Introduction
In our world today, new media and
technology has new meanings and new tools. In some ways, we benefit
tremendously from these devices and new tools. In order for us to keep up with
the tools, we are obligated to buy them and obligated to learn about them. This
paper is to bring awareness of how I have learned from this class, New Media
and New Technology and discovering my knowledge or lack of knowledge. Self-assessment
is another great tool to measure what we know.
What I Learned
I learn every day of my life, usually.
What I learned from this class, was valuable. Learning about the
terminology that describes the workings of new media and new literacy is important.
Jenkins, H. (2006, p.3) discussed “participatory culture to be an environment where
members believe their contributions matter, and feel some degree of social
connection with one another”. He
suggests that there are: affiliations, such as Facebook, message boards and
various forms of media, expressions where video-making and digital sampling
takes place, collaborative problem-solving in which teams can work together to
complete their tasks, and circulations where podcasting and blogging take place
(Jenkins, 2006). One of the best
descriptions of participatory culture is “Participatory culture
shifts the focus of literacy from one of individual expression to community
involvement” (Jenkins, 2006, p.7). As an individual, I believe that technology
and media are integral to participating in the community. We cannot leave it
behind new development of technology. We will be participating in the new media
tools whether we write with a pen and pencil or use Twitter or a blog. This is
all inevitable. I learn and assess my
learning on how well I can use it or learn about.
I became aware of affinity spaces in
this class. Jenkins found that, “While formal education is often conservative, the
informal learning within popular culture is often experimental. While formal
education is static, the informal learning within popular culture is
innovative” (2006, p. 9). I discovered
that affinity spaces are extremely productive environments.
In reading about new skills that we
have to acquire, Jenkins suggested, “teachers to pay greater attention to the social skills and
cultural competencies that are emerging in the new media landscape” (Jenkins,
2006 p. 18). I see our position as teachers is to consider improving our
skills for our students, peers and the community.
Learning
about technology is never ending. There will always be a new form developed
that we should discover on its use and its workings. Teaching Seneca language in the
community as a volunteer (no-pay taken) has been a great experience for because
the students are learning to speak. One
day, I will convince some of my students to use their laptops to store their
Seneca language and manipulate the use of media and technology for their own
use. Better yet, they can ask their children to teach them how to manipulate
these tools, especially the iPods and the iPads.
Strengths
One of my
strengths is knowing that technology, the language in technology is different.
Understanding networking and the internet is an industry that was developed to
profit and not to completely 100%, to please the consumer. When something
doesn’t work or if it is not compatible, I understand. As a programmer, one has
to have patience. If one doesn’t have
patience, there is great frustration when a technological device or application
doesn’t operate smoothly at first, you will always be frustrated. I know about
Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, personal blogs, streaming on YouTube, all the
networks, searching on Google scholar and much more, but I only use some of
these new media and technologies. As long as I have the patience, I know I can
learn how they operate and how to use them at some point in time. New Software
applications have stations around the country to test how well they will work.
I learned this in undergrad. I have a
friend who worked in a beta testing company many years ago and she is not
involved in software development or use, she just computes and is 80 years old.
She is very smart, but it is interesting that she worked in a company such as
this 20 some years ago.
Metaliteracy
promotes critical thinking and collaboration in a digital age, providing a
comprehensive framework to effectively participate in social media and online
communities” (Mackey, T. P., Jacobson,
T. E., 2005, p. 62).
Internet companies
and cable carriers convert their respective networks to Internet Protocol (IP).
I can relate to this kind of knowledge that Varnelis (2004) writes as the
address or the method, protocol in which our data is transferred from one
personal computer Varnelis (2008, p. 112) discussed the involvement of FCC’s in
the interstate and international communications of radio, television, wire,
satellite and cable in his Networks Publics book. This is another regulation
that is beneficial to us because of the complexity and important need to be
regulated. We seem to be in trouble all over the world, in terms of who should
use these communications, under whose law, in what capacity? International lawyers, national lawyers and
the federal government have the responsibility and will have to show
accountability. We are the little guy, using the internet and the rest,
extensively.
