Copy And Paste Literacy? Literacy Practices In The
Production Of A MySpace Profile
By Dan Perkel
What started out as a social networking tool has now become so ingrained in our society, especially among teenagers, that we now question whether MySpace is “reading” or “writing.” Reading and writing have generally been viewed as an individual’s task. As teachers, we insist that students put things into their “own words.” But with this shift towards a more collaborative society, copy/pasting is not only acceptable, it is encouraged. If reading/writing are primarily about communicating, and this collaborative re-use of media has become a keystone for communication, then sites such as MySpace must be viewed as literacy tools.
The Perils and Pitfalls of Wikipedia
As Wikipedia has become more widely used, many Internet users (my students among them) have come to view it as equally reliable as a hardcover encyclopedia or text. Although its popularity may have increased its reliability, the collaborative nature continues to inspire skepticism in the minds of traditional researchers. More than one English teacher has banned the use of Wikipedia as a creditable research source. Although I do allow my students to use Wikipedia, I also strongly encourage them to verify the information with at least one other source.
The success of such sites as Wikipedia has led me to make an observation about my student researchers. Information has become so web-based that some students no longer know how to use print sources such as books, encyclopedias, or magazines. Their research is predominantly conducted on their computers. Perhaps a balance still needs to be kept among the old and the new.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Week 5 Reading Responses
The focus of this article is on how educators must prepare children with the skills and experiences needed to succeed in future society. The concern is also that students should be aware of how media shapes their understanding of the world, their power to shape that media, and the responsibility that power bears.
The online world has shifted to one of participatory knowledge and we as educators must also shift our teaching to reflect that collective world.
Collective Intelligence has been defined as "the ability to pool knowledge and compare notes with
others towards a common goal." This has led towards a teamwork mentality in the modern workplace. However, schools have not kept up with this trend; educators still primarily promote individual problem solving versus group as evidenced by the continued policy of individual grades. The author of this article suggests that schools need to teach students not only how to solve problems on their own but also when to work within a community to solve the problem. The suggestion was made that partnerships with experts as well as participants in multiple locations could allow students to work on problems collectively that might be too large or too complex to work on individually. I agree that this expansion of resources would be beneficial to our students in that it would stretch the classroom beyond the borders of the classroom. It would also give the students the real-world skills needed to work in a social community of knowledge.
Judgment was defined in this article as the ability to evaluate the reliability and credibility of different information
sources. The author suggests that students must be taught how to evaluate the reliability of information gathered from traditional expert sources as well as information gleaned from the collective intelligence. They must be taught that collective knowledge is an ever-changing process not a static product. The timing of this article for me as a teacher is fortunate. As a I begin instructing my sixth graders on the pluses and minuses of online research, we discuss the possibility of finding misinformation. I now realize that we must also teach students how to evaluate not only the content but also the source. Is it biased? Who is presenting the info and to whom? Although we as teachers have taught bias in such media as newspapers and TV news, we must also teach the subtleties of the online information world. Misinformation and bias are not always so obvious on the internet.
Media literacy should not be limited to one arena. Schools, after-school clubs, and parents should all be involved in preparing our children for participating fully in the modern world both online and offline.
Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century by Henry Jenkins, Director of the Comparative Media Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The focus of this article is on how educators must prepare children with the skills and experiences needed to succeed in future society. The concern is also that students should be aware of how media shapes their understanding of the world, their power to shape that media, and the responsibility that power bears.
The online world has shifted to one of participatory knowledge and we as educators must also shift our teaching to reflect that collective world.
Collective Intelligence has been defined as "the ability to pool knowledge and compare notes with
others towards a common goal." This has led towards a teamwork mentality in the modern workplace. However, schools have not kept up with this trend; educators still primarily promote individual problem solving versus group as evidenced by the continued policy of individual grades. The author of this article suggests that schools need to teach students not only how to solve problems on their own but also when to work within a community to solve the problem. The suggestion was made that partnerships with experts as well as participants in multiple locations could allow students to work on problems collectively that might be too large or too complex to work on individually. I agree that this expansion of resources would be beneficial to our students in that it would stretch the classroom beyond the borders of the classroom. It would also give the students the real-world skills needed to work in a social community of knowledge.
Judgment was defined in this article as the ability to evaluate the reliability and credibility of different information
sources. The author suggests that students must be taught how to evaluate the reliability of information gathered from traditional expert sources as well as information gleaned from the collective intelligence. They must be taught that collective knowledge is an ever-changing process not a static product. The timing of this article for me as a teacher is fortunate. As a I begin instructing my sixth graders on the pluses and minuses of online research, we discuss the possibility of finding misinformation. I now realize that we must also teach students how to evaluate not only the content but also the source. Is it biased? Who is presenting the info and to whom? Although we as teachers have taught bias in such media as newspapers and TV news, we must also teach the subtleties of the online information world. Misinformation and bias are not always so obvious on the internet.
