Below is my end of semester reflection from the New Media and New     Literacies class from Empire State College.  As it is my first semester in the MALET program, I feel that I have gained a lot of knowledge and understanding of how technology is changing and will forever be changing our world.     

Strengths: identify the strong points of your performance or understanding thus far. Give specific examples and tell why they are considered strengths.

I feel as if the one thing I know I can hang my hat on through this first semester of the MALET program is that I have professional life experience.  Many of the topics discussed and concepts researched are living breathing issues I face daily in my career.  I can imagine it may be a challenge for someone coming into this program with little real world application, they may have a hard time envisioning application of the topics discussed. 

The two topics that resonated with me the most were the Digital Immigrant/Digital Native topic and Participatory Culture and Media Literacy.  These topics were very real in my professional world and I was able to see direct correlation immediately.

Improvements: identify any areas that you see are in need of improvement. Include how these improvements can be made in during the remainder of the term

The one area I have a hard time understanding is how everything relates to one another, not just within this course but in the big picture schema.  I feel as if some of the information is slightly disjointed.  All very interesting topics however there are time I have had a hard time grasping the concept completely because I don’t know how it fits into the big picture of my environment.

          The one example in this class has been the Networked Publics readings.  I felt it was a very intellectual read and provided a lot of good discussion but I’m not quite sure how it fits into the big picture of New Literacies.  Most of our other readings and discussions were discussing how the new media affected literacy and this piece, from what I was able to extract, was more a discussion about the ethics of the networked places and what the future hold for the networked environments.

Some of the disjointed feeling I experienced may have been from taking two classes simultaneously.  I have not been a traditional student for some time (if we can even call this traditional), so it may be my learning curve. 

 

Insights: identify any insights that you have had about yourself or about the content. Discuss how you can "take away" this new knowledge and apply it to other contexts. 

Since the midterm evaluation, I have been able to get a better handle on the vocabulary in the literature.  I have now seen it used several times.  I’m sure it will continue to be on my radar throughout the program.

Looking at what I have learned about myself throughout this course has been interesting.  One component that stands out to me is that I previously may have judged an individual who may not have been as digitally literate negatively, because I didn’t view it as a literacy.  For example, if someone (i.e.. My mom) was unable to use her IPhone I may have judged her negatively.  However, now I see it as a lack of literacy (which may be present for many reasons), she does not know the symbols (icons) or jargon of the phone.  I now view it from a linguistic perspective of literacy and place less judgment.

As I continue to change how I look at what it means to be digitally literate, I have gone back to the micro-trainings I have developed for our LMS and realize that not everyone will have the same literacy level.  One example, I have had to change the approach for how the ‘slides’ progress throughout the training. 

I continue to learn and grow in this program and I look forward to the next semester.

 

Deconstructing a Print Advertisement

 

Step 1-Observations:

Adjectives to describe the advertisement:

Fit: Sexy: Tan: Feminine: Tasty

Aesthetics analysis:

There is the same woman in the ad in 2 different images.  One is physically fit, wearing a bright pink bikini with open arms highlighting her chest, abs and butt.  The other picture is the same woman, smaller image, wearing dark clothing, sunglasses with her arms folded and hair hanging forward in attempt to cover up her weight.  To the right are diet supplements and protein replacement shakes specifically designed for women.  Most of the text on the page is small except for the heading “I lost 60- pounds… and became an IFBB bikini pro!” which is significantly bigger font and partially in color.

 

Step 2- Purpose:

The product being marketed is Labrada Lean Body replacement shakes and Lean Body diet pills.

It is appealing for the target audience of younger women, ages 18-35, because of the feminine colors used and the woman has dark complexion with long dark hair, tanned in a pink bikini, which is a stereotypically an ideal image for most women.   

The advertisement is trying to draw on a women’s desire for a perfect self-image and that a replacement shakes are tasty ways to lose weight. I would believe that this ad is effective in its delivery for the general target audience. 

 

Step 3 – Message Sent

The message conveyed in the ad is that the average sized woman wearing black with dark sunglasses is overweight, which she is not, and undesirable.   Whereas the woman in the forefront of the ad is the more desirable look for a woman and the way to obtain that body type is to use the supplements and the meal replacement shakes.  The woman’s race is not clear from my perspective however she is very tan with dark hair and exotic features. 

 

 

Step 4 – Consequences of the message

The ad definitely portrays unrealistic expectations for women.  Not only is it showing a skewed image of the typical woman but it also falsely represents what it takes to obtain and maintain a body that is so clearly portrayed in the ad. 

Today’s society is moving towards acceptance of every body type and size, at times to a fault, I believe this image is depicting an unobtainable goal for most of American women.  In reality, the amount of women who are able to achieve a body like this one is few and those who do, the ability to maintain that body for a long period of time is difficult and at times unhealthy. 

As stated in the video Killing Us Softly 3 Jean states, “advertising tell us what we should be… what’s at stake is the ability to have authentic and freely chosen lives.”  This ad is a clear depiction of the paradigm that is discussed in the video.  If being physically fit means being a clone of the woman in the forefront of the picture then most women will work their entire lives and never achieve a physically fit status.

     When working through this week’s assigned readings and video, I felt as if there was a different approach and purpose for each.  In Raquel Recuero’s google chat with fellow colleagues, it appeared to be information sharing about youths in Brazil in regards to social media and having a voice.  Whereas, Saskia Sasses’s was a persuasive talk very politically driven with a certain agenda implied.

            The tools used in both of the talks appear to be the same, the Internet, blogging and social media.  The issues, from my understanding, are also the same, which was most clearly stated in the reading by Mark E. Kann, “online talk tends to be undisciplined, intolerant, and superficial rather than deliberative.  Furthermore publicly sponsored web sites rarely take advantage of the Internet’s interactive possibilities.” (Kann, p1/3)  Another issues facing both talk was how it relates to distribution of political participation.  (Varnellis, video)  In my opinion at the core of this issue stands the cultural and critical dimension literacy (Lankshear and Knobel, p175), the culture of politics is trying to embed itself into the digital culture, which hasn’t fully matured enough to be able to articulate its values of the culture.  It creates an interesting paradigm.  For example, Raquel indicated that many of the topics were for the first time being discussed openly in media because of social media. Yet then in Brazil, similar to some institutions in the US, social media is forbidden in academic institutions.  (Brazil, video)

            I was intrigued with the Google hang out with Raquel and colleagues, I felt it was a very real discussions of the current issues and phenomena with emergence and increased fluency in digital literacy.  However, I didn't feel the same with Sassen’s blog.   It was heavily laden with jargon and ideas communicated in a complex manner which led to less contextual force personally, however it may have been a successful delivery based on her target audience.

           

 

Lankshear, C. and Knoble, M. (2011 ). Literacies: Social, Cultural, and Historical Perspectives.  New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc.

 

Kann, M. (n.d.) Networed Publics: More or Less Democracy in the Internet Age.  Retrieved on October 14, 2013 from http://networkedpublics.org/digital_democracy/more_or_less_democracy_in_the_internet_age

 

Varnellis, K. (2012) Saskia Sassen: Networks, Power, and Democracy.  [video file] Retrieved on October 16, 2013 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hpw1GpHzAbc&feature=youtu.be

 

Brazil, J. (n.d.)  Raquel Recuero - Digital Youth, Social Movements, and Democracy in Brazil.  [video file] Retrieved on October 15, 2013 from http://connectedlearning.tv/raquel-recuero-digital-youth-social-movements-and-democracy-brazil

 

               

In Henry Jenkin’s white paper, Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21^st Century, he commented on participatory culture and the skills needed to be a successful member of this culture; play, performance, simulation, appropriation, multitasking, distributed cognition, collective intelligence, judgment, transmedia navigation, networking and negotiation.  There was a distinct parallel to recent reading that was assigned in another class, 21^st Century Knowledge and Skills in Educator Preparation.  The latter reference article identified skills that are in demand to be successful in the global economy; critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, creativity and innovation (21^st Century Skills, p 6).  The skills that were identified for our global economy are entrenched in each one of the skills that require success within the participatory culture. 

            Generally speaking, I felt Jenkin’s paper was discussing participatory culture in term of our younger generation, specifically K-12.  I do agree and believe this is where we see it used so distinctly and frequently.  However, my target audiences are adult professionals within a corporate environment.  The needs and uses aren’t different, the concerns may not be as prevalent as we see with the younger generation.  The participation gap may look slightly different on a corporate level, the gap may not be access to the equipment necessary but the innate ability and ease of using the equipment.  Even within the department I work, there are a variety of ages represented and there is a clear learning curve for those department members in their 50s and those in their 30s.  Can that be considered a participation gap? 

