect the negative ways it’s affecting our lives. According to Selfe, our tendency to believe in something and accept it a certain way has “powerful masking effects.” We see technology as we want to see it, and today, a concerning majority of the world seems to see its universal acceptance as a wonderful thing.

rEVOLUTION or bust: Changes that move us in some kind of direction

History is packed with one revolution after another. Revolution for freedom, rights, votes, equality, you name it. Revolting is what we do as humans. We recognize an injustice and fight until we attain a satisfying result. Are we ever satisfied with a particular result, I’m not sure? I guess it’s a matter of perspective. Today, new kinds of revolution are changing everything we know about literacy, communication, and even the world we live in. As the rich get richer and our computers get smarter we must recognize that these revolutions, whether negative or positive, are part of our evolution as a thinking being. These revolutions are significations of our move into something beyond what we know. This move is and will continue to affect our composition classrooms and standing aside is not an option. But whether the right answer is to move with or against the grain is still left to be seen. Unfortunately, more often than not, our only option is to move with these revolutions—accepting this inevitable evolution in thought, society, and communication.

Crackberry Lovin: Keeping up with a world that refuses to wait.

I switched from my old-school flip to the hot new Blackberry because it’s what’s in and necessary to keep my swag going in today’s technologically advancing world. Now I can check who’s hollering at my email while keeping up with the latest ENGMA post. I can SMS, MMS, BBM, IM, and check my Facebook wall for shout-outs all in the same crackberry sesh. As soon as something comes to mind I could tweet it and the Twitter world will instantly be updated on my personal state of mind, thinking on the same page. i cn write 2 u like ths n u hve no prob readin it. We can LOL and ROTFL, talking about what’s hot, what’s real, what’s good, and what’s not. I can text with you today and tell another friend tomorrow that I spoke with you yesterday when, actually, I haven’t spoken to you in over a year. LMAO.

I was teaching my mom to check her voicemail (for the 3rd time) and realized afterward: Today is not like yesterday. Shoot, it doesn’t even sound anything remotely similar. The world seems to be getting smaller and bigger simultaneously.

(BTW, real reason I finally upgraded is because I dropped my old phone into a restroom urinal).

Testing, testing, 1,2,3...

Test blog for 658. =]