Media literacy should not be limited to one arena. Schools, after-school clubs, and parents should all be involved in preparing our children for participating fully in the modern world both online and offline.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Week 4 Reading Responses
Rise of the Participation Culture
by Steve Borsch, CEO
Marketing Directions, Inc
Introduction
The shift in Internet use from passive to active has changed the infrastructure of technology in today's society. We have become a participation culture. Young people today do not wait for someone else to create a solution for their technological problems; they create their own solutions. This is a very different mindset from the previous computer generation.
The authors of Rise of the Participation Culture contend that this paradigm shift is on par with such notable historic events as the introduction of the printing press, telegraph/telephone, railroads/automobiles/planes where an improved system of creation and distribution of products and services changed our society. The global reach of an participatory Internet has allowed people from all over the world to create a new culture not bound by geography.
The "Participation Culture" is built upon three pillars: Internet, Participation, People
Internet as a Platform
Web-based applications mean that users are no longer tied to the computer or location where their application is stored. Users no longer need to worry about updating to the "latest" version of an application when it is housed in virtual space. The Internet has become its own operating system.
Participation Applications
User involvement is the key to the current Web culture. A network effect has been created by participants on such sites as Wikipedia, ebay, and online directory services such as LinkedIn. The driving force of sheer numbers results in a more powerful and valuable interactive experience.
Gaming and Virtual Worlds
A prime example of how pervasive the Participation Culture has become is in the gaming and virtual worlds arena. Annual revenues surpass even the motion picture industry. Projections indicate that worldwide gaming revenues will reach over $54 billion by 2009. No longer the domain of children, these gaming and virtual worlds are populated by people of all ages. The ability to create and "live" in other worlds has great appeal to many people. Many large companies in the "real" world are dipping into online gaming and the "virtual" world.
The suggestion was made that even educators are exploring the learning potential of virtual worlds. Imagine teaching a unit on Ancient Rome, creating a virtual city, and having students "live" in history. Talk about sparking imagination!
The possibilities are intoxicating but, I also worry about the drawbacks. While our world seems to be expanding exponentially, are we also in danger of becoming too virtual? Could these be the classrooms of tomorrow? "Virtual" classrooms where students login for class already exist. Will students lose that opportunity to learn how to interact on a face-to-face basis?
Rise of the Participation Culture
by Steve Borsch, CEO
Marketing Directions, Inc
Introduction
The shift in Internet use from passive to active has changed the infrastructure of technology in today's society. We have become a participation culture. Young people today do not wait for someone else to create a solution for their technological problems; they create their own solutions. This is a very different mindset from the previous computer generation.
The authors of Rise of the Participation Culture contend that this paradigm shift is on par with such notable historic events as the introduction of the printing press, telegraph/telephone, railroads/automobiles/planes where an improved system of creation and distribution of products and services changed our society. The global reach of an participatory Internet has allowed people from all over the world to create a new culture not bound by geography.
The "Participation Culture" is built upon three pillars: Internet, Participation, People
Internet as a Platform
Web-based applications mean that users are no longer tied to the computer or location where their application is stored. Users no longer need to worry about updating to the "latest" version of an application when it is housed in virtual space. The Internet has become its own operating system.
Participation Applications
User involvement is the key to the current Web culture. A network effect has been created by participants on such sites as Wikipedia, ebay, and online directory services such as LinkedIn. The driving force of sheer numbers results in a more powerful and valuable interactive experience.
Gaming and Virtual Worlds
A prime example of how pervasive the Participation Culture has become is in the gaming and virtual worlds arena. Annual revenues surpass even the motion picture industry. Projections indicate that worldwide gaming revenues will reach over $54 billion by 2009. No longer the domain of children, these gaming and virtual worlds are populated by people of all ages. The ability to create and "live" in other worlds has great appeal to many people. Many large companies in the "real" world are dipping into online gaming and the "virtual" world.
The suggestion was made that even educators are exploring the learning potential of virtual worlds. Imagine teaching a unit on Ancient Rome, creating a virtual city, and having students "live" in history. Talk about sparking imagination!
The possibilities are intoxicating but, I also worry about the drawbacks. While our world seems to be expanding exponentially, are we also in danger of becoming too virtual? Could these be the classrooms of tomorrow? "Virtual" classrooms where students login for class already exist. Will students lose that opportunity to learn how to interact on a face-to-face basis?
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