I’m not sure if the transparency gap would translate into a corporate environment, I would have to explore a further into the implications.  Though, I would like to discuss further the ethics challenge and how it directly relates in a corporate setting.  I don’t believe this is solely a generational phenomenon, I have seen an employee’s poor use of judgment and it has cost them not only their job but their careers.  Understanding that when we choose to involve ourselves in a participatory culture in a public forum there is no separation of one’s personal life choices and their professional life choices.  As Jenkin’s states, “we may, in the short run, have to accept that cyberspace’s ethical norms are in flux:” (Jenkins, p 17).  Many of our young and seasoned professional have been reprimanded and some terminated due to the communication and/or behavior demonstrated in this public forum, is it a part of current participatory culture or is it contrasting the corporate culture?  Which takes precedence? Can we be involved in both cultures?  This is a concern that should be addressed worldwide in any professional environment.  Several employers are required to do annual trainings (sexual harassment, safety, etc.) based on regulation or laws, the first step to rectifying this situation in the corporate environment may be to include a digital ethics workshop to the list of annual trainings, to ensure there is common understanding of the company’s expectation.  If I understand Green’s theory correctly, this could be a lack of operational literacy by the employees.  (Lanskshear and Noble, p 175).

In relation to the new skills emerging within this participatory culture, one skill, multitasking, has been throw around my industry for some time and there is an ongoing debate.  The idea that “multitasking and attention should not be seen as oppositional forces.  Rather, we should thing of them as two complementary skills” (Jenkins, p 35), was a ray of light.  I agree that multitasking is not about distraction, it is a constant scanning of the vast amount of information coming at us daily (Jenkins, p36).  I would even argue that our attention has been heightened by the onset of multitasking.  Speaking first hand, I am able to share (not split) my attention to more than one task.  I also strongly believe that it takes introspection to know how to manage one’s attention.  For example, as I sit to write a paper or read a scholarly article, I know I need to focus 100% of my attention, however for recreational reading I am able to do it as I am on a treadmill and my daughters are watching television in the same room.  However it is my responsibility to manage my attention, in turn, how I multitask and maintain effective completion of any given task.  If we talk about the generation in an educational institute, it would be beneficial to assist them in that journey of self-discovery.  For the professional, motivation to learn a resource to guide them may be a possibility.

As I have worked in a corporate environment for the last 7 years.  I have always been extremely ‘fast-paced’ in comparison to my colleagues, some have chalked it up to the New York way, however in reading these white pages I realize it may be I am more apt in the 21^st Century Skills having grown up in this participatory culture. 

 

 

Lankshear, C, Knoble, M. (2011) Literacies: Social, Cultural and Historical Perspectives.  New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc.

Jenkins, H.J. (2006)., Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century. http://digitallearning.macfound.org/atf/cf/%7B7E45C7E0-A3E0-4B89-AC9C-E807E1B0AE4E%7D/JENKINS_WHITE_PAPER.PDF

21^st Century Knowledge and Skills in Educator Preparation [PDF]. (2010). Retrieved August 11, 2013, from http://www.p21.org/documents/aacte_p21_whitepaper2010.pdf

What counts as literacy?

In the paper I explore the definition of literacy.  Before I could answer the question of what counts as literacy, I needed to understand the definition of literacy.  I found that the definition varies based on how the term literacy is used.  There was one common thread throughout each definition, the concept of text, whether print or digital text.

I then posed a question of the concept of text in today's world.  Can a vlog be considered a text?  According to Motoko Rich, in Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?, he states, "some literacy experts say that reading itself should be redefined. Interpreting videos or pictures, they say, may be as important a skill as analyzing a novel or poem."  This is especially intriguing to me due to the population of Deaf individuals I work with on a daily basis.  Their language is purely visual.  Suppose a Deaf individual cannot read or write English (commonly their second language) would they be considered illiterate based on the traditional definitions or due to advances in technology and in turn, a paradigm shift on the concept of reading, are they literate in their native language?  At this time, I am unable to make that determination, I hope to continue to explore this concept.

My position in reference to the value we should ascribe to the new forms of communication was best explained by an observed life experience.  Throughout the 13 years I have worked a job fair in the community, I have seen the culture of job fairs shift from a time when resumes were of the utmost importance and body language, composure and articulation was the way to grab a prospective employers attention to today, where printed resumes are nearly obsolete and composure and articulation is measure via a phone interview.  I see this as a perfect example of how both traditional reading and writing literacy and digital literacy carry equal importance.  Neither one successful in isolation of the other.  This is what our future work force will face, this is what they are currently facing right out of the gate.  It is the duty of our educators (and parents) to prepare them to be successful in our ever changing world. 

