Writing in Interactive media

This semester has been tough. Not being a technical writer, I learned quite a few things about projects and especially writing in various forms. Although the assignments were sometimes difficult, I must say that I really did enjoy this class. I learned so much about all the components of writing for media and what goes into it. I will always appreciate websites and other forms of media a bit more, knowing the kind of effort that is put into them. But now, as the semester draws to a close, I must reflect on the impact of this class. Because of my integrated studies program, and my different, and very opposite subject matters, I don't think that a career in interactive media is for me. I like writing, I like all the technologies that we have, but I don't see myself as a writer. I have written blogs as a job, once, and I found it very difficult to stay motivated and make my writing interesting. (I wrote about banks, bonds, and accounts) After that, I really have not looked into media writing as an option. Perhaps I could write as a side-job, where I write at my own pace, on subjects that I find interesting. My career focus is focused on face-to-face interactions. Like I said earlier, I love all the technology that we have, but I have seen the effects first hand of the problems that can be associated. It is just easier to avoid the problem altogether. Everything in moderation :) But, I shouldn't say never either...

I think that we will always have to be conscious of writing for interactive media because technology is becoming more and more versatile, as well as an integral part of our lives, so, I think it is just something we have to keep in mind.

I am so glad that I was able to be a part of the group I was in. It was nice to see familiar faces-Lisa and Dan, and it was very nice to meet Michelle.

You guys! It was fun! You were a great group to work with and will miss you all after the semester is over. Hopefully we have another class together, but I think that my English coursework is nearly complete. So, good luck with the rest of your classes. I know you will be great writers, in business, education, and law, or wherever your lives take you. Hopefully I'll see ya around after the semester is over. Thanks for an awesome semester in ENG 3180. Have a great break!!! Be  safe :)

And to Dr. Bacabac,
Thank you so much for making this such a great class. I will definitely recommend you to my other peers if they need an English credit. It's been a pleasure to be one of your students. Have a great break! I'll see you next spring in Grant writing.

Scholarly Article #5

Anne Wysocki's article, What Do Technical Communicators Need to Know about New Media was very interesting. Everyday I use my computer, my laptop, watch tv, etc...but I really never  give thought to  how it is going to adjust with the changing times and technology. Facebook, websites, and even books are updated, with just a few changes, but are still different. And, as users, we expect updates. Technical communicators have to ask themselves rhetorical questions to understand their audience and make sure that their messages are clear.

I really like how she drew attention to all the advantages that media gives us as far as communicating. Print used to be the only thing that we could use, but now, we are able to send and receive messages instantaneously. We can email files instead of mailing and keep up with events across the world through internet. But one question struck me as I read this, where is media headed? In the beginning of the article, Wysocki describes a future where the virtual world is nearly real. Devices are worn to maintain interactivity with an alternate world. I began to wonder, will we really ever reach that point? Will we let ourselves reach that point? I know it really doesn't pertain to the article, but it just made me think.

Another interesting point that she brings up is the educational portion of gaming. I can understand her viewpoint with her supporting details and citations. And I do agree with her argument, but,it also made me wonder a few things. Like why do we have to stimulate ourselves all the time, just in order to learn something.  And what will the long term effects of constant stimulation be if we continue to subject ourselves to media in all its forms? As great as media stimulation can be to help us learn, humans have been able to learn the same things without media for a long time.

Overall, I enjoyed this article because it brought up several important points that I think are important to analyze and reflect upon. I liked the questions  that were asked for the new median and, tools, and audience. I think they began the reflection upon what new media is doing, and as far as the audience, covered the main points that are critical.

Scholarly Article #4

I think its interesting how Cynthia Selfe discusses an idea of a "third wave" of literature studies. Not only are personal narratives important  for personal revelation, but they also reveal the culture, knowledge, and changes in someone's life.

Digital compilation of language narratives is fascinating. The internet allows us all to connect at anytime and anywhere. The Digital Archives of Literacy Narratives (DALN) provides a way that teachers as well as researchers can find primary information on how people with different backgrounds learned to write and read. In each narrative, factors such as present situations, and the values or influences that mold their language learning are explained. Not only does this provide insight to minority experiences, but also people who just have a hard time. Often, teachers overlook students because they simply can't keep up, but they don't want to hold them back, so the student is passed on until either someone finally realizes the issue or, nothing. With my parents being teachers, my mom an elementary and dad secondary, I've heard some of the issues that come up. And frankly, they just don't know how to approach the issue. But with personal narratives explaining some of the problems that students or immigrants have faced, perhaps some of these issues can be solved through other people's experience.

The ideas of identity formation and transformation are well supported by examples of narratives. And I agree with her assumptions. After writing a memoir in a composition class, I found out that some of the traumatic experiences in my past were still lingering. Though I cannot fix this problem immediately, I was able to reflect on how I thought the experience changed my life and how, in some ways, made me a better person. I know a memoir is a bit different than a personal narrative, but the concept is still there. And the transformation was reflected in my choosing of what details I wanted my audience to know. So in ways, I ignored some of my characteristics of my own personality.

Thus, from personal experience I believe Selfe's ideas to be factual and fairly interesting, in learning our own identities and transformations.

Scholarly Article #3

Kreth’s article seemed to use a lot of fillers and language that was unnecessary. It reminded me a lot of the way article one was written, but at least this one I could understand enough to keep up with what was being said. It helped that the reading was broken into sections with titles to keep the main idea focused.  I think the author brought up several great points about the change of mediums of writing to images on the screen, though I do not agree with all of them.

One of the first concepts he points out is that in writing there is order. “Order is firmly coded: the order of chapters, the order pages, of lines and of the line, and, of course, within lines as language, the order of syntax.” But then he goes on to claim that words are left “open,” so that experience and culture, can be brought in from the reader to create meaning. I agree, that this is what reading is for, allowing the imagination to live and to create something from the words. On screens however, there is not quite so much order, thus the audience can pick and choose what he or she reads first. I do not see anything wrong with this type of medium. Like the video shown last week, I believe we are custom to multitasking, to finding information as quickly as possible, and being able to scan through a screen, allows us to do just that; whereas reading, we can scan, but it’s not as easy to pull things out from a sea of words. We are adjusting to the features of our generation.

And when he points out that we are no longer readers, but visitors, I believe that is also true. We don’t really read a web page or site, we visit it, we scan it, find what we are looking for, but in no way do we read or see everything that the page offers.

And finally one of the last points that is mentioned is the fact that now everyone can be an author. There are a lot of truths behind this article. With the internet being an open publisher, everyone can create something. What they write may not be true. What they write may not even be good. But it is there. And that is where we, as the audience, have to be able to separate the bad and good. Being literate is important. Being well read doesn’t just entertain coffee shop talk, but allows the mind to slow down, digest what is being read, and allows us to think.  Perhaps having screens are doing us a disservice in that we are so impatient for the knowledge that we want, that we are not getting the knowledge that we need.

Scholarly Article #2

I have never given much thought to how much internet has catered to us until reading this. I found it very intriguing that the idea is much like our toddler days, where things are "mine." While reading I found myself realizing the interactions of the internet in my own life as well as our families. As great as internet is, it really does eliminate jobs, as well as social connection. Instead of visiting my family for holidays, instead I can save money and skype with them. Or instead of physically going out to do "Black Friday" or holiday shopping for the experience, I can simply log onto the internet, basically shop from any store I want, and get the item shipped straight to their doorstep-something Ullman called disintermediation. And its a get-away, a privacy. My husband comes home from work and spends his "me" time playing NFL madden or Call of Duty, to escape interaction and just be in his own world for a few minutes, or hours.  :)

We are so fortunate to have something that really can fulfill many desires, but they are not always in our best interest. We are eliminating the association with people around us. Just like Ullman mentioned, with the Sonic game and the womens' first experience with internet, there were really two different experiences. Each person saw things a little bit differently, and its difficult to explain the idea when someone else is thinking of something different, even though they spent a lot of time doing nearly the exact same thing. So it was interesting to hear her argument that the internet is not only a relief from politics, but also from our culture. She used the commercial example of the apocalyptic world and then the house with the computer, and how the media idolized the features of being home with a computer than out in the world. Its sad that the world was represented in such a harsh way. Its where we make friends, can actually live-making mistakes and experiencing all that is out there. But instead, it was seen as "dead," and "dangerous."

My final thoughts on the article are simply that she makes a very good argument. With everything so specialized to us in one object, how are we supposed to learn to get along with one another, making compromises. Our government functions with compromises, businesses compromise, and even between our relationships we must learn to "give a little to get a little." If we are so used to getting everything we want, why would we ever want to discuss or share our experiences? The internet allows us the privacy and satisfaction of getting what each of us wants. But how far can, or will it go? Our society will eventually collapse, and we have begun to see the signs.

Scholarly Article #1

This article, The Evolution of Writing definitely tested my comprehensive skills. From what I understood, besides the fact that the whole chapter discussed the evolution of language and behavioral symbols, was that there are many theories on how language has effected society. I agree that writing is a secondary choice to speech, though writing is a proof of the speech, such as in science and philosophy, which makes me believe that perhaps writing should be considered more of a primary source, especially with the way we communicate today.

Media now plays a huge role, not just in how we communicate with one another but also in how we behave with one another. Like Pinker thought, as the language or consciousness  evolves, so do the people. With our phones, emails, and other forms of social networking, our writing has began to diminish into shorter more fragmented words-such as LOL. Where r u? and Idk. We are symbolizing the change that is taking place in our lives. Writing and communication is lacking, while our ability to communicate to several people at once has improved. Thus, the way we communicate is less important and impersonal.

I though it was very interesting as the neanderthals were discussed on how their communication was based upon "tools" or gestures to speak. Now, we can compare the language of our ancestors, their behavior with our speech and other "tools" to communicate. Since language is taught in almost every school around the world, people are becoming more creative in the way they present themselves, not just in their speech, but in their mannerisms, their phrases, their dress, and of course, behavior. The more eccentric, the more eye catching. Symbolism is the base of most of their appearance rather than in their speech or body language. It is very interesting to see how similar, yet so advanced, we have become.

Initial Blog on Technological Literacy Autobiography

Reflection Questions:

When/How did you first learn to use the computer?

I first learned to use the computer in third grade-age 8. I remember being excited because we were finally able to have computer class. We learned how to type using Mavis Typing Tutor, which integrated typing and games. I didn't learn how to use the internet until later, about 5th grade-age 10 when we had small research projects, in which our teachers would tell us where to go-websites and links.The first social utility networking I used was Instant Messaging about 9th grade-age 15, which was then followed by Facebook, in 11th grade-age 17. These social utility networks were simple and easy, so no instruction was needed, just experimenting.

How does getting supplementary online support help you in this course and in you other courses?

Getting supplementary online support helps me in this course and other courses through tutorials and in instances such as research and ideas. The advantages of online support and information is that almost anything and everything is available online. They are easy to access and has an enormous amount of information available at any time. One disadvantage is that there are many sites that have false information, so you have to be cautious in your search for facts. Another disadvantage is that sometimes there are glitches or internet connection problems. Also, there is not that face-to-face interaction with another person, limiting social aspects. To limit the disadvantages and maximize the advantages, one should verify their information with other websites, or even other people, utilizing peers. Also, one can check their certain websites that are necessary for information or support to make sure there is not website maintenance scheduled.