Improve on my Weakness
My weakness is not that I cannot learn new media
and new technology, instead, it is that I think I don’t need it. Then I come to realize how important it is to
open a Facebook account. I will be opening one during the break. I will need it
for my communications with Akwesasne Mohawk schools and their people located up
north. North, meaning that the Mohawks are located by the St. Lawrence River,
near Quebec, Canada. I will need it for
the communications with the Oneida Language Program located in London, Ontario
to message with their people involved in their program. I never wanted to do
so, but now there is a need.
My
other weakness, is that I need to learn more about how to use technology and
spend more money on headphones, buy a new laptop and invest in the new
technology. My laptop is only four years old and has had a lot of use, but now
it is time to purchase a new one. When people get a virus, they are scared to
death. I know enough to turn over the laptop and pull out the battery. I had a virus in January 2014. I got rid of it on my own. Now, my weakness
is to simply invest in new stuff. I will
not use the cloud because it is money-orientated, spend! The cloud stores ‘way
too much’ of one’s personal information. I do not favor this application at all.
One day, I will probably be using the ‘clouds’.
Insights
In
regard to transliteracy, I learned that it exists and the best definition of
this is written by Thomas, “Transliteracy is the ability to read, write and
interact across a range of platforms, tools and media from signing and orality
through handwriting, print, TV, radio and film, to digital social networks”
(Thomas, S., et al. (2007). Learning about literacy such as the Lankshear &
Knobel reading was a great discovery. My view, is that they were all explaining
the same idea that literacy is growing and we message one another through these
mediums and using technology to transfer our messages. David Crystal discussed the new literacy of
email and how people express themselves which is a new way to talk (2004,
p.108). I find myself doing exactly what he discussed in his writings. I email
with short messages when I am in a hurry. Varnelis discussed the development of
broadband to a greater extent which is valuable knowledge. The ideas that Varnelis gave were valuable
and if we didn’t have broadband, we wouldn’t be able to transfer data through
our many tools and devices.
Assessment
“Identify
new and significant discoveries/understandings that were gained concerning the
performance area; i.e., what did the assessor learn that others might benefit
from hearing or knowing, (Wasserman & Berstein, 2011, p. 2). Understanding
how Insights can include new discoveries and how we can apply them to our
different life situation is what I learned from this reading.
Self-assessment is the best process to
measure or evaluate one’s progress. I, particularly, like the guide for
self-assessment by Taylor et al. A guide
written by Taylor, Marienau and Fiddler (2000, p.67) for self-assessment:
“Developmental
Intentions
I.
Toward
knowing as a dialogical process. - paying attention to wholes as well as the
parts that compare them.
II.
Toward a
dialogical relationship to oneself – Exploring life’s experiences through some
framework(s) of analysis.
III.
Toward
being a continuous learner. – Reflecting on one’s own and other’s experiences
and recognizing and revealing one’s strength and weaknesses as a learner and
knower.”
This is a great
guide to find out more about reflecting on one’s assessment, (Taylor, Marienau,
and Fiddler, 2000).
Conclusion
I may never learn all there is about my own
use of software in my operating system or the applications needed to perform
special tasks for work on my computer, but I know that there is more to it. New
media, participatory culture, transliteracy and metaliteracy are equally as
important to gain knowledge about. There
are cultures of every kind, immense numbers. People who haven’t learned about
the theories of literacy attached to technology will learn soon that they have
some more cultures to learn from.
References:
Crystal,
D. (2004). Language and the internet. NY. NY: Cambridge University Press.
Jenkins, H. (2006). Confronting the Challenges
of Participatory Culture: Media Education for
the 21st Century. An Occasional Paper
on Digital Media and Learning. John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Mackey, T. P., Jacobson, T. E., (2011) Reframing Information Literacy
as a Metaliteracy. In
College & Research Libraries.
Retrieved from:
http://crl.acrl.org/content/72/1/62.full.pdf+html
Lankshear C., Knobel, M. (2011). Literacies Social, Cultural
and Historical Perspectives, NY, NY.
Peter Lang
Publishing, Inc.
Taylor,
K., Marienau, C., and Fiddler, M. (p. 67, 79, 84, 2000). Developing Adult
Learners, San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Varnelis, K. (Ed.). (2008). Networked Publics.
Cambridge, MA, USA: MIT Press. Retrieved
From: http://www.ebrary.com
Wasserman, J., (2004). The SII Method for
Assessment Reporting. University of Tennessee,
Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press. Retrieved from:
