summary of digital literacy

1. What has most surprised you when investigating the topic of digital literacy?
I was most surprised to find out that digital literacy encompasses so much. I had originally believe that it only meant having the tools and the knowledge to understand the digital application that you are using; however, over the course of the semester I learned that it not only means this, but also being able to creatively express yourself through a digital means. I feel this is true because until you decide to “play around” with an application you will never be able to use or even find all the helpful tools that will only improve your self-expression.

2. What has been the most challenging part of this course (and by challenging, I don't mean that you didn't like it, I mean to ask what challenged your previously held notions or beliefs--what made you reconsider something you thought you understood previously.)

I think the most challenging part of this course has been understanding that computers and other technologies aren’t as delicate as I have thought of them in the past. Yes, a laptop will most likely break if dropped, but it’s normally not going to break if you click one too many times on a button in order to further your knowledge. I’ve always limited my computer usage to the bare minimal (word, email, email, facebook); however, this course has challenged this and has forced me to expand my horizon.

3. What has been your proudest accomplishment? What do you know now that you didn't know before? What can you do now that you couldn't before?
Well, I can tell you that I’m always proud (and surprised) with myself whenever I’m able to answer someone’s question that pertains to what I have learned through the help of this class. For example, just yesterday someone in one of my other classes asked me how to get a print screen… I had to learn how to do this for one of my projects, so, I was able to show him what to do! There have been many other things that I have learned that tremendously increased my digital literacy. Here are some examples of what I have learned how to use: Windows Movie Maker, Blogger, converters, and much more.

4. How will what you have learned here affect your life? (That's the real test of a class, isn't it?)
Because of this class I’ve been more outgoing when it comes to moving around in a digital world. When I was creating my blog for my final project I wasn’t afraid of searching for different widgets or templates because I knew I could always find help somewhere, if needed. Sometimes my searching didn’t always work out, but it’s ok because at least I know I tried. Overall, I feel that I will take with me the confidence one needs to survive in today’s growing technological world.

Final post

While investigating digital literacy I was surprised to find out that I am a digital immigrant! I should not be surprised given computer courses were just being introduced when I was an undergrad (dating myself). I have always tried to stay current with job related software, but I have never really sought out new technology for the sake of just experimenting.

I suppose one of my challenges has been realizing how critical it is to constantly explore new digital applications and trends to continue to remediate myself in regards to digital literacy. This course has brought to light the realization that our economy and culture are constantly and drastically changing. Unless we are willing to change with it, we will be left behind both culturally and financially. One of the other challenges was working with Final Cut on the collaborative project. It was very intimidating at first, but a blast by project completion.

I can honestly say that this class has been a truly rewarding experience for me. I enrolled in the class in hopes it would be beneficial for me at work. Not only will I be able to use what we have discussed in class, but in my personal life as well. I felt the readings and discussions were truly beneficial in class with real life applications. Even the Kress readings which were heavy in theory were also applicable to our every day lives. Now that I have a better understanding of how digital literacy is changing our culture and economy, I feel I will be able to spot future hot trends when searching for research funding opportunities for AAH which is one the job criteria for my position at Clemson.

The knowledge I have gained in this class will help me in all aspects of my life. I noted above some of the ways this class will aid at work. I am more aware of my audience I am targeting with my designs. This course has given me critical thinking skills making me aware of what is going on in the web, as well as advertisements and billboards I see on a daily basis. I am also aware that digital literacy and technology is one of the driving forces in our culture today and we must constantly remediate ourselves or be left behind. This is true in our personal lives, work, economy, and our educational system.

Final Post

Answers to the final questions:

1. The most surprising part of investigating digital literacy is how much I actually didn't know. There is a huge digital world out there, and for some reason, I felt like I knew a lot about that world. However, through this course, I realized my digital literacy was very basic and I have learned to expand it. I also found it kind of surprising that there are many people just like me that do not know a whole lot about the digital world. It is important for us to learn, however, because the world is a digital world and it's only going to get more so that way.

2. The most challenging part of the course for me was realizing that I am not as digitally literate as I thought I was. Like I said early, I know the basics, but there's a huge world of digital literacy out there and I still need to learn in order to keep up with the fast pace of that world. I felt at times like I had great ideas but I often struggled with how to put those ideas into use in the digital world because I have such a lack of literacy. That became frustrating at times for me because I wanted everyone to see my great ideas but I couldn't execute them without some sort of help from other individuals or instruction manuals.

3. My proudest accomplishment would have to be that I feel like my digital literacy, through the group work and class time where we shared, has advanced in such a way that it will be of great use to me. I feel like I can do a lot more on my own when it comes to computer programs and such. I enjoy trying to figure out programs by myself, but sometimes it gets frustrating. Something that I know now that I didn't know before is that powerpoint isn't always the best way to present a topic to a classroom setting. I've always been taught to use powerpoint for presentations, however, now after learning some of these programs, I feel like my presentations could have been enhanced and shown better if they were in like moviemaker for example. Yes, those programs take more time to set up, but the quality of the product you are showing will also increase. I can actually work a program like Windows Movie Maker now which I definitely couldn't learn before. I can also go online and find fun cool games that I wouldn't have even known where to start looking for. Also, some of the topics that were brought up in class for the "Things you didn't know" project, such as the library of books website can be helpful in other classes.

4. What I have learned in this class will definitely affect me in my other classes when giving presentations. I get kind of excited thinking about how much better my presentations will be than the other students (haha)! Also, in a work scene, I think this class and all we learned to develop our digital literacy more will help me in whatever job I will have. Also, blogging is my new form of journal writing. I didn't know there were actually places you could go (like this website) to write out different blogs. I enjoy writing in a journal but I hate the mechanical writing part of it. I am on a computer most the day so it is just easier and quicker for me to type what I'm feeling or trying to say! This class has really been beneficial for me in many ways!