Rich, M. (2008).  Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?  The New York Times.  Retrieved from www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/books/27reading.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print

When reading the assigned literature, it sparked several connections in relation to my job and my own literacies.  When beginning the readings I, admittedly, was a bit confused with the terminology.  At first, I interpreted the terms in their traditional use, later it became clear that the intended meaning had a much broader scope.

First, in reading Chapter 12 in Literacies: Social, Cultural and Historical Perspectives, specifically The Study of New Literacies, I was able to parallel some of the concepts to my current work. When the author described the “old wine in new bottles” concept it helped me understand his message more clearly.  I was able to parallel it to a very recent struggle within my department.  We have transitioned from live presenter lead workshops/trainings to webinar style teaching and we are slowly moving into creating a learning environment on our LMS.  When we moved from live presentation to webinar, it was a difficult transition due to the material presented.  Only by trial and error did we realize we had to recreate a lot of the material in order to ensure the activity or presentation carried the same contextual force and desired outcome for the learner that we had originally intended. Looking back, it was not only developing our own skills and literacies with the new approach to teaching but the same literacies of the audience.  It took time to acclimate the audience to the technologies and the new approach to learning. There were several tutorials and demonstrations from the software provider’s representative that helped solidify the departments understanding of the tools.  Once we had a handle on the capabilities, we then could adapt our material to use the tools to our advantage to ensure a dynamic learning experience. 

As stated above, I was able to connect with Chapter 12 however I did not have the same reaction to Chapter 1. I respectfully disagree with the author’s position on the topic of “functional literacy”. I believe in an ideal world “more than functional literate” could be a standard expectation for Americans or Australians, however we do not live in an ideal world. If poverty and immigration were something only told in history books, we may be able to set a standard of “more than functional literate.”  The reason this resonated with me is because of my family’s origins.  Being first generation born in the United States, literacy was not a focus and I am sure I am not alone.  I can imagine a large percentage of Americans have the same experience, either first hand or somewhere within their family tree.  Understanding the struggles my grandparents and my parents have faced and knowing their limitation with literacy of several kinds; political, social, technological, etc., it has given me the motivation and drive to better myself and work towards a greater success.  That motivation and drive is a concept I strongly encourage with my own children, not only by teaching them but by role modeling. Which brings me to my own literacies today.

As I have come to realize in the readings there are several different types of literacies.  I have read and re-read the statement I was tasked with and I continue to look back and analyze how I have used texts and currently use texts to further my own learning.  I will speak to the obvious first, my continued education.  This is where I find myself the most traditional.  I am of the generation of text books, notepads and paper.  I need to read on paper and be able to highlight and make notes in the margin.  For example, when assigned the articles for this assignment I printed each one.  It is how I am able to process the information for learning purposes. However, for leisure I prefer all of my text to be electronic.  I have two different kind of electronic readers, one backlight and one e-ink.  I also have the book store app on each of my electronic devices, laptop, both my IPhones (yes I have two) and my computer at work.  I have always loved to read, I have collected specific authors for years and still keep hard copies of the books.  As an adult I continue the love of reading but there is a slightly a different purpose.  As I continued to further my education, it was brought to my attention my English writing skills were not quite up to par.  At first it was a shock, I had graduated high school and 2 years of college and it was just being brought to my attention.  When I finally got beyond feeling defensive, I realized I needed to do something about it.  First, Itried to identify the reason, again my family origins came into play.  I began to pay more attention to how I spoke which affected my writing and reading skills.  Once I starting working my own skills I was able to identify the source of my errors. I spoke just like my family; slang, broken English and incorrect grammar.  This is still a work in progress for me.

As for the less traditional text and/or literacies (social, technological, etc.), I feel I am fluent.  With text for technologies purposes, I best learn via vlogs.  Demonstration and tutorials which I can refer back to has personally been the best tool for learning thus far.  I find blogs helpful in a limited capacity.  When they are clearly factual, question and answer type, I do find them useful, otherwise I feel it is overloaded with personal opinion.  Blogs are an innovative approach for expression, when it is used with specific parameters, it can be beneficial. Based on my experience, blogs fall within the category of social text and literacies. Social texts are a necessary tool in today’s world and public expression is on the rise.  Participating in these social environments is not my primary mode of socialization but instead of resisting I have conformed to the masses. 

I look forward to continuing to explore new literacies and the study of literacies to see how I can continue to further my professional and personal self.