Infotopia 1 and 2

The internet was a main topic in this part of the reading. I think the most interesting thing about the internet is how it reaches not just those of us in the United States, but people everywhere. It is such a gateway for our society. Sometimes I forget that there was a time when there was no internet or even that only a few wealthy individuals had access to it. I mean, it wasn't that long ago when I was introduced to the internet through AOL. Even after many of my friends had gotten AOL, I still had no idea what it was. I remember the days of doing my research for school through encyclopedias (which was horrible let me add). Now, I feel as if I am dependent on the internet and new technologies to do everything in life I need to do. For example, in class in my what I didn't know presentation, I realized that in the near future, we will be able to go into a restaurant and order food without ever having a server come take our order. You will even be able to pay without that person being there. This blows my mind on so many levels. The internet has really changed the way our society is run. However, we must also use the internet with many cautions now because of the easy access to whoever wants to use it.

Revised Project Prop

Mock Celebrity Blog that Jumps into Website Start off with the mock celebrity blog that I created for my Creative Project and then remediate the ideas and comments from the celebrity blog into a television clip. This television clip will discuss the most controversial ideas and comments just as the blog did. The fact that it is on television now will allow the audience to be larger and the information to be accessed easier. People could in turn just turn on the television as opposed to typing the address of the site into a search engine. I would use voiceovers to introduce and discuss the clips I am showing. This ties into my interest in a career after Clemson. I worked with this kind of information this past summer and am looking forward to working in this field of study again. This idea is based on the real television shows that celebrity bloggers are starting to get shows on MTV and VH1. Perez Hilton has the most famous one. He remediates his ideas that started on the web into a television show, much in the way I intend to.

I had intended on the television clip but then broadened my horizons to a website. I thought it would be more interesting and it was also something I wanted to learn how to create that would benifit me more. I sitll plan on touching on the same subjects, still having voiceovers (maybe), music and all the juicy gossip.I will focus on the most up to date and scandals celebrity gossip, as most of the celebrity bloggers do. In my last post I was contemplating if the outrageous stories would be the ones to focus on, and I realized that they most defiantly are. People love being shocked and that is what sells. So my mock blog will be as crazy and outrageous as possible, so in turn so will website. To complete this project I am going to have to use google pages or dreamweaver. I used it for my first project in another course and found it easier than other programs I tried to familiarize myself with. I have to get more familiar with is. Also in order to prepare I need to gather clips and present them through real life film rather than just online. Make the stories and pictures come to life.

Time Line: Week After Spring Break: Spend time in lab learning Google Pages and Dreamweaver and researching celebrity gossip Next Week: Putting together clips and adding voiceover and soundNext Week: Edit, finalize, finish clip

Infotopia 1 and 2

These chapters were interesting to me because they dealt with the Internet and what a fickle place it can really be. It always crosses my mind when I am on the web whether or not the article or website I am reading is legit. When you consider all of the people that have the freedom and knowledge to use the web it is kind of scary to consider what is reliable information and what is not. But the opposite is also true, it is quite amazing how much information is out there and the amount of people that have learned it and have learned how to publish it. I think that is how it works with technology, there is always a plus and a minus to it. We have talked about in class how it can be considered a scary thing, but I think its exciting.

Final Post

1. What surprised me when learning about digital literacy was how much I did not know. I was totally not aware of this vast playing field that digital literacy encompasses. I always just thought of digital literacy was a fancy word for how computer savvy you are. The more and more I learned from this course the more and more I learned that I am not nearly as digitally literate as I would like to be or as I probably should be for the jobs that I wish to obtain after college.

2. The most challenging part of the course for me would probably have to be the projects. Not only getting them done ( as I said in the first post I am not as digitally literate as I would have hoped I was so learning new programs proved to be a task, such as Movie Maker, Dreamweaver and so on) but also understanding that completing the projects was not the main focus of the course. It was the first course I have really been involved in where it wasn't just about the mechanics of doing the project but about what the process of the doing the mechanics in relation to my own grasp of digitally literacy meant. Now I had to understand why my video was remediated into a different form of digital literacy, not just transform it using a program. I wouldn't use the word hard, but it was something different that took some getting used too.

3. My two proudest accomplishments are the movie my group made for the first project and my website/blog that I am currently working on. I learned to use movie maker, import video and sound! To the digitally literate person I know this sounds trivial, but to me I could not be prouder! I knew nothing about any of that and I know I feel as though I have firm grasp on them. And not only will this help me in this course, but also in numerous jobs I have been applying for. And that is an accomplishment all in its own.

4. Like I said in post three the real test of this course will come in the job I plan to take at the end of this school year. Hopefully at a magazine, newspaper, or pr firm. I am confident that my understanding of new processes and digitally literacy as a whole will set me apart from other candidate is my interviews and also from other workers once I get a job. I think this is the most rewarding and effective thing you can take from a class! I am being thrown into the real world and feel prepared now more than ever.

Revised Individual Project Proposal

Subject/Focus
The subject is a website devoted to gossiping. What can I say? I’m a “gossip girl.” Specifically, the site will focus on the happenings of today’s college campuses. Every other week I plan to change the topic of the podcasts found on the site’s homepage. The podcasts that I will initially have on my site satirizes what being Greek means and what being Greek doesn’t mean. The idea/content for the podcast was actually written by another college student and I approached him about taking his written word and remediating it into podcasts. This subject allows me to consistently change my website, to always have something fresh and exciting to talk about, and to have my knowledge of the software keep growing each week. It illustrates my digital literacy because it incorporates remediation (taking written word and remediating it into digital audio), it incorporates web design, as well as audio technologies. I’m most excited about my project because it allows me to further my digital literacy by “playing” with software that I have yet to use this semester. I thought rather than build on something that I’ve already done I want to take on something new all together :) This project allows me to do just that.

Treatment
Boutique website that holds my podcasts.

Technology specifications
Dreamweaver and Audacity

Task breakdown
· Select content
· Select images
· Create website
· Select buffer music
· Create numerous podcast
· Upload podcast/content/images to website
· Polish final product

Working Time Line
Proposal completed 3.13 Final draft completed 4.28
First draft completed 3.28 Final project due during exam time

Final Post

1. What has most surprised you when investigating the topic of digital literacy?

The most surprising component of my semester long investigation of digital literacy was my naïve notion that I was already digitally literate. I came into the class thinking I can e-mail, blog, instant message, navigate around the web…I’m digitally literate. I can do anything and everything in Microsoft word, create a power point presentation in 30 minutes flat, and balance my checking account using excel…I’m digitally literate. I believed that because of my understanding of Microsoft Office and all of the other Microsoft suites that I was overly qualified when it came to all things digital related. How silly of a notion that was. I wasn’t digitally literate; I was learning to become digitally literate. Just like you learn to become literate through application, I’ve spent this entire semester learning to become digitally literate in the same way.

2. What has been the most challenging part of this course (and by challenging, I don't mean that you didn't like it, I mean to ask what challenged your previously held notions or beliefs--what made you reconsider something you thought you understood previously.)

The most challenging part of the course for me was realizing my limitations and knowing when to ask for help. I tend to be a really creative person. When I was younger I was always told what a “special” imagination I have. The problem was that I came up with the big ideas and I was never really interested in the implementation (technicality) of bringing them to life. I was, however, always willing to offer my critique of the final project. Now that I’m older I appreciate the marrying of the two—playing the role of both the creative director and technical support (although I must say I’m still better at the former).

3. What has been your proudest accomplishment? What do you know now that you didn't know before? What can you do now that you couldn't before?

My proudest accomplishment has been standing in front of my peers with the final versions of my projects and hearing their responses and feedback on what I’ve created. I don’t know, I’ve always been one of those people who get a sense of joy out of meeting the expectations of others. It’s fulfilling to know that the peers that you have so much respect for have respect for your work.

After having completed this course I know that I’m capable. I know that you get out what you put in and that goes for more than just work ethic; it goes for the software that you decide to take on as well. If you put in the effort to learn a video editing software such as Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere you’re going to end up with a better product than if you decided to use Windows Moviemaker.
What can I do now that I couldn’t do before? The question should be, “what can’t I do now?” I truly believe that I am capable of just about anything that I put my mind to. This semester (not just in this class) I’ve worked with everything from Audacity, to Final Cut Pro, to InDesign, to Adobe Photoshop. Prior to this semester I hadn’t worked with any of the before mentioned software.

4. How will what you have learned here affect your life? (That's the real test of a class, isn't it?)

It’s changed the way that I experience life all together. I know that sounds cheesy but it’s the truth. I can’t experience anything without asking how and why in relation to digital literacy. With my newly evolved interest in all things digital related my son ‘s life has also been affected. I now make a point to make sure that he experiences a whole array of new technologies. Since he was already into most things techy this wasn’t a hard feat. What I love most about how this class has affected my life is that I will always wonder, I will never just accept, I will always ask the hard questions, and look beyond the easy answers. I want to learn how this world we live in works and I believe that digital literacy is the way to go about achieving this.

Final Post

1. What has most surprised you when investigating the topic of digital literacy?

One of the most surprising things to me when investigating the topic of digital literacy is that digital literacy has begun to affect almost every part of our daily lives. I think about our 'my news' bubble that we talked about and even though we have access to the most information that we've ever been privy too, we can actually cocoon ourselves in our own little news world. I don't think I realized when I started this course that digital literacy was as big of a part of my life as it is.

2. What has been the most challenging part of this course (and by challenging, I don't mean that you didn't like it, I mean to ask what challenged your previously held notions or beliefs--what made you reconsider something you thought you understood previously.)

The most challenging part of this course was dealing with the idea that my digital literacy is not as high as I would have thought. This isn't an egotistical statement to make me sound like I know everything there is to know about computers, because I don't. But I was confident that I knew a good bit about computers. Given there would be some programs such as iMovie that I had never used before and thus would have to learn, but even knowing this I was astonished at how much I didn't know. This course has made me reconsider how digitally literate I thought I was. But this isn't a bad thing and by no means did the course make me feel unintelligent, rather it made me want to know more. Thus I am compelled to increase my digitally literacy daily.

3. What has been your proudest accomplishment? What do you know now that you didn't know before? What can you do now that you couldn't before?

My proudest accomplishment has most definitely been my growing knowledge of iMovie. Before this class I had never used iMovie before although I had heard about it and knew it could do some pretty amazing stuff [or at least stuff I had never done before.] I now know how to use iMovie in a literate way including being able to troubleshoot by myself as opposed to having to ask for help every step of the way. The questions that I had to ask in order to create my final project on iMovie were exponentially less than the ones I had to ask while doing our collaborative project. I'm now ready to move on to FinalCut Pro because I've been told that if I can use iMovie than I can quickly learn how to use FinalCut Pro. Knowing this encourages me to continue learning how to use programs I've yet to use.

4. How will what you have learned here affect your life? (That's the real test of a class, isn't it?)

I think the affect that Digital Literacy will have on my life is much similar to my response on what the most challenging part of the course was. I've learned that my digital literacy isn't as high as I thought it was and thus it has compelled me to continue on learning in the digital realm. This is how digital literacy has affected my life.

Final Post

1. The most surprising thing about digital literacy that I've learned in this class is that it doesn't have to be intimidating. I can do anything digitally if I'm willing to put the time in to learn. And most answers can be found with an online search. Not surprising, software and digital literacy are a lot like theory- the more you learn, the more you don't know.

2. The most challenging part of this course, for me, was learning the different technologies. It can be really frustrating when you are teaching yourself new software, but it's rewarding when you can produce something with it. I used to think that I couldn't do something, like building a website, without being taught. Now, I'm much more likely to just dive in and play with the software to see what works and what doesn't. I'm sure I don't always do things the best or most efficient way, but I can usually think around the problem to get the results I want.

3. My proudest accomplishments are the OLPC movie and my website. Those are two things that I probably would not have challenged myself to do before. I've always wanted to play with iMovie and I've been meaning to create a website for a years, but it took this class to motivate me to do it. I really liked that we were encouraged to play with new software outside of our comfort zone, instead of just writing a paper about a digital literacy topic.

4. What I've learned in this class, the theory and the software, I'll continue to be able to use. The theoretical lens will always be useful at looking at the changing world around us. I can't see "new media" without thinking about how it is remediated. And the technological skills I've learned will help me immediately by allowing me to express myself in ways I couldn't do before this class. Of course, these skills will eventually become obsolete (sooner than later, I'm sure), but the confidence that I can jump in a learn a completely new software will, I hope, remain with me throughout my personal journey in digital literacy. (Wow, that was a little over the top but it's true, so it stands).

final post

1. What has most surprised you when investigating the topic of digital literacy?

Before entering this class, I assumed that I knew what digital literacy encompassed, though if I had been asked to define it, I probably would not have been able to put it into words. And if I tried to describe it to someone else now, I would surely leave something out. I assumed that digital literacy was simply an extension of literacy into the digital world, but now after reading Bolter & Grusin, Kress and Sunstein’s works, that notion strikes me as far too simple. I certainly approach the digital realm differently now: I cannot watch a movie or sit down at my computer or read a book for that matter without thinking about the concepts and theories of remediation, transparency, hypermediacy, reading paths, etc.

2. What has been the most challenging part of this course (and by challenging, I don't mean that you didn't like it, I mean to ask what challenged your previously held notions or beliefs--what made you reconsider something you thought you understood previously.)

Kress’s ideas were difficult for me on two levels. Not only were the concepts he presented difficult for me to understand initially, but also once I understood what he was talking about, I struggled to figure out how to apply them and what they mean in terms of my own interaction in digital environments.

3. What has been your proudest accomplishment? What do you know now that you didn't know before? What can you do now that you couldn't before?

My proudest accomplishment is the work I did with my group members on the collaborative project. While I am excited that we figured out how to use Adobe Premier video editing software quite successfully, I am prouder of the steps we took to get that point. We had so many technical difficulties with hardware and software as we were developing and shooting our video, and we had to do a lot of troubleshooting. Although we had some outside help from MATRF staff, we relied a lot on trial and error to accomplish each step of the project. When things work, we tend not to think about how they work. But when they don’t we are forced to think about how things should work and why.

4. How will what you have learned here affect your life? (That's the real test of a class, isn't it?)

I will continue to think about the concepts we’ve learned in class and through the projects whenever I encounter anything digital. When I look back at all of the classes I’ve taken, the ones that stand out the most are those that have made me approach things from a new perspective, and I think this class has done exactly that. We encounter digital environments on a daily (hourly?) basis, and this class has offered new ways of thinking about the ways we use and interact with digital technologies and environments.

1. What has most surprised you when investigating the topic of digital literacy?

I was most surprised by how much is expected of people in terms of digital literacy already. It seems one is pretty much required to be a graphic designer and/or digital artist these days just to get by. That's why I've often considered that I'd have been better served by a tech-school program than a grad degree, but ... that ship has sailed -- ha! Anyway, I can speak only for myself, but I suspect others share my feeling that it's very frustrating to feel left behind or out of touch in terms of technology, as well as it's frustrating to feel as though you've involuntarily enrolled in a neverending series of lessons in technology -- that you have to teach yourself! While it's obvious that technology and digital literacy are an important part of society, I'm surprised by the degree to which that's true -- as if you're less of a person if you're not proficient in Photoshop, or able to use Flash. It actually seems a little ridiculous sometimes. We're all still humans, and presumably we have value with or without digital literacy.

2. What has been the most challenging part of this course (and by challenging, I don't mean that you didn't like it, I mean to ask what challenged your previously held notions or beliefs--what made you reconsider something you thought you understood previously.)

Sort of accepting the notion that less can be more has been the greatest challenge. Coming from a newspaper background, my philopsophy was slightly grounded in "all the news that's fit to print," or really maximizing space to fill with information. I've come to value the idea of a little "air" (white space) in a presentation, or at least a more minimalist approach -- as I think newspapers in general have tended toward in the last several years.

3. What has been your proudest accomplishment? What do you know now that you didn't know before? What can you do now that you couldn't before?

My proudest accomplishment so far was my creative project (marketing materials). I was pleased with the way they turned out, and I put a lot of thought and effort into them. I did have the opportunity on other projects to learn about online moviemaking, though, and I'm able to put together a basic movie with music and narration.

4. How will what you have learned here affect your life? (That's the real test of a class, isn't it?)

I hope it will inspire me to be more willing to experiment with programs I've avoided in the past, to be more willing to embrace the possibilities that come with gaining knowledge of and skills relating to digital literacy. However, I still have no inclination or intention to make a MySpace page! ;)

Final Post

For your final week's worth of blog postings, I would like you to address the following questions. You can make them separate posts, or just one big one--your choice.

1. What has most surprised you when investigating the topic of digital literacy?

The thing that has most surprised me about digital literacy is how popular belonging to multiple online communities is. I was even surprised how familiar our whole class was with online gaming and virtual reality. I had no idea how diversified and frequently used these types of online communities were. The different levels of identity and how anonymity affects behavior in these online environments has surprised me with its complexity and opened a new world of possibilities.

2. What has been the most challenging part of this course (and by challenging, I don't mean that you didn't like it, I mean to ask what challenged your previously held notions or beliefs--what made you reconsider something you thought you understood previously.)

Probably the most challenging area has been admitting that I am not nearly as digitally literate as I thought I was. Even when I came up with ideas for our group and creative project, it was difficult for me to figure out how to translate these ideas into a digital media. I was exposed, through the class discussions, to a myriad of digital worlds that I was not familiar with and sometimes not able to join in conversation. This has probed me to enter digital environments that I was not comfortable with before and learned to explore these communities.

3. What has been your proudest accomplishment? What do you know now that you didn't know before? What can you do now that you couldn't before?

My proudest accomplishment has been my group project. Our film was about Middle Eastern women and blogs, and it was just a subject that I was so interested in, and I ended up loving the ideas we used to and how the film came out. I now feel like I have learned how to approach that topic and the dangers of trying to remediate someone else’s digital work. We were often scared that we were “Americanizing” these women’s words. I now have the ability to understand how a message changes when it is remediated—for example, I now think about how messages I receive on a daily basis through tv, radio, text books, etc. has been remediated and how that alters the message.

4. How will what you have learned here affect your life? (That's the real test of a class, isn't it?)

I now have this excitement for finding new digital communities. My digital “routine” has been pretty limited to facebook and CNN. I have now found myself branching in new directions whenever the class mentions something about a digital world I am unfamiliar with. I also have found myself, like I said in the previous question, almost obsessively analyzing how many times a message has been remediated when it reaches me in my everyday life.

Kress 122-175

Ah punctuation. I've always had problems with punctuation and, like many other posters, dreaded reading this chapter. Many of my punctuation problems I attribute to the relativity of punctuation. It seems like the "rules of punctuation" often change depending on whom is teaching them. I was originally taught to put a comma where you would pause in speech, which got me in trouble because I pause in speech often. To this day I have problems with comma splices.
When Kress said on 123, "What meanings does the system of punctuation allow us to produce? Can punctuation be thought and talked about meaningfully other than as an intergral part of all the structuring systems of speech, of writing and of all other modes which occur on pages and screens?" It brought to light a question that I've always had. I remember my freshman lit teacher telling me that language is all relative, there are no rules it evolves with time. Perhaps punctuation is the same way?

Final Post

or your final week's worth of blog postings, I would like you to address the following questions. You can make them separate posts, or just one big one--your choice.

1. What interested me the most about digital literacy was its relationship to my everyday life. So many of my english classes center around subjects in the past, I felt that I actually learned about issues and technologies that will be relevent in my lifetime.


2. This class challenged me to re-examine the importance of the internet's subculture. Beyond simply Myspace of Facebook, I've seen how the internet community has grown to have a large impact on the world. Using Windows Movie Maker and Flash also gave me serious respect for the movies and flash games/videos that I watch on the internet.

3. Learning to use both windows movie maker and flash has definitely been my biggest accomplishments. Before this class I has absoultely no experience with either program. Not only did this experience give me new found respect for both programs, butit gave me something I can also put on my resume.

4. I kind of answered this is question 3, but it seems that the importance of being computer literate is becoming more apparent every year. I came into this class only really knowing HTML and microsoft office and now feel comfortable using windows movie maker and the basics of flash.

Final Post

I really enjoyed learning more regarding digital literacy. This is a field I have only dabbled in, so there were lots of surprises. I was probably most surprised by how digital means are created to make things more simple. I have always been afraid to tackle new computer programs, etc. for fear that it will be to difficult. But, these programs are here only to make things easier. My proudest accomplishment, no doubt, would be conquering MovieMaker. I had barely any experience with Powerpoint, so this was a big step! This was also probably my biggest challenge, because a lot of the tecnical terms used in the "help" section, were foreign to me, so I had to really dive into Movie Maker and all of the technicalities of it. I now know that computer programs are built for beginners. There are always new things you can learn, but picking up the basics can really help you better understand what you are working with. I am so excited to have conquered my fear of the "digital world." I walked in on day one and announced that I was "digitally unable," and now I feel like I could attempt any program. This will be very helpful later on, when I get a job. I will be able to understand different programs and all that they involve. I will be able to have a better understanding on how to get started on new digital projects, because the background and basics I have learned in this class will help me.

Final Post

The thing that most surprised me when I invested digital literacy was how woven into the world it was. For example, in previous posts we have all mentioned movies, clips, news, pop culture, ancient cultures, poetry, literature, and even more. The pervasiveness of the things that we have studied absolutely astounded me. Everything in one way or another can be linked into our discussions. Also, the vocabulary we learned (remediation, anyone?) while difficult to understand at first turned out to be very useful when it came to discussing our various projects and topics of discussion. While I may not be able to define "the internet" I am so much more capable of discussing various kinds of media and connect them to their previous forms.

The most thought provoking ideas that I discovered during this course was how related to theory something as definite as media can be. For example, our ideas of white space, the meaning of reality, and transformation all tie so well into theories such as postmodernism and evolution. While I used to take everything at face value regarding media, I now look at everything in terms of how we think about it theoretically. It has truly opened my eyes to how interwoven some current ideas are within our society. So interwoven that they are often hard to identify and pinpoint. Reanalyzing the things that I took for granted as well as connecting them with ideas has definitely been the most rewarding and challenging part of this class.

My proudest accomplishment is definitely the projects I was able to accomplish on my own and with a group. I know how to use new techniques and programs such as YouTube Grabber, MovieMaker, and special effects throughout my presentations. I didn't know that I could actually make a movie, but knowing now that I can convert audio and film footage to a program and make it flow is a great skill to have. I am so greatful to have picked up these new techniques and it was great to have the blog there if I had any questions along the way. All my classmates were so helpful and willing to go out of their way to explain a process to you. I was just impressed overall by everyone's performance within the class.

Not only have I picked up essential skills that can be applied widely within a business, but I have also learned the theory behind it. I am confident now that I can interact with technology and use my new skills to keep up when asked to do presentations in the future. One of my dream jobs would be to work in something closely related to art, and after our "what is art" discussion, I know that the things I have created within the class will provide a base foundation for some of the projects I will use in the future. Another thing that I am obviously fond of, is the element of theory that this class has provided me with. I really enjoyed learning all of the ideas that go behind the complexity of media today. Overall, I feel like this was one of the few classes that I have had in college that give me knowledge that I will be able to learn in the "real" world, whatever that is.

Final Post

1. The most surprising thing about digital literacy for me was how it means many different things to different people. The definition is like the definition of Professional Communication, it can pretty much mean what you want it to (within the realms of literacy, of course). I was also surprised by how I may think I'm digitally literate and then I see people who can write code and speak using computer jargon and I have no clue what they are doing or saying.

2. Remediation had a different meaning for me this time around. I had read it before in undergrad for a Writing for Electronic Media class, so I was looking for something else in it when I read it back then. This time around there were still some concepts I could not quite grasp, but although a challenging read, it make more sense to me.

3. My proudest accomplishment was teaching myself how to use iMovie without using the Help function. I sat in front of my computer for hours going through everything it could do and although I may not have done things the "right" way, I still figured it out.

4. Being able to use iMovie and other things on my computer will be a huge help in my life. I want to make a movie for my MAPC project and knowing how to use a movie-making program will make my life much easier.

Final exam update

Our final exam will be at 12pm on April 26th in the Studio. This will be our last meeting so please have your final projects saved to a device to turn in at the end of class, or email them to Dr. Fishman prior to our meeting.

Final post

In investigating the topic of digital literacy, I learned that I wasn't as digitally literate as I thought myself. Digital literacy means more than just using programs and different media; it also has a great deal to do with audience analysis. The concepts in the Remediation book were all new to me, and I learned a lot from them.

The biggest challenge for me in this course was figuring out what digital literacy entails. Although I have an operational definition of it, I have come to believe that it encompasses so many aspects that in many cases, it is a very ambiguous subject.

I have been most proud of the fact that I actually developed a better understanding about the class. At first, that was my biggest concern; mainly, that I couldn't complete my projects because I didn't understand the theory I was supposed to show through my work. Now, I have a better understanding of hypermediacy, immediacy, and transparency and how they function in digital literacy.

This class has taught me a new way of approaching audience analysis and self-expression. I will be more cognizant of the choices I make and will understand why I decided to make those choices - not just because I thought they looked good or "worked", but knowing why.

Finishing up the Blog :-)

For your final week's worth of blog postings, I would like you to address the following questions. You can make them separate posts, or just one big one--your choice.

1. What has most surprised you when investigating the topic of digital literacy?

2. What has been the most challenging part of this course (and by challenging, I don't mean that you didn't like it, I mean to ask what challenged your previously held notions or beliefs--what made you reconsider something you thought you understood previously.)

3. What has been your proudest accomplishment? What do you know now that you didn't know before? What can you do now that you couldn't before?

4. How will what you have learned here affect your life? (That's the real test of a class, isn't it?)



Although I will say this is class, I want to thank everyone for their hard work and contributions. A discussion-based class depends on its members, and I appreciate everything you've brought to each other and to me.

Project Help

If anyone wants some help or wants to powow about iMovie or Final Cut Studio, I will be around ALL weekend working on my individual project. I live within walking distance of campus, and I'm on the Red bus route. Just email me at shadowraven13@gmail.com.

Individual Project - Last revision :)

My digital literacy project will document my experience using Final Cut Pro and Movie Maker. This project will discuss my use of Final Cut Pro, Movie Maker, and podcasts, but will be taped with a video camcorder and edited in Adobe Premiere. Integrating these forms of media will express my digital literacy while also narrating my comprehension of these various technologies.

The project may not explicitly address vocabulary from class, but the concepts will be evident through the way the project is arranged. The project will be organized in segments to address the steps I took in learning the programs.

The projected time it will take for me to complete this assignment will be approximately a month. The reason this project will be so time consuming is because I will have to record myself while in the MATRF lab using the Mac computer since I do not own one; also, I can only check out a video camcorder for a twenty-four hour period. Since I will be learning the program and recording, I will end up with more material than I need. I will also have to write a script to accompany my taping. Therefore, it is somewhat difficult to create an accurate timeline for this assignment. I will be tasked with both taping and learning the programs while also determining what footage to discard in order to make the documentary relevant.

Infotopia 1 & 2

This passage made me consider, like we have mentioned in previous classes, the idea of "general consensus" on the web. If a web community agrees that something is true or fact, then it is because of the power of the majority. The best example of this is obviously Wikipedia because its very existence depends on the idea that the agreement of the majority is truth. I think this brings up some really interesting questions about social misconceptions--for example, if the majority of society defines a word the wrong way (a common example might be the definitions of liberal and conservative) does that mean that the real definition of the word no longer has meaning? I think its a scary thought that the majority defines knowledge--but then again, what makes something true if the majority doesn't agree?

Individual Project Revised

My digital literacy project will document my learning process using Final Cut Pro. It will show my progression from a first time user to a user more familiar with the program and production process. This project will include the use of Final Cut Pro, a video camcorder, and an instructional podcast recording. Integrating these forms of media will express my digital literacy while also narrating my comprehension of Final Cut Pro.

The project may not explicitly address concepts from class, but the concepts will be evident through the way the project is arranged. The project will be organized in segments to address the basic tasks I completed in Final Cut Pro. Moreover, the recorded material will be of me actually working on the final project and show how I would have presented my creative assignment if I had used Final Cut Pro.

The projected time it will take for me to complete this assignment will be approximately a month. The reason this project will be so time consuming is because I will have to record myself while in the MATRF lab using the Mac computer since I do not own one; also, I can only check out a video camcorder for a twenty-four hour period. Since I will be learning the program and recording, I will end up with more material than I need. I will also have to write a script to accompany my taping. Therefore, it is somewhat difficult to create an accurate timeline for this assignment. I will be tasked with both taping and learning the program while also determining what footage to discard in order to make the documentary relevant.

Creative Project

Just in case ya'll wanted to take a longer look at my project here is the link
http://annelir2.blogspot.com/

Exam Time

12pm April 26th in the Studio

Infotopia 1 & 2

I took away from this reading a message very similar to that which Molly took away from it--the cliche "two heads are better than one." This idea in support of collaborative thinking made me think of this class in particular. When working through the concepts of our reading assignments on my own I, more often than not, find it a daunting task. Sometimes I close the text more confused than when I first opened it. My understanding of the readings come from our collaborative class discussions of them and similarly our blog posts. It's as though we all hold a piece to the puzzle and that which makes no sense makes perfect sense when interlocked together.

In addition to our readings, I also thought about our first project for this class. I can't imagine accomplishing what I accomplished in the first project without my group members. While none of us had knowledge of the programs that we would be using beforehand, working together to decipher through the technical manuals explaining iMovie among other things proved very beneficial. Things that I didn't necessarily get Vanessa and/or Anna did get and vice versa.

Infotopia 1 and 2

In the first chapter I was shocked to read that large groups are often "wiser than experts." This idea is supporter by the idea that a statistical answer is an accurate answer. These answers from large groups hold evidence of quantatative estimates. Sunstein also suports his writing by telling of the Condorcet Jury Theorum, that says "the probability of a correct answer by a majority of the group increases toward 100 percent as the size of the group increases.

Chapter 2 dove further into this idea. The quote from Aristotle on page 49 was very direct, saying "all come together...they may surpass- collectively and as a body, although not individually- the quality of the few best....When they are many who contribute to the process of deliberation, each can bring his share of goodness and moral prudence...some appreciate one part, some another, and all together appreciate all." This quote states the idea that "two heads are better than one." This is true in most situations. By having a concensus of a group, you are more likely of getting the more correct or best answer than by just asking one person.

Infotopia, 1 & 2

I found this reading interesting, particularly if you consider much of the topic in chapter's 1 and 2 would be hard to imagine accomplishing just a few year ago without the Internet. Sunstein talks about how a group of people or society collects and filters information so that they can make a decision.

Sunstein suggest that in a group setting, people will often gravitate towards a strongly stated opinion, especially if their own opinions are not fully formed. People tend to find it difficult to stray from the majority of the group especially if the majority opinion fall within our own prejudices and reaffirm our devout beliefs. As I read this section my thoughts turned to Bush's' justification for the Iraq war. Was the group setting that assembled the information dominated by one strong opinion? How much deliberation was there prior to submitting the evidence to Bush? Was there someone who chose to delete certain items that they did not want presented (as Megan referred to in her blog about Wikipedia)?

Infotopia Intro, 1, and 2

While I was reading the introduction I was reminded of the Technical Writing class I took last semester. We were required to make a new entry on Wikipedia. As a class we decided on the term Professional Communication, since it was not already included. Since we did this as a class there were many posts. The site itself is monitored by someone, and I actually had some contact with this woman. We were supposed to post something and then the rest of the class would look at it and change it as necessary. In the midst of all of this, some of the stuff we posted was deleted before we could get back to it. I sent the monitor an e-mail explaining what we were doing and she told me that, since other people read the site, she could not leave something that was not true or something that seemed like publicity. This made the task challenging because we did not always work on it in class. I think it is interesting that Wikipedia exists so that anyone can have some input. But, I also find it interesting that if something you post is not entirely true, someone else can delete it. This is like the idea of the majority being right. If a lot of people agree with something, then it could be true and left on the site, but if not, it will be removed.

Infotopia 1 & 2

I thought that these two chapters were very interesting. I am intrigued by the "group think" mentality, especially because the population can be so easily swayed. I particularly found the jury example attention-grabbing because the motivation to agree with your fellow man can often be overwhelming. It made me wonder how many trials go awry because of one strong personality among the jury that believes one thing when in reality he or she may be wrong. This led me to think about the entire basis of the U.S. government in its sway toward the majority. Democracy is set up to make the most people happy as much as possible. Often, as history has shown, the democracy chooses against what is "right" (especially morally) in favor of what they selfishly believe is right. Slavery is one of these things that at one moment in history the government was for it because of its own selfish interests. Finally, this decision was reversed in light of the minority speaking out vehemently against it and finally persuading a majority into thinking as they did. But this is just an example of how sometimes the majority is wrong.



This might be a hotspot for people, but also take Bush's election... coughregimecough. While at first, the majority (although not by popular vote) decided that President Bush and his policies were acceptable, his approval rating by his second term was the lowest of any president.



Groupthink and mass mentality are a powerful tool and are interesting to explore in terms of majority rule. It is also a point of current political discussion.

Infotopia Chapters 1 and 2

In these two chapters, Sunstein addresses the importance of numbers and the effect of group influence. In chapter one, he specifically talks about the Condorcet Jury Theorem, which states that "the probability of a correct answer by a majority of the group increases toward 100 percent as the size of the group increases." In other words, Sustein contends that groups do better than individuals overall. However, Sunstein contends that large groups are not always correct. In some cases, the smaller groups are better informed and should speak on behalf of the larger population (like state representatives). Chapter two further delves into the accuracy of the deliberators' decisions and the influence of informational and social pressures. These readings were interesting and adds a new perspective to how I understand digital literacy.

Infotopia response (1-73)

Throughout these chapters Sunstein refers to the way people exchange information to come to conclusions or produce knowledge. He specifically talks about the way jury members must decide upon a person’s guilt or innocence in legal matters. As he was discussing the ideas of “groupthink” and the Condorcet Jury Theorem, I immediately thought of the 1957 Henry Fonda film 12 Angry Men. The plot synopsis of the film can be found here. The film shows the story of Henry Fonda’s character as a jury member who tries to convince the other jury members that they should vote to acquit the man on trial based on reasonable doubt. Although at first Henry Fonda’s character is the only jury member with this opinion, he presents his own evidence that slowly convinces the other jury members that he is correct. Even though the film is fictional of course, I think Sunstein’s following idea is interesting in light of the way the film plays out: “Most people don’t like being the sole dissenter. If all but one person in a deliberating group have said that some proposition is true, then the remaining member may well agree that the proposition is true—even to the point of ignoring the evidence of his or her own senses” (66).

Creative Project - Updated

Originally, the following was my proposal for the creative project assignment:

For my creative project, I will be making a mockery of people who cannot "function" in class without their laptops. I will probably take some interesting spin on Movie Maker and drawings as a mode of presentation.

Since then, some aspects have changed and others added. The current project will focus on the remediation of pencil and paper to laptops. As comic relief, the project will also end with another form of remediation associated with the pencil/paper to laptop shift.

The programs used in the project will be Microsoft PowerPoint and Adobe Photoshop. The presentation and transitions between the slides should give the impression of flipping pages in a book.

Kress 122-175

I feel that Kress brought up something very interesting in regard to the topic he chose for closing the book. Punctuation and white space. These are very postmodern ideas that indicate the fixation of the mind on the importance of the meaning surrounding words that we have picked. In particular, it reminded me of an Italo Calvino book entitled Invisible cities in which about half of the book, including pages within the book, was blank. The idea was to find and interpret our own meaning within those empty spaces. While some may say that white space, or negative space as the artist's call it, is attributed to loneliness, it is also a place of hope. It gives oneself room to think and expand farther than one is capable within a word. Punctuation was also another closing point for Kress. We've discussed the use of punctuation in regards to different interpretations and many other people on the blog have brought up good examples of strange punctuation and its effect on the message.

This is a passage from Calvino's Invisible Cities. It emphasizes the importance of negative space. To Calvino, the white space is what is holding us all together.

Marco Polo describes a bridge, stone by stone."But which is the stone that supports the bridge?" Kublai Khan asks. "The bridge is not supported by one stone or another," Marco answers, "but by the line of the arch that they form."Kublai Khan remains silent, reflecting.Then he adds: "Why do you speak to me of the stones? It is only the arch that matters to me."Polo answers: "Without stones there is no arch."

Screen shot help

This is a message I sent to Kerry Gomer about screen shots.
Kerry,
Sorry if I keep bothering you with stuff. I have attempted to take screenshots on my work computer and am still having difficulty. I found the print screen button, what do I do after that? Thanks,
Megan

Kress 122-175

What I thought about while I was reading this section and in today's class discussion (I know I posted late) was my Technical Editing class. In this class we had to learn pretty much everything about grammar and take a midterm on it. I know that technical writing is supposed to be clear so that the document users can figure out what they need to, so, without punctuation and grammar this would not be possible. I have learned in technical editing that if a document user gets frustrated or does not understand, they will not use the document, which defeats the purpose of creating it.

Kress 122-175

While this section was once again very dense to get through, I found myself also interested in the importance of punctuation. Like many have pointed out, being an English major means having to go through the painful process of learning very precise grammar rules. However, the ways you can use punctuation to your advantage, whether through casual communication or a formal paper, far outweigh the task of learning the correct way to use it. As Kress points out, " Punctuation is the framing of an overall organization...It is a necessary condition of communication. 'Without framing, no meaning', we might say."

An example of the importance of communicating through punctuation is AIM. It sounds a lot different if you say something like "good luck with that" as opposed to "Good luck with that!! :)"
The whole tone is changed by adding exclamation points. I often find that is why things said on AIM can be very misinterpreted--if a person doesn't use punctuation to express their tone or attitude it can be very easy to take something the wrong way or not understand their subtle hints. This also applies to things like facebook wall posts and txt messages. The whole manner of the communication can be changed by "friendly" punctuation. Or using ellipsis to communicate the fact that you don't understand something.

youtube downloading....

Here are two links that allow you to convert youtube videos into several different formats and then download/save them to your computer. For our collaborative project we worked in Adobe Premiere, and in order to work with youtube videos, we had to convert/download the audio and video separately. Hope this helps!

http://catchvideo.net/

http://convertyoutube.com/

You Tube Downloading Help

Does anyone know how to get movies off of YouTube?

Thanks, Ardi

Kress 122-175

This section dealt with the importance of punctuation. To be honest when I started to read it I dreaded the pages to come. I am currently enrolled in grammar survey as well and the thought of punctuation reminds me of that class. Don't get me wrong I agree that writing could not exist without it, it just isn't the most fun thing to study. I learned the value of punctuation and all grammar for that matter when I worked as a copy editing intern this summer and even when I worked as a public relations intern this summer. None of the documents that I worked on would make any sense without the right punctuation. I believe that this in turn reflects on the reliability of the magazine. I was working at a celebrity gossip magazine so anything to add to the reliability of the material was always a good thing. This notion worked in press releases as well. The public relations company did not want a press release being read to a celebrity that was grammatically incorrect. Even if there was just a missing period or a comma that is misplaced, the wrong message can still be conveyed. If a company doesn't take the time to send out grammatically correct documents then what else does it not take the time to do? Even though I dread the study of punctuation and I know many English majors do, it is actually one of the most important things to take into consideration when writing. I think Kress expresses that in the text.